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homemade bandsaw mill, help

Started by gww, April 09, 2015, 05:02:13 PM

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coyotebait

I have read that blade guides must push blade down 1/4 inch . No experience here just been reading , and making my own list of parts.

coyotebait

Like OZ said "But please trust me in saying you need to have the driving wheel or tire PULLING the the blade through the cut. " Think ice fishing the sinker pulls the line down because it is a lot harder pushing the line down the hole. :D

Kbeitz

Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

mazdathumps

agree... The drive wheel is pulling the blade and yes, the roller bearing guides should be pushing down on the blade about 1/4"... They must be perfectly parallel to the log bed also...

For those wondering about my lack of update(s)... it's been crazy... Work stuff, going through divorce, and I ran out of logs to cut... I have done very little work with my mill since posting last... Eventually, I will get back into it and set up correctly... I have been promised about 12 yellow pines - some about 20ft long and some about 10ft long.  From what I hear, they range from 12" to about 24" diameter... We will see if they deliver on these promises...

Well guys, post divorce, I hope to be updating a little more often... Just FYI, the wife/ex-wife and I are being very civil and there is no fighting or lawyers involved.  No argument over our child, etc - we share 50/50 custody, etc... We just can't live together. lol
Thanks, Josh

mazdathumps

Another thing I failed to mention was that I visited another man's Woodmizer saw and his tension is much much tighter than my tension... This will be something I tackle when I get back into it...
Thanks, Josh

gww

Josh
Thanks for the update.  I thought you fell off the edge of the earth.
Good luck
gww

mazdathumps

Haha. No I'm still hanging in there.
Thanks, Josh

Kbeitz

I feel for ya... A divorce is one of the worst things in life to go through...
It's takes a lot of time to get semi over it. You never will completely over it.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

gww

Couple of small upgrades to my brothers office trailer club house that I have so many pictures of in this thread.  I don't know how to make it seem sensible and understandable whit every thing spread through a whole thread and so I guess you will get out of it what you get out of it. 

Plus I don't take good pictures. Part of that could be that having a fish fry on a Thousand degree day and drinking a few too boot and just really not being a good picture guy when things are perfect.

First is a hand washing station, shower and jakuzzi.  I know it is hard to see and not done as we are going to put tanks to hold water on the frame work above it all.  The air conditioner was stuck there today cause the air went out in the office trailer a couple of days ago.


 

The shower hand washing station is at the end of the new kitchen addition.  The bar is a junk board on some pallets.  I didn't get it but there is a sink and tables on the trailer side in the new kitchen. I was standing on the concreet patio to take this picture but did a pore job of putting it in perspective to what was already there before the kitchen.


 

The simple kitchen roof.  The arrow showing the way to the outhouse is not up yet and in the lower right hand corner of the picture is the part of the door to the shower to put it in perspective.



 

And lastly, a table for everyone.


 

I came home cause I was hot and did not feel like swimming and thought the chickens might like it if I turned on a sprinkler for them.  I don't like these days that are going to be 90 degrees till midnite.  Even cold beer and good food will only help so much on days like that.

If my typing is real bad on this post, it is either the beer or heat stroke.
Cheers
gww

mazdathumps

Looks cool man. Looks like you've been busy.  I cut a few pieces the other day
because I needed them for some stuff I was building. I also happen to pick up 6 pine logs from a guy. They are thick bark yellow pine. Still gotta cut them tho. Hope everyone is doing well.
Thanks, Josh

gww

Josh
I am not so busy.  I did absolutly none of this later work except to provide some of the boards that I had all ready cut before.  I have a log on the mill for two months but have not felt like cutting cause then I have to stack and sticker.  I did plane some boards that I had drying for about 7 months and have been slowly building some bee hive stuff.  Planing is hard work.  I have a little 5000 watt ac in the garage and it will keep it below 80 degrees and with a fan is not too bad.  The question is am I building even $5 a day worth of stuff to make up for running it.

I have moved enough boards that I am begining to make enough space to sticker more boards if I ever get to it.

I also was giving some pine logs.  I don't know what kind of pine and have never cut a pine before and so some day I will be excited to try it, when it is cooler maby.

Hope your mill is doing well for you.
Cheers
gww

mazdathumps

Good to hear. As for the pine, you probably want to cut it sooner than later. I don't know about up there, but down here if it sits a little, the bugs start chewing away at it. It also rots quickly here.  I try to cut pine quickly after I get it.

My mill is doing ok on softwood, but still not good with hard wood. I think I've narrowed it down to the blade tension. I just can't do much more tension without the axles potentially breaking again.  I have thought about making my pneumatic tires solid somehow, but haven't done the research on that. That way I could turn them true on a lathe even.

Anyways, glad you're keeping it going up there. Take care
Thanks, Josh

gww

Josh
I don't think I get enough tension to do as well as I could either.  I just get enough to do what I do do barily.

I already have some rot in one of the logs, maby enough that it should be burnt instead of cut.  The others are ok I think.

It is too hot to cut now for me, I am a baby when things are perfect.

Good to have heard from you.
Cheers
gww

mazdathumps

My biggest pine log is looking bad on the outside, but the heart is big and orange. I'm hoping it's good at least.

