My sawmill arrived. Here is what it looks like:
(http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/4938/sawmillonpalletwf8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
This will be the foundation. Waste not, want not. It is an old 20' long trailer chassis. I will build it here and transport it to the mountains when the weather gets warmer (like in the Spring):
(http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/3222/sawmillfoundationlp6.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Assembly is underway. That is as far as I have gotten. Stay tuned:
(http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/9941/sawheadassembly1mw8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/7643/sawheadassembly2om0.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/1145/sawheadassembly3ep5.jpg)
If you are going to have a sawmill you have to get logs. I built this a while back out of my scrap pile:
(http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/5126/skidder2hx8.jpg)
This is a behind the quad skidder. It will perform the same function as this one which is available commercially.
(http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/346/logskiddergreyvx6.jpg)
As you pull the skidder forward the slipring slides up the sloping pipe and raises the front of the log off the ground. This keeps the log cleaner, not picking up dirt and rocks as it skids along.
I also dug into my scrap pile and pulled out this old cart frame:
(http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3584/trailerparts1br8.jpg)
And turned it into one of these:
(http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/4075/paintedtrailerzf6.jpg)
It's all good, desdawg. Be sure to get all the rocks out of the bark after skidding. Does it have a water jug to run water on the blade while sawing? Makes the blades last about 4 times longer and cut better and faster.
As you can see I have been scheming on this for a while now. It is about to come to fruition. I pulled my old Harbor Freight $99 truck crane off the Dodge and will build it onto the sawmill for lifting and turning logs. I gave it a fresh coat of paint since it was pretty faded. The arm on the right pivots up and the hydraulic jack in the middle pivots up and pins into that arm so you can lift with the jack or crank with the winch or both. This is the kind of stuff that keeps me off the streets, safe and sane instead of how I used to be. But that is another story.
(http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/5290/logturnerto6.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
QuoteIt's all good, desdawg. Be sure to get all the rocks out of the bark after skidding. Does it have a water jug to run water on the blade while sawing? Makes the blades last about 4 times longer and cut better and faster.
Yes, it does have the water jug. Lots of guys use Pinesol or some kind of detergent to keep the pitch from building up. I still have lots more to assemble. Many there are lots of little parts and pieces. But you are right, it is all good.
Sounds reasonable to me.
Good looking cart....Nice scrap pile you have there....
I recommend giving your welder/painter as raise ;)...Good job so far
I probably won't get back to it before the weekend. Tis the season.............
I'll bet you and I would really have a good time looking at each other's junk pile, desdawg. Nice use of resources.
Glenn
when I saw the nice job he did welding up the cart and trolley out of scrap I thought it was you posting....
better ask permission before you and Desdawg hit the junk yard....might be a long trip ;)
I love to build things... but who has the time for that sort of thing? I did get a homemade forge built this past year and a couple of fire burners....sort of half finished a used oil stove.....my junk pile is all antique cars...so I cannot just cut them up....too hard to replace.... though I am going to junk a 81 chevy half ton in a few months and take all the steering and brakes and bolt on my 48 five window...So I guess I will have a frame and a few pieces to mess around with...
I have always wanted to build a bandsaw style sawmill....There are always great deals on ebay for brand new V twin honda motors....and there are a couple companies that sell plans for a decent looking band saw mill using a couple trailer tires...
but I have no land to log....So until I get some land to cut it will remain a pipe dream in the back of my mind...
Maybe when I go home I can take some time working at the family shop to build a sawmill....Father has 50 acres of woodlot...we used to borrow a friends chain saw mill and it worked damned good....he had the husky saw that was 119 cc....that puppy was enormous!
When I see "stuff" that looks usable I bring it home. Sometimes it sits around for a couple of years before I figure out what it's function is supposed to be. That is why I have a pile. ;) For both of those two little trailers about all I had to buy was paint. I still have a couple of mobile home axles left out there. That is what I used for hubs on the trailers. Mobile home axles are easy to work with. They can be cut down to whatever width you need by removing a section from the center and then a piece of 4" pipe sleeve fits tightly over them to make the two pieces solid again. They are 6400# axles so will work for most of my little applications.
