Dedicated Slabber

[Frank_Pender]

  I am looking for someone in the Willamette valley area that has a Peterson Dedicated Slabber.  HELP!  :'( I am getting so many calls for slabs as tables, mantle pieces etc, and I am  unable to cut but only one such item per log with my mills.  :'( therefore, the "slabber" seems to be an item I can utilize readily and get more than one slab out of some of these non-productive mis-shapened logs.  8) I just got an order for four tables out of a Black Walnut log that was good for nothing as far as lumber, but for table slabs it was great.  ;) I do hope that someone can send me in the right direction, soon. :-[  thank you in advance. 8) 8) 8)

[Tillaway]

Looks like a heck of a good excuse to buy one to me. ;) 8)

[Kevin]

Frank,why doesn`t the mill you have now cut more than one item,( is an item a slab)?
I usually cut four items    off each log I mill with the band mill, and three items with the Alaskan.
Most of my items get turned into firewood.

[Frank_Pender]

You are correct Tillaway. ;) :D 8) It is my biggest excuse.  :'(
Kevin, I have  Mobile Dimension Mills.  they are designed primarely to manufacture dimensional lumber.  I can have one major slab left after the amjority of the log is turned into lumber.  some of my logs are not condusive to producing and good lumber for much of anything but truning stock.  In those types of cases I would be better off to produce a table or three.  I guess you might call it cutting through and through with a band saw every three or four inches as you move downward from the top side of the log to the bottom side of the log.  Yes each item is a slab as I described above.  I hope that is clear, Kevin.

[timberbeast]

Hey,  Frank,  kinda time-consuming,  but on a couple of big logs I wanted to make wide slabs from,  I took 4" all the way across the log,  leaving the top flat,  then flipped the log flat down,  dogged it and worked my way down to the slab thickness,  taking dimension stuff as I went.  Get what I mean?  

[Frank_Pender]

  Yes, Timber Beast, I get what your mean alright.   But, I have many logs that would make several slabs rather than just one.  For example, I have an Balck Walnut log tht is 28" and not goo for lumber because of the knots etc., but would make six coffee table  tops, at $125.00 each.  the log is 10' long and I would make the slabs each 5'.  Six times $125.00 equals $750.00. 8) 8) 8) ;)  All the way to the bank, for me rather than the two slabs I would get otherwise. :'( :'(

[timberbeast]

Man,  Frank,  sounds like if you have enough logs to support it,  it could be paid off pretty quickly!!  (a slabber).  My pop built a slabber quite a few years back using a 084 Stihl,  adjustable by threaded rod at four corners,  and the saw was pulled through the log with a boat winch.  If I hadn't sold it,  I'd send it to you for shipping.  Wish I had his sketches,  he could make most anything.  I think he adapted it from some plan in Fine Woodworking.  We used to slab 4 or 5 20" plus Poplars in a day.  Maybe Taunton Press has an index of past articles online someplace.  Didn't cost much to build,  we already had the saw.  I can't ask him,  he went to the mill in the sky 10 years ago.  I may have a photo somewhere,  I'll look for it when I get a chance.  Could be a cheap way to have a big-buck sideline business....

[L. Wakefield]

   OK, this brings together my eyeballing the weird 5-pointed tree leftover the other day with this slabber and table top thread, and I come up with-YES!- another dumb question! From your description it sounds like yer turnin out slabs that are cut in the same plane as conventional boards. If you- say- wanted to take something weird-o like that 5-pointed crotch and CROSSCUT to make a slab that had the 5 points and the central trunk caught- heartwood wandering out into the rays of the 5 points- would you have to handsaw that puppy to start and then plane it down to what you want? Or could you maybe cut off fairly stubby and then jig it into your mills? It would be weird- I doubt those things are designed to crosscut (but a saw is a saw..)- and then there would be the stress on both saw and wood as it caught in each 'arm' and then released. Has anyone tried something like that? Jeff's coon mount looked a little bit like it. :  lw

[Frank_Pender]

Yes L.W. you could do just that with the Peterson Dedicated Slabber.  It will cut up to 60" wide.  I have done that with my mill, but only got one table slabe from the block of wood, just like Timber Beast discussed above.  With the leftover you speek of, with this slabber you could get, perhaps, thre or four tables with at leat two of them showing the rays you speak about using for the tip of the table.

