Milled a knotty spruce today. Thought I'd share what I do to avoid and minimize as much as possible the wavy cuts that come from the hard knots.
Hey unc, good to hear from you. I'd like to take credit for the simplistic design but I actually bought the mill just as you see it. SMG Champion, out of Quebec, Canada. It's their Econo13 model. When I was looking around to choose a mill back in 2017 I looked at many that were made in Canada, the US and from overseas. What I liked about the SMG models was just as you described. Quick adjustments, hydraulic blade tension, a solid one piece channel steel frame, sawdust exits on the far side. I never understood why someone would want to walk in the wake of sawdust exhaust.Very nice!
Did you build that mill? Lots of clever stuff in there. Those roller wheels on the back are neat, plus the fact they are levered together.
Your log clamp on the other side - I'd like a closer look at that. I'm not terribly happy with my woodmizer clamps. i've tried making something, but it didn't turn out too well.
What I like most is that all of the controls are on the 'wrong' side. You control everything from the log side, so you don't need to run around the mill to turn the log. Also, your sawdust exits the other side. Why in the world haven't the other companies thought of that?!?
As for slowing the engine speed down, I never heard of that. I wonder if I can do that on my woodmizer electric motor.
Hey unc, good to hear from you. I'd like to take credit for the simplistic design but I actually bought the mill just as you see it. SMG Champion, out of Quebec, Canada. It's their Econo13 model. When I was looking around to choose a mill back in 2017 I looked at many that were made in Canada, the US and from overseas. What I liked about the SMG models was just as you described. Quick adjustments, hydraulic blade tension, a solid one piece channel steel frame, sawdust exits on the far side. I never understood why someone would want to walk in the wake of sawdust exhaust.
Electric motors, I've often thought about replacing the gas engine with an electric. I'm a dummy when it comes to electricity. What I've read online about swapping varies a lot. From 2:1 hp to 1:1. If the honda gas engine is 13hp on my mill, an electric motor would be 7-15hp maybe? Big difference. The other issue putting on an elec motor would be to add some sort of clutch to stop the blade from constantly turning. Don't know how to go about that either. Then there's power supply, generally a 3phase service is required for bigger electrics. I looked into that for a saw blade welder, the power company wants over $20K. So that's not gonna happen unless I win the lottery.
I'll see about some other close up bits later and post it.
I looked at the VFD's too. I had consulted with my electrician who then in turn consulted with his cohorts since he didn't know much about VFD's, and they came back saying that VFD's are ok but a stable power source is preferred. Also said that machinery with electronics tend to run into trouble sooner or later due to the unstable nature of the power supplied by VFDs. I was going to buy a 3ph butt welder for making/fixing saw blades and use a VFD but I decided to go with a 1ph and we'll see how it goes.My mill has 10hp, 3 phase. But I bought a phase converter instead of doing the expensive route. It was about $2,000, and I did all the wiring myself ...
Rather than the converter types i went with the 20hp model .... power company wanted $10K a mile to add a wire to upgrade the service to 3 phase over a decade ago.My mill has 10hp, 3 phase. But I bought a phase converter instead of doing the expensive route. It was about $2,000, and I did all the wiring myself. I like the electric, but maybe I should have gone gas. I dunno. It's done and I'm happy. I may upgrade the HP one of these years, though.
I don't really mind wading through the sawdust, but if I spend a lot of time milling in a day, then it gets pretty deep and I have to shovel it out. I just bought a big pedestal fan to blow on my back as I mill. That will help keep the sawdust off of me (I hope) but also help keep me cooler in the hot weather.
The woodmizer has an engagement lever for the blade, but I don't use it.
That's quite a setup you have there. I just subscribed to your channel. I look forward to seeing more of your vids!
elec co's are a total ripoff...…………….Rather than the converter types i went with the 20hp model .... power company wanted $10K a mile to add a wire to upgrade the service to 3 phase over a decade ago.
https://www.phasetechnologies.com/products/phase-perfect
That's a deal. Today's rate here in Nova Scotia is $52.25 CAD a meter. That works out to CAD$84,000 per mile ($66500 USD). PLUS $1,000 per pole.Rather than the converter types i went with the 20hp model .... power company wanted $10K a mile to add a wire to upgrade the service to 3 phase over a decade ago.
https://www.phasetechnologies.com/products/phase-perfect
I wonder would that phase converter work on the welder that requires 400V/3 Phase current, constant and uninterrupted. The 1PH unit draws 15-20 Amps, with input supply of 220V/1PH/60Hz.
I looked at the VFD's too. I had consulted with my electrician who then in turn consulted with his cohorts since he didn't know much about VFD's, and they came back saying that VFD's are ok but a stable power source is preferred. Also said that machinery with electronics tend to run into trouble sooner or later due to the unstable nature of the power supplied by VFDs. I was going to buy a 3ph butt welder for making/fixing saw blades and use a VFD but I decided to go with a 1ph and we'll see how it goes.
Thanks for the subscribe!
Bought the mill in 2016. We mill mostly for ourselves.how long have you had your mill?
I’m debating on getting a blade sharpener. Sheesh- it’s taking forever to get new blades delivered AND old blades sharpened. I have a good supply, but with this lag time, I’m starting to worry.
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