[geekwoodworker]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

 

[luv2learn]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Sean, you have beat me to the punch buddy. I have been wanting to build one of these for a couple of years. I built Matthias 16" band saw and contemplated building his portable mill. I like your approach. Have you decided on what to power your mill with yet?

 

[geekwoodworker]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Thanks Lee. I too built the 16" from Matthias and it works beautifully. I am powering this saw with a 2 hp table saw motor with 3450 rpm.
I sure hope it performs as well as I think. May need bigger motor but will see how this one works.

 

[luv2learn]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Sean, what are the diameters of the pulley on your motor and the pulley mounted to the back of your 13" wheel? It looks like about 4" and 6" respectively. If that is the case, and my calculations are right, your blade is moving at about 7828 S.F.M. (Surface feet per minute) or 2300 rpm. That might be a tad fast for a wood cutting blade, but please check out my math buddy.

 

[geekwoodworker]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Lee. The motor pully is 3" and wheel is 8" which calculates to 4400 fpm. I did quit a bit of research on the speed and there are many different opinions on this. I have been told that upright bandsaws should run under 2800 fpm but my homemade 16" runs at 3500 fpm and works better than my old one which ran at 2500 fpm. Sawmills run faster and I figure a small one should run between 4000 to 5500 fpm which is why I went with this configuration. If it turns out to be too slow then I will increase the motor pulley to 3.5" which will give me 5134 fpm. I am gonna have a water cooling system for the blade so this speed or faster should be fine.

thanks lee

 

[wormil]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Curious about how the water cooling will work with wood wheels over time. Looking forward to more updates!

 

[geekwoodworker]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Rick. I have sealed wheels and sawmill with 4 coats of varethane and used titebond III glue for entire sawmill. Hopefully the water won't affect it this way. The only thing not varethaned is the gantry lift as it slides wood on wood and needs some friction. But it is to the rear so shouldn't get wet.

 

[DocSavage45]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Don't know how I missed this . I usually get a notice. Got one on the third blog. I've watched Mathius' video on his milling. Building it in wood is a challenge. And most electric mills have big motors which are costly?

I'm looking forward to this challenge. Thanks for posting.

 

[hoosier0311]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Very cool ! Imma be watching this to see how it goes, good luck with it. I would think about a gas motor though, gives some more portability? One can be had on the cheap from craigslist and such.

 

[hoosier0311]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Very cool ! Imma be watching this to see how it goes, good luck with it. I would think about a gas motor though, gives some more portability? One can be had on the cheap from craigslist and such.

 

[Gshepherd]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

I bet if we gave you enough tme you could build a space shuttle… Impressive work there Geek….

 

[Lazy_K]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

if the wood is green still you shouldn't need the water. nice job/build

 

[davidwalker1036]

Building the frame

I have been thinking of building a small band sawmill for about a year or more and finally decided to make one. I built a bandsaw from Mathias at woodgears and love it. So I decided to use the same design but modify it to cut horizontally. It will only be used for small logs 6 feet long and no bigger than 28 inches in diameter.
It needs to break down easily for transport to my dads and back. I like the lumber smith saw so I think I will make it similar. http://www.lumbersmith.com/

The frame is made from scrap 2×6 lumber. It has 5 layers glued with right wheel mount mortised in.

The wheel mounts are made from ash and maple. They are a split design with axle hole routered on each side. This way it is easier to get axle straight. Axles are then held in place with 1/4" lag bolts.

The wheels are 13" and are three layers of 11mm ply glued together. If the bearings fail I plan on making new wheels with trailer bearings and hub with a stub axle.

The motor mount is made so I can easily remove it when I need to take it from one area to another. Or from my dad's place to mine.

I managed to get it put together today to test the fit of the blade and the tracking. Everything works perfectly. Still no power but that will come in time. The blade is from R & D bandsaws and is called a ripper37 with 1.3 tpi. http://www.tufftooth.com/

Next is the gantry to allow me to raise and lower it.

Very nice job. Do you have any pictures of the frame layers? I was most interested in the frame, about how the right wheel mount was mortised in.
Again fantastic job.

 

[geekwoodworker]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

 

[ezek1el]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

Its coming along pretty good sean, nice work! Im gonna have to stop by and check it out sometime! Cheers

 

[ezek1el]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

You will probably need to put cross pieces between your two legs at the bottom and the top to reinforce the legs. When the blade engages the log its gonna want to drag the whole gantry assembly on the side that the blade pulls.

 

[geekwoodworker]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

I had it running and it is pretty smooth. I have thought about adding something across the top to add rigidity but then cranking it up and down wouldn't work well. To adjust height you crank one side and then the other and it leans when doing so and a brace would make that impossible. Once the guides are clamped tight it is pretty solid.

Thanks Dom.

 

[Kentuk55]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

Coming along nicely. I'd like to see a short video of this working.

 

[luv2learn]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

You have made great progress Sean. I agree with Roger, you need to do a short video of your mill in action. Would there be any advantage to tying the two lifting rods together at the top via a couple sprockets connected by a chain? Cranking one side or the other would then lift both sides together. That, however, would add another level of complexity to an already real cool, real simple design.

 

[geekwoodworker]

Gantry with height adjustment mechanism

I managed to get the gantry with height adjustment made this weekend.

Made two L shaped legs and put 5" wheels on them. I used 1/4" lag bolts to hold the wheels on.

To make the guides/clamps I made a box that the gantry can slide up and down on. I used 1/4" bolts to hold it all together with the front peice being loose. It is loose so it can be used as a clamp to hold the unit rigid during use. Just turn the handle and it gets super tight. It is held to the gantry with 4" long 1/4" lag bolts.

The height adjuster uses 1" threaded rod with 8 turns per inch. This makes it quick and easy to adjust. It is also easy to remove for teardown by removing the 4 lags bolts on the top of the gantry and the adjuster nut just slides out.

I also got the power hooked up to it and had it running. It runs nice and smooth. Just need to make blade guides and guards.

Roger- I am not very well setup to make video and post it as this is the extent of my capabilities. However I may in the future or at the end of this blog when it is completed.
Lee - at this point I am gonna leave it the way it is and see how it works. If all is good then I am happpy. If it needs stiffening then I will think of something at that time. I just hope it works the way it is cause I like it simple.

thanks