Timber Beast, it would be great if you could find a picture of such a critter.  I would buy an O95 and place a 6' bar on that hummer with a stinger handle and I could be set to make slabes.  8) 8) I would just have to find a ripping chain that would fit the bar or grind a crosscut chain to the correct degree angle for ripping.

[L. Wakefield]

   wuzza stinger handle- signed- clueless

[Kevin]

Frank,
I can save you for just a little over $300.
Pull yourself from the perils of evil and set yourself free with an 80" Alaskan.
You`ll have that born again milling fever feeling!
Free yourself man, get a grip on an Alaskan mill!

[DanG]

I was about to suggest the same thing, Kev.

Frank, you already have the saws, so an Alaskan would pay for itself in one day. I say, GOPHER IT!

[Kevin]

Frank,
It`s the American dream and it`s well within your grasp!
Just think ...
Twin screws bolted to a double ended bar, the sky is the limit.
With a set up like that you could mill the moon!

Frank, you`ll make a lean , mean milling machine.

Frank, I have a dream Pender.   8)

[Bud Man]

Ca' Ching- 8) 8)   Ain't nutin for  "A Stepper"   8) 8)

[Jeff]

Kevin, there is just something wrong about you using the phrase "American Dream"

Are you considering conversion? ;)

What's the Canadian equivilent to the american dream? Ah shoot I remember, the old saying.

A sled on every porch and a beaver in every pot.

[Kevin]

We only have nightmares.  

[DanG]

Hey, Kev's a Amarkan! There's 2 Amarkas, and he's in one of'em. He's just in the Canuckadadia part of it. :D

Kev, do you think my 62cc Echo saw would do OK for an Alaskan?  What would be the longest bar you would consider for it?

[Frank_Pender]

KEVIN, thanks for the thoughts.  I have real night mares, they have four legs.   I have to feed them all the time.  As to the Alaska Mill, I will give it serious thought.   :P  It sure is strange though, that I have been punching these keys for over a week trying to find a fella in Estacata that supposidly has one of the Peterson Slabbers.  I have sent two messages to the folks Down Under and have not heard hardly word one.  L.W., your question, "What is a stinger." It is a handle system that is attatched to a very long chainsaw bar for a second person to hold onto while sawing very large timber.  they are almost a thing of the past, as are the trees they were designed to be used in cutting.  

   An addition support for such a purchase, be wheat it will, is, I sold another slabe today for one very pretty face fo Ben Frankilin.  the size was, 5' long by 32" wide, and 4 1/2" thick, Oregon White Oak. 8) 8)  ching, ching, klink, klink

[Kevin]

Dan,
Your 62cc Esaw will handle items between 12 and 16 inches .
24" bar is  max.
With a 24" bar you can mill a 20" item but that`s pretty hefty work for a 62cc saw.
A 20" bar would be better suited to that saw and you can still mill a 16" item.
Now that doesn`t sound like much but if you buy a mini mill you can remove the two side items from the cant and be milling a full 16" beam or board which is decent lumber.
Does your saw have a side chain tensioner?

[Gordon]

Ok I've got a question. What is the advantage of the "slabber" over an Alaskan mill? If any. Pros-cons of each? Prices of each? Output of each? Ok well it wasn't one question but actually a few questions. Just wonderin.

Gordon

[Kevin]

With the Alaskan you can pick up and go where you wanna wanna go and do what you wanna wanna do.  8)

A six foot item is a biggy!
A consideration of having twin screws on one bar would be in order for such a large item.

[sawmill_john]

Frank,  This is John up at Mobile. You know one of our customers down in Klamath CA was going to adapt a slabing blade like the lucas/peterson type mills, I'm sure you could adapt one to your Mobile Dimension Saw, it should have plenty of power.  8)  If you would like to contact the guy down in CA let me know, I'll get you his phone number.  If you need help let me know, we haven't had many inquiries for that kind of slaber, but it might be a nice option.

