adding wheels to a stock granberg alaska mill?

[Rosss]

Hi,
I was milling a willow tree and my mill kept getting hung up in ridges in the bark. I started stripping some layers of the bark and really worked over the worst lumpy spots which made a huge difference.

It also seemed like wheels would have helped climb over the lumpy bits. I have been considering adding wheels for a while and now seems like it is near the top of the pile of things to improve or do.

So where have people mounted wheels on a granberg? I searched before posting but couldn't find search terms that returned pictures or they predated the pictures getting messed up so I couldn't see them.
If any one can provide pictures of what people have done that would be great! I am visual so seeing stuff

What size wheels have people used?
I am currently thinking 2 inch castor wheels as I have a 36 inch bar and have been using every inch of available space, so don't want to give up any more than I need to until I get a longer set up. 2 inch wheels should give me about 1/2 inch of wheel in front of the current guide.

I currently thinking to weld a a number of bolts onto the piece that pulls up to ho;ld the bar in place. I could do 2,3 or 4 wheels. I definitely want one wheel so it hopefully allows the mill ro roll over ridges or branch shoulders, rather than hooking on them. I want at least one wheel in the middle section for general forward movement. My mill tends to lead with the powerhead in front at maybe a 15 degree angle to the log.

Thoughts, suggestions, pictures, ideas appreciated
Thanks

 

[SeMoTony]

Hi,
I was milling a willow tree and my mill kept getting hung up in ridges in the bark. I started stripping some layers of the bark and really worked over the worst lumpy spots which made a huge difference.

It also seemed like wheels would have helped climb over the lumpy bits. I have been considering adding wheels for a while and now seems like it is near the top of the pile of things to improve or do.

So where have people mounted wheels on a granberg? I searched before posting but couldn't find search terms that returned pictures or they predated the pictures getting messed up so I couldn't see them.
If any one can provide pictures of what people have done that would be great! I am visual so seeing stuff

What size wheels have people used?
I am currently thinking 2 inch castor wheels as I have a 36 inch bar and have been using every inch of available space, so don't want to give up any more than I need to until I get a longer set up. 2 inch wheels should give me about 1/2 inch of wheel in front of the current guide.

I currently thinking to weld a a number of bolts onto the piece that pulls up to ho;ld the bar in place. I could do 2,3 or 4 wheels. I definitely want one wheel so it hopefully allows the mill ro roll over ridges or branch shoulders, rather than hooking on them. I want at least one wheel in the middle section for general forward movement. My mill tends to lead with the powerhead in front at maybe a 15 degree angle to the log.

Thoughts, suggestions, pictures, ideas appreciated
Thanks

AS's on board milling engineer may show up from OZ down under to help you with pictures of his set up with wheels. Calling @BobL to help this young miller Rosss. Most of my milling bars have a hole drilled in the center of the sprocket and a tapped hole in the center of a post to gain about 1 7/8" of wider cut than clamping in the way the standard set up works. Highly recommend going through the CS milling 101 if you have not. On the third page , post# 53 BobL has a pic showing a wheel on one of His setups. Only 5 more pages I didn't check.
Stay safe and enjoy

 

[BobL]

SMT, your wish has been granted.

When milling the top half of a log the best place for wheels to hold the inboard mill clamp away from the log is below the bar (see black wheels in picture A).
When milling the lower half of the log the best place is above the clamp as the white wheels in C .
When cutting the middle slabs in a log either or both wheels can be used



I've used two approaches the first one being two sets of wheels like this.
The black wheels are fixed HDPE wheels turned from plumbing fittings - they are also the inboard feet of the mill so the mill doesn't have to sit in the dirt when placed on teh ground
The white wheels are made of Teflon and ride on brass collars and are adjustable (Up-Down) to optimise the position of the wheel depending on the depth of the cut


On my small mill I use flippable wheel brackets.
The top part of the bar clamp is replaced with solid 3/4" square steel bar
This is the wheel position for milling the top half of the log - to mill the lower half I flip the wheels so they are positioned above the bar clamp


Here's the setup with the wheels flipped, they don't get in the way because I use log rails for just about every cut


Here's a quick and dirty, limited solution.


Here is another one - replace the existing clamp with one that is wider (and has a solid lower section) so wheels can be placed in between the clamp.
The bar (grey colour) is then held in place with a couple of bolts threaded through the lower part of the clamp

I have more but that will do for now.

 

[sonny580]

Here is my solution for bark!---It's the only way to fly!--Keeps log clean and cutters stay sharp much longer,--easy to push mill along the smooth log once bark is gone! thanks; sonny580

 

[Brian72]

Here is my solution for bark!---It's the only way to fly!--Keeps log clean and cutters stay sharp much longer,--easy to push mill along the smooth log once bark is gone! thanks; sonny580View attachment 638361

My next investment!

