My new build it yourself sawmill and rail bed.

[J & L Creations]

This last 4 day weekend was a workout for an old man like me, but I got through it. Almost completed the welding on my 24' sawmill rail, still a few things left to do on the band saw part of the mill, then I can install the log stops on the rail. After all this is complete, I'll be taking the saw apart, sand blasting, painting then reassembling to completion. I plan on a video of the build as I built it all. Here's, the rail as we left it Monday evening.

 

[Blisters]

This last 4 day weekend was a workout for an old man like me, but I got through it. Almost completed the welding on my 24' sawmill rail, still a few things left to do on the band saw part of the mill, then I can install the log stops on the rail. After all this is complete, I'll be taking the saw apart, sand blasting, painting then reassembling to completion. I plan on a video of the build as I built it all. Here's, the rail as we left it Monday evening.
View attachment 505992

Looks good. Let me know when you have finished, so I can come pick it up.

 

[J & L Creations]

Yea, I knew I should not have installed a tongue, axle, wheels and tires.

 

[Tuplin86]

Very nice. Look forward to the video. Thanks for sharing

 

[J & L Creations]

Very nice. Look forward to the video. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Tuplin, it's been a long row to hoe building this machine, 8 months in the designing and building of it, but it's going to be well worth it with all the added features for ease of use. This sawmill is hand made, much thought and effort went into the building of it. To see it all come together and to be almost finished makes it all worth while.

 

[Cedar Eater]

Looks good. Does that tongue assembly come off?

 

[Czech_Made]

Looks great already. Is the tongue detachable?

 

[J & L Creations]

Yes, the tongue is removable. Along with the wheels also being removed, using the 10 legs over the entire length of the rail bed (5 on each side), I can level the rail bed on uneven ground. Doing this I can leave it on a job site without to much worry of someone making off with it. I've even installed an alternator on the saw portion of the mill to charge the onboard battery, to start the engine, run the modified winch to raise and lower the saw and to run 12 volt lights at night if need be. The bandsaw blade will run as much as 6000' pm the way I have the pulley system setup.

 

[Czech_Made]

Yes, the tongue is removable. Along with the wheels also being removed, using the 10 legs over the entire length of the rail bed (5 on each side), I can level the rail bed on uneven ground. Doing this I can leave it on a job site without to much worry of someone making off with it. I've even installed an alternator on the saw portion of the mill to charge the onboard battery, to start the engine, run the modified winch to raise and lower the saw and to run 12 volt lights at night if need be. The bandsaw blade will run as much as 6000' pm the way I have the pulley system setup.

Well thought out.

 

[Trever]

Thanks Tuplin, it's been a long row to hoe building this machine, 8 months in the designing and building of it, but it's going to be well worth it with all the added features for ease of use. This sawmill is hand made, much thought and effort went into the building of it. To see it all come together and to be almost finished makes it all worth while.

Good job and look forward to seeing its completion. I have been contemplating on building one myself one of these days.

 

[J & L Creations]

Thanks guy's, looks like I'm not going to be able to work on it for a couple of weeks . I would like to have more time to work on it but things just keep getting in the way. The next hard push to finish will be soon though, I really want to finish this sawmill so I can start making/building things. Here is a hub I cast in aluminum early on in the build, then machined on the lathe.

 

[J & L Creations]

Just wanted to mention if anyone needs information on building a band sawmill, I'll be glad to help or tell what I know. I have learned from my mistakes, or mistakes from others and went through all the guess work so you won't have to. Pulleys and gear ratio's, leads screws, FPM of the bandsaw blade, what band saw blade to use and where to buy them. There is allot of technical and common since information needed to succeed in building a good working sawmill. I did view many YT videos before I started to build mine, did not find many people willing to help either. But with all of this the proof will be how my sawmill will perform once it is finished and first cuts, which I expect to be spot on, we will see. I have not totaled cost to build this sawmill yet as I have traded some spent some and been given some materials for the build.

 

[hypnolobster]

Very nice. I'm starting on mine shortly. I'm overbuilding/futureproofing my rail setup, but the actual head will be a 4 stroke chainsaw mill. It's been a hell of a lot of thinking and research to try and figure out how to get a 3600 rpm engine spinning a shaft 9000 rpm, to spin a chain at the right speed.
What method are you using for the log clamps/stops? Looks like pipe clamps?

 

[J & L Creations]

Thanks, yes I did use pipe clamps, both ends of the clamp, took the cleats out of the slider part of the clamp so as to slide freely on a 3/4" diameter pipe. The log stops I will be using one pipe inside another, nut welded to the side of the outside pipe, hole drilled in it and a bolt to tighten through to the inside pipe. This is all that is left to install on the rail bed before sandblasting and painting. Have a little to do on the saw then set it on the rail for placement of the log stops.

 

[J & L Creations]

Ok guys, here is an update on the saw mill. My partner and I worked on the sawmill this last week, 5 long hot days, July 4th through to July the 8th 2016. Took a vacation week. All the fabrication is done to the rail bed and the sawmill itself. Am now in the sandblasting and priming stages of the build. To stay in the shade a bit we first had to build a temporary awning of sorts, then set up a 60 gallon 3 cylinder compressor, built an air dryer out of 4" x 12' and 4" x 7' square tubing, with a 2" x 3' long pipe as a crossover on the top end of both tubes, a filter within, all welded together. Welded tops and bottoms of the square tubing with 1/4" plate steel to plug them off. Drilled and cut 3/4" pipe threads in the plate steel at the bottom end for drains and a few in the side of the two lengths of square tubing for air input and output. Now we have about an 80 or so gallon capacity of air volume. All of that is finished as well, so we can now sandblast and paint with dry air, it works oh so well. I hope to and expect to have the sawmill up and running by the end of the month, if all goes well. We ended up making the tongue a permanent fixture and bracing it, because of it flexing quite a bit. More to come when the sawmill has been completed with first cuts video.

 

[J & L Creations]

Well the sawmill has been taken completely apart, everything has been sandblasted, primed and painted. Now going back together with it. Here are some photos.

 

[J & L Creations]

The sawmill is painted, all back together and operational, just need to install the front band blade covers and make a few adjustments here and there, then I will be making some first test cuts. Took some close ups of design details incorporated into my sawmill, might help someone here in their design of building one, enjoy.

 

[J & L Creations]

More photos.

 

[J & L Creations]

More photos.

 

[J & L Creations]

Ok guys, my sawmill is cutting. First cuts after adjustments. Still a few adjustments to make, but the sawmill works wonderfully. Although I might add hydraulics to the railbed just to move the mill back and forth, because I'm an old man, it cuts like there is nothing on the railbed. Throws the sawdust out about 10 to 12 feet. No bogging down of the engine either. I could not be more pleased with it's operation.