# posible to convert metal to wood band saw for milling ?



## stick-man (Dec 26, 2009)

Looking at chain saw mills, then custom band saw mills. I thought it may be possible to convert a hand held metal cutting band saw (actually larger tacking stand off), to a wood mill. Would have to weld deeper/adjustable depth and position wheels further apart etc. but most parts would be there I would think. I have a little welding experience. Has this been attempted that any one knows of ?
I have not worked with a metal saw like this before and thought if one could pick up a broken one it may be more feasible than starting from scratch. :newbie: Any one ?


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## Brmorgan (Dec 26, 2009)

I've had the exact same ideas kicking around my head and asked similar questions here last year in this thread, but due to lack of time and money I haven't been able to experiment with it. I'm also in the process of building a full-size bandmill, so it would be kinda redundant. 

Are you hoping to end up with a handheld wood-cutting saw like the RipSaw, or are you considering using the components to build a more stationary-type carriage mill? Either way, I'd have to say personally that most of the components in those handheld metal saws would be too small and under-engineered for milling use. For instance, most of them use a 6" bandwheel. This isn't a huge deal for fine-toothed and narrow-set metal-cutting blades, but the small-diameter wheels put a lot of extra stress on heavier, coarse-tooth blades as the metal is continually bent around the tight diameter of the wheel. As others pointed out in my thread above, even the 10" RipSaw wheels require special high-grade Silicon blades; others break too easily.

Then there's the issue of powering it. The stock electric motor would be ridiculously underpowered. You'd probably want at least a 3HP to cut decent lumber at a good speed. And if you were to use a chainsaw engine, you have to figure out a way of transferring that power to the bandwheels, while getting the necessary gear/pulley reduction to fit in a compact package so it's practical in terms of size and weight. This was my main hangup, along with figuring out a fairly simple wheel tensioning and tracking system. 

I think it can totally be done if you have the necessary tools and experience; you might end up having to machine a few custom parts to make it work. However as a parts source, I'd be more inclined to suggest one of those little 9-10" benchtop bandsaws.


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## Mike Van (Dec 26, 2009)

Some 20+ years ago Delta Tool company made "The Sawmill" It was a portable man held [2 of them] bandmill that worked on the basis of the csm's, sliding down a flat plate, then the face of the log. It was about 2000.00, awfull heavy, slow, etc. They didn't catch on, as you just don't see or hear of them. Anything big enough to cut larger than a 1x6 at any decent speed you're not going to want to lift & move.


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## stick-man (Dec 26, 2009)

Thought it was a long shot,
by the time one spends energy on such a thing you could probably build a stationary one that really works. 
I picked up a grizzly band saw, converted it from 7 to 10" high. for stationary cutting. It looks like you would need something about this size with 2-3 horses behind it. Very heavy as it is cast gray metal. Looks like Ill just cut logs in quarters with a chainsaw rig for now. Now reason to reinvent the square wheel. That rip saw looks just right. Ill have to look at your threads. Thanks for the impute saved me much time and $.


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