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Harbor Freight Mill Mods & Repairs

Started by Kingmt, October 21, 2015, 10:04:07 AM

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dukecrazy

Man that is nice! The more I think about it the more I believe I'm just gonna go with buying to sticks to make sure all stays true. I've had slight issues with the head dropping on me to this point but I'm gonna see what I can do to fix that issue soon.
G3033 LS tractor w/FEL, multiple chainsaws, and Central machinery sawmill.

Sidejobrob

Nice work on the extension.  Did you modify the angle iron extension? The vertices part of my rails seem to be 2 1/2" high and look to be milled square on top. I'm wanting to extend my mill as well. Any information would be appreciated before I order my angle iron.

tareece

As A HF owner, this thread is of keen interest



The Most common flaws would be the diving.. the brass bearing on the handle and the Stock blade...
    But what I've cut and my needs, this is a great bargain.
     Now, if I start getting calls for more and more production with bigger logs, I'll definatley upgrade.
Todd Reece
Lover of many things. Experienced in most... expert in few

plowboyswr

Quote from: Sidejobrob on February 21, 2017, 11:16:25 AM
Nice work on the extension.  Did you modify the angle iron extension? The vertices part of my rails seem to be 2 1/2" high and look to be milled square on top. I'm wanting to extend my mill as well. Any information would be appreciated before I order my angle iron.

Sidejobrob you might want to check out this thread
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,90230.0/all.html
Grouch made an extension on his
Just an ole farm boy takin one day at a time.
Steve

tareece

The biggest flaw i have found is the lack of a second Log clamp
   I sometimes saw 6 or 8 ft pieces and its an adventure to say the least to keep the log from pivoting with the blade.
   I have heard that a sponsor of the board wont sell parts for the HF saw.. and they have that right (or priveledge).. so im trying to think of a way to make a homemade one out of readily available non-weld parts..
    Some possibilities are conduit tubing.. but the adjustable spike is the question.
Todd Reece
Lover of many things. Experienced in most... expert in few

mattyo5

This vid can be in this thread too... my woodland mills bandwheel bearings went and I made a vid. ...should be nearly identical to the HF mill

https://youtu.be/8YDQdnIepKE

check out the rest of my youtube channel for other mill vids, they will help with ideas for mods, in particular the lube system is a good thing to step up
Woodland Mills HM126 Sawmill - modded
Husqvarna 385xp rebuilt and ported
Husqvarna 372xp rebuilt and ported
2x Husqvarna 350 ...rebuilt and ported
Hitachi CS33etdb top handle saw

mattyo5

also, I saw mostly pine and have had good luck lately with the Cooks excel blades.   They ship me 10 blades for $165 ... and they cut pretty nice.  ...should work for the HF mill too
Woodland Mills HM126 Sawmill - modded
Husqvarna 385xp rebuilt and ported
Husqvarna 372xp rebuilt and ported
2x Husqvarna 350 ...rebuilt and ported
Hitachi CS33etdb top handle saw

fishfighter

Quote from: mattyo5 on March 02, 2017, 12:07:17 AM
also, I saw mostly pine and have had good luck lately with the Cooks excel blades.   They ship me 10 blades for $165 ... and they cut pretty nice.  ...should work for the HF mill too

What degree angle blades, size?

mattyo5

Woodland Mills HM126 Sawmill - modded
Husqvarna 385xp rebuilt and ported
Husqvarna 372xp rebuilt and ported
2x Husqvarna 350 ...rebuilt and ported
Hitachi CS33etdb top handle saw

mattyo5

when you call to order just tell them you want the same thing as some guy named Matt from Connecticut  hehe
Woodland Mills HM126 Sawmill - modded
Husqvarna 385xp rebuilt and ported
Husqvarna 372xp rebuilt and ported
2x Husqvarna 350 ...rebuilt and ported
Hitachi CS33etdb top handle saw

mattyo5

I did the other side...  driven side ... will likely apply to the HF mill too:

https://youtu.be/wsZbRuSpPFQ
Woodland Mills HM126 Sawmill - modded
Husqvarna 385xp rebuilt and ported
Husqvarna 372xp rebuilt and ported
2x Husqvarna 350 ...rebuilt and ported
Hitachi CS33etdb top handle saw

MbfVA

Love to hear if anyone found a source for adding log dogs, or designed their own?  I have a swing blade mill (newly mine), so I am getting into log management for sure, especially since I am starting out with some really short stuff, trouble for band millers, too.

Sorry to hear that one of the sponsoring mill makers will not sell such parts to Harbor Freight mill owners.  It's likely not Cooks since they appear to sell band saw blades to all for all mills.

[Log] dog in the manger? ;)

I am perplexed at the originator of the thread being so unwilling to use the FF system for photos, and it diminished his now discontinued contributions.  No troubles with uploading and referencing photos in posts, so far, on my part.
www.ordinary.com (really)

dmoneyallstar

Old thread, but still good.

You can buy all the LOG CLAMP pieces from the HF mill #63266 parts list. It's parts #83 thru 89 and is ~$125. HF Sawmill Parts List

Some of the non-HF sawmill brands sell extra log clamps for range of $79-$135 each. Few different designs. Some may adapt better to the HF mill.

Woodland Mills has a low-profile cam-style one that bolts up similar to the HF version for $99. I may give it a whirl for a 2nd & 3rd clamp for long and/or squirrely logs.

I already mowed the handle of my HF clamp once. I also plan to convert it from a crank-handle to a sliding pin like a C-clamp or vice.

Woodland Mills Clamp



 


dmoneyallstar

I'm building a trailer for my HF mill and found 2 sticks of 3x4x7/16" x 20' rail for $250 total. Needed a wider track groove on my rollers. When I chucked the HF wheels onto my Clausing lathe, I discovered the thickness of the HF wheel is inconsistent. One end is 0.012" thicker than the other -- they wobble at RPM. The groove OD and the bearing are concentric, but the roller thickness is wonky. The steel is pretty soft as well.

HF wheel / roller info:
- The axle is a M20x100mm bolt
- Overall size is 3.5" OD x 3" track OD with an H-type groove to accommodate the 5/16" (8mm) rail supplied with the mill.
- Width of wheel is 1" (25mm).

If you're looking to replace your HF sawmill gantry roller/wheels, there isn't much out there. Hud-son makes a $25-$30 roller (p/n 976-019) that's 3.5" OD and has a 0.33" groove (would fit HF's 5/16" rails), but their bearing is for a 3/4" shoulder bolt (19mm). This looks like it will work for the original HF sawmill, but would require to swap in a non-standard (but available) 20x40x12mm bearing to fit the HF metric bolt. They've been making this same roller for 20yr.



Cooks sells some that are small. Also some on ebay that are small. "Track rollers" are overkill and priced as such.

Best place to find other alternatives is searching Amazon for a "sliding gate wheel" or "sliding gate roller". These have a pretty decent load capacity and are typically equipped with standard sized sealed roller bearings. Most of these wheels are V-groove. Look for items that list or show the bearing # to make sure either your M20 bolt will fit, or if you can swap the bearing out to a larger ID. Most bearings with a 20mm ID are either 35mm OD or 52mm OD.

-Dan

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