[Frank_Pender]

Price is abig issue, Gordon.  That is why I want to see one on action, up close and direct,  if at all possible.  Kevin has a good point on the dollars.  However, I am also looking for accuracy, efficiency as well as ease of operation.  :P

[Frank_Pender]

Let design and build one, John.  I will be there tomorrow to start. 8) 8)

[Frank_Pender]

By the way, welcome to the Forestry Forum, John.  Sorry I misses your arrival date. 8)

[Kevin]

Hey Frank, here`s a link for you ...
http://www.fosterssales.com/AlaskaninAction/alaskan_n_action.htm

[Tom]

Neat link, kevin.

I'de be looking to build a sprocket with a handle or something that would crawll along the log rather than pull that saw.  Doesn't that get Tedious?

[Kevin]

Tom, you can rig up a system to pull it along but I haven`t tackled anything that large and probably never will!
I would opt for two saws on one bar for something that large if I was milling a few of them.
The other thing I would do is square the log  into a cant.

[Don P]

Could a hydraulic motor/pump spin the chain on a long bar attached to the MD rails?
So, if I put a sprocket on my mandrel, and an 8' bar upright... :D

[Frank_Pender]

Don P., I am thinking of a way to attatch to the drive shaft for the edger blades rather than the main drive shaft.  I would remove the bottom edger blade, as it is designed to do so anyway for the larger edger blade.  I would then attatch a chain sprocked system that would extend in a horizontal direction to a guide/support bar for the other end to ride on.  With this idea in mind you would have power up and down as well as moving through the log.  Of course, you would have to remove the main blade and shroud when slabbing.  I think it could work quite easily.   I will have to get some of my engineer students to try and help me out with the idea.   Moblile Manufactureing seems interested in the idea of development.  It would be a terrific add-on for the whole system.  All ideas are welcome. :P

[Tillaway]

Frank,

How about the saw motor out of a processor head or stroke delimber.  It would have all the chain adjustments and sprocket set up.  You would need a custom made bar drilled for the processor.  Hmm... actually a bar out of one of those package saws that cross cuts a whole unit of lumber.  This could be fun. Hmmm......

[Frank_Pender]

Tilaway, you and I could be dangerious to this industry if we live very close together. :D  I have been thinking about the same kind of idea, of using the lumber cutter.  I am going to look into that concept a bit deeper.  :PThe length of the bars available as well as the power systems that run them.   I am going to take some serious measurements tomorrow on my hydraulic mill, and begin designing a fact-similie to what I would like to have happen, using the Mobile Dimension power system I already have.  I am not all that aware of how a processer head works, so I will check with one of my ex-students that has one to get a close-up view for adaptability. :P " The longest journey always begins with the first step, Grasshopper."

[Tillaway]

Frank,

Look at that processor, I think you will like what you see.  The ones I have seen use hydraulic fluid for the bar oil.  That will greatly simplify construction. 8)

[L. Wakefield]

   Boys, I'm not the one to advise you, and it sounds like fun and I wouldn't slow you down- but- as you roll on think about patents and stuff. If you come up with a killer great design, be sure to get someone in the know to protect your work from any possible litigation. I don't know how it works- I just know people have been screwed before and will be again.  :P  lw

[timberbeast]

Hey,  Frank,  how about a second MD (edger) driveshaft assembly cantilevered to the carriage.  It could run off of the regular edger shaft,  possibly by belt.  I think for a change-over to regular three blade,  you could just remove the belt(s) and unbolt the extra carriage mount and set it aside.  That way,  your entire outboard mount would travel with the carriage controls??  Couldn't find that photo,  oh well,  sounds like a new adventure is embarking!  (pun bad,  and intended).

[Frank_Pender]

Timber Beast,  The idea of a second shaft sounds interesting.   I will put that into the stew, also.  I have been toying with the idea of 1. using the same edger shaft and removing the bottome edger blade and replacing it with an adaptive unit that could handle a chainsaw sprocket system bolted on in the same manner, 2. having a collar similar to the third edger blade that can be attatched between the, alrady existing top and bottom edger blades.  I would remove the botttom edger blade of course when sawing, 3, then there is you idea.  In all three I would remove the botom edger blade and the main blade as well as the shroud.  I am planning to contack som machinest to look at the mill for addition ideas and or modifications of what we have come up with so far.  Thanks for the imput.  I will keep all here, informed of the progressions down the forest trail.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Hey Guys,
Hey Frank,
So, I've been gone a while.  Yep, I do have to make a living.

