Bandsaw sawmill build

[DMcCoy]

It's getting painted so time for some pictures.

My biggest concern was blade tilt and any slop in the lift brackets that might make adjustment difficult.

I used some UHMW wear blocks to keep everything tight. They are held in place without using any bolts by small metal stops and location.  Here are just a couple of pictures - it will be more apparent how this all fits together when I get it a little more assembled and post some more pictures in the next day or two.


 


 
Then the saw guides I made adjustable it terms of tilt as well.


 


 


 

[hackberry jake]

It looks pretty well done so far. What bandwheels will you be using?

[DMcCoy]

19" belt sheaves and B57 belts - nothing fancy.

[drobertson]

Not sure how I missed this thread, can't wait to see a few more pictures! looking good so far,,

[leroy in kansas]

Looks like your coming along well. I'm interested in your application. Keep the pics coming.

[fishpharmer]

Looks great! I can appreciate the amount of time that went into even a relatively small piece like that.
Love the color too 8)

[DMcCoy]

fishpharmer - It does take a ton of time to make it intentionally simple.  Bolting plastic has never worked out very well for me. A few more pics. 

Rollers -


 



 

The UHMW is sandwiched and adjustable for tightness.



 

[DMcCoy]

more pictures-  sandwiched UHMW


 

Now the lift mechanism -  I tried to use stuff I already had where I could,  such as the gear box, sprockets, etc.  The lift is #50 chain - 1 strand on each side, coupled together with the shaft across the top to lift equally both sides.  I lift from 1 side only the other follows


 

Had a hard time sticking a lock washer and nut 4" down a tube - Duck Tape to the rescue.


 

I wanted the handle to turn the gear box sticking perpendicular to the track.  That made the chain at the gear box 90 deg. off of the the way I needed it at the top.  I use a block of steel and 2 master links to make the transition.



 

[DMcCoy]

Gear box rides up and down with the saw head.  Chain must have the slack somewhat tight.  Some 1/8" cable, pulleys and a counterweight.


 



 

More tommorow

[Wisconsintimber]

Looks like nice fabrication!  It will be fun to see the finished product!
I used 2.5" square tubing around 2" for my sawhead up/down.  My lift system is acme threaded rod on each side, linked together on top with chain/sprokets and driven br a hydraulic motor.  It has worked well so far with sporatic use over the last 4 years

[21incher]

Looks great and I love the color! Can't wait to see it finished.

[DMcCoy]

Some more pictures.  I know, I know the motor needs cleaning and paint, it's just going to have to wait until I get some stuff I need milled finished.  Motor= Wisconsin AHH single cylinder, hand crank, runs great.  Weighs a ton and a half, been sitting in the corner waiting to get back to work.



  



 



 

[Swatson]

That's a good looking saw.  Keep up the good work.

[Rainfly]

I know this is an old old thread but I'm hoping to get a little more info on the routing of your chain for the lift.  Specifically for part that attaches to the head, runs up to the sprocket up top. Where does the chain go from there?  

TIA  

[DMcCoy]

The lift mechanism had undergone modifications since I posted this and is under revision again as I am adding hydraulics.
Originally the cables were meant to keep the chains tight on the sprockets.  This didn't work out as planned and I ended up mounting steel plates to keep the chains in place.
Edit; Should look at my own pictures first.  :   Seems like so long ago! I had distance/tolerance issues with the chain and it's 90 deg twist so I ended up moving (rotating) the gear box 90 deg.
What that lift setup became worked and held it's position when I let go of the handle. Each revolution of the crank ended up being 1/8" in saw head lift.  Which is part of the problem- it took a lot of cranking to raise it back up.  16" x 8 = 128 rev = too much.
The part where the chain attaches to the head is a 5/8" NFT bolt with 2 sides cut flat and a hole drilled to accept a master link for # 50 chain.  The bolt hole in the saw head was 3/4" to allow some fine side to side chain alignment.  The bolts allowed for saw head height adjustment.  You would think these are off the shelf items but I couldn't find them or couldn't find the correct search term so I made my own.  This part I am happy with and would do this again.
The lift chain went from the bolt on the saw head up to the top and back down to the gear box which is a 40:1 right angle C face which was also mounted to the saw head.  I used a C face gear box ( because it was lying around) and made a hand crank adapter.  The other lift chain on the saw head was connected through the shaft at the top.  The non connected end of this chain was loose and hung by gravity but had a tendency to climb and skip teeth so I added a plate to keep it from doing so.   I could have used a screen door spring or bungy but the plate seemed and was fool proof. I also had to keep the loose end by the gear box held tight to the sprocket with a U shaped plate there as well.  I had the gear box on the operator(non dusty) side of the mill.
Unfortunately I don't have detailed pictures and I'm well into my conversion.  Like I mentioned it worked and held position, it's just the cranking took too much time.  The ratio of head lift works out to 80:1 because of the way the chain was routed.  It was surprising the force required or I'm getting lazy.  I used .250 wall tubing on the saw head which adds a fair amount of weight.  Could be my wear blocks are adjusted too tight.

[DMcCoy]

Sorry, I don't think I answered your question very well.

One end of the chain attaches to the saw head with the bolt mentioned goes up over the sprocket on the shaft at the top, then goes back down to the gearbox and then the loose end was supposed to be kept tight with the cable and counterweight.  That didn't work and basically the loose end of the chain hangs by gravity.