DIY Bandmill - First Log

Here's a few pics of the homemade bandmill's first test run. I put a smallish 8' macrocarpa log on the deck. I proceded very gently on the first cut & made it to the end of the log, I increased the feed rate on subsequent cuts to load up the engine (15hp) & blade, all went well. :D

The winch to raise the cutting head is only 2.5 to 1 ratio and is not accurate enough for repeatable cutting dimensions so it will need to be improved upon as will the height gauge which was a ruler held on by a bit of tape :no:

the quality of the cut was very pleasing with no wavy surface at all, the cant was slightly off square so I'll need to check the blade / bunk / & vertical suports for squareness

won't use the mill again for a while now untill I build some guards, upgrade height adjustment, add a centrifigul clutch, finish adding more bunks to the deck, adding sub chassis & wheels to deck

all in all I was pleased with the mill. Once completed, it'll be great for milling my own timber & perhaps a little bit of outside work in a year or 2 once develop some experience.

now to go & clean up my shed!!

Cheers,
Dean.

http://spray-tech.com.au/timber/mill01.jpg

http://spray-tech.com.au/timber/mill02.jpg

http://spray-tech.com.au/timber/mill03.jpg

http://spray-tech.com.au/timber/mill04.jpg

http://spray-tech.com.au/timber/mill05.jpg

That looks fantastic, well done, bet that was satifying peeling off some timber from something you built. love it

John

NICE good start mate! can ya tell me where ya got the wheels?
I want a couple myself.:2tsup:

yep, it was fun seeing the planks come off, each time the band exits the log & the motor picks up a few revs you think - wow there's another one!!

Travis, I got the wheels from PG Saws in Canada portable bandsaw mill they have an ebay store as well PG Parts RECREATIONAL-INDUSTRIAL items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!
The wheels are certainly not the cheapest option, I got them for about AUS$470 when the dollar was at its highest They were the dearest component of the saw. Postage was about $140 by memory.
I went with these wheels because they were properly crowned, machined & balanced, came with a heavy duty drive shaft 1 3/4 in dia 41-40 spec steel. they run smooth just like a flywheel, pleased I got them.

cheers,
Dean

edit/ the wheels were the 20" ones

Travis,

My band saw that was built professionally in Perth and used 19" alum pulley wheels. A V belt was stretched over the wheel to provide both a flat surface and grip for the blade. The bearings were normal stock . The whole set up worked well and when I replaced parts it did not cost me a lot and I could buy them locally in a small farming town.

Whitewood

It certainly looks good:2tsup:


Pete