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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default I have a question about Bandsaw mills

    Hi guys!
    I have been interested in resawing for quite a while (never done it other than hack away with a chainsaw) and would like the forums thoughts on a resaw mill that could accomodate up to 2.4 metres length, maybe 600mm diameter on the odd occassion, quiet, can live outside as I can load logs onto it with my dingo, cuts straight without blade twist, reliable. Will not be used for weeks at a time but when it is used I want it to be hassle free.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Coffs Harbour
    Posts
    1,791

    Default

    I have 0 experience with this unit, I've only ever assisted using and driven a couple cuts with a Lucas mil but the idea of bandsawing is really interesting to me and my bro in law

    We've been reading around and this one looks decent. I'd he keen to hear from anyone that have experience with this brand though.

    Bandsaw Mill B1001 - 23HP Briggs+Stratton petrol engine with electric start - LOGOSOL Australia

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    I reckon 2.4m max length is on the short side, by the time the cracks are docked off the ends of lumber after its dried, it could be down to 1.8m.
    I'd be looking at at least 3m.

    I've done a fair bit of milling with a 27HP Kohler powered BS with a 36" throat and 5m long bed.
    Its a home made thing
    BS milling has a steep learning curve and a new operator will benefit significantly from working with an experienced sawyer for at least a couple of hours, but preferably a couple of days.

    LSG1.jpg

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    2,205

    Default

    I used a double Stihl 090 mill 40 odd years ago and since then pondered an electric powered chainsaw mill. Even picked up a 3 phase Stihl motor but other things got in the way so nothing happened. Being in Sydney don’t get many logs offered nowadaze.

    Any hoo onto resaws etc.
    I have a very good mate who has been making guitars for a while and he has used a Hitachi band resaw for about 20years.
    I recently dug out a couple of 450 dia steel flat belt pulley wheels plus shafts and bearings to suit from the stash and he is fabricating a resaw from scratch for guitar stuff.
    Still in the planning stages but this will have a very limited throat width as he will only be resawing boards not logs.
    The large dia wheels are to enable a tipped blade to be used without going round too tight a rad.
    It will most likely be vertical.
    Any thoughts ?
    Has anyone ever seen a dedicated saw like this.
    H.
    Jimcracks for the rich and/or wealthy. (aka GKB '88)

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Diamond Creek, Vic
    Posts
    84

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Gympie
    Posts
    219

    Default

    Hi,
    There is also Oltre Pro at Beyond Tools.
    Regards,
    Ross

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    27,756

    Default

    If you are going to go with a chainsaw I reckon you might as well go with a decent alaskan mill.
    Much cheaper, more portable, takes up far less space, reasonably quick to set up, can cater to any log length, and much greater width - ie a workable option for someone just doing 1-2 occasional logs.

    A chainsaw carriage mill more is suited to someone who has to mill a lot of logs at any one time and has the space to leave it permanently setup. Cutting time is chainsaw dependent so will be teh same.

    In comparison to a bandsaw mill there are significant kerf losses, which for conventional chain is about 8.5 mm per cut but if Lopro chain is used it's about 6mm compared to between 2 and 3mm for a bandsaw mill.
    On cutting a 500mm diam log into 25mm boards (not really recommended) that works out to be a 16 boards using the Lopro chain and 18 from the bandsaw.
    On 50 mm cuts the difference is one board.

    The Bandsaw mill will be much faster than the chainsaw but has a steeper learning curve.
    The key to cutting speed especially in Aussie hardwoods using a chainsaw mill is knowing how to sharpen the chain. The difference between making a lot of fine dust and snail crawling cutting speed and decent chips is subtle.

    If you have the $$ and need to do a lot of milling then the BS mill is definitely teh way to go

    One of my next milling jobs is to resaw and 300 x 300 mm jarrah beam into ~50mm thick boards. I'm sill tossing up whether to do this with one of my chainsaw mills or take it to the BS mill about 1/2 an hour away. For that size beam the difference in cutting speed will be less than the travel time, so if it was not for kerf losses I'd do it with th chainsaw.
    If 6 boards are cut from this beam the board widths using the chainsaw will be about 45mm whereas for using the BS will be about 47.5mm so it's not as bad as it sounds.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    489

