Dai Sensei
ArboristSite Member
Looks great. Keep up posting the pics, I'm really intersted in how it all comes together.
Building My First Mill
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user 19670
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By definition MIG IS inert gas welding. Wire feed is what you call flux-core welding.
No gas, not MIG.
Worked on the mill again today. I mounted the polished oil tank that my buddy wanted to do. Now he wants to polish the other oil tank and the gas tank. Built the nose safety shield and mounted it, then I added the deflector pieces for each side of the bar. It was a beautiful day for working out in the garage.
I'll be working on tubing for holding the oil pump and throttle next and will do the exhaust last. For those of you currently milling, what would be the best direction to have the exhaust pipe face. The exhaust port on this motor when operating is on the bottom of the motor, so I can shoot it out and to the left of the motor. Should I also aim it down as well, or will it blow dust/dirt all over?
Enjoy the pic's, I'll post a few sets.
jerry-
MotorSeven
Addicted to ArboristSite
Very good job...let's see the chips fly!
RD
RD
aggiewoodbutchr
Addicted to ArboristSite
Sawdust????
opcorn: opcorn: opcorn:
opcorn: opcorn: opcorn: 
If I was pushing your mill with the motor to the right I would shoot the exhaust to the right and down slightly and maybe even back a little. I would not want to let it hang to far bellow the bar so that it won't run into the ground or saw horses if your supporting the log especially when you get to the last few cuts.
Nice job with the build so far.
Thanks for the pics
If I was pushing your mill with the motor to the right I would shoot the exhaust to the right and down slightly and maybe even back a little. I would not want to let it hang to far bellow the bar so that it won't run into the ground or saw horses if your supporting the log especially when you get to the last few cuts.
Nice job with the build so far.
Thanks for the pics
Here is a picture of the motor. The exhaust will be facing the ground so it's already where I want the exhaust. The blue tape is the exhaust port so I can build the header pipe to go in any direction I want. Thank you for the input. I have seen other posts where the exhaust is on the front of the chainsaws and mufflers needed to be modified to keep the saws from over heating. I will be building the header from stainless steel thin wall tubing.
jerry-
I would put a 90 on that outlet as quick as possible and shoot it to the right and back.
How large will the header exhaust system be?
My chainsaw blows the exhaust back at me if I am milling into the wind. The exit port on the muffler blows towards the mill. Your rear exit should be good just be sure to leave room for ground clearance.
** The exhaust port is 1" X 2-3/4" with rounded ends. I have some 3/8" SS plate that I will cut out a flange with my plasma cutter and then make the header tube with some 1-1/4" thin wall SS tubing. I'm planning on making a muffler system that will allow the motor to RPM without too much back pressure, plus add a SS screen as a spark arrestor. I'm sure it will take some trial an error to get an exhaust that I like.
** With this mill I will be on the left side of the log, so from your experience in milling I would want the exhaust to blow down and to the left and maybe angled out a bit. I will be easy to do since I'm building the exhaust from scratch.
Thanks for the input, I've gotten a lot of good information from everyone.
I had to order the oil pump today so it's going to be a few days before I can start building the oiling system for the bar. Wait until you see the oil system I'm going to make, it will be oiling the drive end and the nose at the same time.
jerry-
Jerry, I have been following your developments and it sure is looking goo but I have worked out what's missing from your mill - it has no handles on it - well none that I can see anyway?
Now I know folks have made crude Alaskan mills with a CS, a plank and a couple of bolts but long term comfort milling requires good handles and good handle placement. Sure you can push on the mill frame itself but after playing around a fair bit with a wide range of handles I would not even think about going back to pushing on the frame itself. Good handle placements should allow you to take on a more upright stance so that you don't have to bend over too far.
Regular CS have a significant handle in the trigger/throttle zone, and one in the wrap handle, and it is normal to place a horizontal and/or vertical handle across the mill itself. For any logs bigger than about 20" in diameter I found hanging onto the trigger with the left hand and the mill handle with right led me to take on a wide stance which gave me an aching back and shoulders.
So that's when I went for remote throttle on the wrap handle - this closes the shoulders and makes the hold and stance much more comfortable.
Unfortunately I note you have your tanks right at the location of the regular wrap handle so before you progress too far you might want to think about where you are going to place your handle and throttle.
Cheers
BobL
Now I know folks have made crude Alaskan mills with a CS, a plank and a couple of bolts but long term comfort milling requires good handles and good handle placement. Sure you can push on the mill frame itself but after playing around a fair bit with a wide range of handles I would not even think about going back to pushing on the frame itself. Good handle placements should allow you to take on a more upright stance so that you don't have to bend over too far.
Regular CS have a significant handle in the trigger/throttle zone, and one in the wrap handle, and it is normal to place a horizontal and/or vertical handle across the mill itself. For any logs bigger than about 20" in diameter I found hanging onto the trigger with the left hand and the mill handle with right led me to take on a wide stance which gave me an aching back and shoulders.
