First log with Frick 0

chopperdr47 · January 17, 2014, 07:23:35 PM

I'm not finished with the mill completely but I couldn't stand it any longer. I have gone through quite an education on circle mills and getting them to cut straight. I used a punk log for testing my adjustments and got a straight and nearly square 4x4. I have saved several logs from the tornado's in 2011 and I had to see what was in 1.

I need some "over the bucket" forks for Miss (Whoa) Nelly, but for now all I have is chains. I got this 1972 Ford 4500 Backhoe just for setting up this mill and handling logs and sawdust. I have always used the 2 joystick control backhoe but never a 4 lever. It took some getting used to and slinging the bucket around, thus the name

.
It sets a little high on this end since its on a slight down slope. I'm building a catwalk and staging beams for the logs next week, but today there was some climbing and reaching.

This was the first cut of a willow oak. I milled some smaller pieces from it on a chainsaw mill that came out real nice. There isn't much rotten from being stacked for 2 1/2 years, Just some under the bark.

Unfortunately that's all for today. The Minneapolis Moline engine is propane fueled and I don't have a big tank yet. I'm using the one from my grill, and it ran out right after this cut.

Ron Wenrich · January 17, 2014, 07:36:06 PM

Nothing better than the first cut on a mill. But, every time I made a first cut, I usually used a small, softwood type of log. Things look good.

Sawdust Lover · January 17, 2014, 07:46:45 PM

Get some forks on that bucket and get your decks built and your life will be much easier. Looks good though and welcome to the forum. It will all come in time!

clww · January 17, 2014, 08:30:22 PM

NICE!

bandmiller2 · January 17, 2014, 08:33:52 PM

Good going Chopper,I remember the first cut on my first circular mill after the slab cut I pulled it over and cut a 1/4" slice you could almost see through it. I would make a set of tusks for your bucket, take two pieces of heavy angle iron and bolt them to the side of the bucket, a couple of good bolts will do it. Taper the ends of the angle iron and make a slight curved cut behind the point to cradle the log so it won't roll off. I used this system for years until I found a pair of forklift forks and made a headgear for them. Frank C.

Peter Drouin · January 17, 2014, 08:44:16 PM

Nice

drobertson · January 17, 2014, 09:16:12 PM

Just do it! and you did, can't blame you a bit, would have done the same. work out any bugs and keep on keeping on! david

thecfarm · January 17, 2014, 09:19:43 PM

Now you know it will make lumber. ;D

Andy White · January 17, 2014, 09:26:01 PM

chopperdr47
Outstanding results for that first log! You have the hard part done now. A log deck and forks, and you will be covered up in sawdust. Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your mill

8) 8) Andy

Possum Creek · January 17, 2014, 09:43:31 PM

That looks good. I was just wondering about the propane engine. How does it compare to gas and diesel? I know they run clean but I am curious about the hp and watch out for the sun shine on the blade it will make it do some crazy things. PC

hardtailjohn · January 17, 2014, 10:51:35 PM

Looks really good! We used to have a 4500. Awesome little hoe. I loaded a lot of logs with it and dug miles of ditch.

chopperdr47 · January 17, 2014, 11:06:56 PM

Thanks for all the complements. Tomorrow I should have pictures of that log cut into some nice wood.

Quote from: Possum Creek on January 17, 2014, 09:43:31 PM
That looks good. I was just wondering about the propane engine. How does it compare to gas and diesel? I know they run clean but I am curious about the hp and watch out for the sun shine on the blade it will make it do some crazy things. PC

I'm curious as to how efficient the propane will be myself. That was also an adventure getting the M&M to run. The magneto (yes, magneto) had a bad coil and condenser. Not too many people around any more that works on them. Some small planes still have them so I had some basic knowledge. Still, finding parts for it was fun. It runs very nicely under a load. There's no muffler on it right now and when it lights off, it sounds like a big radial engine on an old plane.

Darrel · January 17, 2014, 11:10:18 PM

Looks like more fun than a human should be allowed to have!

chopperdr47 · January 17, 2014, 11:19:03 PM

Quote from: hardtailjohn on January 17, 2014, 10:51:35 PM
Looks really good! We used to have a 4500. Awesome little hoe. I loaded a lot of logs with it and dug miles of ditch.

Miss Nelly (the 4500) is a little slow to get going in the morning, she moans when I try to move her and groans under a load but shes still strong. That could be said about a lot of us. Having a back hoe is like being a car owner then getting your first truck, you wonder how you ever got along with out one. She has definitely earned her keep.

bandmiller2 · January 18, 2014, 07:23:45 AM

You will find a propane tractor will have torque like a diesel of comparable size, as far as economy I can't help there. If you have natural gas piped to your home I'd run her on that. Frank C.

Buddyw · January 18, 2014, 07:56:23 AM

Nice set-up Chopperdr47
I like to see the circle mills going.
I have 2 of those Ford 4500 backhoes, and 1 Ford 535 backhoe.
They were and still are good machines.
I been dealing with them for 40 years.

dgdrls · January 18, 2014, 08:12:39 AM

Quote from: chopperdr47 on January 17, 2014, 11:06:56 PM
Thanks for all the complements. Tomorrow I should have pictures of that log cut into some nice wood.

