Woodbug or Alaskan type?

[Nikko]

Thanks for the info. I believe the mill is the larger one and we found it in a barn, minus the sled etc. I picked up a used 33" bar yesterday hoping it would work - sounds like it will.

Thanks again.

 

[TNMIKE]

I think the argument here boils down to this

In my experience...a bandmill will generally cut smoother boards than a chainsaw mill. A chainsaw mill will generally cut flatter boards than a bandmill. This is with sharp cutters on both mills and both properly set up. If you think about it for a minute this makes sense. There is much less flex in a chainsaw bar than there is in a bandmill blade. There is much less kerf on a bandmill blade and the set is small and stiff. Both mills can produce good lumber and there is a place for both of them. Try getting a bandmill on the side of one of these mountains around here. Some places are just not accessible. I am seriously looking at a mule or draft horse one day soon. I have had the crap scared out of me too many times on tractors in steep terrain. If you want production a bandmill is superior. Youve got much more horsepower and the thinner kerf.

I had hoped to be pretty far along on my bandmill carriage this week. There is a particulary nasty upper respiratory virus going around here and I have been running a 103 F fever since saturday. On top of that its been cold as a well digggers you know what here for the last two days and has been blowing snow on and off. Not too conducive to doing much outside.

To say the least I am ready for spring. If I rambled on.. you blame it on the fever. HA HA

 

[TNMIKE]

Woodbug

Rick the more I look at your woodbug the more I like it. It also looks pretty easy to fabricate. I can see some killer beams getting cut on it/ Maybe the next you are doing some major work I can come help ya. By the way my offer on the snatch block still stands. Just let me know. Ive got two kids graduating from college in May and after that I will be at the farm a lot more than I have this winter.

Just for your info...my brother bought a 2002 Jetta TDI . He is getting close to 50mpg on the highway in Iowa. He has bought two 250 gallon tanks and is getting biodiesel delivered to his place. He has been all over that TDI club site you sent me.

 

[woodshop]

In my experience...a bandmill will generally cut smoother boards than a chainsaw mill. A chainsaw mill will generally cut flatter boards than a bandmill. This is with sharp cutters on both mills and both properly set up. If you think about it for a minute this makes sense. There is much less flex in a chainsaw bar than there is in a bandmill blade. There is much less kerf on a bandmill blade and the set is small and stiff. Both mills can produce good lumber and there is a place for both of them. Try getting a bandmill on the side of one of these mountains around here. Some places are just not accessible.

Well put Tennessee Mike. As has been debated here umpteen times, both types of mills, and the various kinds within each type, all have a place depending on your situation, what kind and size log you're milling etc etc. It is the very reason I have both a csm and a small bandmill. Speaking of which, you wanted a bandmill you could carry up one of the sides of those mountains down there? My ripsaw weighs 50 lbs. Of course it's not a production bandmill, wasn't designed to be, but it does mill twice as fast as my csm and with a LOT less waste.

 

[woodshop]

...So the thing is, I don't find a thing wrong with what Slabmaster was saying. I do however, have a little trouble with all you called the man...

Rodney my friend... go back and re-read my posts in this thread if you must, but I never "called the man" anything, just disagreed with Slabmasters assessment of the differences between a csm and a bandmills ability to mill flat boards. My experiences with both mills differed from his, and I expressed that. As some one who has disagreed with just about everybody here in the past... you should understand that one.

As for me having "yes men" ? ...sheeeeesh... that's a little demeaning to the rest of us here ain't it? From what I've seen past couple years I've been here, all of the regular posters here are perfectly capable of speaking for themselves... don't ya think? If some happen to agree with me on something (and fortunately not everybody does), maybe it's because... they agree with me?

 

[AlasKarl]

The more I look at that woodbug mill the more I like it. No, I am not in the market for another mill

I am a great believer in simplicity, the less finicky parts the better, especially in a remote location.

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Rodney my friend... go back and re-read my posts in this thread if you must, but I never "called the man" anything, just disagreed with Slabmasters assessment of the differences between a csm and a bandmills ability to mill flat boards. My experiences with both mills differed from his, and I expressed that. As some one who has disagreed with just about everybody here in the past... you should understand that one.

