Engine choices for a bandsaw

[Lerock]

good morning all. Newbie sawyer wannabe here. Looking into purchasing an entry level bandsaw. Have been reading in forums like this for info. Also watching lots of utube videos. And am drowning in manufacturers literature. Not looking to make money from this. I'm a couple of years away from retirement, and hoping for a hobby to make a bit of lumber. Have been trying to manage about 70 acres of mixed wood lot. I have seen a timberking 1220 demo, very impressed!
Also hope to work with a friend on her Norwood 29 sawmill.
So I guess my concerns are which brands are the most reliable and user friendly.
Should I consider one mounted on a trailer for portability or save on the cost and just build a shed? And what about engine choices, I like the idea of electric, are thes engines as powerful as the combustion engines they would replace? And are they reliable? Would an electric motor be easier to maintain? Love this forum, lots of smart folks sharing their experiences.
Any ideas you may provide would be welcome! Thanks. Lerock

 

[free_rider_151]

I just got a Norwood hd36. I'm almost done assembling it. I got the trailer package aswell as two 8' extensions. Once I start cutting with it, I'll let you know my opinion if ya want

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[Lerock]

I just got a Norwood hd36. I'm almost done assembling it. I got the trailer package aswell as two 8' extensions. Once I start cutting with it, I'll let you know my opinion if ya want

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thanks free-rider. I would appreciate your opinions. Best to get it from the horses mouth so to speak!

 

[rarefish383]

I saw a small Woodmizer at a timber and log home show, with electric power. It was slick. I think any machine can be fitted with an electric motor that will match or exceed a gas engine. If you are going to put it in a shed, I would seriously consider electric. If it's on a trailer, gas. Another thing about electric is you don't have to worry about the rotten fuel we're stuck with. A friend has a big Norwood. When he first got it he used it all the time. Once he got stores of wood up he used it less often. I had some Black Walnut crotch wood I wanted him to mill for me. He hadn't used the mill in about a year and couldn't get it started. Pulled the carb and the fuel bowl was a mass of stinking yellow jelly. Rebuilt the card and still couldn't get it to run right. I finally milled it with my CSM, Joe.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Diesel or electric, but not many folks have 3 phase.

 

[Lerock]

I saw a small Woodmizer at a timber and log home show, with electric power. It was slick. I think any machine can be fitted with an electric motor that will match or exceed a gas engine. If you are going to put it in a shed, I would seriously consider electric. If it's on a trailer, gas. Another thing about electric is you don't have to worry about the rotten fuel we're stuck with. A friend has a big Norwood. When he first got it he used it all the time. Once he got stores of wood up he used it less often. I had some Black Walnut crotch wood I wanted him to mill for me. He hadn't used the mill in about a year and couldn't get it started. Pulled the carb and the fuel bowl was a mass of stinking yellow jelly. Rebuilt the card and still couldn't get it to run right. I finally milled it with my CSM, Joe.

Thanks Joe. Yeah the ethanol they add into the gas is nasty for sure. Good point in regards to maybe going electric!

 

[Lerock]

Diesel or electric, but not many folks have 3 phase.

Diesel or electric, but not many folks have 3 phase.

right. Not quite sure what the difference is in 1 phase and 3 phase. I know most manufacturers offer a choice. Can you help me out a bit here??

 

[Franny K]

For sawmill purposes 10 up motors is as big as single phase goes. It might be possible to use two. Single phase needs capacitors to start.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

right. Not quite sure what the difference is in 1 phase and 3 phase. I know most manufacturers offer a choice. Can you help me out a bit here??

Limited on motor size.

I'm not sure how motor hp to engine hp converts, but in the area of 50-75hp diesel is a decent sized mill.

 

[Lerock]

For sawmill purposes 10 up motors is as big as single phase goes. It might be possible to use two. Single phase needs capacitors to start.

I am looking towards the timberking 1220 and the wood mixer lt 15. Both offer an electric motor with around 10 hp. So I assume this is roughly equal to the gas engines of 18 to 25 they offer? What's involved in the wiring for a single phase engine, I wonder?