    Default

    Bandsaw mills. Fun things, simple and reliable once you get them set up. There is a brand, "Hardwood Mills" based in Sydney or Gosford way, that sell small machines and the accessories you need to keep them running. I helped design and build a mill that will cut a log a bit under 900mm by 6M long, 13Hp petrol motor, cuts Paulownia quite well now that we worked out the blade tension. There is a lot of stuff on you tube, some of which should be down the S-bend. Just remember that people can edit out the crappy bits and just leave the good stuff. The advantage of a bandsaw mill is the thin kerf (less waste sawdust) compared to either a chainsaw mill or a circular saw mill (the Yanks seem to call them "circle mills"). The downside is that sharpening the blade is not as simple as it seems and blades can, and do, break but you can silver-solder them back together again if they do break. They are not cheap either and we find it best to have a couple of spares on hand so we can keep working and do the sharpening later.
    Paulownia is soft but also "stringy" and needs sharp blades to cut well. If they get just a little bit dull then results begin to drop off. How you would go on Ironbark or other Australian hardwoods, in truth, I do not know. "Hardwood Mills" claim their machine will cut our hardwoods and they are cheap. From memory, somewhere around the $10K will get you something on a trailer but don't rely on my memory, I am often wrong.
    The shopping list should include the sawmill, a sharpening jig, spare blades, perhaps a tooth setter, a gas torch and jig to hold the ends together while you silver solder them together and spare drive belts for the mill.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Canberra
    Age
    67
    Posts
    162

    Default

    If you'd like to pop down to Canberra for the day The ACT WoodCraft Guild has a HardwoodMills GT26, and a few logs of fraxinus pennsylvanica, some fraxinus Ocarpa, some poplar, and some eastern cedar from 600mm to well over 1m. I am sure the members would be happy to show you what happens,

    I have to pick up some walnut on Tuesday (Photo of 3 logs)

    and I have this old dry casuarina (photo of log and ute) that I have to slice up.

    The red box beside the mill is pretty typical of the material we process. The bed of the mill is 6m but I don't like moving stuff around much more than 2.4m

    we also have a little electric mill inside for little stuff up to about 1.5m long 500mm diameter, although we have been known to put bigger on it.

    You can get me at [email protected]
    Attached Images Attached Images

  11. #10
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    NSW
    Posts
    489

    Default

    Well, if Dave from the Blue Mountains is considering a bandsaw mill, this would be an offer of a lifetime. This way you get the real info on what a bandsaw mill will and won't do and what it takes to keep it working rather than a sales pitch. Canberra isn't all that far away either.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Thanks delbs, but a bit to big for my needs.

  13. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Thanks clear out, but chainsansaw mill is not an option for me.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jazzy69 View Post
    Hi,
    There is also Oltre Pro at Beyond Tools.
    Regards,
    Ross
    Hi Ross. Interested but how reliable are they?

  15. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Old Hilly View Post
    Bandsaw mills. Fun things, simple and reliable once you get them set up. There is a brand, "Hardwood Mills" based in Sydney or Gosford way, that sell small machines and the accessories you need to keep them running. I helped design and build a mill that will cut a log a bit under 900mm by 6M long, 13Hp petrol motor, cuts Paulownia quite well now that we worked out the blade tension. There is a lot of stuff on you tube, some of which should be down the S-bend. Just remember that people can edit out the crappy bits and just leave the good stuff. The advantage of a bandsaw mill is the thin kerf (less waste sawdust) compared to either a chainsaw mill or a circular saw mill (the Yanks seem to call them "circle mills"). The downside is that sharpening the blade is not as simple as it seems and blades can, and do, break but you can silver-solder them back together again if they do break. They are not cheap either and we find it best to have a couple of spares on hand so we can keep working and do the sharpening later.
    Paulownia is soft but also "stringy" and needs sharp blades to cut well. If they get just a little bit dull then results begin to drop off. How you would go on Ironbark or other Australian hardwoods, in truth, I do not know. "Hardwood Mills" claim their machine will cut our hardwoods and they are cheap. From memory, somewhere around the $10K will get you something on a trailer but don't rely on my memory, I am often wrong.
    The shopping list should include the sawmill, a sharpening jig, spare blades, perhaps a tooth setter, a gas torch and jig to hold the ends together while you silver solder them together and spare drive belts for the mill.
    I have had a look at their website and like that they are local, in a way.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Blue Mountains
    Posts
    35

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by T91 View Post
    If you'd like to pop down to Canberra for the day The ACT WoodCraft Guild has a HardwoodMills GT26, and a few logs of fraxinus pennsylvanica, some fraxinus Ocarpa, some poplar, and some eastern cedar from 600mm to well over 1m. I am sure the members would be happy to show you what happens,

    I have to pick up some walnut on Tuesday (Photo of 3 logs)

    and I have this old dry casuarina (photo of log and ute) that I have to slice up.

    The red box beside the mill is pretty typical of the material we process. The bed of the mill is 6m but I don't like moving stuff around much more than 2.4m

    we also have a little electric mill inside for little stuff up to about 1.5m long 500mm diameter, although we have been known to put bigger on it.

    You can get me at [email protected]
    The electric woodfast is definately an option. I hear people have had issue with the 3 TPI blade and replace with a 1 TPI for better gullet clearance. How has the club found it as far as maintaining a straight cut without the blade twisting or wandering? By the way, thanks for the offer of a visit to see the machines in action. I will hold off at present but if the invite is ok for a raincheck I would love to drop in.

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