Circular/Swing used as a resaw (idea)

[Popeye1]

I have recently been thinking about a crazy idea- I really need some help.
First off, I have a CSM with an 066. I use it for cutting large slabs and actually for everthing right now.
I am planning to cut a fair amount of 6/4 boards up to about 10" across.
I know that I could do it with the CSM, but it is slow (and I want to make something).
Here is my idea, I really like the swing mills and there speed. I would love to build one, but don't have the money or time right now for that size of project....
I was thinking about making a smaller version fixed blade circular mill. If I could set it up to double cut, I think I could get away with a 10" blade. I am talking about 10" in DIAMETER, so one you could go buy at a hardware store.
Basically it would be a table saw or a panel saw that I could double cut with.
I have a few ideas, but I was wondering if someone else has better ideas.

I was planning to cut trees down to a managable size with the chainsaw mill and then resaw with the faster circular blade.

 

[TraditionalTool]

My $0.02 which is worth what I'm chargin' 'ya for it...(i.e., free), would be to keep an eye out for a used swingmill/circular, like a Lucas or a Peterson, Mobile Dimension, etc..

One guy here found a Lucas 6" recently for $3k, in the end you will save yourself time and money by doing the same, IMO.

Not trying to discourage you from building one yourself, but even you elude to not having the time nor money. I think you would be better off with a vertical band saw, or trying to convert one into a bandmill, if that is what your after. I have a Jet 18X vertical bandsaw and it will resaw up to 12 1/4". I've seen these used for $500-$600 on craigslist.

 

[BobL]

I have recently been thinking about a crazy idea- I really need some help.
First off, I have a CSM with an 066. I use it for cutting large slabs and actually for everthing right now.
I am planning to cut a fair amount of 6/4 boards up to about 10" across.
I know that I could do it with the CSM, but it is slow (and I want to make something).
Here is my idea, I really like the swing mills and there speed. I would love to build one, but don't have the money or time right now for that size of project....
I was thinking about making a smaller version fixed blade circular mill. If I could set it up to double cut, I think I could get away with a 10" blade. I am talking about 10" in DIAMETER, so one you could go buy at a hardware store.
Basically it would be a table saw or a panel saw that I could double cut with.
I have a few ideas, but I was wondering if someone else has better ideas.

I was planning to cut trees down to a managable size with the chainsaw mill and then resaw with the faster circular blade.

I have been though all this and I found a woodworkers bandsaw to be far more useful than a small circular. The good thing about this is you then have a bandsaw to do heaps of other stuff with.

Small low powered circular saws look fast, but like chain saws they are only really fast cutting thin stuff ie usually when a few degrees or teeth of the circular is being used. As soon as the stuff gets thicker and it has to cut with more teeth or more degrees they are as slow as chainsaws or bandsaws.

You simply won't get 5" of cut from a 10" circular saw, you will be lucky to get around 3" of cut.

The next problem you will have is small table type circular saws are not designed to rip wood this thick on continuous basis.

I have a hobby level 12" 3HP circular cabinet saw and it will just cut 4" slowly, but after ripping about 30 ft of hardwood at 4" deep it trips out. Even at 3" it trips out after about 60 ft of continuous ripping.

To get 5" of cut on a continuous basis you will need at least a 14" blade and about a 5HP motor to drive it.

A 2 or 3HP bandsaw with a 1.25" wide 1 TPI blade will cut 12" wide, slowly but safely and for many hours without straining itself.

 

[Brmorgan]

Something I've been considering adding to my bandmill project is a horizontal circular arbor to follow the band cut. I'd only use this to mill multiple 1-2" thick boards in one pass, nothing terribly thick. It would be really handy to have two 10" ripsaw blades to split a 12" cant into three 2X4s in one pass.

The Kohler engine I have to use on the mill (provided I can get it running!) has a PTO on both ends on the crank, so if I can find a 1:1 90° drive converter it should be possible. I should have plenty of room on the back end of the mill carriage, I think.

A little closer to what you are considering, I have an old 1930s Champion Blower & Forge Co. 10" tablesaw that's heavy as lead (or cast iron, as the case may be). It's complete sans motor, but I have no use for it in stock form, so I've been considering some way of building a drum sander out of it using a 4" X 20" steel conveyor belt roller that I have - it's the perfect width for the tabletop. If I do this I'd also like to eventually add a double or triple saw arbor to it so i can resaw thinner pieces. Based on how my 1HP tablesaw does on <2" cuts in the woods I commonly mill, 3HP should drive 3 saws just fine with a decent feedrate, and 5 would feed really well.

 

[Popeye1]

ok,
I know this is kind of a crazy idea. Which actually makes me want to try even more. I am just looking for ideas.
Thanks for the replies.