Making my hudson wider

[isaaccarlson]

I have had a small hudson mill (sm-16) for a few years. It has worked well when I have used it, but I can't fit a lot of my logs through it. I refuse to spend thousands on a new mill and have been thinking of making it wider. I could bump it out 10" and go to the next band size which is a 132". This would give me an easy 24" throat and would let me get most of my logs milled. The bulk of my logs are less than 24", but I do get some that are over 50". I can rip the bigger ones down with the saw since they are not everyday logs.

The motor has been modified a little and cuts a 14" hardwood log easily, and I would be fine with slower feed rate on bigger stuff.

I am pretty sure how I want to do it, but thought I would post up and see what you guys think. I want to cut the carriage down the middle and put bigger square tube over the chopped carriage halves and weld it up. The track would get similar treatment.

Throw me ideas if you have a better way.

 

[olyman]

having not owned a bandmill,, but done plenty of metal bldg. projects, how much heavier are the supporting tubes for the logs,, on a larger bandmill?? the weight of logs, as you already know, really increases with dia...I would try to investigate,, how much larger all the supporting structure is on a larger mill. you can do it, you just have to know what size to increase it to....and keep everything SQUARE!!!

 

[isaaccarlson]

Everything will stay square. It is the nature of the beast. I will be adding more gussets to reduce rocking.

This mill sits on the ground and uses 4x2x1/8" tube for cross members, so I don't think strength is a problem.

I don't HAVE to raise the head, but I would like to. That way I can square a log. I am going over to see a friend today and look at his mill since it is a little bigger than mine. I think his is a wood mizer, but it will still give me ideas.

 

[Mike Van]

My 2 cents - Sell that little mill and buy the right one for bigger logs. Once you cut it apart it'll be a cob-job from start to finish. Hudson paid some engineer to make that thing work for 12" logs [or whatever it takes] Now you want to rip 50" logs with a chainsaw and put them on that frame - Kind of like asking a boy to do a mans job. You'll find everything to small, to light, engine, frame, etc. The difference between sawing a 12 and 24 inch log is huge. Thats why they make bigger stronger mills.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I just got back from looking at my friends mill. It is a wood mizer. It is a little bigger than mine, but pretty much the same design.
We talked about custom milling for about 3 hours. He said I should buy a bigger mill and do custom milling. I am very close to jumping on the idea, but I would need the funds to get the mill. Would it be a long shot to try to use my current mill to mill smaller logs for people to get the money together?
I love milling wood and would not mind doing it for money.

 

[olyman]

My 2 cents - Sell that little mill and buy the right one for bigger logs. Once you cut it apart it'll be a cob-job from start to finish. Hudson paid some engineer to make that thing work for 12" logs [or whatever it takes] Now you want to rip 50" logs with a chainsaw and put them on that frame - Kind of like asking a boy to do a mans job. You'll find everything to small, to light, engine, frame, etc. The difference between sawing a 12 and 24 inch log is huge. Thats why they make bigger stronger mills.

AGREED!!! there are cob job welders, carpenters, auto mechanics, block layers, roofers, etc...........................................................................:msp_sad:

 

[isaaccarlson]

AGREED!!! there are cob job welders, carpenters, auto mechanics, block layers, roofers, etc...........................................................................:msp_sad:

I would have no problem widening my mill, I am a fabricator. But yes, there are those of which you speak.

 

[imagineero]

Even if you're the best fabricator in the world, once you start modifying things they lose most of their value, and never really do the job as well as a well made bought one. Unless your name is BobL ;-)

You could sell your smaller mill for a fair price, and put that money towards a bigger mill. The bigger mill will work better, and get more work done faster. And you can sell it later when you're done with it for a fair price ;-)

Shaun

 

[Sawyer Rob]

even if you're the best fabricator in the world, once you start modifying things they lose most of their value, and never really do the job as well as a well made bought one. Unless your name is bobl ;-)

you could sell your smaller mill for a fair price, and put that money towards a bigger mill. The bigger mill will work better, and get more work done faster. And you can sell it later when you're done with it for a fair price ;-)

shaun

+1

Rob

 

[isaaccarlson]

Thanks for the input guys.

 

[StubornDutchman]

I just got back from looking at my friends mill. It is a wood mizer. It is a little bigger than mine, but pretty much the same design.
We talked about custom milling for about 3 hours. He said I should buy a bigger mill and do custom milling. I am very close to jumping on the idea, but I would need the funds to get the mill. Would it be a long shot to try to use my current mill to mill smaller logs for people to get the money together?
I love milling wood and would not mind doing it for money.

Since you know how to do fab work, consider building your own. Check out my thread on My Linn bandsaw mill. They are great people to work with. You could build it over time from the funds you acquire from your current mill. Plus you can purchase components from them for anything you are uncomfortable tackling yourself. Then sell your current mill and recoup a lot of your expense. Plus, the experience you gain with your current set up will aid in deciding what upgrades you want to incorporate into the new one. Chaikwa and I had one prevailing motto, "overbuild wherever possible"! I couldn't be happier with how our project turned out.