I worked a few hours the other day to slab up a 28" by 9' Red Oak.  It was more work to move and sticker than to cut. Free wood, left behind by the big loggers.

You have probably seen posts of mine from a few weeks ago about the set-up, namely a Stihl 090 with an Alaskan mill.  I rigged up a set of accessories straight out of Will Malloff's book Chainsaw Lumbermaking:  The angle-steel-edged guide plank,  the winch system, the yoke system, using kerf wedges, etc.  (Kevin needs the winch and yoke.)  To make a long story short, if you take Malloof's ideas and add a plastic bottle for a water drip at the far end of the bar and adapt to modern times with rechargable drills and big deck screws (instead of a hand brace and lag bolts), you can sho' nuff cut some big stuff.

Frank Pender,  the cost for my rig ran me about $1,600, plus my time to produce the accessories mentioned above.  The dedicated slabbers by Peterson and Lucas run five to eight times as much money.
Phil L.
Gotta go play with my tax work.  Bye!

[Kevin]

Phil, where`s the pictures?

Yokeless maybe but I got a wench.  

[Kevin]

Here`s Ralphs story that goes with that link, he`s using low profile chain on his milling saw.
Maybe someone has an idea what species of tree this is?

An a quaintance stopped by and gave me a piece of this beautiful medium red
wood and said he knew where a 5 year old log
was I and I could have it.  So I gaithered up my mill my 088 and and
accessories and whent out to bring home the prize.

    Now in general I'm pretty happy with my mill, it's performance and it's
ability to get the job done.
This log was so hard I could feel every cutter bouncing.  I cranked up the
auxiliary oilier and smoke billowed
from around the bar as it inched it's way through.  90% of the saw dust
looked like sifted wheat, make that red wheat.
As I passed through the crotch small curls did appear.  My milling partner,
Mark, and I could not believe how tough this 20" log was. Our first cut was
near the center of the log and lasted about 15 minutes, this log was only 6
feet long.
We stopped twice to readjust the chain.  It was stretched considerably.
After the first cut I would of called it quits but the wood was, well it was
beautiful.
The section away from the crotch was straight and tight grained, and the way
it was milled it ended up being quarter sawn.
We cut right through the center of the limb that formed the crotch.
The part of the log that was on the limb side was nicely figured, a
woodworkers dream.

My question is what kind of wood is this stuff?  We have a cherry tree in
the back yard and it's not cherry
the bark is different.  It's not Redwood, I've milled a lot of that.

So what tree has red wood, is super hard when dried, grows on the west
coast.
The log came from a local creek next to a farmers field about a mile from
the nearest house so it may be a native tree.

There are 2 more logs where this came from if I want them.  perhaps I can
get them resawn for a reasonable fee.


                            Thanks All

                               Ralph

[Tom]

I am confused by the red color but if he were here in N. Florida I would say that he had gotten a piece of Live Oak.

You don't suppose being submerged could have anything to do with the color, do you?  I hear that California has a version of Live Oak.

Live Oak has highly ornamental figure in quartering,  Crotch wood is unbelievable.  Medullary rays are large and produce a quantity of "Tiger" wood.   The grain is convaluted and tied together tighter than a gordian knot.

Want to smoke a blade?  Cut Live Oak.

NaW....I know better than that.   That is some kind of cedar.  The grain and knots just look like it.  the  Eastern Red down here looks just like that but it is a Juniper.  It will smoke a blade too. It's not really hard but it will dull a blade quickly and I expect to see smoke when I mill it.

[ARKANSAWYER]

Gordon,
  With an Alaskan mill you have to put a 2x6 or so on top to start till you get a flat top.  Then you remove it and the top of each slab is your guide.  With a "slabber" like a Peterson it is suspended from the rails and it can cut down to is max setting  in the first cut.  Really twisted logs with lots of crotch are hard to get an Alaskan started in.  Swingers are better for that.  Like Frank I have been looking hard at one and just the other day bought a 52" 12' black walnut that is all crotches and twisted and useless for lumber but would make 10 great slabs worth a little coin.
ARKANSAWYER

[Tom]

Wecome to the Forestry Forum ARKANSAWYER.  Glad to see you posting.  