I have another small trailer that is in the works right now. I was awarded custody of the little bed a couple of years ago and have had it sitting around. I pieced the frame back together using 1-1/2" square tube (off the pile) and a MH axle once again, found an old tongue (which just happened to be the same color as the bed) and here we go. It is rolling now and has a plywood floor but isn't complete. It still needs body & fender work, paint and lights. And of course a purpose. I just attract stuff like this. And when I attract it I drag it home. This is one of the bennies of having acres of storage. I don't know how people live on little city lots. With HOA's. Gawd! I would have to hurt someone. Anyway, my "pile" is a many splendored thing. Yeah Glenn, one day I have to come and compare notes. Benny Valence you may have to come west young man. :)
(http://img283.imageshack.us/img283/7081/readyfortireshj1.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
I've been self employed for 32 years - I'm sure I have stuff from the start. I think I still have at least 3 well drilling rigs left and an antique wood one. I had bought the sawmill several years before the underground complex-- grand dad had 3 sawmills when he was young - I should be allowed one when I'm old, eh? Probably an acre of stuff at the other place - 1280 horse Cummins, anyone?
Antique one lunger engines - tractors - steel - lots of good treasure -
Only about 1/2 acre up here as I have to make my own flat spots on top the mountain, but it's coming along. :)
OK, that is it. I am packing my bag now.
Glenn
do not make me regret getting married...My father has an auto salvage...He would junk backhoes, bucket trucks...Plus all the cars and trucks
I must have made adozen trailers for people with K car rear axles and with 2 small pieces of plate a rear hub off a cavalier is the best for an axle as it has a flat face with four bolt holes arleady drilled...you just drill 4 holes in the piece of plate and bolt the hub up...And then mount the plate to the trailer on each side and instant axle...Changeable in case it ruins a wheel bearing.
as I said...I gave up acres of scrap pile....We had a pile where the public would dump scrap metal....all kindsof treasure in that pile...fixable cast iron radiators...Lawn mowers...washing machines....You would not believe all the gold that comes from a pile like that... I have had several homemade tractors...last one had a 200 ford 6 cylinder engine...Used the power steering pump and brackets to power the snow plow on it....Scavenged an old Davud rear axle....the front axle I hauled off for nothing....From a 40's desoto.....Bolted it to a 4 speed Saginaw from a Jeep and man it worked Great...All kinds of Power... We made our wood splitter from a 76 toyota corolla powertrain automatic runs the hydralic pump in reverse.... oodles of power.
Been over 2 years since I was home...I miss that junk pile :'(
Married life has it's advantages....I guess ::)....The wife puts up with me having 35 old cars...She would freak out if I had a scrap metal junk pile.... Divorce would be a possibility I think. I need another piece of land in the middle of nowhere....So I can do what I want.....The wife would have a fit if I dragged home some junk to the new house we are fixing
But man it is fun to build stuff out of the junk pile....If it has to be explained I am thinking the other person would not understand
you guys know what I am talking about.....
Quote
you guys know what I am talking about.....
benevolance, I discovered long ago that I could have all the toys anyone else has without the expenses if I was willing to do a little work in this throw away world.
This is my alternative log skidder for when the going gets tough. I got this last year for $500 and got her going. Lots of fun here. Tis a 1945 D4 Caterpillar. It has a gasoline pony motor for starting. Get the gas motor running and use it to crank the diesel engine. Get the diesel going and shut down the pony, go to work.
(http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9976/d4resizedlu7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
I had that same D4 30 years ago, desdawg. I put a ROPS on it sometime after 86 and sold it. I installed roll bars and sloper blades for about 6 years for Saf-T-Cab. They made and gave me the ROPS.
I think this one made it across the pond and back in the big one, WWII.
I don't care how much work needed to be done to the dozer it was a steal at $500...It was worth more than that to take to the scrap metal place!
The amount of work that can be done with an old machine like that is unreal...It is equal to 500 dummies..(me) working with pick and shovel... :o
that is a great find at that price....Sweet... :) I am a little envious....No dozers here in my yard to go play in the mud with... not yet :-?
