Automated Chainsaw Mill

[wasabi]

I have looked at the bandsaw and circular saw mills and keep returning to the idea of building a cost effective chainsaw mill. Surely there must be a straightforward way to automate such a rig. Anyone have any success with such an idea or have any links to share?

Thx, Sabi

 

[beenthere]

Would you care to elaborate a bit on what you are thinking about? "Automate" is a bit confusing as to what you have in mind. Its an interesting idea, and maybe someone can help without any more information.

 

[dmccarty]

wasabi,

There are a couple of "mills" that use chainsaws.

Search the Internet for "Alaskan" mills and you will get some hits.

There is also a company, Logosol, that makes a more substantial
mill. You can find them at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.logosol.com>http://www.logosol.com</A>.

I have seen speed tests in magazines comparing Logosol mill with
the bigger mills and the come in last in terms of production. But
they also only cost about 3,000 dollars. I have seen the product
demonstrated at a show and was very impressed. If I had the money
I would buy one. But I don't have the money. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Hope this helps...
Dan McCarty

 

[wasabi]

Clearly the alaskan and granburg sp? saw attachments work, with the right combination of power and chain tweaking, but for this fifty year old, I don't see bending over and pushing a chainsaw as a healthy or back-friendly activity. I've seen some attachments that use the saw vertically, which makes a bit more sense to me. Now if the pushing/feeding part could be automated, it might take enough of the ooumph factor out of it to make it a doable, productive arrangement. (I'm really not daft enough to want to reinvent the obvious, but, on the other hand, don't see any point in paying high frieght and manufacturing bills when I'm basically gonna have to assemble the parts that they ship to me anyway.)

So here is the basic vision, unabashedly inspired by others sold elsewhere at high prices:

Build a fixed, (wood?) frame low to the ground that the log is dragged up to (with the new tractor, of course) and then pushed, and rolled onto with a peavy. A solidly-built pipe or welded angle iron frame box with v-wheels (pulleys might work?) would ride along the edge of two long angle iron rails, solidly secured to the wood frame, kinda like railroad tracks. The pipe frame arrangement would hold the saw bar top and bottom in a vertical configuration with a sideways adjustment mechanism (wormscrew?) to allow for thickness adjustment. Some sort of dog-type mechanisms would hold the log steady and securely, perhaps rigged from modified sliding clamps.

The feeding part is what I am not too clear about. I guess it could be a very long threaded rod that worked like a wormscrew, but probably easier would be some sort of cable or chain geared arrangement that could be powered by an off the shelf electrical motor, perhaps with variable speed.

Then (in theroy) the log is loaded and secured, the saw width adjustment set and locked, the chainsaw is fired up and the feed motor activated. I, in the meantime, stand back with the remote, sipping a cold one and monitoring the saw's progress. At the end of the run, the slab falls of its own weight and can be pulled safely aside. The width adjustment is reset, the log turned as needed, and we go back through it again.

Anyway, that's the short version. Am I nuts?, or do you think this would be worth the effort. I've got many trees, a thirst for more lumber than I can pay for and an aversion to burning it all when I know it can be turned into lumber. I would also like the convenience of a small mill to custom size materials as available. Drying sheds, proper sticking, a solar kiln and patience would complete the picture.

 

[EdKing]

You could use a looped chain, like the chain in a hay elevator. That may you could reverse the feed to pull the log back after the cut. If you made the bed long enough, you could cut in both directions with the chainsaw mill. You would have to figure out some way to get the chain to grab the logs, but it souns like your idea would work.

 

[wasabi]

Good thought Ed. I think making the track long enough to make runs both ways definately makes sense, but, rather than trying to muscle the log around, I'll rig it to move the saw back and forth across the stationary log held by dogs.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Baileys catalog might be something you want to look at.. they have some of those vert bar attachments, you just nail a straight and true 2x4 to the log.. having previously struck your chalklines, adjust the bar attachment, and walk the saw down the log.. of course, you'll need to hold the log off the ground, and you MUST use rip chain, not crosscut.. since you are ripping with the grain. Fortunately, Baileys sells that too.

