Thread: Revised Mini-Mill

[QUOTE=BobL;2647688]

Originally Posted by 820wards

Looks good, it will be interesting to see how much if any sawdust gets through that gap.

Bob, was thinking about your comment. I think I could use a piece of light foam of some sort and attach to the top of the bar so it just touches the bottom of the saw if I find sawdust is spouting over the top of the bracket. I'll know when I mill.

jerry-

[QUOTE=820wards;2648512]

Originally Posted by BobL

Bob, was thinking about your comment. I think I could use a piece of light foam of some sort and attach to the top of the bar so it just touches the bottom of the saw if I find sawdust is spouting over the top of the bracket. I'll know when I mill.

Looking at your guard has I've started thinking about a chip deflector for my 440 when I use it in my minimill and the am thinking it might be more effective attaching it to the saw itself.

This would be relatively easily done by replacing the screws at the ends of the wrap handle with longer screws and adding short standoffs that would permit a custom made deflector bracket to be mounted onto saw. The guard would then be firm up against and not abrade the saw body.

The bracket would look something like this;


Here's another view looking direct at the underneath of a saw.


On the first version of the BIL mill I made a nose guard from polycarbonate that looked like this.

It vibrated itself to bits after only about 10 logs so I remade it with more attachment points and ally support brackets but the PC still cracked and so I got rid of it.

So instead of a flexible deflector which might also rattle up against anything it touches and eventually vibe itself to bits anyway I'm thinking a solid cowl from ally or plastic that deflects the chips sideways would be better. Also it would reduced the amount of sawdust that falls onto the log and has to be swept off so the guide board can lay flat.

[QUOTE=BobL;2649085][QUOTE=820wards;2648512]

Looking at your guard has I've started thinking about a chip deflector for my 440 when I use it in my minimill and the am thinking it might be more effective attaching it to the saw itself.

This would be relatively easily done by replacing the screws at the ends of the wrap handle with longer screws and adding short standoffs that would permit a custom made deflector bracket to be mounted onto saw. The guard would then be firm up against and not abrade the saw body.

The bracket would look something like this;
[quote]

Bob, sounds good, but I would think if you were going to make it wrap around the saw, it had better be one continuous piece of aluminum tubing that you like to use. I would think you are going to get more vibrations mounted directly to the saw vs on the frame.

I wanted my setup to take as little time to setup and take apart. I have two thumb screws on the throttle mechanism and the two bolts holding the saw to the frame. I don't have dedicated saw for my mini-mill and if you do then time switching out is not an issue.

On the first version of the BIL mill I made a nose guard from polycarbonate that looked like this.

It vibrated itself to bits after only about 10 logs so I remade it with more attachment points and ally support brackets but the PC still cracked and so I got rid of it.

I made my nose guard from 3031 aluminum and it hasn't cracked yet. Some plastics just don't like a lot of vibration.

So instead of a flexible deflector which might also rattle up against anything it touches and eventually vibe itself to bits anyway I'm thinking a solid cowl from ally or plastic that deflects the chips sideways would be better. Also it would reduced the amount of sawdust that falls onto the log and has to be swept off so the guide board can lay flat.

My vote is for aluminum, you can also isolate the mounting points with rubber washes and use a ny-lock nut.

If you use a solid deflector and my system has the flexible polycarbon we could be testers for anyone else wanting to make a dust deflector for any mill.

I won't be doing any milling to soon with all the rain we will be getting forecast through next Thursday.

jerry-

Originally Posted by 820wards

Bob, sounds good, but I would think if you were going to make it wrap around the saw, it had better be one continuous piece of aluminum tubing that you like to use. I would think you are going to get more vibrations mounted directly to the saw vs on the frame.

True, but your guard is on the end of a long arm so the initial flex is much greater to begin with and small vibe on long flexible arms have a way of magnifiying the vibe on the end of the arm. It's amazing how vibe is transmitted thru what seems like a fixed point in a system.

