My Homebuilt Bandmill

[truckdoctor]

Good looking Mill

I'll try to stay in touch with you from time to time, when the sun goes down, I come inside and get on the computer and chat with people all over.......I have met some good friends and some I don't care to chat with,,,,,,,as far as my mill goes I can't say I would change a thing right now.....I have enjoyed building it, trying to figure this out and that out and not get ahead of my self,,, I have looked at many on youtube and got some good ideas but at the end I did it my way.....most of the ones I saw homemade was pushed,,,,that is one thing I did not want to do,,,,,,,,I'll have some pictures soon to.....talk to you later, wife is calling me for supper, we don't have church tonight, they moved it to tomorrow night, so I'll sit with her........Merry Christmas and catch you later...............

 

[papp101]

MNwoody - this is completely awesome. excellent production! What part of mn do you live in? Have you milled a few full trunks to planks yet?

Excited to see more! I just picked up an 80cc echo with a 36" bar for some serious alaskan style milling and I can't wait to try it!

 

[Dave Boyt]

Nice work! I look forward to hear how it works in the small/large log configs. What blade will you use for cutting cookies? My hat is off to you! Here's to a great new year and many board feet!

 

[mnwoody]

papp101, I have cut several logs, red oak, black ash, and some white cedar. I did the cutting when the saw was still in the shop. I don't have my outside electric set up yet, my electrician son in law will be coming for a visit in a few weeks so I figure it will be a good opportunity for him to try to get on my good side. As far as my location in MN, I am 20 minutes north of Mille Lacs Lake.

Dave Boyt, my son works for a lumber wholesaler, they recently purchased an out of business pallet factory that had a bandmill. When they cleaned the buildings out, they disposed 85 158" very clean and sharp bandmill blades into a dumpster. My son knew I was just starting to gather parts for the build and did a little dumpster diving and brought me the blades. I cannot tell you happy I was to get that many blades for free. I will need to purchase some 204" blades for cookie cutting or I can have a few of my blades cut and welded to make a few longer ones.

Thank you for the comments and questions. Have a great New Year. MNWoody

 

[mrnecsteve]

I have it set up about 60 feet from the pole so i have to buy 100 feet of 4/4 soow (soft copper cable/wire) . That with the pole outlet is going to be another $500, for a total of around $3000. That is still a substantial amount of money but a comparable capacity mill (52" x 27') is over $25,000 and still a manual mill. It would be nice to have a power seater but maybe the exercise is also good, I don't need production, I am building a timber frame greenhouse, another metal pole building and plan on doing small (big log) custom sawing jobs. I have a skid steer to move the logs to the future staging rack that will hold the logs until I roll them to the mill deck. I hope to go fall some tamarack trees this week and get my wire ordered. MNWoody

Just thought I would mention that there is the option of useing aluminum wire. It is safe when useing the proper connectors.My home has 300
feet running from the transformer of underground buried cable for 200 amp service.

 

[mnwoody]

I have been logging using my log skidder. It is incredible how the little Jeep goes across the swamps and a foot of crusty snow in the woods with logs in tow up to 27 feet long and 20 inches on the butt. I have been Jeepin for quite a few years and have a couple of trail Jeeps. The Jeep in the pics is a 75 CJ5 with a 258 straight six and a three speed with a Dana 20 transfercase that I put in low range. I rebuilt the engine a couple years back for low RPM trail drivability and the thing just pulls like a small four wheel drive tractor but I know that the welded up spider and side gears in the rear end along with the tire chains are what really make it pull well. Driving the Jeep in the winter does make loggin a little more interesting. I will be bandmillin timbers for my Wife's timberframe greenhouse soon.

 

[Mac88]

I like your Jeep. Sometimes they're more practical than a tractor, and less likely to go over backwards on you if you hit a snag. I wish I could find one like that.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Does the heater work?

 

[john taliaferro]

Does the heater work?

Does it have heated seats ? we had an old jeep growing up like that with a steel roof . When u got it stuck time for the neighbors loader cause with chains , well it was bad . Nice mill

 

[brookpederson]

I have been logging using my log skidder. It is incredible how the little Jeep goes across the swamps and a foot of crusty snow in the woods with logs in tow up to 27 feet long and 20 inches on the butt. I have been Jeepin for quite a few years and have a couple of trail Jeeps. The Jeep in the pics is a 75 CJ5 with a 258 straight six and a three speed with a Dana 20 transfercase that I put in low range. I rebuilt the engine a couple years back for low RPM trail drivability and the thing just pulls like a small four wheel drive tractor but I know that the welded up spider and side gears in the rear end along with the tire chains are what really make it pull well. Driving the Jeep in the winter does make loggin a little more interesting. I will be bandmillin timbers for my Wife's timberframe greenhouse soon.

One great thing about living in frozen north land. You don't get any dirt or mud on the logs. I just finished a book about the logging of the white pine in norther MN back in the day. It was mostly done in the winter on sleds and sleighs, probably for that very reason. The three best payed men in camp were usually the saw sharpener (called the dentist cause all he did was work on teeth lol) the cook and the guy who cut the loading rope to finish off a pyramide of logs on the sled( the most dangerous job).

 

[mnwoody]

Heat? When I am out loggin, I can't wait to skid the logs so I can cool down a little. Nothin like crisp winter air in the woods. I lucked out this winter when I was skiddin logs, the township roads were glare ice so I just skidded down the road. Easier for me then loading and hauling or log arching the two mile trip. Back in the woods tomorrow to fetch the logs on the island in the swamp, I need to get them out before the ice gets soft.

 

[jthompson15]

Building my own mill

My mill is just about completed, it has been a year long project. I have done a small amount of sawing and everything seems to work really well, thanks to all that have led the way and shared their knowledge. MNWoody

I am trying to build my own. Neat photos! Do you have plans that I could use? Any help would be appreciated

 

[nelson45]

I am trying to build my own. Neat photos! Do you have plans that I could use? Any help would be appreciated

Hello

Gene 1605, has plans for small hobby mill check out [ small bandsaw mill thread]

For a larger mill check out linn lumber.