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[sonny580]

Now this one here of mine, is also a timber tuff, (same as the bandmill), but they are most all alike. Once I used mine, I just about won't cut anything without de-barking it first. Takes more time and work, BUT saws stay sharper by not having to knaw thru dirt in the bark.--One other thing, ( this gonna git me in trouble! lol!!)---YA gotta mount it on a ms250!!! LOL!!!!---This unit kicks my a$$ after a couple hours!--If you have a good spine, it won't be any problem!---One other thing,--It's not a bad idea to wear thick pants because the right leg really gets pelted with big chips!!
This unit also uses standard power planer blades, so if you ever were to damage a blade, there common stock. thanks; sonny580

 

[BobL]

I mill some pretty smooth barked trees and find the wheels still make a difference.
If the wheels make no difference then probably the rakers have not been dropped far enough to optimise cutting speed.
The tradeoff with low rakers is the saw then really grabs the log and pulls the mill up hard against the log which the wheels counteract.

 

[Rosss]

Thanks Bob, Tony,Sonny
Will think more.

How does the debarker affect the wood of the log itself? I am mostly cutting live edge slabs where people want the actual edge of the log once the bark has been peeled.

On thick barked trees could I take off some of the bark with it, to get a good smoother surface and less bark to cut through?

 

[Brian72]

Now this one here of mine, is also a timber tuff, (same as the bandmill), but they are most all alike. Once I used mine, I just about won't cut anything without de-barking it first. Takes more time and work, BUT saws stay sharper by not having to knaw thru dirt in the bark.--One other thing, ( this gonna git me in trouble! lol!!)---YA gotta mount it on a ms250!!! LOL!!!!---This unit kicks my a$$ after a couple hours!--If you have a good spine, it won't be any problem!---One other thing,--It's not a bad idea to wear thick pants because the right leg really gets pelted with big chips!!
This unit also uses standard power planer blades, so if you ever were to damage a blade, there common stock. thanks; sonny580

Thanks for the info. Are you saying I need this AND a new saw?? Lol.

Sent from my Moto E (4) using Tapatalk

 

[Husky Man]

11” ROLLER BRACKET – G988
$45.00

I was just looking at the Granberg website, and I found this, I hadn't seen this before, so I don't know when it became available.

I thought I would share this, in case someone was interested.

Doug

 

[brianpoundingnails]

I had started cutting with a"grandberg" type mill I had built myself.(46" capacity, 60" bar, Stihl 084 saw). It weighed about 175lbs. It would wear a man smooth
out. I had seen several slick guide board arrangements but it's still pretty physical moving the saw from cut to cut. I decided to build something more like a bandsaw
mill. It makes it a lot easier and eliminated pesky problems like that. It also functions as a lathe, mortise machine and drill press. Go to dropbox link for more pics and info.


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nr4yw91iv2hgdl0/AACv5-Unq_KSGyYK-2YHwWIBa?dl=0

 

[Rosss]

I had started cutting with a"grandberg" type mill I had built myself.(46" capacity, 60" bar, Stihl 084 saw). It weighed about 175lbs. It would wear a man smooth
out. I had seen several slick guide board arrangements but it's still pretty physical moving the saw from cut to cut. I decided to build something more like a bandsaw
mill. It makes it a lot easier and eliminated pesky problems like that. It also functions as a lathe, mortise machine and drill press. Go to dropbox link for more pics and info.


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nr4yw91iv2hgdl0/AACv5-Unq_KSGyYK-2YHwWIBa?dl=0

I had a short look. Impressive!!

 

[BobL]

These will only work properly cutting the top half of the log, cutting the lower half really requires the wheels to be above the bar like this.
Black wheels are for teh top half, adjustable height position white wheels are for the bottom half.



on my small mill I flip the wheels between above and below the bar.
For bottom half of log - Iy doesn ;oil ike theres enough room to mill narrow boards but don't forget I use log rails on all cuts.
Note how wheels are adjustable in position parallel to teh bar.


For top half

 

[M.R.]

Picked up a few sets of these out of a truck load headed to the landfill from
a nursing home. 5” diameters, low miles, dollar or less a pair.
Some were smaller diameter.
These someday projects to one day get around to.... oh! Lord.
Seen in a medical store $35.95 for the replacements pictured on left.
Question for you Bob L
Bark wise for your timber types etc.. what’s the best sized diameters you’ve used / built????

 

[BobL]

Yeah bark can should be better than a wheel for some of your conifers with the deep fissures. I have a photo of a mill that uses a single vertical roller that leads the bar that I tried to find but cannot seem to locate it.

I'd be wary of most soft plastic and rubber coated wheels. The bar oil eventually turns them to mush whereby they crumble. that has happened to those skateboard wheels I pictured above on my small red mill. Hard plastic or even metal would be better. those on the bigger mill are HDPE (black) and Teflon (white)

 

[rancher2]

I had started cutting with a"grandberg" type mill I had built myself.(46" capacity, 60" bar, Stihl 084 saw). It weighed about 175lbs. It would wear a man smooth
out. I had seen several slick guide board arrangements but it's still pretty physical moving the saw from cut to cut. I decided to build something more like a bandsaw
mill. It makes it a lot easier and eliminated pesky problems like that. It also functions as a lathe, mortise machine and drill press. Go to dropbox link for more pics and info.