As for me having "yes men" ? ...sheeeeesh... that's a little demeaning to the rest of us here ain't it? From what I've seen past couple years I've been here, all of the regular posters here are perfectly capable of speaking for themselves... don't ya think? If some happen to agree with me on something (and fortunately not everybody does), maybe it's because... they agree with me?

Friend? Most likely not. Several reasons for that. Right off the top of my head is two or three posts like this one on this thread alone. The biggest one, You just ain't that damn important to me.

Hope this helps
Rodney

 

[BobL]

Anyone is welcome to call me a "woodshop yes man" if they like because I have been called names a lot worse than that. IMHO (and let me stress it is an opinion) it is unfortunate that when people are genuinely trying to offer an informed opinion that other people take it as offense. I re-read this thread several times and IMHO couldn't see any thing that Woodshop posted to be offended about. However, I do understand that some people can take offense at the smallest things and if this post offends anyone in any way I apologize in advance.

Cheers

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

BobL, not trying to start any more BS here but, if you go back to post #8 and read it you will find that the man said something like " little truth"(meaning lie), and beating up a planer (meaning stupid) and that folks in that part of the country are not smart enough to set up a bandmill (meaning idiots). Then tells me later that I can't read.

Now back to the topic. I can't say much about the WoodBug simply because I don't own one, never used one, never saw one. Only pictures of one. I did think about buing one a few years back, as i did with the RipSaw. but in the end, I bought the Logosol M7. That I can tell you about. Along with the BigMill, the Alaskan, the Beam Machine, the early NorWood, and the 1220 TimberKing. If that makes someone else tnat don't own one "informed and me uninformed", nuff said.

Rodney

 

[AlasKarl]

Neat link with lots of milling pics

Here is a real interesting link with great milling pictures I came across while doing a search on a GB mill.

http://woodgears.ca/chainsaw_mill/index.html

 

[MJR]

Nice link, thanks. Makes me want to get the dust off my CSM...

 

[TNMIKE]

Great link

I liked the one Dads old Sawmill too

 

[woodshop]

I've said this before, but once again it bears repeating. One of the problems with forums and even chat rooms where you can interact with people in real time via IM, is that it's just a very poor excuse for a face to face conversation. The tone of your voice, the inflection of it, facial expressions... all the little signals and info we unknowingly (or sometimes knowingly ) give off when we are talking to some one are missing in a forum. All you have is words, which often can be taken several ways, often depending on your mindset reading them in the first place. Thus, if you're dealing with the type of person who you generally have to walk on eggshells to begin with so as not to offend them even talking face to face, in a forum like this it is virtually impossible not to ruffle their feathers. Folks... ya just can't take this stuff too seriously, gosh you're gonna die WAY before your time!! In this case, could I have taken more time and perhaps chosen my words more carefully so as to be absolutely positively dang sure what I wrote wouldn't be taken the wrong way or too seriously and thus offend somebody? ...um... sure, I could have... do I want to have to do that every time I stop by this computer and jump online for a few minutes? NOT... I'm mildly sarcastic by nature... "maybe where you come from folks don't know how to set up a bandmill"... and with the vast majority of folks on here, I simply don't have to work that hard. Nor do they for me. For those few in that small category, I honestly do feel sorry for ya. I've only carried this (responding to it) as far as I have because I wanted to make a point. Usually, like most folks here, it's just ignored... life's too short. Use that time instead to MILL MORE WOOD!!!

Speaking of which, (WARNING, more friendly sarcasm coming) I've been given a 48" dia tulip poplar log I'm going to tackle this Sat if it doesn't rain. I'm going to use my chainsaw mill to cut it down to VERY strait VERY flat cants before I mill those cants into wavy boards with the Ripsaw bandmill.

 

[DRB]

Here is a real interesting link with great milling pictures I came across while doing a search on a GB mill.

http://woodgears.ca/chainsaw_mill/index.html

Cool set up Thanks for the link.

 

[MotorSeven]

You found 6 sections of bug in a barn. Wait, don't tell me it was only use by a little old lady on Sundays after church.....