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

John's idea about adapting the Mobile D. for slabbing is a thought.
Peterson sells a slabbing attachment (not the dedicated slabber) to go right on their swing blade unit.  The disadvantage of this "attachment", as opposed to the real McCoy, is a lack of chain speed, from what I understand.  It must not provide a "gear box" to provide a better cutting speed for it.  Of course, they provide that add-on attachment as a means for someone who already owns their swing blade to economically (albeit very slowly) cut some slabs.  We have to keep in mind that the dedicated slabber, in contrast, has a twenty h.p. motor, geared to run the chain at an optimum speed for that monster 60" cut capacity.  That's 2.5 times the power of my big Stihl 090 engine!

Using the same line of thinking, maybe you could watch a few extra runs of "Junk Yard Wars" on the learning channel and get it done!
Phil L.
P.S.   During the experimentation, may I suggest a suit of medieval body armor, lined with Kevlar, as a protective measure.  There is no doubt that the h.p. of a Mobile D. could break some chains!

[Tillaway]

My question is what kind of wood is this stuff?  We have a cherry tree in
the back yard and it's not cherry
the bark is different.  It's not Redwood, I've milled a lot of that.

So what tree has red wood, is super hard when dried, grows on the west
coast.
The log came from a local creek next to a farmers field about a mile from
the nearest house so it may be a native tree.

Just what part of the state?  My first guess is Pacific Madrone.  With more info I could be pretty sure that it is.

[Frank_Pender]

Phil, that is an excellent idea on having some protective devices available when I start this experiment for the first time.  Each of my mills is a 67 horse power VW engine.   so, the sprocket off of the edger blade is the key if I decide to go in that direction.   I have yet to get to the saw shop and discuss this with them as well as with the Mobile Dimension people.  I also need the have a very stable gear box for the opposite end, as well as the support system to hold it in place.  Ideas are always easy to talk about, but challenging to implement, be they concrete or abstract concepts.

[Frank_Pender]

Well, folks, I am going for the concept of attatching a chain sprocket to the bottom of the edger shaft.   The Mobile people are helping some in this venture.  My saw shop people are pretty sharp people also, and are working with me on the bar attatching and the non drive end of the bar.   Hang in there with me, if you have any additional ideas or thoughts, please let  me know.  Thank you all so far for you sharing of ideas. :P :P 8) 8) 8)

[Frank_Pender]

I Ordered the sprocket system today for Bailey's that fits on the slabbing unit for the Lucas mill.  They have beefed up the main sprocket as some of the earlier ones were not designed strong enough.  I will be deciding tomorrow what length bar to get.  I am looking at something over 60" as this size would limit me to something in the neighborhood of close to 50". :P

[Don P]

50" sure seems like enough, we use sawhorses and plywood tabletops for impromptu meals in houses while building and a 48" wide table is too wide for comfortable passing. Have you looked into PEG-olating the slabs? Does the sprocket get the feet per minute of the chain into chainsaw range?
I've had dogwood and alder both get a pink enzyme color after cutting...but I sure wouldn't call it red.

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

When Don P mentioned PEG, it reminded me of a problem I recently had, namely, finding PEG .  I came out fine buying Borax and Boric Acid and Ethylene Glycol from an industrial chemical supply company (cuts the middle men and the small quantity price gouging).
They have had trouble finding the PEG.  I think I asked for them to find it in "flake" form.  Did I send them on a wild goose chase?  Somewhere I had gotten the impression that this was the form it came in for bulk use/ industrial use.  
I guess the suitability of PEG use might depend upon the type finish the end-user of a slab might plan to use, but I have been looking into the costs involved for a "hot PEG tank" to treat slabs.  Not finding a bulk supplier of PEG has temporarily short-circuited the research.
Phil L.
          