I wanted my setup to take as little time to setup and take apart. I have two thumb screws on the throttle mechanism and the two bolts holding the saw to the frame. I don't have dedicated saw for my mini-mill and if you do then time switching out is not an issue.

Yep I agree - if it's your only saw then a cowling bolted direct on the saw wmayill take longer to take apart - but it maybe no slower than removing your remote trigger - anyway I will have a fiddle.

I made my nose guard from 3031 aluminum and it hasn't cracked yet. Some plastics just don't like a lot of vibration.

My nose guard is only supported at one point which is when stuff vibrates itself more easily to bits

My vote is for aluminum, you can also isolate the mounting points with rubber washes and use a ny-lock nut.

Good idea

If you use a solid deflector and my system has the flexible polycarbon we could be testers for anyone else wanting to make a dust deflector for any mill.

Another Good idea

I won't be doing any milling to soon with all the rain we will be getting forecast through next Thursday.

Dryest year on record here and it's been raining all day (mid summer) but we have over 100F forecast for Xmas Day.

I've been fighting off the Christmas cold and decided I needed to get out of the house and into the shop.

So, I made a quarter saw attachment for the mini-mill. I had some 3/16" aluminum that cut down to make the piece with. It is adjustable to what ever with boards I want to mill. I need to make some fence boards and this could be just the ticket.

jerry-

Quarter saw attachment mounted on mini-mill.



Here is a top view with the quarter saw attachment adjusted to a 1" board thickness.



Angle view of 1/2" adjustment bolts. I will cut thickness blocks for milling different thicknesses.



View with a bar mounted. I have a friend who has a custom aluminum fabrication business and he let's me dumpster dive his scrap. It's heaven!

Originally Posted by cowboyvet

Great work and thanks for the great step by step. I have only used the Alaskan style so far but I'm looking into building a mini soon to compliment it. I have a couple questions. What is the longest bar you can get away with?

This mill can be used with what ever saw/bar combination you have. I'm thinking of getting a 24" bar for this saw which is about max I would think.

Second, is there any thoughts about setting it up so it could cut at 45 deg instead of 90 deg to make it cut easier? Many of the logs I mill are located where it is hard/imposible to roll them and some are to big for my current 36" cut so the mini would only be used to narrow the sides for me.

With this setup you could operate it at a 45* angle. You would just need to be sure to keep the mill on the board and not let it lift off. I would say, cut the first cap cut at a 45*, then the rest of your cuts will follow that angle. Once you have milled enough boards from the log, it could be rotated to 90*. I'll try that on the next log I mill and post how it worked. I'll be getting more logs on Monday, then it's more rain the rest of the week. :-(

jerry-

Jerry,

You have done an excellent fab job on your mini mill.

I too am considering building versus buying both a mini and a full-size 36" Alaskan type mill, so I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to share detailed pictures and explanations of your very nice buildup.

I noticed that your last post was a bit ago so I'm wondering if you've had time (and weather that has cooperated) to operate your mill. Let's see how it's working out for you!

I was talking to Eric at Granberg, about mills and specifically with reference to minis, about bar length. I was thinking about a 28" bar on an 80cc Mac w/404 ripping chain (dedicated to the mill) and he said that woud be fine, and for smaller logs I could adjust the saw upwards for clearance at the bottom of the log. I'm assuming that the Granberg Mini uses the bar-pinch mounting method so it makes it real easy to adjust saw height, although with the method you've selected additional bar holes takes care of that quite easily as well. In fact I think I like direct mounting through the bar as you've done better, as it is a more secure and safer way of doing it IMHO.

I'm really curious as to the saw wanting to lift the mill off the log. That's my only hesitation in using the top of the bar to cut with. Does it exhibit any tendency at all to want to lift?

Thanks again for sharing. This is great stuff. Keep it coming.

BTW, did you post similar info on your full-size mill build? If so where can I find it?

