building a bandsaw mill

[BHD]

I used the v pulley approach and HUNG a v belt on it for the tire, (it is just large enough to drop on the pulley it is not glued but it is self cleaning,

I used trailer spindles and reversed the hub as stationary and used the shaft on the pulley,

I ended up with 5 bolt hub, (If I was building again I would use 4 bolt, as when you bolt them all one has to do is shim the hub to what ever you bolt it to for alignment,

(now I have not seen plans for a spare tire unit, but my understating on some of them they use air pressure to tension the blade,

on the pulley system one Will need some type of a slide and some form of tension system to tighten the blade, (I just used a section of all thread and tighten up a nut (similar to a pulley tensioner),

if your blade guides are set up correctly there should only be the blade tension on them, and If your guides are not set up right I doubt if you will keep your blade on the wheels regardless of what system you use,

(I know the pictures are no that good, but what I have of it, and there were taken about 20 years ago, ),

I used bearing for a JD gauge wheel bearing and sleeve for the basic guide bears,
http://www.shoupparts.com/SH45951/ or http://www.shoupparts.com/SH45742/ I used the sleeve as well,

(do not rember what I used for the thurst bearing, I may look tomorrow and see).

 

[PILOON]

I once saw where a fellow used automotive MAGS and machined them down to blade width and left a shoulder for the blade backside.
On the backside of the driven mag he bolted an appropriate V-belt driven pulley.
Naturally you'd need the axles that went with the wheels.
I recall that his clutching arrangement was a simple levered binder pulley.
In all cases it would be best to design around the woodmizer standard blade size to avoid custom blade set up fees.

 

[Groo]

I once saw where a fellow used automotive MAGS and machined them down to blade width and left a shoulder for the blade backside.
On the backside of the driven mag he bolted an appropriate V-belt driven pulley.
Naturally you'd need the axles that went with the wheels.
I recall that his clutching arrangement was a simple levered binder pulley.
In all cases it would be best to design around the woodmizer standard blade size to avoid custom blade set up fees.

If there are custom blade fees, they are minimal.
Timber Wolf Band Mill & Resaw Blade Pricing | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades

I'm guessing the wheel in question was a 15". That's a bit smaller than I'd like.
20" would be good, but pricey.

 

[muddstopper]

I have already considered the front wheel drive hub and spindle if I decide to go the spare tire route. That type of hub is usually bolted using three bolts to the strut tower and the splined axle shaft runs thru the hub, I used one for making a rotating boom on my wood splitter. The axle shaft is a short stub and could be welded to a jackshaft for the drive wheel side, the axle is to short to machine to accept a drive pulley.

BHD, it appears in your pic of the drive wheels that your belts are loose and sagging. I had imagined in my mind the belts should fit pretty snug. Is your setup causeing any problems with blade slippage, or is it a non issue?

Pics or drawing where asked for, I havent done any yet. My pic's in my mind ( usually better than my actual design LOL), call for a 2x4 boxed tube for the bed system. Someone mentioned the weight and flex of a 40ft log which is why I will go with heavy wall tube. I will be building the bed in 2 sections,the main section will be 24ft in lenght and the other 20ft. I wont be sawing 40ft logs all the time The tube will be topped with angle to use as a track for the carriage. The carriage will be made of 2x2 heavy box. I will use hitch reciver tube to mount the blade wheels on so as to allow it to slide up and down on the carriage. Welded to the hitch reciver tube I will be using 1in acme threaded rod on each side. The two threaded rods will be connected with a sprocket and drive chain to adjust blade height.. I also plan on using a right angle drive 5:1 gear box coupled to a stator rotor hydraulic motor to power the carriage thru the log. The gear box will be hooked to a roller drive chain unless I can figure out a better system. A hydraulicflow control will control drive speed. Drive wheels for band blade will be mounted on jackshafts with pillow block or flange bearings. The mounting plate for bearings will be a hinge system to adjust toe in. Engine, not sure of the HP but its a big Kholer with 90* cylinders instead of the Vee design. 1 7/16 horizonal shaft. We think its a 24hp but ????

Sawmill will be set up stationary where I intend to build the house. I'll mount axles, but only to transport if from my shop to its new home for the next 5 years. It will be used first to saw out the lumber for its own house and for cureing the lumber to be used in my house. Once my house is complete, I will decide then whether to keep or sell the mill. If i sell it, I'll have a really big shed to convert to a workshop, Hmmm! might ought to pour concrete floor in sawmill shed first, never know how much money is available for doing such things later on.

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming.

 

[BHD]

actuly I got the idea from wood mizer band saws, on the loose belt idea, it caused no problems,

 

[KYErik]

I used 8 inch trailer tires/spindles for my bandwheels and carefully welded a 9" pulley to the rim- it was an exact fit and easy to center. The 8" trailer tire has a 16 inch circumference.

The spindles are each set in a pipe with two sets of angle adjusting bolts (one each 120 degrees) clamping them in position. This gives me adjustment in all 3 planes so I can get the blade tracking correct. The blade is tensioned with tire pressure as well as with a telescoping idler wheel frame (see the pic with the tape measure).

There are two "generations" of mill pics here. The original mill had a single 5hp electric motor (actually a 7.5 hp 3 phase with a static converter). This past year my dad and I added a second electric motor and a hydraulic feed (you can see the power steering pump in one pic). The hydraulic feed was OK (hydraulic motor on the carriage controlled by a spool valve pulling a cable attached to the frame), but I prefer to hand feed with a crank (same cable set up but I crank the cable spool). The hand crank lets you "feel" how hard you are pushing the saw so you can adjust speed better than with the hydraulic feed (and in some cases you can cut faster with the hand feed).

The current set up uses two 5hp electric motors pulling in tandem joined by a belt and did well making 17" wide white oak boards.