So that's when I went for remote throttle on the wrap handle - this closes the shoulders and makes the hold and stance much more comfortable.
Unfortunately I note you have your tanks right at the location of the regular wrap handle so before you progress too far you might want to think about where you are going to place your handle and throttle.
Cheers
BobL
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slabmaster
ArboristSite Guru
Yea, i was going to say the same thing,no handle.The best place is to have a round bar from upright to upright,which will help support the bar uprights.That will make for a bar with less flex or bending during milling.It will help offset the weight of the mill on the bar. Hope this helps,Mark
Morning Bob,
Your right there is no handles yet. I'm waiting until I get my oil pump system installed before I install the handles. I saw your pictures of how you throttle the saw motor. Since I need to oil the chain manually I have been pondering the idea of which hand to I want to operate the throttle and which hand will do the oiling. Since this machine is going to really need two people to operate, I'm planning on making the oil pump lever extend to the helper side with it's own lever to pump oil. That way either person can pump oil while milling.
The frame that is used to attach the motor gives me a lot of flexability for adding brackets for mounting handles. I can add brackets where ever I want to attach handles which I plan to make from aluminum. I don't have a mandrel bender at my home so I will be taking it down to a shop where I can bend the tubing at the proper angles. I have though about the ergonomics of operating the mill and will be making the handles so when operating my helper and I will not be bending over towards the middle of the mill to push. (Bad for the back) I saw your video clip of your mill in operation and plan to angle the log so that gravity is working for me.
Today I need to take my empty argon bottle to the welding shop for a full bottle and the wife is home today so I'll be running around with her and then off to the welding shop. I have to weld some aluminum this weekend for one the vintage NASCAR's I work on so I must have a full argon bottle.
jerry-
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Sorry about that I meant to the left but was thinking right for some reason? I guess its been to long since I used my mill. How sad.
Manual Oil Pump
Hi Guys,
Got my oil pump in Thursday so I spent today fabricating the brackets for mounting the manual oil pump. I think it's going to work real good. I'll be using check valves at each end of the bar so that I don't get air in the lines as the pump returns to the top. I even machined a stop limit for the arm so that I don't damage the plunger in the pump during operation. My next step will be to machine/fabricate the pieces for the oil hole at the nose of the bar and at the drive end. With the pump installed I can now start fabricating the bars for holding the mill and for mounting the throttle.
The pump is a clutch master cylinder from a 1981 Honda Prelude. It has a 5/8" bore and a 1-1/4" stroke. It's mounted on 1/8" aluminum with a 1/4" x 3/4" x 10" arm. I did bore the two mounting holes out to 3/8" so I can keep my maintenance tools consistent with the other nuts/bolts on the machine.
See attached pictures.
jerry-
Hi Guys,
Got my oil pump in Thursday so I spent today fabricating the brackets for mounting the manual oil pump. I think it's going to work real good. I'll be using check valves at each end of the bar so that I don't get air in the lines as the pump returns to the top. I even machined a stop limit for the arm so that I don't damage the plunger in the pump during operation. My next step will be to machine/fabricate the pieces for the oil hole at the nose of the bar and at the drive end. With the pump installed I can now start fabricating the bars for holding the mill and for mounting the throttle.
The pump is a clutch master cylinder from a 1981 Honda Prelude. It has a 5/8" bore and a 1-1/4" stroke. It's mounted on 1/8" aluminum with a 1/4" x 3/4" x 10" arm. I did bore the two mounting holes out to 3/8" so I can keep my maintenance tools consistent with the other nuts/bolts on the machine.
See attached pictures.
jerry-
Looking good jerry! Very professional looking.
I presume the oil will be allowed to flow even without the pump? Given your tank is a reasonable height above the bar you should be able to get away with just gravity feeding of the oil for most situations but having a pump will help esp when you get towards the bottom of the oil tank. I would think about giving it a go without the pump - I guess you can always take then pump off it it works OK.
Cheers
I presume the oil will be allowed to flow even without the pump? Given your tank is a reasonable height above the bar you should be able to get away with just gravity feeding of the oil for most situations but having a pump will help esp when you get towards the bottom of the oil tank. I would think about giving it a go without the pump - I guess you can always take then pump off it it works OK.
Cheers
slabmaster
ArboristSite Guru
Gravity is all that's usually required for CSM. i HAVE THE GRANBERG GRAVITY TANK.Don't use it on stuff smaller than 24" though.I do keep a squeese bottle in my right hand to apply oil when needed on the smaller stuff.I find it easier to use,less bulk on my mill also. Mark
Hi Bob,
Thanks.
I have to use the pump regardless of weather I drip feed the nose of the bar. The power head only drives the chain so I have to pump oil to the bar like the old saws did. I'm so used to my old WARDS saw with a manual pump it won't be a problem.
jerry-
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