# Finally finished my home made band mill



## Railomatic (May 13, 2007)

I have made a few of these mills now and just putting the finishing touches to my latest model, which I will now use for my own timber persuits, she has 13 inch car wheels and tyres, uses a 2=1/2" stellite tipped bands, which give me at leasr 30 hours between sharpening.

Fully gaurded and has a cut of safety cord/switch and stops from flat out to stop in less than ten seconds to comply with EU rulings, she has a road going chassis capable of carrying 750 Kg, which is the max allowed without the need of brakes on the axle, the trailer is 15 feet long and can handle a full 2 foot log by 15 foot log,

She can be lowered to ground level in a couple of minuites by removing the axle and has a hand winch that can load even the biggest logs without the need for any big machinery.

I have recently added cam lock type log dogs and corner posts for added ridgidity, she is well worth the effort and can do all that a Miser can do, all be it a little slower than the Miser equivelant, but cost me a fifth of the price of the same Miser in its class.

The whole system weighs exacxtly 400 kilos, which means she can be pulled by any of the bigger ATV's right to where the action is, I love her to bits and will enjoy using her this year to convert timber for my green oak venture, garden furniture thing that I'm just getting into.


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## 046 (May 13, 2007)

WOW!!!

what a professional looking unit, looks good enough to pass for a commercial band saw. 

very nice looking design, how does she cut?


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## kamhillbilly (May 13, 2007)

Nice job!


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## dustytools (May 13, 2007)

Agreed! Very nice mill.


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## zopi (May 13, 2007)

Nice! you should be building Choppers and custom cars!


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## aquan8tor (May 13, 2007)

Railomatic, are you sure you're not a professional metal fabricator?? That's a really sweet looking little number you have there. You do wonderful work.


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## Railomatic (May 13, 2007)

*About me*

Hi Guys

I am indeed a professional fabricator/welder engineer, but I must say the mill was made possible with the help of forum member Gene 1605, without his willingness to help the project would not have got of the ground.

I actually served my time back in 77 as a motorcycle engineer, where we made everything ourselves, welding and machining was part and parcel of everyday life at Sapphire Motorcycle Engineers.

Making things is second nature to me, I have been making chainsaw mills for a number of years before venturing onto bandsaws.
If anyone wants pointers of where to go I could help them get past all the pitfalls related to making a car tyre type band mill.

The mill performs very well and I have several parties interested in buying one from me if I ever decided to make any more, one is a major retailer here in the UK, but that is stress which I'm not keen on having at 50.

One thing I found out rather early on in the project was, bandsaw mill blade technology is lacking, normal set bands work fine, but don't last very long between sharpenings, especially on some hardwoods, this is why I'm using the Stellite and carbide tipped blades today, once you use these you will never go back.

You can see my blades here, http://www.ernestbennett.co.uk/superhpg.htm

Raily.


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## sawsong (May 13, 2007)

that certainly looks the part Davy! a real credit to you indeed. Would love to see it in action some time! The one I saw at Lamma looked great, this one looks super great! 

P.S. You ever built a tractor spool valve powered vertical log splitter? Looking at throwing one together from a load of bits ive got lying about in the workshop. Will catch ya via PM if you have.

James


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## olyman (May 13, 2007)

raily--i didnt see a price for the stellite tipped blades on their site---cost??? thanks,oly


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## woodshop (May 13, 2007)

Rail you do fantastic work. I understand the not wanting the stress at 50 thing... I'm 53 and I'm looking for ways to simplify my life, or at least spend more time getting good a only a FEW things, rather than complicate it with new ventures. Bottom line though is if you like doing something like that it makes it easier to justify it. After all, we should all be doing SOMETHING... right? Once I can retire from this pesky full time job, then I will have more time for those kinds of "ventures" that I really want to spend the rest of my days pursuing. 

Great work... you are a professional.


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## Railomatic (May 13, 2007)

*prices for tipped bands*

The price for my tipped bands were £ 75.00 Sterling each, one thing I forgot to mention is, when they sharpen them, they put the blade through and round a special machine which irons out any dings and bumps in the blade, so it is perfectly plannar before the sharpen it.

I have sen this machine in action and it scans the surface of the blade using a laser, once this is done it has a series of rollers which presses the blade in the correct place to get it back to where it was when it was new.

I have spoken to Bennetts and they say that Simmons also make these machines and bands in the USA, I will try to find out where about's they reside for you guys, they are worth their weight in gold trust me.

On the stress thing, I find that keeping ones mind occupied on something that please you, gets rid of all that stress, hobbies are where my heart lies making the band mills for someone else might not be so pleasurable, but the monies are always good.

My other paying hobby, www.bagpipeworks.co.uk 

Davy.


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## olyman (May 13, 2007)

ok--will be waitng to see what you find out about the blades in the usa---oly


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## bobsreturn (May 14, 2007)

*like your mill*

looks great how wide can it cut ? got a little ripper ,australian band saw mill ,only cuts 17in ,and still use my slabber for breaking down ,as it cuts 4.5ft , driven by honda , never painted it used gal hollow tube , did you ever get your plans done? gene sent me a lot of information , what a great guy . cheers from australia bob


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## Railomatic (May 14, 2007)

My mill will cut 24 inches across and handle 30 inches, which is what will pass in between the two riser posts.

Gene is a great guy, we spent many hours on the phone, this was an easy way to find out how to weld the fiddly bits and work out how certain parts worked, in all it took me about a week to get things so she would cut.

