Newbie Questions on Milling with a Chainsaw Mill (homemade)

[procarbine2k1]

Thanks Jeff, for the compliments, nice to find you here as well. I will keep in touch, you need to make a trip down here....maybe next summer? I should have a few of the projects you know about....semi-operational by then.


BTW, I did do Saturday @ the Bunyon thing in Cambridge, "saw" some neat stuff & got a few more ideas...also talked to Kahler's....nice folks.

John

Good deal. I was wondering how it went, and have been kicking myself for not making it down this year. Kahler sales are good people for sure. I will make it down one of these days. Hopefully there will be a get together around here one of these days, they are always a blast.

 

[Old Blue]

Mr WadePatton

Your small servile y chromosome helper unit is malfunctioning and needs to be fed or spanked. Give it two cookies and see if that clears it up. If you don’t have one make one soon. :hmm3grin2orange:

Old Blue
Shamelessly overtaxed with no representation in
Kali-bone-ya

 

[WadePatton]

Your small servile y chromosome helper unit is malfunctioning and needs to be fed or spanked. Give it two cookies and see if that clears it up. If you don’t have one make one soon. :hmm3grin2orange:
Old Blue

oh hades, she went packin' in 2007 (the double-x type). here are my helper monkeys:

 

[Old Blue]

Mr WadePatton

Well no wonder they're not picking up the cans, you're using the duck picker uppers. Mighty fine set o monkeys ya got there. They're my favorites and I'm partial to the one on the left, looks like mine.

Old Blue
Working for the benefit of others in
Kali-bone-ya

 

[Old Blue]

n8ghz

Thats an interesting way to crush those cans. Thanks for sharing that with us.

At first read I had my doubts as to the workability and practicality of the mill you are putting together, but now I can hardly wait to see it. Please keep us posted.:msp_thumbup:

Old Blue
Didn't know I could be bled to death through my wallet in
Kali-bone-ya

 

[n8ghz]

Well, I haven't made the log table yet, but did acquire some steel tubing to do it. Need to think about heights I need....?

Anyhow, I did mock-up the winch and wired up it's reversing circuitry,etc.

Here are a few pics of it.

View attachment 211940View attachment 211941View attachment 211942

There is also a pic of the Oiler Tank from the other side.....it has had 60 psi on it for over 24 hours....so it must not be leaking...?

I can't wait to tie a log down & see what it does.
My speeds with the winch look promising, It will work fine with my cutting torch for sure....on a log...we shall see?

I am now thinking of adding a mount for an electric circular saw with a 14" blade for re-squaring? Converted from my 14" Ridgid abrasive metal cutting saw to edge with.




John

 

[n8ghz]

I don't think power feed is a good idea on a chainsaw powered mill. It would stall if you pushed too fast. Or waste time (and over rev) if pushed too slow.

Perhaps you could get away with it on a 4-stroke CSM.

10.5 minutes to mill 96" = 0.15" inch/sec, very very slow. Real life CSM speeds will be 0.25" - 1.0" inch/sec depending on log width and chain sharpness.

Up early, running my roller table back & forth.....timing it. I can achieve as slow as .16 inch/sec..... ~9.5 inches in a minute. That looks good for a track torch ( no resistance ). If cutting with a saw, it'd probably stall because the voltage is so low. but maybe not, as the reduction ratio is 1787:1 ? This thing can go alot faster though, upto over 9 RPM with the variac supplying more than whateve standard 117vac is, The voltage at that .16 is down to ~50vac.

The hydraulic saw, I am thinking, would actually be better than a 4-stoke engine, as it's HP is coming from hydraulic pressure, which is constant, unlike a torque curve that an engine produces.

Now to think about & design a log rack that won't need to be re-dsigned later....ie: gee I wish I'd have provided for more diameter/width/adjustment. I have 18' of ladder, with about 16' of usable space. I gotta think about how to handle short logs & longer ones too. On the longer ones, unless they are small diameter ( flimsy ), they can over hang somewhat...

Hmmm.

 

[WadePatton]

You'll learn more faster and messier when you set up on a log and start making dust. I made my first cuts yesterday. I'm still too green (and young and sexy) to worry 'bout a remote feed.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[n8ghz]

Roger on that, on all counts. The older you get, the less physical you get. As an automation guy, I just look at things thru a different lense sometimes, plus I like to push buttons !!

 

[n8ghz]

It's been a awhile....the Holidays & all....but I have still been working on my machine. The log table is where I'm at right now. It is progressing along OK. I have most of it built and it will also support the ladder/track/saw. I am using 2 outrigger jacks that I was going to use on my bucket truck, but really didn't need them on it. They will raise the log from the log table, which will hold a second log when it's time for the next one. I have one end of the lift rigged-up to adjust for taper of the log, then it will raise parallel from then on up. I do intend to use a hydraulic motor to lift it, but will have manual cranks too....the motor in 'idle' will allow that.

Pics to follow.

I have also mocked-up, on my trolley, another hydraulic saw...a circular saw.
I had mentioned using an electric abrasive chop-saw with a circular wood blade, but have now modded an ICS concrete hydraulic circular saw instead. It can cut 5.5" deep using a 14" blade.

