A very good chainsaw mill rig .

[PeterSibley]

I found this thread ,
http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=77058
on an Australian woodworking forum .I like this machine ,it's simple demountable and looks effective . I think I'll build one ...I pass up too many good logs these days .There are photos of the slide mechanism on the thread .

[Bill R]

Pretty slick. One of these days I need to build me one.

[Larks]

I like that Peter, very simple and looks easy enough to reproduce. Not having any great experience with these (but wanting one), what do you reckon would be the minimum (hp) saw size you'd need for this (for about a 12 -14" log)?

[PeterSibley]

I hope some else will comment , but I have an 85cc Homelite that should be OK .I wouldn't go much smaller .Field days ,like the Toowomba Swap Meet are a good place to find big old saws for this kind of use .

I've got a few A .Melanoxon ( blackwood )logs to cut plus a very nice Forest Oak ... casurina torrelosa

So it will pay for itself pretty quickly .

[Larks]

I've got a heap of tallowood that I'd like to play with but don't yet have a big enough toy for the job so have been on the look out, just not sure yet what to look out for. This rig idea has given me a bit of enthusiasm to look harder though.

[MiddleAgesMan]

The attachment of the saw to the sliding rig seems precarious to me--likely to have lots of play so straight, controlled cuts would be problematic.

[Robmill0605]

When you look at the 10 to 30k price tag of some of these " mini saw mills" that are basically a bandsaw on a track this rig looks simple and affordable.
I wonder if it would cut thinner boards than this?
Thanks for the heads up, I like it.

[Jim Ledger]

The attachment of the saw to the sliding rig seems precarious to me--likely to have lots of play so straight, controlled cuts would be problematic.

I'd think that the square tube would want to torque in the middle of the cut. There's not much there to stop it twisting. Test one out before you buy.

Not to drift your thread, Peter, but I have this picture of the sixty foot bandmill at New England Naval Timbers which might be of interest.

[Bob Smalser]

Build it so it adjusts to get the full bar into the log with a more horizontal attack. Waste boards can be placed beneath so the chain doesn't ever hit soil.

The pictures shown don't only waste half the cutting potential because half the chain isn't making contact, working with the tip is an invitation to an accident if a flitch warps and binds the upper tip area responsible for kickbacks.

I'd also build in a stop so there's absolutely no danger of that bar tip hitting the steel base like in Pic #2.

Wonder how that bar got that severe burn mark on top? Sumpthing went wrong.

[Bob Smalser]

Not to drift your thread, Peter, but I have this picture of the sixty foot bandmill at New England Naval Timbers which might be of interest.

Odd. Looks familiar. One of them Australian contraptions. And I don't think it's a band mill.

[SaltyD from BC]

Its a bit like a chain saw mill that I used to have. As others have pointed out though this one does not have a lot of support for the bar. It would be a nightmare trying to make a straight cut once the saw started to dull. Especially with some of that crazy hard Oz hardwood.

What it needs IMO is a feature that the mill I used to have had. Sorry, no pics or links - it appears the company that made the one I had is no longer. The bar needs to be supported at the tip (on the ground). If you welded two pieces of angle iron lengthwise in line with the bar, leaving a slot a bit wider than the bar thickness so that the bar rides inside the slot. Then welded two little spots on each side of the bar at the tip so that it rides in the middle of the slot so the chain can't touch the angle iron, you'd be away to the races.

That's how the little mill I had worked. Mind you it was framed a lot heavier than this one. Same idea tho... I cut a ton of wood with this system. You want to go to a narrower bar (3/8" instead of .404) learn a slightly different sharpening tecnique and you can mill quite nicely. Lots more waste over a bandsaw though, you can't get away from that...

[SaltyD from BC]

Looking at this again, he's cutting the 'wrong' way.



Instead of left to right as in this pic ^ I cut right to left with the saw orientated the same way. Yes it blows the sawdust up into your face. Just build a little diflector ..

[PeterSibley]

Jim ,as Bob says I think that is a Lucas with a chainsaw slabbing attachment .

The various criticisms of the rig I posted are reasonable , it can definitely use some improvement .The first would be a beefier connection to the carriage ,the second a "comb" to set the saw at a specific angle for the cut .A 3x3 RHS beam over the current 2x2 would be good too , especially as I'd like about a 15 or 16 foot beam .

Otherwise ,I have a friend with a manufactured version of this and yes ,it does work and work well . The lower the angle of the bar to the log the better .

Salty ....on waste ,yep ! I had a bandmill (homebuilt by me ) with 30hp,hydraulic rise ,fall , feed and a 3 1/2" wide blade .It was a lovely bit of gear and cut like a dream with a 1/8" kerf .Sold it years ago and my back thanked me .But ,sometimes I REALLY wish I still had it !

[SaltyD from BC]

What I do like about the one you posted Peter is how portable it is. Looks like a couple three trips by hand and you have the mill brought to the log wherever it might be. Would be handy for milling blow down logs in the bush...

[PeterSibley]

Yep ,that's the main attraction .There are quite a few logs down around here right now I'd like to mill .

[Bob Cleek]

I'm no master sawyer, but I've played with the Granberg Alaskan mill a couple of times. Hard, nasty work, that. Still and all, if you're looking for something that can slab, horizontal and vertical, there isn't anything lighter, more portable, nor less expensive, than the Alaskans.




http://www.granberg.com/

[PeterSibley]

Been there Bob ,as you say ,hard and nasty . The vertical idea at least lets you stand up !