Benevolance, being a mechanic you would have a much easier time than I do with these old machines. I like working with them lots more than I like working on them. I also have a 1954 #12 motor grader that I haven't got going yet. That was a $750 purchase but you have to have a way to get it home. And I spent another $700 for two tires. :'(
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/503/12graderhauledhomerf3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
I just happen to have a truck and a couple of trailers. However it takes a second mortgage to keep one registered and insured so it currently isn't. There is a fair amount of this old equipment out there on some of the older farms if you can ferret it out.
You hit the nail on the head eactly...Getting equipment moved around is usually the killer.. To a lesser extent it is a killer for me with automobiles....they want a fortune to move a car a small distance and it is much worse once you start to get into larger machinery.
When I buy something online out west it usually costs me more to ship it back to South Carolina than it does for me to purchase it.
As for ferreting out farm equipment....This is not the place for that...Maybe a little further west.....They want $3000 for a run of the mill mostly worn out unrestored ford 8n tractor without a front end loader on it here.
And everyone wants old tractors...Lots of open land and most everyone does their own bush hogging.
Time for a small christmas confession....I dislike working on Diesels...Definately not my forte...necessity has forced me to work on them a fair bit in the past and one of my best customers who is my neighbor has a small fleet of diesel trucks so I do all of his work like it or not....
I wish there was more gasoline powered machinery
When a gas engine can deliver the power a diesel can I suppose that may happen. Course we keep burning wierder stuff all of the time. Diesel, if I understand it right (and I probably don't) is a byproduct of gasoline production. Yet this byproduct is more expensive than gas. :-/
Pretty soon I am going to have to go back to assembling my sawmill so I can get back on topic. The week before Christmas is pretty hectic. I try to get around to some of my regular customers with a little X-mas gift in addition to the normal stuff I do. I stopped by and delivered some goodies to a not so regular customer yesterday and got 6 new jobs. Gotta rush to get them permitted. Guess I will work straight through. Damn, I am a good salesman. :-/ Too good sometimes.
Desdawg wrote:
QuoteI stopped by and delivered some goodies to a not so regular customer yesterday and got 6 new jobs. Gotta rush to get them permitted. Guess I will work straight through. Damn, I am a good salesman. Too good sometimes.
I know more than one person who ended up with a
job instead of working for himself just because of that.
I was never one of them, though.
I think you got me, desdawg-- All I have is a Kenworth with a 41 foot knuckle boom, a Cat 112 motor grader but only a 20 foot tilt trailer--- KW's non-opped and parked - kept my arm and leg. --- OH - and a Hino with a 31' knuckle boom -- both have been used to load logs on my Wood Wizard saw mill. :)
Peter - there is about twice the power in a gallon of diesel -- diesels are much more pleasant to listen to, and work on. :)
OK - Cummins diesels are nice to work on, and so much more power, and such beautiful black smoke. :)
Glenn
Yes I know there is more work done per gallon with a diesel...But it is not twice...It is about 40% which is due to the Direct injection. They have actually designed efficient Direct Injection Gasoline Engines that burn very clean...And can have 13:1 compression without spark knocking on regular gasoline.
The price of Diesel is a Hoax! When you refine a barrel of Crude oil for every gallon of gasoline there is almost three gallons of Diesel.... So by this method Diesel should be less than half the cost of Gasoline.
For decades Propane and Diesel were cheap! They got people used to using these fuels...They got companies to make machinery and equipment that used these fuels....Then the price went through the roof on these fuels allowing our wonderful government to make a killing in tax revenues.
Diesel is 60 cents a gallon more than regular here where I live....That is a total outrage!
But it costs a lot of money to design and build more advanced nukes and police the world....So they have to rape us with the taxation and distribution of Gasoline and other fuels.
Glenn....I love the raw torque of the Diesel...And I love the longevity of the Diesel....But they stink and are a lot harder to work on....We call them stinky furnaces.
Now that they are selling low sulphur diesel it is actually a much cleaner alternative....Yes there are particulates and NOX to worry about but simple filters much like a catalytic convertor solves this problem...