This may allow me to chainsaw cut 4x4's 3.5" thick and have the circular saw cut 3.5" wide at the same time?

If nothing else, I can edge cut simultaneously.

Pics of that mounting to follow also.

Come on spring.......

bunker-bound is a #####.

 

[Fundyheather]

cutoff saw or chopsaw blade on a rail?l

Hmm! Anyone ever mount a gas cutoff saw wood blade adaptation to a rail; run that along a tree intending to imitate a swingmill and live to tell the tale?
jim

 

[n8ghz]

Do you care to ellaborate? I don't see where a blade spinning from whatever power source is any different than one on an arbor driven by belts or a gearbox or direct-drive? If it is fastened to a roller table that has wheels on the top & bottom of the track (my design does) please share with me what the inherent problem is? I can see if your slide was just running along a guide rail, with zero fastening to the rail what you imply would be dangerous. Please respond.

 

[Fundyheather]

I think the blade hook angle would be important, but I don't know which way you would go with it. The wrong angle on a table saw can propel offcuts in fatal fashion, and jump a radial arm back at you. Presumably the wrong hook angle would try to jump out of the track rather than do the work intended. So I think there would be a right and wrong blade for this sort of setup. (not that I know, I don't.)
Best luck with your design, can't wait to see it.
jim

 

[n8ghz]

Thanks for the input, I am here to learn. It won't be too long until I can try some of my ideas, but caveats are certainly welcome.

 

[n8ghz]

Latest builds are the log table


View attachment 219002

View attachment 219003

 

[n8ghz]

Hello All. While this thread still gets alot of reads, discussion seems to have stopped. My project has weeks ago entered more of a build-it stage, than a Q's about milling for a dummy.

I will not be posting anymore pics,etc. from now until I actually saw something and leave this milling forum to those that are sawing/milling.


I really appreciate the info that those of you have given me, and it has been very helpfull. Thank You to those whom commented.

I will start another thread when I am able to make some chips fly.....with pics & hopefully maybe a video or 2?

Thanks Again.

over & out
john

 

[BobL]

I think that one of the reasons the discussions has stopped is because a semi auto hydraulic chainsaw mill is a pretty rare beast so its something very few of us have seen before and maybe we feel we can't make much of a contribution. Another reason could be because it is very hard to understand what your photos are about and how they relate to what you are saying. I've been involved with and have taught technical communication for many years and appreciated how hard this to do and teach. Even really smart students find it hard to put themselves in the novice readers shoes, sometimes the smarter they are the harder they find it. About the only way for someone to understand technical photos and processes, is for the writer to place labels within the picture and then provide a word based step by step explanation underneath - thinking "repair manual" helps. I notice an increasing use of video which is very helpful to explain processes but it doesn't always explain how and is not very good at explaining why unless a narration is added.

All that aside I'm really look forward to seeing some pics of it in action.

 

[Leroy in Kansas]

I'm just getting cought up with this thread. Or at least I think so.

Can someone tell me if the old pics posted are still around? Don't know if ya all remember, I posted Pics of a hydrolic mill set up some time ago.

I adandoned the idea because of problems keeping the belt tight enough to keep the saw chain runing.

I also am confused regarding the pics you have posted. Don't know if I've missed some or what? I did pruse the whole post and didn't see anything posted.

I understand your passion for DOING. sometimes its just as you said because you can.

Show us some more pics and explain the detail as Bob has suggested.

I was in Kansas but now Im the state of confusion?

 

[n8ghz]

BobL, your points are well taken. The last 2 pics I posted appear as attachments, not as inserted pics. When I posted those, I had more to post, but wanted to caption each one as to what the pic shows and do this for each pic. I have not figured out how to get them into the message. I finally gave up, and posted no more pics. I did the 'manage attchments' or whatever it is, and tried to tell the forum software to insert the picture INTO the message, but they still appeared as attachments, requiring a reader to click on them. That defeats adding blow-by-blow commentary and forces a reader to girate between clicking attachments & then reverting back to the message to read about it.

I agree that it hard to follow another guys solution to a given problem by just a picture.
They say " a picture is worth a thousand words ", but .......?


That said, I will start another thread when the thing saws something. Maybe by then, I'll catch on to how to properly insert a picture?

Thanks again.

John

 

[BobL]

Here is how I insert the pictures.

1) Load up the pictures as per normal.

2) Go to preview mode - it should then look like this - a preview of the post and an Edit area below that where you can continue to edit the post

3) in the preview area click on the link to the image itself and the image will appear.

4) Copy the image address from the browser address window

5) Go back to the preview/edit window and remove the existing image attachment code.

6) Now click on the "insert image" icon (see image above) in the editing window and a small window will open up into which you can insert the copied image address.
into the entry space under the "from URL" tab - you will also need to uncheck the "Retrieve remote file and reference locally" box

Save all and then re-preview the post which should now show in images in line.

Messy Huh - anyone else have an easier way of doing it?