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nr4yw91iv2hgdl0/AACv5-Unq_KSGyYK-2YHwWIBa?dl=0

That is one nice set up you made.

 

[Ancient One]

SMT, your wish has been granted.

When milling the top half of a log the best place for wheels to hold the inboard mill clamp away from the log is below the bar (see black wheels in picture A).
When milling the lower half of the log the best place is above the clamp as the white wheels in C .
When cutting the middle slabs in a log either or both wheels can be used

View attachment 638308

I've used two approaches the first one being two sets of wheels like this.
The black wheels are fixed HDPE wheels turned from plumbing fittings - they are also the inboard feet of the mill so the mill doesn't have to sit in the dirt when placed on teh ground
The white wheels are made of Teflon and ride on brass collars and are adjustable (Up-Down) to optimise the position of the wheel depending on the depth of the cut
View attachment 638313

On my small mill I use flippable wheel brackets.
The top part of the bar clamp is replaced with solid 3/4" square steel bar
This is the wheel position for milling the top half of the log - to mill the lower half I flip the wheels so they are positioned above the bar clamp
View attachment 638316

Here's the setup with the wheels flipped, they don't get in the way because I use log rails for just about every cut
View attachment 638321

Here's a quick and dirty, limited solution.
View attachment 638322

Here is another one - replace the existing clamp with one that is wider (and has a solid lower section) so wheels can be placed in between the clamp.
The bar (grey colour) is then held in place with a couple of bolts threaded through the lower part of the clamp
View attachment 638323
I have more but that will do for now.

Bringing this thread back to life as I just bought a Alaskan and now am designing a roller setup.

So BobL, very good work and thanks for posting the photos. One thing I did not think of was the above blade and below blade positions for the rollers. I like you means of flipping therollers.

And I really like your concept of the roller on the centerline of the blade! Maybe the best solution. I will ponder this design for a few days before cutting metal.

And, happiness is well filled junk boxes. I was rooting around the shop today and found half a dozen skateboard wheels. Hmm. Ball bearings. Might be a winner. In the same box was a dozen or so black nylon rollers about 1-1/2" diameter and 3/4" thick. Something else to ponder.

The question of the hour is where did you obtain the cable type remote throttle assembly? Looks like a motorcycle throttle.

Thanks a million!

John in Port Angeles, WA.

 

[BobL]

The skateboard wheels (I think they are a type of PVC) on my small alaskan did not like the B&C oil and eventually disintegrated and were replaced. OTOH the teflon and High Density Poly ethylene wheels on the big BIL mill are still going strong 12 years on.

The question of the hour is where did you obtain the cable type remote throttle assembly? Looks like a motorcycle throttle.

It is, I bought it at a MC wreckers.
Notice its is mounted in a left hand orientation - this was done deliberately.
With a right hand MC throttle the throttle is operated with the top of the right hand towards towards the rider. This slightly moves the arm/hand away from the handle bars. With a CSM you don't want to be moving away but towards the mill so you can lean on the hand to apply forward pressure to the mill which is what happens with the MC throttle in the left hand orientation - When I finally installed it I cold not believe how well.natural the movement was. The throttle also has a throttle lock so I don't spend a lot of time hanging onto it, usually just starting and finishing the log. With the logs on a slope I usually keep cutting by leaning on the wrap handle with my knee/thigh which keeps my arms free to use other mill handles, adjust the oiler, or insert wedges all while the mill keeps cutting.

 

[Ancient One]

Many thanks for your reply. A good setup.

I am thinking the skate board wheels fall apart as they are made of urethane. I have had dead blow hammers ( the brown ones made using urethane) break up in the shop due to the proximity of cutting oils and solvents used. First one was the dead blow hammer I used on the vertical mill to tap items into the vise when setting up, it usually had coolant or cutting oil on it.

I will likely use the nylon rollers from the junk box, they are the black nylon impregnated with moly, so self lubricating on the shaft. Lube oil will not affect them.

I am impressed with the way information is shared all the way from Australia up to where I live in the States, way out on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State in the Pacific North West. Big logging country for sure!

Off to the Stihl shop today to buy a pair of chainsaw chaps, I do not like the idea of my legs so close to a 5-1/5 foot bar with razors flying around without protection!

I bought a Stihl Pro Mark Forestry Helmet two days ago, I was surprised, much less cost than on the web and Amazon! Our Stihl Shop takes care of the loggers up here, no high prices. The shop is like a candy store to a kid and it is only 2 miles from me, I go buy it every time I have to go into town. Darn truck has automatic steering and wants to pull into the shop each time I pass.

 

[csmillingnoob]

Since maximizing width of cut is a concern to you, here's something small, cheap and easy to get from lowes that might work. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Prime-Line-1-5-in-Steel-Sliding-Patio-Door-Roller-and-Axle-Kit/3083263

Looks like you can just get some longer bolts. These are only 1.5 inches, so only about 1/4 inch protrudes beyond the edge of your mill if you center the hole for the axle in the base of your mill. This would maximize your cutting width, BUT you may want larger because 1/4 inc can get swallowed in the bark. It certainly would with the pecan bark I'm cutting