Been working on a mill.

Sawyer Rob · Mar 4, 2016

Stimw said:
Also not having guards on the blade is asking for serious trouble!
Even with guards a broken blade goes NUTS!!

Have you had band breakage problems??

I've been milling since 1996 and I've yet, to break my FIRST band...

Buy "quality" bands, and do good band and mill maintenance, and you won't have band breakage problems...

SR

Stimw · Mar 4, 2016

snowbelt geauga said:
Stimw how do you like your HF mill ?

I love it! I own a fabrication shop and could not build one for the money I paid including labor.
When I bought mine they were on sale and they still took the 25% off coupon (they don't take coupon for it now). It was about $1700. including delivery!
It does a great job and the few problems that I have had seem to be standard Band Mill problems, like dull blade cutting crooked.

Stimw · Mar 4, 2016

valley said:
building the guards now, but couldn't wait. I figured the speed out before ordering the pulleys. Not finished with the track.

Where do you get logs in Florida, don't remember seeing many trees there, maybe I just forgot.

Rustyiron, Nice machine!

We have plenty of trees!!
The pine logs in the pic on the trailer were given to me by a friend who was clearing a lot in my neighborhood.

Stimw · Mar 4, 2016

Sawyer Rob said:
Have you had band breakage problems??

I've been milling since 1996 and I've yet, to break my FIRST band...

Buy "quality" bands, and do good band and mill maintenance, and you won't have band breakage problems...

SR

No breakage problems but I did have the blade come off when I tried to back up the blade in a cut.
On Forestry Form some have commented on how violent a blade braking was.
The Mill even has bars on the dust discharge chute to keep the blade from coming out if it breaks.

valley · Mar 4, 2016

Rob, What kind of mill do you have?

Richard

Ivan49 · Mar 5, 2016

I had a woodmizer and I have had a few bands break. The dust shute has 1/4 rods in it and these bent out straight. The first one I hit a bolt from a screw in tree step. One other was someone at some time drove 3/8 inch steel rods in the tree when it was smaller. The worst thing was the porcellan insulators. The best blades I found were made by timberwolf. When the band breaks it does 2 things or maybe 3 depends if you need to change your shorts. The band goes everywhere and the noise cleans you arties out good

Sawyer Rob · Mar 5, 2016

valley said:
Rob, What kind of mill do you have?
Richard

Norwood Lumbermate...

Company's HAVE to put a bar or screen on those openings or they can't sell the mill in Europe...

The screen in mine was held in with pop rivets and I took them out before I started my mill the first time...

You learn FAST, NEVER back up in the cut with the wheels turning...

SR

valley · Mar 7, 2016

Rob, Is that a manual mill? Just looked one on line. I need to put handles on mine for a place to push from.

I'm putting together the blade guards now, in between storms. So you haven't broken a blade yet, that's encouraging, I'm hoping not to, because they're costly and it could be dangerous.

Richard

Sawyer Rob · Mar 7, 2016

Yes it's a manual mill... And no, I have not broken my first band.........yet! lol IF or when I do, it's no big deal, throw another band on and keep going!

I believe, buying a "well designed" mill in the first place, keeping it in really good tune, buying quality bands and being picky about band maintenance is the key...

SR