[Frank_Pender]

Don P. and Phil L., please help me learn what you are speaking of, when you mention PEG.  I do not recall what that acronim is all about.  :P I must me having one of those senior moments. :'(   I will try the internet system to learn also.   However, please do let me know what that material is all about.  Thank You. ;)

[Jeff]

Poly Ethylene Giycol (P.E.G.).    P.E.G. can be used to chemically 'bulk'  wood. During treatment the moisture in the wood is replaced by the non-volatile P.E.G. solution, thus preventing the wood from shrinking. Treatment is carried out simply by immersing the finished article in the P.E.G. solution for a specified period of time depending on species

[Don P]

PolyEthylene Glycol:
Actually Charlie and LW might have some info on it, I think its used by turners and in GI work. But the stuff we're talking about comes in a high molecular (count?) of 1000. I've never used it but this is what I've found out. It acts like a wax going in and "bulking" the cell preventing much shrinkage. Phil I remember the ads for the flake in a sack but haven't been able to recall the source. Info on tank construction, heating,etc came from the same source.
The wood is submerged in a warm bath and it diffuses in. It is food grade, read a can of Dr Pepper. It causes finishing problems. It can sweat out in sunlight like a resin bleed. Wood turners have been a target market for their large green turnings, the same reason it would be a thought for a slab. Keeping the checking down may cover the expense of using it. There's also an acrylic monomer being advertised in one of the catalogs for stabilizing wood. I think in the Wood Handbook there is a section on these. the monomer treatment has been used in the past under the name Impreg.
My chemistry is weak, ethylene glycol is another animal. Shell-guard uses it to get borates to go deeper into the wood  than water alone would but I don't think it has any bulking effect to prevent shrinkage.

[L. Wakefield]

   I'm pretty sure they use it in hand cream too. I seem to remember the abbrev. PEG-50, so it probably is available in different polymer lengths. I haven't looked it up, but it may just as the name implies be a polymer of ethylene glycol, which is already kinda soupy and gloppy- it's antifreeze, right? It's late, tonight, or I'd crack the Merck Index and get the official version. 'Manana'   8)  LW

[Frank_Pender]

You folks are terrific.  I have done some research a bit ago and found an outfit called, Uniqema.  They make the material.  I e-mailed them some questions and will get some response, most likely on Monday.  I will let all know what and when I discover. ;)

[L. Wakefield]

   FWIW -if i have it right, ethlyene glycol is

   H-O-CH2=CH2-O-H  .

In the basic reaction for polymerization, put 2 of em together, (eliminating 1 molecule of water);

   H-O-CH2=CH2-(O-H) + (H)-O-CH2=CH2-O-H

to get

   H-O-CH2=CH2-O-CH2=CH2-O-H  + H2O  .

which I guess would be diethylene glycol- and so it goes for up to solid polymers like PEG 6000, which has between 1588 and 8204 ethylene glycol units strung together, and a molecular weight range of 7000-9000. That one is a powder or creamy white flakes (according to the Merck).

   So didja really want to know that??? :D :D :D   lw

[Frank_Pender]

Thank. Teach 8) 8)

[Tom]

Hmmm  looks like it wouldn't taste very good.  There's scribbling like that on the back of the cereal box in the kitchen.  I won't eat it either.

[L. Wakefield]

   Exactly. Generally speaking, it is advisable NOT to eat the box. (Come to think about it, that belongs on that list of insane warnings- you've seen the one, right? Such gems as 'no purchase necessary. Details inside' or the warning on childrens cough syrup 'do not drive after using'. Let me know if by any chance you've missed this and i can post it, but I'm sure it's made the rounds. One of the best I've seen was 'do not store this package near the gates of Hell or on the surface of the sun...')   lw

[Don P]

Neat-o 8)
So is losing the molecule of water possibly by sitting in the sun for energy? This then turns ethylene glycol into PEG?
But I guess in losing a molecule of water EG shrinks just like wood...which is just glucose molecules that bonded by losing a molecule of water and became cellulose...so is wood really poly glucose 1000 (I read somewhere cellulose is also about 1000 molecules long ((hey! is this why you use PEG 1000?)))