It is no accident that 50% of all new cars are diesel in Europe....They have frowned upon that here in North America...You cannot buy a diesel for 99% of the passenger cars out there....
If half of all new vehichles in America were Diesels total fuel consumption would go way down and Demand for Gasoline would drop....Resulting in the dropping in price of Diesel and Gasoline...As the price of Crude oil would drop as well....
The Government cannot have things like this happening...Gasoline and Diesel tax is a pure Cash grab from the public....You can cheat on your taxes and avoid taxation with loopholes and investments...But you cannot avoid the gas pump....And the Government counts on you filling up every few days.....They are counting on high prices to increase their cut as they get a percentage of the total price of fuel rather than a flat fee per gallon.
Everyone goes ga-ga over the Prius and 60 miles to the gallon....Wow big deal...take the same car with a small efficient turbo Diesel 3 cylinder engine and it gives 60 miles to the gallon with ease.....And it is real 60 miles to the gallon....Not estimated....Most people that buy Prius cars never get close to the advertised mileage
This is the biggest scam of our time....
Well Peter, my saw mill, this was a thread about a sawmill, has a little bitty gas motor. A 6-1/2 hp Tecumseh. And today it came out of the box and got mounted.
(http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/6665/motorandbandwheelsinstaaw7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Now I have to get my old frame "foundation" lined out to accept the track so I can finish building the saw. But hey, I am getting closer.
Design looks similar to mine, desdawg. I have the sheaves with belts wrapped around them for drivers too. Never have a problem with them. Had a shaft loosen once in the bearing race. Built it up with a torch and brazing rod and ground it off with a hand grinder - good as new. :)
I think mine has a 10 hp Tecumseh. Pretty decent little engine.
Here is a pic of loading logs on my mill, desdawg. Just happened across it in Photobucket. I posted it once before.
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d184/glennkangiser/2c20scd.jpg)
:o :o That is a nice setup Glenn. I am pretty small scale compared to what you have. I wouldn't have the timber to justify something like that or the room to get it around.
Progress continues.
I welded some 1-1/2" square tube to my chassis to give me a square surface for my rails to mount to:
(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/5181/framewithcrossmemberstq5.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Norwood recommends a double 2 X 6 built up beam for the rails to mount to:
(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/2967/2x6trackbeamsvw9.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Beams painted and mounted to chassis:
(http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/5885/foundationpaintedgl3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Now I will need to level the whole thing up, pull a string on the beams and shim them straight and I can start installing the track and bunks. But it is Christmas day and I may not get much time since the clan is gathering here for the feast. It is a good thing I have until Spring to get-er-done.
I got some 1/4" carriage bolts to attach the 2 X 6 beams to the square tube at Home Depot. They were of such poor quality that I had to chase the threads on nearly every one of them to get the nuts on. Thank goodness there was only 20 of them. :-/ The other thing about small 1/4" carriage bolts is the square shoulder is so small it doesn't hardly grab the wood to keep it from turning. Put that on my list of things I would do differently if I had to do it again. But it is 25 miles back to Home Depot on Christmas eve so I made it work.
Think nothing of tha KW, desdawg --- it was just something I had laying around. Needs batteries now so I will probably just use my 31' knuckle boom on the Hino or my lull reach lift.
That frame looks great, desdawg. Mine has multiple bolt jacks as it is not a nice solid frame like yours. Have to re-level once in a while but the boards come out pretty good.
Note that you will probably get around 100 to 200 feet of cut 12" to 16"wide per sharpening - maybe 3 sharpenings per blade. That is if there is no rock or sand in the bark. I take one or two cuts off the round log then rotate it 90 degrees to the front then 3 sides are trimmed per board and if the bark isn't off at least the dirt you may miss is pushed away. Use lots of water or the blades go dull much faster. Don't keep pushing a dull blade - it will just break or take twice as long. A little rock or sand can take a new blade out almost instantly - bark off is best but hard to do sometimes, especially on fresh wood. Added advantage is that fresh wood cuts easier though.
