acem Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 I'm going to the auction tomorrow that has the home made bandsaw mill. We'll see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike newman Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Ace...couple of things for your consideration...... ...you will now be realising you just cannot face life....without a sawmill...like a fine blued steel and oiled wood firearm ..or a Ford pickup etc... this purchase for you is a necessity..... I do like the band saw mills ...but down under they are very expensive...and if one is lucky enough to have some sort of ''woodlot''...a ''wood miser'' type mill is perhaps not justified...in other words you can toss a bit more of your own product into the firewood bin....as apposed to buying in saw logs I have had an earlier style , New Zealand made mill ..pictured ...Its great virtue was , if you had a huge log ...up to 8 feet in diameter, the mill could be set up over the log and away you go....On most rural properties , there would not be a machine capable of lifting that diameter log ...of around 17 foot length...so that type of mill was just the thing for peeling out good timber from such trees...which we have in abundance ...(or used to...) down under... ...but because we have a considerable area of Douglas Fir , on our place , I have a more conventional , double saw, mill.powered by a four cylinder Perkins diesel engine....which is really good set up...Again , we brought it "second hand '..but that saved $60K NZ...and really...they are simple enough to set up and maintain to cut good clean timber BTW,I mention 17 feet because of the normal 8 foot stud size we use down under...it will cut longer that, but nothing like @Dave Shepard set up... Maybe he cuts decking for Aircraft Carriers ..or similar...... The current mill will cut a 12 inch by 8 inch , no problem...but beyond that is a trick...however, its not often one uses that size timber.... The pics are not about the mill..in the first two..but you can get the idea...third pic is all about safety on the site..note the bloke on the bucket..... last two are the current mill Mike 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 @mike newman I've been around a lot of mills here in the states but never seen anything like those. Can you please explain how they work and show us more pics? Thx-Ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 Didn't buy the sawmill. I didn't like how it was built, had problems and brought within $1000 of what I can buy a new one for. It needed alot of work to cut logs again. But I bought a truck. 85? Dodge 150 4x4 360 auto. One owner, pretty tight but... won't start and ugly paint. Somebody tried to fix something and has messed up the wiring under the hood. I have good wiring from a parts truck. He repainted it himself but it looks like he used flat house paint... at least it's keeping the surface rust away. It's a local rust free truck I've been around for decades. It should work out for a good truck. Sorry but I'm a dodge guy @mike newman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowrosefarm Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 1 hour ago, acem said: Didn't buy the sawmill. I didn't like how it was built, had problems and brought within $1000 of what I can buy a new one for. It needed alot of work to cut logs again. But I bought a truck. 85? Dodge 150 4x4 360 auto. One owner, pretty tight but... won't start and ugly paint. Somebody tried to fix something and has messed up the wiring under the hood. I have good wiring from a parts truck. He repainted it himself but it looks like he used flat house paint... at least it's keeping the surface rust away. It's a local rust free truck I've been around for decades. It should work out for a good truck. Sorry but I'm a dodge guy @mike newman Burned out ammeter on the Dodge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike newman Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 13 hours ago, acem said: @mike newman I've been around a lot of mills here in the states but never seen anything like those. Can you please explain how they work and show us more pics? Thx-Ace Ace...the current mill ...second lot of pictures, travels across east /west.....on the runners....You see those logs with the slab wood on them...they are the 'skid'' logs...so the proceedure for milling is to start with the mill ''head ' comprising motor /saws / hydralic pump hose etc/ winch and water hoses...way out on the far side as you see those pictures.... The logs to cut are loaded on the skid logs.....either one...or if there is a lot of milling to do...depending on the diameter of the logs...up to four or five logs...They are lined up square as possible to the main saw carriage way...and chocked with wooden wedges.... The saw 'head'' is controled by a hydralic winch , of variable speed...(I shoud say at this point....the saw ''carriage '' has been leveled , hydralically...the whole contraption sits on four posts...and the head is raised...or lowered by hydralic rams at the corner posts....all the skid logs have been leveled by running the saw across each log... this via the 'head ' which travels about 22 feet down the '''cutting carriage''...then you incrementally shift it '''west / east ''... about four or five inches and run the saw down the carriage and thus work your way across the ''skid logs'' so they are all dead level......) Once the mill logs are ready to cut ...say 4x 2 inch timber...the saw head and carriage is raised ...hydralically, via those four vertical rams...lock in position...and you systematically start working across those four or five logs, on the skids....Obviously the slab wood comes off the top of each one as you work across...then after a few cuts to get a little width in the top part of the log....off comes the 4x2's... In the lower picture , you can clearly see the "'East / west " track....in the upper picture you see the ''head '' sitting on the main carriage way....that variable speed hyd. winch pulls it back and forth, along the track, via a very small diameter woven steel rope (wire rope )....with a pully way down the far end, for the rope to run around... Helluva involved explanation...next time I am back home , I can get some better pics ..if you like... We wil talk about the mill in the top two pics later ... Mike Oh, BTW Ace...the best looking American 'pickup ' ever ,were the 1993/4 Dodge's...without doubt , in my book...as for the old blue 4x4...I would swap that in a heart beat for my two pickups..... .....if you are interested.