I find the box to be the best part : :D

[L. Wakefield]

   Yes indeed, cellulose is poly-glucose- and only the fact that we lack the enzyme to break the linkage keeps us from being able to digest cellulose as a foodstuff. Now THAT gene-splicing would be truly significant! And the Sierra Club might have to say 'hush ma mouf' if suddenly we were talking about the forest primeval much as one might describe Chateau lafitte some aged and exquisite vintage. Humans as carpenter ants...people who lived in wood houses could be in danger of anyone with a sudden attack of 'the munchies'.. :  lw

[Frank_Pender]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Geeeee. I was hoping for all sorts of neato ideas for the mill adaptation.  :'( What I got to read is what I should have read in High School chemistery class, I reckon. :P  But, it is all good information I will be able to use, once the slabbing attatchment is built and working. 8) 8)

[D._Frederick]

Frank,
How are you going to mount the gear box and blade to the MD that it will be easy to put on and take off? Have you thought about getting or making a carriage the will fit on the MD track and mounting the gear box and blade to this?  You could set the carriage on the track and belt it to the edge mandrel and bolt the two carriages together. Just a thought.

[Frank_Pender]

D. Fredrick,   I have  ordered the unit that Lucas uses to attatch their bar to their dedicated sabber.  It should be here next week some time.  I then will acquire a long bar and see what comes of things.  The MD factory said they would help in the drilling of the Lucus unit to attatch to the bottom of the edger shaft after the removal of the bottom edger blade. I have yet to determine how I will attach the non powered end of the bar and  chain.  I may just buy their attatchemnt also.  Their bar runs around $315 for the 60".  I may end up just purchasing a piece of track in the end, to expedite the whole process. I would rather have my own track design to more easily adapt to what I want to have happen.

[Tom]

John Laidlaw, an Australian sawmill manufacturer, died last May and his company will no longer be making mills.  The website says that they are preparing the plans of his mills for people to use who would like to build them.  One of the mills, a Super Mill, Is a slabber and will cut over 50 inches.  Take a look at the web site.

http://www.standard.net.au/~bushmill/index1.html

(I tried the link in 2010 and it was broken)  Tom

[Frank_Pender]

  I have decided to purchase a Lucas dedicated slabbing unit.  I will attatche it to the bottome of the edger shaft of my Mobile  Dimension Mill.   I spent much time in calculating the $ involved and the gathering of individual part to build my own unit and it would have been almost 3 times what Bailey's wants for the unit.  I can send it back if I do not use it.  They want $982.90 including shipping.  I have designed the non drive end holding mechanism.    It is much more simple than I had designed originally. :D ;)  Mobile Manufacturing is going to help in the adaptation to the edger shaft. 8) 8)  I will hoepfully be slabbing within the next 60 days or less. 8) 8) 8)

[L. Wakefield]

   Send pichas, we gotta have da pix..  lw

[Frank_Pender]

LW, you are forcing me to have to learn again.  I am retired;     8), but I will learn how to place the pictures for all to see.  I am digging up this issue, only to let everyone know that I have recieved the Unit from Bailey's and this Friday Mobile Manufacturing and I are gong to design the attatchment mechansism for the Lucas Unit.  I am worse than a kid at Christmas right now. 8) 8)  Friday cannot get here fast enough.  I already have table slabe order out in front of me to the tune of 3.  That is not much, :-[ but a beginning.  ;)

[Frank_Pender]

    It has been almost 3 weeks since I was at the Mobile Dimension Sawmill factory in Troutdle, Oregon.  That eay was fantastic.  There were 3 or 4 of us working most of the day on the design for the attatchment system.  We placed it on one of their demo units and all was successful.  the Fab men at the various weling sites and the machinests were great, also.  I really think people lke working on new things once in a  while, just of the change of pace.  Anyway, I left them all with big grins of success on their faces that afternoon.  

    I have been very busy designing and adapting what I want to have happen for the support system at the non drive end of a 6' chainsaw bar.  I had a few trial and errors occur that were ever so miner in nature but troublesome to modify for what Iwanted to have happen for ease of application and attatchment.  I decided to use a piece of 2 1/2" x 6" aluminum tubing for the main support system with a 1 x 1 piece of aluminum angle attatched on one edge for the 3' ideler pullies to ride on.  

     Today was the maiden run of the unit and I did take pitures, LW.  They will be forth coming, tomorrow, if all goes will to the sending.

       Stay tuned folks.  All will happen, I promise. 8) 8) 8)

[splinters]

Frank, it sounds like you made the giant leap form homemade and handy, to for real manufactured. Is this slabber something that may be available to us all from Mobile Dimension or sombody?

[Frank_Pender]

Splinters,  I well believe that it just might become available.  It will take some testing as well as some fine tuning to be marketable.   :P