Quote from: Possum Creek on January 17, 2014, 09:43:31 PM
That looks good. I was just wondering about the propane engine. How does it compare to gas and diesel? I know they run clean but I am curious about the hp and watch out for the sun shine on the blade it will make it do some crazy things. PC

I'm curious as to how efficient the propane will be myself. That was also an adventure getting the M&M to run. The magneto (yes, magneto) had a bad coil and condenser. Not too many people around any more that works on them. Some small planes still have them so I had some basic knowledge. Still, finding parts for it was fun. It runs very nicely under a load. There's no muffler on it right now and when it lights off, it sounds like a big radial engine on an old plane.

http://magneto-repair.com/

Here is your guy, Good friend does antique auto and truck restoration.
Uses him quite a bit,

Great looking Frick, I really enjoy seeing those big circle mills fixed-up and running,

Best
DGDrls

NMFP · January 18, 2014, 08:26:08 AM

I used Kevins service and it worked well. Price was reasonable considering I could not find many others willing to work on one.

Depending on the model, he might have some on a shelf he could send you as a core swap.

Great guy and works fast to get you up and running.

chopperdr47 · January 18, 2014, 10:08:58 AM

Believe it or not, I found a spare mag on Ebay then a guy in Maine that helped me a lot. He sold me the parts and spent some time on the phone with me getting it right. I can't find his info right now but I'll get the receipt and post it later.

DGDrls, I will add Magneto-Repair to my list of assets. I was told the mag was the weak link on this motor, but now that I have a good one installed and a spare in stock, I'll probably never have another problem with it.

hardtailjohn · January 18, 2014, 12:39:09 PM

Quote from: chopperdr47 on January 18, 2014, 10:08:58 AM
I was told the mag was the weak link on this motor, but now that I have a good one installed and a spare in stock, I'll probably never have another problem with it.

Yep, there's a reason we still use them on aircraft! Simple and dependable. I know a MM "NUT" in WY if you ever get stuck for parts...he's most likely got them. Can't wait to see this mill in action!
John

bandmiller2 · January 18, 2014, 08:40:28 PM

Sometimes you can find a battery distributor that is a direct replacement for the mag. Frank C.

chopperdr47 · January 20, 2014, 08:16:26 PM

I expected to have some pictures of a nice stack of freshly milled oak by now, but Murphy ('s Law) has been lurking around my scope of woods.

Forks for my loader have just moved to the top of the priority list. I knocked the carriage of the track trying to load it with chains. Getting it back on without any damage took a while.

When I did start cutting, the blade walked some. I thought I had that straightened out but apparently not well enough for a large oak. I'm not confident with my swagging job on the teeth so I went ahead and changed the them to take that variable out of the equation.

Tomorrow's another day

Ron Wenrich · January 20, 2014, 11:33:10 PM

There's a way to anchor your carriage to the track at the loading end of the mill. You need to put a piece of angle iron on your track that sits above the track. Put another piece of angle on the carriage, so that they interlock when the carriage is back in the loading position. If you intend to put on a log turner, this will be a must, or you'll have the carriage off the track all the time.

Anytime I have a saw problem, I change teeth to take saw maintenance out of the equation. I usually do that after I make sure that my saw guides aren't pushing or pulling the saw.

chopperdr47 · January 21, 2014, 09:49:54 AM

A log turner is definitely on the horizon, especially if I'm going to be handling logs like this one with limited help. It was because I couldn't turn the log on the bed by myself that I pushed the carriage off re-loading it. I'm trying to imagine a fixture to hold the carriage for loading but not having a lot of luck right now. I'm sure my "design committee" will get to work on it tonight while I'm trying to sleep.

When I was changing teeth yesterday, It looked like quite a few were off-set to the board side. I would like to put a spider gauge on them to see for sure but Wal-Mart doesn't stock them. I'll try to make one today. It was pretty hard to get a lot of them out also. I cleaned the light rust out of the groove on the shank with a brass brush and PB Blaster, then the blade socket with the PB and a scotch-brite pad. I wiped them down good, oiled them and put them back. They went in easier than they came out but still tight and the alignment looked better (eye balling). I only got half way through before dark got me. The sawdust also looked a little fine to me. I was expecting it to be a little more coarse once I got into solid wood.

Ron Wenrich · January 21, 2014, 12:19:03 PM

Not all bits are made the same. Sometimes I would get a tooth that was cutting heavy, and leaving a gouge mark. To find the offender, I would put the file across 3 teeth. If the middle one was too high, the file would rock. I then would file the offending tooth on that side. That usually took out the problem.

Sometimes, if the saw wanted to pull, I would simply take one swipe with the file on the offending side to all the teeth. Often that solved the problem. You have to do this fairly lightly, because if you take too much off, it will pull in the other direction.

You aren't having any problems with frozen wood?