[Rob Stokes, N. Vancouver]

I run an Alaskan mill on an old Husky 2100. A couple of months ago we spent two days with this setup and milled almost 1200 bd ft out of a of Copper Beech that measured 44" across the butt. We spent a bit of time and got the boles aimed downhill a bit, and the saw did all the work form there. That hardest part as lifting the slabs after they were cut.

Mills like the one you show are OK, but the log has to come to the mill and as others have pointed out, cutting parallel with a rig like that is almost a fluke, not a rule. I'd not build or buy on myself.









Rob

[PeterSibley]

"Mills like the one you show are OK, but the log has to come to the mill and as others have pointed out, cutting parallel with a rig like that is almost a fluke, not a rule. I'd not build or buy on myself."

Bob ,you may well be right but this rig is definitely transportable to the log .Probably another trip over your Granberg , still ,not really a problem .



[/quote]

[Larks]

I still like this idea Peter, even more so now with the posts from everyone else here adding to ideas on how to improve on it with out a heck of a lot of work. (I've gotta confess that I sent more time in a meeting today doodling with sketches of these ideas than worrying about broken boats.....)

[PeterSibley]

We better compare notes ,we might come up with a few real improvements !

[Rob Stokes, N. Vancouver]

Just curious Peter - what attracts you to that mill over a simple Alaskan? I'm not sure what it would do better (except you can use your midriff to push the saw along - I do like that idea).

SaltyD - was this the mill you had" http://www.woodbug.com/? If so, we found one in a barn a while back and are in the process of finding/making parts and setting it up.

But it's going to be left where wood can come to it and it can be leveled on a semi-permanent basis.

Rob

[PeterSibley]

Rob , the idea of working standing up is attractive ! I used to have Granberg with an 090 .It wasn't something I enjoyed !In fact it was the main motivation for building my bandmill .I should scan some old prints of the bandmill and post them.
The other reason is that in my experience ripping with a chainsaw is much easier the lower the angle of the saw to the log .Imagine driving a chisel across endgrain versus at 45 degrees The is a huge difference in the amount of wood removed for the same effort .....so I envision a long bar cutting at 45 degrees .

The carriage to saw attachment in the rig I posted is too light , but I have seen another version here in Oz (not the Woodbug) that is much more substantial .I'm going to borrow it ,(it belongs to a mate who lives 150 miles away )and with some modification, copy it .His is too heavy , the one I posted ...too light .One improvement well worth while is a comb to hold the saw at the correct angle and another a beam of 3x3" RHS ,still light but much stiffer .

[PeterSibley]

BTW ,the Woodbug looks good ...if heavy to transport .

[Driver Mark]

If you go to the granberg website they have the assembly manual for the alaskan mill in pdf form. It's complete enough that if your so inclined you can build your own from that. (I did) Also Backwoods Home magazine has an article in thier archives about building one very similar. I actually kinda combined the two for the one I did using mostly stuff I had laying around already I think the only thing I had to buy were some U bolts to hold the uprights for the frame. Hope this helps

[coelacanth2]

There's also the Haddon lumbermaker jig , clamps to the bar and rides on either 2x4 or2x6 lagged and leveled to the log. Cuts slabs off the side, like the rig above but with the motor and bar closer to the action - possibly less chance for flex? Mine worked well with an 039 Stihl and a crosscut chain on some small bits of oak and locust. Very compact, light and portable.

[Three Cedars]

If you can find the book " Chainsaw Lumbermaking " by Will Malloff consider yourself lucky , it is very good . He describes in detail using a simple boat winch that pulls the saw along so you don't have to push the damn thing roaring away 2 1/2 feet from your head belching exhaust and dust.

Oodles of milling experience here , http://www.arboristsite.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62

For just a few cuts in logs up to about 18 " diam a fair job can be done freehand , anything over 2" thick is awful heavy

[SamSam]

There's also the Haddon lumbermaker jig , clamps to the bar and rides on either 2x4 or2x6 lagged and leveled to the log. Cuts slabs off the side, like the rig above but with the motor and bar closer to the action - possibly less chance for flex? Mine worked well with an 039 Stihl and a crosscut chain on some small bits of oak and locust. Very compact, light and portable.

These work very well. It's not something you want to use as a career, but you don't want to bother with any chainsaw sawmill for very long. With a few dollars scrap and a few hours time, you can make your own.


http://www.haddontools.com/lumbermaker.html

[Three Cedars]

I haven't used the Haddon but it looks similar to the " Beam Machine " ( http://www.beammachine.com/ ) It has the saw mounted so the bar is vertical as opposed to horizontal and the operator holds onto the chainsaw handle to guide and pull the saw as it cuts. It isn't as good as an Alaskan mill due to the human factor - tilting the bar a trifle at the handle gets magnified at the bar , seems unavoidable, anyway results are good enough for rough building . I've seen some guys who are very good at ripping freehand with just a 1x2 tacked on for a straight edge.

Anyone used a pit-saw ?

[PeterSibley]

Gentlemen ,in light of the criticism of this design I PMed the owner and builder .Here is his response ,

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sibbo
G'day gidgee ,

I've been looking at your photos of your chainsaw mill .I'm thinking of building one ,probably pretty close to your design .

How accurate is it ? Does the bar wander without being held at the bottom ? Have you used it on hardwood and how did it go ?

Thanks for posting those photos ,much appreciated .

cheers ,
Sibbo ,
(Pete )

Pete
Yes the mill is accurate.(if your chainsaw is set up correctly ,ie;bar and chain,it just follows the rail ) No. Yes (iron bark),same as cutting softwood only slower.

How long do you plan to make the rail?
What length bar do you intend using ?

The concept works very well and at the end of the day you are not sporting as many aches and pains as you get with an` alaskan`type mill.

Good luck with your project.
Cheers
gidgee 1(matthew)