In Mexico I have seen the loggers using simple board ramps to roll the logs onto the truck. They have the smaller logs there also and plenty of help.
As I said I am working on a much smaller scale with smallish trees. And I am nearly always working alone. What I was thinking of doing is getting a grapple bucket for my Bobcat and using that to wrestle the logs around. I think given the size I have available it would work. Any thoughts?
Yeah - It'll work. I did them with my 825 - maybe a 12"x12 foot or so. You can just hook a chain and tongs on too but it's a bit hard to handle sometimes - I used a rope also a time or two to halfway control it. Also grabbed them by the end and hooked the top under the top lip of the bucket - small ones. That is getting close to Bobcat abuse though. :-/
Grapple would do good if you can find one for a reasonable price.
I was looking at the Quick Claw from Quick Attach for $2395. this would also be handy to clean up behind yourself after limbing.
http://www.quick-attach.com/products/quick_claw.cfm
They also have a log splitter for $1595.
http://www.quick-attach.com/products/quick_split.cfm
The Grappler looks serious. And I could get one for my tractor, to put on instead of the loader.
Not sure I need it mind you.
Would the splitter attachment be more hassle--possibly even more expensive--than a stand-alone? That certainly happens with chippers.
Nice toys - looks good. Really should do a job around the mill. :)
I want to build a rock screen for my regular bucket. You load up dirt and rocks then turn it over and shake it - all the big stuff stays in the bucket then you put it into another pile. A couple companies make it but they want a lot for it. I want to build it strong enough to move boulders also.
Price wise on the splitter is not too bad. Depends, Amanda, Depends. :)
It would tie up the Bobcat while it was in use. Couldn't haul wood to the splitter - or from it or even just go joyriding and smash something while it was attached. :)
QuoteIt would tie up the Bobcat while it was in use. Couldn't ... even just go joyriding and smash something while it was attached.
Now that would be a major problem. Nope, have to get the standalone.
I think you can get a splitter with a gas motor, wheels and a hitch for about the same price at Northern Tool. I hate leaving too much stuff sit around on wheels cause it may roll away when I am not around. I am still thinking about that one. My perspective is a little different since I don't live at that place full time. So far I have been lucky. It is so tucked away no one really knows it is there.
The mill is built. The pictures are poor cause the sun was going down and I was limited as to what angles I could shoot from but I will get some better ones tomorrow. I still need to build a stand for my little hand crank crane to snake logs up onto the bed. And I need a set of ramps for the logs to travel up. There is 17' + of rail in front of the sawhead so I can mill 16' logs no problem. Should be the most I will need given the trees that are available to me.
(http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8526/completesawmill2jt7.jpg)
(http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1055/completesawmillxs1.th.jpg) (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=completesawmillxs1.jpg)
Looks good-- lets put a log on it. :)
Tomorrow maybe. Not much for logs here in the desert but I have a couple of pine logs I took out of someones yard a while back for test driving purposes. They are pretty sad but good enough for test purposes. First I want to get my little winch and ramps built.
Any update? Did the logs go on?
It has been busy time here in the AZ desert with actual paying work coming from all sides. In fact if I get going any faster I may meet myself coming back. :-/
The good new is that today it is Sunday and I may just get this baby fired up. But the answer is no, I haven't had any time to go any further as of yet. I did locate some big old logs (about 24" diameter) that have been down for a year or so and am going to attempt to acquire custody of them. Not sure what species they are. Cottonwood maybe. They were near a canal and were removed for some road work I think. More will be revealed.
Well it happened. Filled the motor with oil, fueled it up got it started and threw the band right off. Aligning those band wheels is a PIA. But ifinally got it right. I didn't have a large log so I used what I had which was some pine I had removed from a yard when we were working there. Twisted, small diameter and knotty but it served for a test piece. By the time I got that crook out of the end and got it squared up there wasn't too much left.
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9915/winchingaloggt2.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Here it is being winched up the ramp
(http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/8563/firstboardsdg4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
A couple of 1X6's, a 2X6 and one piece 1/2" thick just for giggles. The mill is supposed to be able to shave veneer if that is what you want to make.