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 14 hours ago, yellowrosefarm said: Burned out ammeter on the Dodge? I don't think so. It has the lean burn style ignition carburetor controller system. They replaced the carburetor but not the ignition and it didn't work right. They tried to modify the wiring but failed. Ray had alzheimer's pretty bad by then. It hasn't run since, about a year ago. I just need to convert it to std chrysler electronic ignition and it should be good. Everything else is supposed to work. It's an 84 model, not an 85. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 10 hours ago, mike newman said: Ace...the current mill ...second lot of pictures, travels across east /west.....on the runners....You see those logs with the slab wood on them...they are the 'skid'' logs...so the proceedure for milling is to start with the mill ''head ' comprising motor /saws / hydralic pump hose etc/ winch and water hoses...way out on the far side as you see those pictures.... The logs to cut are loaded on the skid logs.....either one...or if there is a lot of milling to do...depending on the diameter of the logs...up to four or five logs...They are lined up square as possible to the main saw carriage way...and chocked with wooden wedges.... The saw 'head'' is controled by a hydralic winch , of variable speed...(I shoud say at this point....the saw ''carriage '' has been leveled , hydralically...the whole contraption sits on four posts...and the head is raised...or lowered by hydralic rams at the corner posts....all the skid logs have been leveled by running the saw across each log... this via the 'head ' which travels about 22 feet down the '''cutting carriage''...then you incrementally shift it '''west / east ''... about four or five inches and run the saw down the carriage and thus work your way across the ''skid logs'' so they are all dead level......) Once the mill logs are ready to cut ...say 4x 2 inch timber...the saw head and carriage is raised ...hydralically, via those four vertical rams...lock in position...and you systematically start working across those four or five logs, on the skids....Obviously the slab wood comes off the top of each one as you work across...then after a few cuts to get a little width in the top part of the log....off comes the 4x2's... In the lower picture , you can clearly see the "'East / west " track....in the upper picture you see the ''head '' sitting on the main carriage way....that variable speed hyd. winch pulls it back and forth, along the track, via a very small diameter woven steel rope (wire rope )....with a pully way down the far end, for the rope to run around... Helluva involved explanation...next time I am back home , I can get some better pics ..if you like... We wil talk about the mill in the top two pics later ... Mike Oh, BTW Ace...the best looking American 'pickup ' ever ,were the 1993/4 Dodge's...without doubt , in my book...as for the old blue 4x4...I would swap that in a heart beat for my two pickups..... .....if you are interested.... I have a 78 ford f300 I'd sell you reasonable. 80,000 miles. An old fire truck. Pretty tight. Shipping might be high right now. I look forward to more pics and information about the mills. I like sawmills of various types. I plan to cut a few logs soon and try out my brother in laws mill and see how I like it. I'll probably order their 26" model. The woodland mills hm126. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawleigh99 Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 Lucas sells those swing mills up here Mike. I think they are made down your way somewhere. They are the only ones I know of. The main problem I see with them is the limited depth of cut. I don't see how you could make 10 or 12 inch wide boards which are common in the States with them, but I might be wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike newman Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 1 hour ago, Rawleigh99 said: Lucas sells those swing mills up here Mike. I think they are made down your way somewhere. They are the only ones I know of. Yep...very similar to the ""Rimu" mill in those pictures in the above posts....except the pictures were not ''mill specific'' Both the Lucas and Rimu could be pushed ..using man power...or ...had an automated option that powered the saws through the log... For a fit strong regular bloke, the Rimu was easy to push through logs....even cutting quite bg timber..like the shed roof favourite...8x2's... The game breaker, Rawleigh, of those two particular mills ..simply was the cost....Don't know about todays price...(gasp )...but a decade ago, the cost was around $15 K (NZ )...which was waaaaay under, for example , the new price of the (my) current mill shown in the pictures...and, for the small bloke...you could produce a lot of timber on a daily basis....and cut a log up to six or seven feet in diameter..possibly more...because the mill could be ''set up'' over said log.... Somewhere, I have a picture of an Allis 745 loader, which had a huge log , about 20 feet long ..in its logging forks...however, the loader just stood up on its front legs....so we lashed a TD6, off the drawbar.... to the back of the Allis....that kept the loader on all its feet...thus the log was shifted to a siutable milling spot...with the TD following on behind..backing , of course...and the partially pictured 'Rimu' mill in an earlier post....duly processed it into timber of various sizes.... Bit of an act pushing the mill over a log of that stature....easyest way is to hop up onto the log...and push the mill from that point ,if @acem happens to read this...one feature of the ''Mahoe " mill that is pictured above, somewhere...is that when a board is cut with that mill it features a smart little device which brings that piece of timber back to the operator..or helper..to stack, this, obviously as the saw ''head'' comes back along the track, ready for the next cut Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Shepard Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 The swing blade mills can double cut, that is go down one side and come back up the other. A 10" mill can cut a 20" inch wide board. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 15, 2022 Author Share Posted June 15, 2022 Another question. I want to build some timber frame or post and beam structures. The mill I'm considering can cut a board up to 21 inches wide but only 7 inches deep. Would 7 inches be deep enough to cut proper beams??. I'm thinking so. Most beams could be less than 7 inches on the narrow side. If I need a bigger beam I could cut it down to size from the outside like @Dave Shepard did. Don't @bitty do timber frame too? Thx-Ace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitty Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 I have not done timber frame yet but I hope to 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardtail Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 We did 4x12 Douglas Fir, only built one, Dave would be the one to ask. They were all I could do to lift my end when I was in my prime, sort of committed climbing ladders, got lots better gear for that now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawleigh99 Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 12 hours ago, acem said: Another question. I want to build some timber frame or post and beam structures. The mill I'm considering can cut a board up to 21 inches wide but only 7 inches deep. Would 7 inches be deep enough to cut proper beams??. I'm thinking so. Most beams could be less than 7 inches on the narrow side. If I need a bigger beam I could cut it down to size from the outside like @Dave Shepard did. Don't @bitty do timber frame too? Thx-Ace Ace: Beams are usually square . I don't think 7" would be adequate for teh main beam in any sizable structure. Someone else can confirm this. Didn't someone on here do a post and beam shop not too long ago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoshoe Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 Both my barns use 8x8's. The old one has 12' side walls and 10' spans. The newer one has 18' side walls and 14' spans. It seems there is some room to fudge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
int 504 Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 oldest post and beam were square timbers. later ones rectangular. Rectangular beams use less wood for the same or greater tensile strength. posts square 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 Watched this sell while planting beans. Like new woodmizer LT40 Wow! $65,000 + 15% buyers premium =$75,000 Wow! https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/construction-equipment/auctions/online/214776121/2020-wood-mizer-lt40 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike newman Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 1 hour ago, acem said: Watched this sell while planting beans. Like new woodmizer LT40 Wow! $65,000 + 15% buyers premium =$75,000 Wow! https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/construction-equipment/auctions/online/214776121/2020-wood-mizer-lt40 ..that Ace is a chunk of change allright.... with that sort of investment , you would need to be marketing timber, full on ..how about you find me a 3/4 ton Dodge, 1993/4 Cummins...clean...and when I have finished with the Mahoe mill..I can pack it up and send it over..??? Mike NOT a dually Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 I'm a little confused. 93 is square body. 94 is rounded body I have a 92 d350 club cab I'd sell. It's not clean but could be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike newman Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 1 minute ago, acem said: I'm a little confused. 93 is square body. 94 is rounded body I have a 92 d350 club cab I'd sell. It's not clean but could be. ...I often confuse people !!..There was a Dodge truck from that era that was a nice as looking truck ..that really appealed to me..Cummins power, one of the early diesels ...We can register a left hook truck over here..no worries, providing it is over twenty years old..but Ace...today the shipping would kill that project...It cost us Five and half thousand USD's to bring over a 40 ft container , back in 2008...then it cost us seven thousand NZD'd to get it out of customs and import, duty. tax etc etc...Five IH tractors ..a 1959 Thunderbird and a vintage JD plough ..plus other tools etc... So as much as I would like to do that..the cost, today, would be prohibitive....sadly Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acem Posted June 19, 2022 Author Share Posted June 19, 2022 What if I snuck one over on a sailboat? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowrosefarm Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 On 6/18/2022 at 9:22 PM, acem said: Watched this sell while planting beans. Like new woodmizer LT40 Wow! $65,000 + 15% buyers premium =$75,000 Wow! https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/construction-equipment/auctions/online/214776121/2020-wood-mizer-lt40 But, if sawing was your part time business..... 75,000/$75hr =1000hrs/20 hrs/week =50 weeks. Actually, rates may be closer to 100/hr now. But, for sawing boards for your own use, yes that's a lot of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Beale Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 On 6/19/2022 at 11:22 AM, acem said: Watched this sell while planting beans. Like new woodmizer LT40 Wow! $65,000 + 15% buyers premium =$75,000 Wow! https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/construction-equipment/auctions/online/214776121/2020-wood-mizer-lt40 How straight were the rows about there? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmi Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 1 hour ago, yellowrosefarm said: On 6/18/2022 at 9:22 PM, acem said: Watched this sell while planting beans. Like new woodmizer LT40 Wow! $65,000 + 15% buyers premium =$75,000 Wow! https://www.equipmentfacts.com/listings/construction-equipment/auctions/online/214776121/2020-wood-mizer-lt40 Expand But, if sawing was your part time business..... 75,000/$75hr =1000hrs/20 hrs/week =50 weeks. Actually, rates may be closer to 100/hr now. thats how the elite calculate. - $30hr for operator, + transport/site costs and $.25 bf for operating + repairs. And would need to be FULL time BUSINESS !!! of which 75% > have folded. a 40 would not hold up or keep up as a full time .bTOS go with the 70 and a lot of repairs/rebuild by 5k hrs. actually here its + - $85hr /base , $105 on site + blades ,damage ,help etc etc (3-8hr min etc) If all wasnt being exploited now that is a < > $46 K unit NEW, IF !!!! WM were to purchase used $25-27 K 3yr old - 20% (ink the check) - 8 % 3x ..... $42K - $10K - $9600 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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