I have added some different parts to my version as one does, but the mill is 99% Gene overall, the main part which I added was a co-planner idler adjuster, this replaces the single swivel adjuster plate, so the axle can be moved four way for tracking instead of two.

One thing that is very important is, to get the band guides exactly level, until this is achieved the band will tend to drop on the adjusting/sliding guide side of things, if I ever make another I will only drop the band level by 1/2".

I do have plans of making a mill but not ready yet, they need checking over with Gene first, who at 75 is a very busy chap to say the least, I will let you know if anything comes up.


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## aquan8tor (May 14, 2007)

Rail, no matter your profession, I'm still impressed with the quality of the work. I want so many tools.....a welder is one of them for sure. I don't think I'll ever get enough experience to do quite as good work as that, but enough to fix things!! Gene must be a great guy too!! The price on the blade seems alright. I know stellite is incredibly expensive. How much does it cost to sharpen the blade? Also....sorry to pick your brain, but it seems that I've only seen extra-wide blades that are stellite. I've seen the Hitatchi machine that has 3" bands or some such width. 

One more question for you.......that paint job is pretty darn great. Do you have access to powdercoating facilities too?? I'm jealous. I wish I had friends like you around here!


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## OZDOG (May 14, 2007)

very nice work you must prood of your self with this one!


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## Railomatic (May 14, 2007)

I'm very pleased with the outcome of the mill, my skills well I have to be modest and say its what I trained for, and comes in very handy.

The paint job was done by hand with smaller rollers, I do have acsess to powder coating, maybe the next one will be done that way.

The blades cost about £12.00 Sterling to have sharpened, its a little more expensive to have them tracked and cut, but its worth it especially if the blade has had a tough time.

Soil can be handled by the Stellite much better than a conventional blade.

If I lived in your neck of the woods I cold show you guys how to do things much easier, like a travelling engineer, making things like the old journeymen who dotted around the country making things as they went, now that would be my dream job, all I would need is a square meal and somewhere to bunk down, fabulous, no harm in dreaming eh.


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## Railomatic (May 15, 2007)

Anyone in the market for a cheap bandsaw or bandsaw mill, got a welder, a cut off saw basic electic hand tools, a place to bunk down, money enough to buy some steel second hand or new, about 2000 bucks to do a project, food and a friendly atmosphere.
Then I will come to you and help you build one of these in about two to three weeks.


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## artie__bc (May 15, 2007)

Looks nice, Railomatic- I sent you a PM.


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## 046 (May 15, 2007)

if you put together professional plans for your band saw. 

you'd sell a ton of plans!!!



Railomatic said:


> Anyone in the market for a cheap bandsaw or bandsaw mill, got a welder, a cut off saw basic electic hand tools, a place to bunk down, money enough to buy some steel second hand or new, about 2000 bucks to do a project, food and a friendly atmosphere.
> Then I will come to you and help you build one of these in about two to three weeks.


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## Judge (May 15, 2007)

*Finished Home Made Bandsaw*

 Railomatic

Well made, good looking saw !!! I'm lucky enough to have one made by Gene 1605's OOOlder Brother, right here in SE Oklahoma. It looks remarkably like yours, except for the co-planar adjustment that you've added. I use Simmond's Red Streak 1-1/4" 158 inch bands @ $ 15.99 from Cook's Saw in GA, and get them re-sharpened for $ 6.  If I got the currency exchange right, the 2-1/2 in stellite band would cost $ 148.50 US$ and re-sharpening would cost $ 23.00 US$ ? Question : I'm still a newbie, but is that expensive band really that much more efficient and cost effective ?


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## Railomatic (May 15, 2007)

Judge said:


> Railomatic
> 
> but is that expensive band really that much more efficient and cost effective ?



In a nut shell yes, it just goes and goes long after a normal set band does, the exchange rate is the real killer, which is total crap, we are not commercially fair against the rest of the world I'm affraid.


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## Judge (May 15, 2007)

*Railomatics New bandsaw*

Railomatic 

What advantage is the wide 2-1/2" band ? I suppose that it would track much straighter, and with much more feed than a more narrow band ? Like I indicated, I'm still learning about a very fascinating subject. Thanks for any input.

Judge


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## Railomatic (May 15, 2007)

I went for a 2-1/2" band because it was the smallest band that Bennetts make, the width actually helps to support the stellite tips with a positive raked tooth, and the band doesn't need to be as tight because of the extra support it gives.
The tipps are straight and have no set because each tip cut both sides and at the front, thus guiding the tips through the timber, the blade is .90 of a millimeter, the tips are 2.00 mm so the entire blade never touches the gap.

When the blade gets blunt it slows down long before it starts to wander, this you can feel straight away whilst pushing through the timber, if you turn up the tension you get a few extra boards before you have to change over blades.


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## Judge (May 16, 2007)

*Railomatic's New bandsaw*

Rail

Does it take considerable more horsepower to drive the 2-1/2" band, as opposed to a 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" band ? What kind of engine do you have on the new mill ? What type of clutch do you run ? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm hooked on sawmilling! 
Thanks.


Judge


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## Railomatic (May 16, 2007)

*info*



Judge said:


> Rail
> 
> Does it take considerable more horsepower to drive the 2-1/2" band, as opposed to a 1-1/4" or 1-1/2" band ? What kind of engine do you have on the new mill ? What type of clutch do you run ? Sorry for all the questions, but I'm hooked on sawmilling!
> Thanks.
> ...



Honda 13hp engine
20hp rated centrifugal clutch
the 2-1/2 inch tiped band cuts faster than any other I have tried and doesn't take any more driving than any other band, amd gives a very nice finish too.


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