The saw bed is the frame off a 1959 chevy 2 ton truck with a pice of angle iron on the sawdust output side and v-groove casters on the saw carriage. I can cut 28" diameter logs that are 16 feet long.

Saw guides are made from sets of standard size bearings from TSC.

My only disappointment is with blade life. I can only cut one clean white oak log (no dirt on the bark- 15 foot by 20 inch diameter) into 1 inch thick planks and then I have to send the blade off for a $6 sharpening. I am running 158" long woodmizer blades, 1.25 inch wide and 4 and 9 degree hook angle- both angles seem to work well. Blade speed is about 5000 linear feet per minute.

 

[BHD]

here is a company that appears to make a "v belt" tire,
Heavy Duty Grooved Urethane V-Belts For Band Wheels | Suffolk Machinery - Timber Wolf Bandsaw Blades


http://www.woodmizer-planet.com/index.pl?act=PRODUCT&id=159

http://www.google.com/patents/US487...TT9LrAsfWiAKo1qAC#v=onepage&q=4878411&f=false

 

[sandman2234]

I have already considered the front wheel drive hub and spindle if I decide to go the spare tire route. That type of hub is usually bolted using three bolts to the strut tower and the splined axle shaft runs thru the hub, I used one for making a rotating boom on my wood splitter. The axle shaft is a short stub and could be welded to a jackshaft for the drive wheel side, the axle is to short to machine to accept a drive pulley.

BHD, it appears in your pic of the drive wheels that your belts are loose and sagging. I had imagined in my mind the belts should fit pretty snug. Is your setup causeing any problems with blade slippage, or is it a non issue?

Pics or drawing where asked for, I havent done any yet. My pic's in my mind ( usually better than my actual design LOL), call for a 2x4 boxed tube for the bed system. Someone mentioned the weight and flex of a 40ft log which is why I will go with heavy wall tube. I will be building the bed in 2 sections,the main section will be 24ft in lenght and the other 20ft. I wont be sawing 40ft logs all the time The tube will be topped with angle to use as a track for the carriage. The carriage will be made of 2x2 heavy box. I will use hitch reciver tube to mount the blade wheels on so as to allow it to slide up and down on the carriage. Welded to the hitch reciver tube I will be using 1in acme threaded rod on each side. The two threaded rods will be connected with a sprocket and drive chain to adjust blade height.. I also plan on using a right angle drive 5:1 gear box coupled to a stator rotor hydraulic motor to power the carriage thru the log. The gear box will be hooked to a roller drive chain unless I can figure out a better system. A hydraulicflow control will control drive speed. Drive wheels for band blade will be mounted on jackshafts with pillow block or flange bearings. The mounting plate for bearings will be a hinge system to adjust toe in. Engine, not sure of the HP but its a big Kholer with 90* cylinders instead of the Vee design. 1 7/16 horizonal shaft. We think its a 24hp but ????

Sawmill will be set up stationary where I intend to build the house. I'll mount axles, but only to transport if from my shop to its new home for the next 5 years. It will be used first to saw out the lumber for its own house and for cureing the lumber to be used in my house. Once my house is complete, I will decide then whether to keep or sell the mill. If i sell it, I'll have a really big shed to convert to a workshop, Hmmm! might ought to pour concrete floor in sawmill shed first, never know how much money is available for doing such things later on.

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming.

With this description, the pictures are starting to come into focus, lol!
Just a thought... rather than the 2x4 tubing in heavy wall, which might not be as good as 2x5 or 6 in regular wall thickness, how about a mobile home frame? Or if you want to have an enclosed one, how about a shipping container, and remove one wall or build an overhead crane attached to the box to move the logs. I was just thinking that something used might be better than what you were suggesting to use. If you put plenty of supports to the ground, your 2x4 will work, but I would look for something a little different in used.
I like the idea of getting a workshop out of the deal when the house is built!!
David from jax

 

[Groo]

2x4 is going to be pretty floppy compare to what most mobile mills use, so you are going to need to have it pretty much sitting on the concrete pad, or some other form of near continuous support. I haven't pulled a tape, but my mill uses about 2x6 heavy wall box beams. a 2x6 is more than twice as strong as a 2x4. Mine has jacks every 10' or so, so it would seam you'd need them every 5' or even closer. I'd just set it on the pad.

I wouldn't bother with an axle or tounge until you are ready to move it.

 

[muddstopper]

Interesting comments on frame choice. I had thought the 2x4x1/4 box tubing would be overkill. Just baseing my opinion on some of the cheaper mills I have seen that use angle iron as a frame. I had planned on topping the 2x4 tube with 2x2x1/4 angle which would increase the ridgidity, but I chose the 1/4 angle because the thickness is almost the exact width of the bottom of the vee groove in some excess b-belt pullies I have and had planned on using as rollers for the carriage. I guess I need more opinions and do a little more research on this area of the build.

Believe it or not, I had thought about the shipping container ideal already, but it was decided I didnt want the container setting around the house after I'm done with the mill. They make great workshops or for storage, just not the look I am going for,(according to my wife), around her new home. Besides, if I have a sawmill, I can saw more lumber for storage buildings that come closer to meeting with her approval. I have already fought that fight with her, (and lost) where i live now.

The suggestions about the jacks being close together, I had also already considered, but was thinking every 6ft., a 24ft bed would get 5 on each side. I am sure when first leveled on bare ground there would be some setteling occur, but with proper sized base material, it should stabilize fairly quickly. If I pour a concrete pad first, then there should be very little movement, if any, once setup.

Getting back to the issue of using tires. If I decide to go that route, what would be the optimum dia I should be shooting for. I was aiming for around a 20in dia, but know some use much smaller. Is there any advantage to going smaller or larger.