The best idea I had for the mill

[lyle niemi]

was to have an over head driveshaft to run the mill, that saves alot of footsteps!!! 8) The worst idea was not getting the mill up high enough, the reason I say that is because I had to crawl under the husk today and change a belt, I aint a little fellalol

[bandmiller2]

Theres no vision clearer than hindsight.Friends of mine built their mill high enough to cleanout with a large articulating loader.Your overhead shaft is a good idea as with a conventional right hand mill the engine and shaft always seem to be in the way.Really tough if your a lone ranger on a circular mill, many trips around the horn.As with all mills a fella needs to build two, one to learn and one to use.Basically Lyle you "done good". Frank C.

[lyle niemi]

Theres no vision clearer than hindsight.Friends of mine built their mill high enough to cleanout with a large articulating loader.Your overhead shaft is a good idea as with a conventional right hand mill the engine and shaft always seem to be in the way.Really tough if your a lone ranger on a circular mill, many trips around the horn.As with all mills a fella needs to build two, one to learn and one to use.Basically Lyle you "done good". Frank C.

Thanx Frank, I still have lots of changes and improvements to make on my old mill but I got it so I can cut up many logs by myself without having to go to the tail end, well once in a while to fix a snag on the conveyor..lol

If or when I rebuild this other old mill I will have a waaaaayyyyy better idea of what I am doing.

Dang! I almost forgot to tell ya that I bought some brand new I beam to rebuild theknees on my carridge, I think they are called knees?? lol I aint used to working with brand new steel. Im kinda scared to cut into it!..lol

[5quarter]

Lyle...What is this "brand new steel" of which you speak? I have never heard of such a thing... ;)

[rmack]

most modern mills, the cutting level floor is 12'-16' above the main slab. lots of room for conveyors, chuteing, shaker screens etc...

[lyle niemi]

Lyle...What is this "brand new steel" of which you speak? I have never heard of such a thing... ;)

Its strange lookin stuff! It aint got no rust or old paint on it! and its even straight, not really sure how to work with it. ?????? need advise big time!!!! lol

[STUMPKICKER]

 Lyle, here in this part of Canuckistan, we've always called 'em log seats. Yas gots a great lookin' set-up there...betcha can't wait to see more sawdust fly.  ;D 8)

[Goodndusty]

Lyle.  You have some good ideas there.  I was wondering about the tilt table at the end of the conveyer.  Do you have it to tip both ways for a reason?  Another question is about the belt.  It appears in the pics that it is a split belt conveyer.  Is that in fact what it is and if so what is the reason behind it being split?
Keep up the good work.  I can't wait for it to warm up here in snowvakia so I can start my rebuild on my mill.   
Larry 
   

[lyle niemi]

Lyle.  You have some good ideas there.  I was wondering about the tilt table at the end of the conveyer.  Do you have it to tip both ways for a reason?  Another question is about the belt.  It appears in the pics that it is a split belt conveyer.  Is that in fact what it is and if so what is the reason behind it being split?
Keep up the good work.  I can't wait for it to warm up here in snowvakia so I can start my rebuild on my mill.   :)Hi Larry, The tilt table tilts both ways, I thought I could dump the slabs one way and the second cuts the other way. Now I just use it for the slabs and dump the seconds off with the lumber, it gets to busy at my end to watch out there all the time, iffin ya know what I mean..lol The reason I used the split belt is because that is what I robbed off my baler..lol I am lookin for a 20 inch belt to replace the 2 ten inch belts
Larry 
   

[Goodndusty]

Lyle,  we must be bros. or something.   I see that you take a bunch of junk and turn it into something useful.  I like to think of myself as being the same, although I don't think I have the resources that you seem to have.  I see that you have some kind of old reliable planer.  How is the finished product?  Is it pretty smooth?  I have an old 3 sided planer that I use for sizing and truing that actually does a pretty good job.  I know the planers like you have can take a real bite out of a board and not even flinch.  They don't make them like that anymore.  For instance.  I picked up an old single blade self feeding (table saw) for lack of what else to call it, that needs 2 front end loaders to pick it off a trailer. 
Larry 

[lyle niemi]

Thyank you for the kind words Larry. I havnt done any planing yet but the machine is ready to go. I do have a bunch of 1 inch pine that a fela brought over for me to plane, prolly do it in a week or so and maybe get Dave to take a video. This planer was built in Edmonton in the late 40s

[captain_crunch]

maybe i lucked out setting mine on hill side

[bandmiller2]

Cappy,your right hillsides are the clasic mill site,you could yard the logs above the mill and roll them on the carriage.All the waste just continued down hill. Frank C.

[lyle niemi]

I had good intentions of pulling off my carridge and bringing it in the shop to rebuild my log seats but I think I got a touch of laziness today..lol

[DaleK]

Cappy,your right hillsides are the clasic mill site,you could yard the logs above the mill and roll them on the carriage.All the waste just continued down hill. Frank C.

That's why a lot of mills that start out on hillsides don't end up that way after a few dozen years.