I found my lil Alaskan mill makes short work of this eastern red cedar, for red fence posts and also slabs that I can rip and cross to square and nearly S4S (surfaced four sides) that only needs a quick lick of the belt sander for full 4/4, 6/4 and more, lumber.

I love livin here, the pine goes for big bucks and I can get all the hardwood I want, cheap !

 

[EdKing]

In that case, you could go with a long motorcycle style chain. Hook either end to the saw holder, have a gear on either end. Use a reversible electric motor and a pulley and belt to hook it to one of the gears. If you use pulleys like those in a drill press you could even vary the speed depending on the size and hardness of the lumber you are milling. Also with the pulley and belt you will have some slippage in case the saw stalls or binds for some reason.

 

[MossRoad]

I see lots of sawdust sticking to chains and worm gears and gumming everything up. Do you have any ideas on controlling that?

 

[EdKing]

You could put a chain guard on, kind of like the ones on the older bicycles. Have it on top on the top on the upper and lower section of the chain. That should keep most of the sawdust out of the chain.

 

[wasabi]

This is not a slam dunk easy idea, by any means...there are some design challenges, but I think it can be done...I think the sawdust cover is a must....but also thinking about either having some space under the whole affair and/or raising it up a bit to have a place for the sawdust to pile up....otherwise, even with a good guard, the sawdust will surely get into the gearage. I'm also taking a closer look at the Woodbug, which looks promising...maybe with a few modiifcations....and the Canadian excahange rate makes it almost affordable.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
i don't know how it would work maybe hydro driven with a blow out valve to slow ya saw down if cutting got tough ..i have been looking at mills in new zealand and i'm looking at a chainsaw type of mill look at this web site and click on models then look at the log locust

http://www.petersonsawmills.com

it could be automated with 2 hyrdo pumps one each end working like a 2 man saw 1 pulls then the other
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[Egon]

Wasabi:
I too would like a mill for cutting lumber but in our area there are many people with mills who travel to your site and this method is much more cost effective.

Nevertheless I too dream on building my own but it will be dream only and never a reality.
Here are some thoughts.
Instead of chain saw use a fixed appropiate sized circular blade that can be driven with the tractor PTO.This creates less wasted wood.
Variable speed electric motor operating a large chain link belt with the motor and gears at one end of the log carrige where they will be out of the sawdust. The electric motor speed would be controlled by the saw blade rpm. IE: rpm starts to drop the motor will slow the advance of log into the blade.
The log holder will be shifted back and forth on the log carrier with electric motors on worm gear drive.
All the electric motors will be reversible So the log holder can be backed off while the carrige is retracted for a new cut.
A helper to load logs and pile sawn lumber.
All the sensors, carrige stops, log holder postioning,RPM control can be routed to a laptop which is programed for whatever width, length lumber you are going to cut.
A large umbrella so you can sit in the shade while controlling the sawmill. Better yet house it in a building out of the elements with overhead sliding hoists to position logs on the carrier.

Egon

 

[wasabi]

Egon, WOW...nice imagry. More involved than my sawmill vision, but you have me thinking about it differently....which reminds me of an old joke:

(Please note: this is in no way intended to cast aspersions on "TBN's Bird" who clearly is quite respected here, nor is it intended to offend anyone's sensibilities....it is simply a joke, albeit a politically incorrect one)

Johnny, in the fourth grade, was aked the following question by his math teacher: "There are five birds sitting on a wire...you shoot one of them...how many are left?". Johnny thought for a moment then replied: "If I shot one of them, none would be left because the rest would fly away." The teacher replied: "Well Johnny, the correct answer is four birds, but I like the way you are thinking."

Somewhat embarrassed by this exchange, Johnny put up his hand a few minutes later and asked the teacher if he could ask her a question. "Sure" came the reply: "There are three women with ice cream cones...one is biting the ice cream, one is licking the ice cream and one is sucking the ice cream. Which one is married?" His teacher thought for a moment and then said, "I suppose the one that is licking the ice cream is married ." "No", said Johnny, "the correct answer is the one that is biting the ice cream, but I like the way you are thinking!"

 

[Egon]

Wasabi:

When you really start to think about it the concecpt is quite simple. Probably most of the ideas came from things others have said.

Egon

 

[wasabi]

Egon....to quote the bud folks: True.