Whoops, just found your other post which shows you in action. Here---> My Third Mini-Mill, it's getting bad! Post 1

Originally Posted by ProfessorGT

Jerry,

You have done an excellent fab job on your mini mill.

Thank You

I noticed that your last post was a bit ago so I'm wondering if you've had time (and weather that has cooperated) to operate your mill. Let's see how it's working out for you!

ProGT,

I have actually used the mill a few times since I finished building it and have built a second mini-mill for my neighbor. I have found the mini-mill easy to setup/operate. A few basic things to do before milling and it's all fun after that. I have found that using the rail board makes the cuts very accurate. Here is a picture of a cant I cut this past weekend and you can see it is square and is square on all four corners.

I was talking to Eric at Granberg, about mills and specifically with reference to minis, about bar length. I was thinking about a 28" bar on an 80cc Mac w/404 ripping chain (dedicated to the mill) and he said that woud be fine, and for smaller logs I could adjust the saw upwards for clearance at the bottom of the log. I'm assuming that the Granberg Mini uses the bar-pinch mounting method so it makes it real easy to adjust saw height, although with the method you've selected additional bar holes takes care of that quite easily as well. In fact I think I like direct mounting through the bar as you've done better, as it is a more secure and safer way of doing it IMHO.

The very first mini-mill I built was a close clone to the Granberg version how it clamped the bar. Yes it is easy to adjust the depth of the cut by rotating the bar forwards or backwards. I just didn't like the idea of the blade possibly moving while milling that is why I decided to drill the mounting holes on the bar. Just my preference I suppose.

I'm really curious as to the saw wanting to lift the mill off the log. That's my only hesitation in using the top of the bar to cut with. Does it exhibit any tendency at all to want to lift?

I have milled a verity wood from pine to oak and really haven't experienced a problem with the mill wanting to lift while milling. I'm sure the weight of the mill/saw combination would be a factor, but I'm only using a 65cc saw. If you plan to use a 80cc+ saw it won't even be a issue. If you were experiencing a problem with a particular piece of wood you could always pull the mill through the log vs pushing. Pulling the mill backwards would be pulling the mill down onto the wood. In fact, I will try it the next time I mill to see if I see a big difference.

Thanks again for sharing. This is great stuff. Keep it coming.

Everyone here comes up with some great ideas and I have used many of them on my mills and other pieces like log lifters, etc.

BTW, did you post similar info on your full-size mill build? If so where can I find it?

If you look at my signature you will see the links to my big-mill and mini-mill builds and operations. The guy with the ponytail is my neighbor so he get's his picture taken a lot.

Good luck on your build and let us all know if you need help.

jerry-

First off I want to say impressive work as always. In the back and forth discusion between you and BobL on the deflector, another idea popped into my head so I'll throw it out here for thoughts. If you live in farm country, belting that goes into round bailers looks like it would also work for a strong yet flexable deflector guard and I know vibration won't hurt that stuff for a long time. It is sold locally by the foot at Tractor Supply or other farm supply stores.

Originally Posted by cowboyvet

First off I want to say impressive work as always. In the back and forth discusion between you and BobL on the deflector, another idea popped into my head so I'll throw it out here for thoughts. If you live in farm country, belting that goes into round bailers looks like it would also work for a strong yet flexable deflector guard and I know vibration won't hurt that stuff for a long time. It is sold locally by the foot at Tractor Supply or other farm supply stores.

Cowboy,

Haven't seen the material you have described, but don't see why it wouldn't work as a dust/chip deflector. The material I'm using is very similar to that you would have on a plastic full face shield. If what you have described has similar properties, it should work fine.

jerry-

It is an industrial rubber belt material with nylon cording impregnated into it. It is about 3/16 thick and about 15" wide. It is very simular in construction to some belting you see on factory conveyor belts. I'll give it a try and report when I get a chance to build myself a miny one of these days.