Pile of Roller Rail

[HawkinsHollow]

I was just given a bunch of roller rail ( for a lack of a better name). What should I use it for? I could see some offload ramps from the sawmill. I could make a side load table for a kiln. A ramp to load logs onto my trailer. What would you use it for? Let’s get creative!!

 

[Gem99ultra]

You have a small gold mine there! Short of locking it up and keeping it under lock & key, I'd either make myself a conveyor system for whatever one might need one for, or advertise it for sale. That little stack is definitely worth some money.
I can think of many uses for it, but none are without needing a little work to build, but definitely worth the effort.

 

[dodge man]

Build a grocery store around it. I worked in one during college and that’s where I’ve seen it used.

 

[BackRoad]

My most effort reduction use would be to build a table for supporting logs, to allow them to be cut into firewood length, and then use the rollers to move the lengths to the splitter...so firewood could be processed from logs to splits without having to bend over!

 

[QRTRHRS]

Out or in feed for a table saw?

 

[chim]

World's Longest Inline Roller Skates

 

[HawkinsHollow]

A couple of good ideas, but nothing ground shattering. What about some HEAVY DUTY drawer slides? I think it could make a cool dolly for smooth surfaces if you could figure out how to get a set of 3 or 4 of the wheels to rotate about an axis.

 

[dodge man]

I see a long run of it, someone with some skateboarding skills and a YouTube video.

 

[CliffordK]

I could see some offload ramps from the sawmill. ... A ramp to load logs onto my trailer. What would you use it for?

Any idea what the capacity of those are?

You may be able to fudge a bit if you make a continuous sheet of them, and mount it on heavy duty backing.

However, I wouldn't necessarily drop heavy stuff on them, and might limit myself to 500 to 1000 lbs or so of static load (using a bunch of them and generally distributed weight).

They are also probably designed for direct unidirectional movement. So, no heavy stuff sliding sideways.

Also, if you load not exactly straight pieces that are round, you may have very poor weight distribution, and may get all the weight resting on only a couple of rollers.

The last little piece of oak I loaded onto my trailer was probably somewhere around 3,000 to 5,000 lbs. Not something that I'd trust with rollers like that.

Anyway, this might be good for moving planks produced by a mill. Infeed/outfeed for a planer. Outfeed catch for your table saw. I'm planning on forming steel standing seam roofing, and bought a long roller for the outfeed of the forming machine.

 

[Rustyiron]

Around your mill, just let your imagination run.
Getting the dang slabwood away from the "action" would be my first use. That's a non stackable part of the process that accumulates quickly and can get out of control dwarfing your board pile.
Great find