Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it be?

[EddieWalker]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

How do they do sidewalks in your area? Is there any special prep involved? I wonder if anything special is done when the city pours a sidewalk, which is basically all you are doing with your pad, except it's not very long. Will you even notice frost heave and if the pad is floating on the ground, how will that affect the pad? Keep It Simple might be the approach I take for something this small.

 

[Jcoon]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Sidewalks have the crack line every 4’ so that the cracking can be controlled

 

[EddieWalker]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Are we talking about cracking or are we talking about heave?

I've also never seen a city sidewalk with rebar in it. I personally like to put rebar in every 18 inches and have it supported by rebar. I would go closer if I could, but at 18 inches, I can still walk through it and not step on any of it.

 

[Billrog]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Set my mill on 5' treated 6x6 every 4' 17 years ago the floor is 1x6 just laid on top of leveled ground. I've never had to re-level the mill dead on when I check it with a laser. But if it was more accessible for a concrete truck I'd pour a 4" slab can't get frost heaves if there's no moisture.

 

[MillWeld]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Most sawmills have screw jacks or large adjustable screws at the bottom of the legs for slight for adjustments to keep the rails level. If you are putting the sawmill rails directly on the concrete pad you should plan to live with probable settling and you will be bending over a lot to operate the mill.

 

[TnAndy]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Set the mill about 30" off the slab top. Set the slab top about 3' below grade on a slight hill with some type of retainer wall on the log entry side. Use a long pair of 6x6 or steel I beams for log 'deck', right on the ground.

Life is a LOT easier if you have the mill up some for working, and if you don't have to lift the logs up to the bed level of the mill, but can keep them right near the ground.

 

[DJ54]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Not sure what brand mill you have, or are getting, but for the money spent on a pad, why not get the transportable model, or kit to put under it..?? Dad bought a Wood-Mizer LT HD-40 back in the late 80's. Beam was 22', so as to cut 20' logs. Stabilizer's were plenty sturdy enough to hold it, and set up/tear down was pretty simple & quick.

Plus, it made cleanup a much easier job, as far as not having to work around the mill cleaning up sawdust, etc. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Gitche Gumee Kid]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

Set the mill about 30" off the slab top. Set the slab top about 3' below grade on a slight hill with some type of retainer wall on the log entry side. Use a long pair of 6x6 or steel I beams for log 'deck', right on the ground.

Life is a LOT easier if you have the mill up some for working, and if you don't have to lift the logs up to the bed level of the mill, but can keep them right near the ground.

<----------------------------------------------------------0----------------------------------------------------------------------->

Thanks to the membership for all the great responses.

However,TnAndy's post(above) has me confused. Can anyone draw a diagram or clarify his comments?

Much obliged,

GGK

 

[aczlan]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

<----------------------------------------------------------0----------------------------------------------------------------------->

Thanks to the membership for all the great responses.

However,TnAndy's post(above) has me confused. Can anyone draw a diagram or clarify his comments?

Much obliged,

GGK

\
.\
...|M
.......\
.........\

He is talking about digging a bench into a hillside with a retaining wall in the high side so you load logs from the high side onto the mill (the M above) and remove boards from the low side.

Aaron Z

 

[TnAndy]

Re: Long narrow concrete pad for a proposed band saw mill----> how elaborate need it

GGK,

Here is a crude sketch (best I can do with Paint ). First one shows grade before cutting out, and location for slab/retainer wall.

2nd one shows grade cut out, slab & retainer wall in place, and sawmill set up to working height.....about 30". Log deck sit right on the ground on the upslope side with a slight angle into the mill bed. End of the deck timbers is about an inch or so away from the bed, and set up low enough the mill clears it when you get down to cutting that last inch of lumber. The slabs/sawdust go to the lower side.

The whole purpose of this is to get the mill UP off the ground. In the case of many Woodmizer mills, they already are up off the ground, since they are on an axle for transport....that means you have to lift the logs UP to bed level. With a hydraulic version, there is a log lifter arm that does that. I got the non-hydraulic version, so I built a deck out from mine that will hold a dozen or so logs....see below...

Mills that aren't mounted on axles sit right on the ground....that means a lot of bending over to get lumber and slabs off it. Getting the mill UP to working height will save you a whole bunch of work. As Grandpa used to say "Sonny...there is PLENTY of actual work to be done....you don't need to go inventing the dang stuff"

The problem with getting the mill up to working height is you also have to get the logs up there as well. My wooden log deck works fine, assuming you have a front end loader to lift them up....and assuming you don't run into too large a log to lift up (I do sometimes...had to lift one end up, then the other....some not at all).

The other problem I have is sawdust removal. I was in a hurry to get a building over my mill when I brought it home in 1991, and didn't think about such things as above. Now I have to shovel/carry dust down to the end of the building to the loader bucket. In my new building plan, I'm mounting a small (9" wide x 20') grain conveyor flush into the floor (with a mesh grate to walk on) of the slab about the center of the mill and perpendicular to it that will carry dust out and into a pile on the downhill side of the mill.