Anyway, look around the sled has to be there somewhere unless it is still attached to her ported/modded 088. Try calling Suzy at www.Woodbug.com & if you can get a-holt of her(we think they are out of business), she may have a sled in stock. If you do need to build a sled i can shoot you some pic's, it is pretty straight forward. BTW, those 10' sections sold new for just under a grand. Keep us posted.
RD

 

[Matildasmate]

Even with that large log your cutting in the picture,if you look about half way down the top you can see the rise in the middle of the log.That's the wagon tongue effect you get from a bandmill.A thinner blade will never cut a flatter board than a wide blade.Bandblades aren't even close to being as wide or stable in the cut as chainsaw bar and chain width.It's common since,that a scroll saw won't cut as strait as a hand saw in the cut because it isn't as wide or stable going down the slab.Mark

That buisiness about wagon tongues is garbo , you get that with any setup , some people even call it tension in the wood , as you cut through the lenght of timber , the tension in the timber causes it to bend . Cheers MM

 

[Matildasmate]

I've said this before, but once again it bears repeating. One of the problems with forums and even chat rooms where you can interact with people in real time via IM, is that it's just a very poor excuse for a face to face conversation. The tone of your voice, the inflection of it, facial expressions... all the little signals and info we unknowingly (or sometimes knowingly ) give off when we are talking to some one are missing in a forum. All you have is words, which often can be taken several ways, often depending on your mindset reading them in the first place. Thus, if you're dealing with the type of person who you generally have to walk on eggshells to begin with so as not to offend them even talking face to face, in a forum like this it is virtually impossible not to ruffle their feathers. Folks... ya just can't take this stuff too seriously, gosh you're gonna die WAY before your time!! In this case, could I have taken more time and perhaps chosen my words more carefully so as to be absolutely positively dang sure what I wrote wouldn't be taken the wrong way or too seriously and thus offend somebody? ...um... sure, I could have... do I want to have to do that every time I stop by this computer and jump online for a few minutes? NOT... I'm mildly sarcastic by nature... "maybe where you come from folks don't know how to set up a bandmill"... and with the vast majority of folks on here, I simply don't have to work that hard. Nor do they for me. For those few in that small category, I honestly do feel sorry for ya. I've only carried this (responding to it) as far as I have because I wanted to make a point. Usually, like most folks here, it's just ignored... life's too short. Use that time instead to MILL MORE WOOD!!!

Speaking of which, (WARNING, more friendly sarcasm coming) I've been given a 48" dia tulip poplar log I'm going to tackle this Sat if it doesn't rain. I'm going to use my chainsaw mill to cut it down to VERY strait VERY flat cants before I mill those cants into wavy boards with the Ripsaw bandmill.

Well said Dave , Kind regards from the yes man Matildasmate:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[TNMIKE]

Wood

Its good every now and then to step back and realize wood is a natural material that moves with the ambient conditions. Its not like steel that you can put into a mill vise, take 250 thous off it and it be the same tomorrow.

I have this problem myself from time to time because I do a lot of machine work. I have a friend that is life long career machinist and he got interested in making furniture. He was terrible at it. He wanted everything to fit like he had made machined parts all of his life. He couldnt do it.

My point here is that you are never going to get a truly flat, square piece of wood. Its just not going to happen. And if you do get very close, let it rain for a few days or get hot as hell and dry for weeks like it did around here last summer. It swells, bends, twists, you name it.

Im sure all of you know this but its worth thinking about from time to time.

 

[arojay]

Well, this has been an interesting first experience with arborsite. Thanks to all of those who responded to my question, in kind. I have a semi-retired 394 that I will probably ue to power my choice, if I don't decide to go with both. Unfortunately for a lot more folks than me, the 60' of Woodbug that I originally posted about belonged to a log builder who used Sitka spruce from the coast and built large structures, so I guess they need the length. Anyway, I just heard the other day that they went bankrupt and fled with at least a few substantial deposits for homes etc.. I expect all assets will be frozen for the time being.

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Well said Dave , Kind regards from the yes man Matildasmate:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

Yes, it was well said. Problem is, it don't have a thing in the world to do with what happened. What it does do is try to shift the blame around to someone else. That be the "silver tongue" at work.

Hope this helps
Rodney