Anyway there are a few wrinkles to work out but I am going to like it. I will try to latch on to those bigger logs when I get some time and make some real lumber. I still have one more pine log like this one to cut up.
Looks good, desdawg. I put my band on and rotate it by hand a few times to see how it will track.
Do you have any kind of tension indicator. Mine is just that pushing up to touch the frame in the center about 1/4 inch above should be fairly hard.
There are adjusting bolts to tilt the band wheels which are to be adjusted one way if the band wants to walk in and the other way if it wants to walk off the wheels. These are independent of each other and are to be adjusted at three different progessively tighter tensions. You are turning the wheels by hand while doing this. I went through the prescribed procedure three times before I had it right. I am still not for sure what happened the first two times. However the instructions state that it shouldn't have to be done again even when changing bands once you have it right. I bought a case of bands (10) so I should be able to go awhile before I need to sharpen. On another website I read that you should make a witch's brew of 50% chainsaw bar oil and 50% diesel or kerosene and using a spray bottle apply this to the band.
I don't think I would do that. It will be all over your wood and probably eat up your drive belts under the bands.
My saw guy recommends fairly heavy use of water - I use a fast drip to a bit under steady to lube and cool the blade. You can tell the difference in blade life if you don't.
I have one end that is pretty well fixed and never readjusted except the first time. The rest is done from the dead non drive end and as you say has 2 adjusters.
I don't see it totally having to be done only once as every blade can have a slight variation. I think you will have to fine tune it to each blade, at least I have to on mine.
That would make sense. I have a lot of headshake which causes ripples in the cut surface. It is not smooth at all. I have to do some more reading but I ran out of time. Running like a rabbit again but that beats the other alternative since I have grown fond of eating.
Somebody once asked me how to get ripples in the wood -- that's the in thing. I told them to bend a tooth with the crescent wrench. One bad tooth makes nice little rips.
When your blade came off did you check all the teeth? You may have a bent tooth doing the ripping. I generally don't get away with a blade coming off without damaging it. I take a crescent wrench and bend it back or break it off.
Here is some discussion regarding that topic:
http://www.norwoodindustries.com/townhall/viewtopic.php?t=1481&start=0
And a little more:
http://www.norwoodindustries.com/townhall/viewtopic.php?t=1127&highlight=head+shake
I usually always get pretty smooth boards. I have a 10 horse motor I thing and run it full out. I need to do some work to the poor thing but it still does the job. I don't get much shake. After a while you will like the looks of your boards better than store bought ones. It looks like nearly every bord is a trim board-- nice -- like DMLSR's cabin.
I only had two logs to practice with so far and they eren't real good ones. I will have to search ot some more since it turned might chilly in the hills. I won't be going for a while yet. I did pick up another Bobcat 863 so I can have one at both places. It is a lot easier to haul attachments than machines.
When I get the mill to the mountains I will dig my trailer frame in and block it more solidly, readjust everything and hopefully it will be better. Meanwhile I will be looking for a planer. I bet you have one. I saw one in Quartzite that I may go back for next weekend. A man can't have too many tools you know, no matter what the ladies say.
I have a 13 inch Ridgid planer - I don't plane much but it works pretty good for what I do. :)
Always keep in mind that the one who dies with the most tools wins. :-/
QuoteI have a 13 inch Ridgid planer - I don't plane much but it works pretty good for what I do. :)
Always keep in mind that the one who dies with the most tools wins. :-/
And I am not even going for the finish line yet. ;D
No...
the guy with the most cars wins...
by the time I am done I hope to have several hundred all running and working...Just sitting around the place...One for every day of the year...
that would drive my wife completely insane...Which is the point of marriage...If I could have a car for every day of the year and drive the wife nuts...Then I would win....... ;)
That is rather passive-aggressive behavior, Peter. You seem to be practicing. :-/
QuoteIf I could have a car for every day of the year and drive the wife nuts...Then I would win....... ;)
Actually I think the real winner there would be your auto insurance company. There is a Barrett Jackson auction starting in Scottsdale pretty soon. Come on over.