Good hearing from you too
Thanks, Josh

gww

This is the first time I have cut in a long time.  It sure is hard to get started with this.


 
Stupid chickens.

I did not check the tire pressure or anything and just started it and cut one pass.  I had left it under tension.  It cut just fine thank goodness and now I am back in my lazyboy thinking about what I have done.  Sooner or later, I have to get some boards cut so they will be dry by next fall/winter.  I have put it all off cause of the pure dread of restacking my other stickered boards so that I have some place to put new ones.  That part of the process is the one that makes cutting your own lumber the hardest.  It is so much better to be able to build things new with green right off the mill.

Since I am trying to keep busy in the garage during winter, I need dry. 

Not to jinx myself but I am happy it seemed to work well after such a long sit in the weather.
Cheers
gww

grouch

gww,

Are you going to use some of that lumber you've cut to make guards around that blade? That looks a little unnerving.
Find something to do that interests you.

Ox

gww - when the blade breaks and comes flying off it'll get one of them chickens and you can put em in the pot!

It's always good to know your equipment will work fine after a hibernation.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

mazdathumps

Gww, glad to see you're still using it. I used mine the other day and broke the axle.  I welded it back together and cut some more after that. I've come to realization that I can't tension as much as I should be and that I'm better off cutting soft woods, for now, than rebuilding the whole thing to handle higher blade tension.  I'm 99% sure this (tension) is where I was having my
roller coaster problem. I cut straight enough for soft wood to slip through the planer a few times and get correct.

As for the blade guard, I'm slacking on mine... Gotta get it built
Thanks, Josh

gww

Grouch
I doubt I put blade gaurds on it.  I have broke about 10 blades and it is pretty much a non-event and I do all my cutting by myself (except for the chickens).  The closest to hurting anything that I have done is the chickens know that logs have bugs and are not afraid of the motor and get inbetween the track.  A gaurd would not help a chicken that gets in front of that blade.  I do shut the engine off after every cut and restart for the next.  Even that is not too bad cause I need ot move the boards anyway.

It is all good.
Cheers
gww

gww

Josh
If I am building a shed, I don't worry about a little wave except on the floor I will pick through for the best.  I find with my log quality that even if I have no wave, I do on some after drying.  The planer gets most pretty strait.
Cheers
gww

Ox
It is really good to know it still works since I put no protection on it at all.  Chicken taste good.
Cheers
gww

Ga Mtn Man

I'm glad she's still cutting OK for you but the question I have is:  Why is there a baby seal laying next to your mill?!
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

gww

Ga mtn man
That baby seal looks pretty bored doesn't it.  She is probly thinking what is this idiot doing, we could be in on the couch.
Cheers
gww

Georgia088

Hello all. It's been a while since I've been on, but an unrelated question for gww about solar power got me back on here. I haven't cut much lately on my mill, but I thought I would post a small update.
Mazdat if you read any of my sawmill build saga, (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,88250.60.html)  you know that I went through many frustrations cutting wavy wood. I put the bar on the front to keep the tires from "flexing" or bending inward when tension was increased. This REALLY seemed to help mine. It's still no where near perfect, but it is much better. It was def worth the time/effort/money. It wasn't very complex either. It is basically just two pillow block bearings (one of mine was an old trailer bearing bc that's what I had lying around) and a way to push them apart to counter the pull from the blade. You may have already gotten yours straitened out, but if not it would be worth a shot. I think you'd be happier. Your mill looks awesome btw. Much better than my rigged up piece.
Hope everyone is doing well!


mazdathumps

GWW, I've also got a planer and if I need "perfect" lumber, I cut large and run through the planer until it's dimensional... Most of my rough cuts are structurally straight though... I made trusses for my shed and didn't send one board through the planer... That's straight enough for me... If I were milling for wall studs that were being covered in drywall, then yes, they would be sent through the planer... I tend to be on the OCD side of things and small imperfections would bother me down the road...  :D

Georgia088, I have thought of a few ways to settle my axles breaking under strain.  I like the idea of supporting the front of the hubs also... I think eventually, I will invest in actual casted band wheels and have to redo some of my welds and guides and all.  For now, it cuts soft woods just fine.  I would like to cut hard woods, but I have access to a good friend's uncle's mill if/when I need to cut nice wood... For now, I'm just stocking dimensional lumber from long leaf yellow pine that I get for free randomly... It's abundant around here and soft.

On a side note, hope everyone is doing well... This has been a crazy year for me, so I've spent less time on my sawmill than I'd like, but that's life and one day I'll jump back on it more...  8)
Thanks, Josh

gww

Besides bee hives, I have tried building another thing that is supposed to be simple but for sure is taxing my abilities.



 



 

Because I am too cheep to run to town and buy a six dollar piece of plywood and didn't want to use enough boards to use all board, I found scrap and peiced together the drawer bottoms.


 

I found that hiding the fasteners and yet making it strong made it hard to keep gaps to the min.  This little project taxes my skill level pretty bad.  I always look at those that are good craftsmen but know I don't like projects that take more then a few days.  Luckily, my daugter sent this request a long time ago because it could be done and was supposed to look rustic.  I don't know if it is going to end up looking rustic or just sloppy.  I only have the drawer face plates left to do and it is what it is.
Cheers
gww
Ps It is supposed to be a coffee table.

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