 

[anlrolfe]

A 5Hp 1-phase motor is going to pull about 28amps @ 230Volt while running, a little less if it's high efficiency.
Most electric motors will surge 4-6x more current at start-up while pulling up the load, so this in this example that could be 120-180amps.
That'll make your lights dim down and sensitive electronics go blue screen. A 10Hp would surge to 200-300amps for a split second. Way to piss off the neighbors.

Here's a link to NEC(National Electric Code) current tables
http://www.buildmyowncabin.com/nec/nec2011_table430.248.html

Unless you've got a commercial or industrial electrical service or your own GenSet you're stuck with 1-phase.
1-phase motors are physically larger, more expensive, less reliable and less efficient than comparable 3-phase motors.

Go with Diesel...

Does anyone make a mill that runs off of a tractor PTO?

 

[abbott295]

How about off the belt pulley. They don't even put those on tractors anymore. My great-uncle used to have a sawmill ( Belsaw, I'm told ) that ran by means of a flat belt from a stationary engine that was the size of a Farmall H. ( I'm also told that. ) I have some memories of being around it, helping stack lumber on a hayrack or in the back of my dad's 1951 F-100 to take home, stacking and stickering it. I think some of that lumber may still be in the old chicken house yet. There may be a piece of black walnut my dad wanted for a mantlepiece. He has never had a fireplace.

 

[abbott295]

Oh, sorry. You are talking about a band saw. That was a circle saw.

 

[free_rider_151]

For a small circle saw, gas/diesel or electric works great. My mill is able to be driven via flatbelt or pto. It's an American Hercules model.
For a bandsaw, gas is your best bet. Running the wires needed to feed a 10hp motor is just a waste of money. I would go with 20 hp gas.

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[Lerock]

Good advice from all, thanks. Hadn't realized electric would be a hassle or extra expense. So how about pros and cons of diesel vs gas?
Also, I like the idea of being able to trailer the mill to the logs instead of vice versa. But, as it is a manual mill would the height of the trailer add to the manual labor involved in turning the logs? It would seem to me that one would have more leverage if the mill is near ground level. Appreciate your thoughts here, thanks

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

An LT15 isn't going to use a diesel. It's too small of a mill and it won't handle the weight. We run an LT40 Super, it's as small as I'd consider for a mill.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've owned a smaller BSN since 1996 a gas motor is fine, you just either have to find E0 gas or treat the gas you use with an additive. I use E0 in mine... Even a 13hp gas motor will mill the biggest logs, it just saws slower than more hp...

I now have a Norwood Lumbermate 2000, I bought it in 2003 and it's milled thousands and thousands of bd. ft. with no problems at all, it's been a VERY good mill. It's powered with a Vanguard 23hp motor and has pretty good power, even in big logs.

I've milled on many of the different manual mills, there's lots to choose from, but I haven't found one I like better than the one that I now have...

BTW, they have sold LT15's with diesel motors.... BUT, I'd take my Lumbermate over an LT15 EVERY time!

SR

 

[muddstopper]

Rob, interesting you mentione d the 13hp motor. I have located a 13hp honda generator otor I am think of getting to start my band saw build. Most of the lumber I would saw would be white pine, some pretty big trees, 36in dia, but ost would be smaller. How well do you think the 13hp would do in green whitepines. Mostly sawing 1 in boards

 

[Sawyer Rob]

My first mill had a 13hp Honda, it would saw big pine just fine, just slow compared to the mill I have now with the 23hp.

I milled a lot of big logs with it, including big oaks... I was younger then (read dumber) and thought sawing big logs was "cool"...

Keep in mind, normally generator motors have a tapered shaft, so it's harder to set them up for a pulley.

SR

 

[muddstopper]

I dont think I would go around looking for big trees to mill, just to much work loading them and rolling around to the mill. I do have a few pretty big trees right where I plan to build my house.
I know about the tapershaft on some engines, but its not really the problems some folks think it is. You can buy a tapered adapter sleeve for as little as $10 on ebay, and if you have a lathe, You can make one pretty quick,