Thread: build your own swing saw?

Originally Posted by ramana2

i'm new to this forum and very interested to hear if anyone has attempted/succeded in building there own portable swing saw along the lines of lucas/petersen/turbomill. i did see a crude but working one on u tube some time back, shown in several parts, but it seemed to move real slowly.
i could not find any evidence of one in the forum search engine. anybody?

I have read a lot of milling saw info on the web and never seen one.

i'll check back on my history and see if i can find the link. but later, have to go out right now.

here's one that appears homemade but there is another also.

Swing Blade Sawmill - YouTube

TBH, I reckon its best left to the pros to make 'em...

Welcome to the forums Ramana2.

The existing players in the swing blade market have pretty much got things nutted out and for brand new equipment they are priced reasonably. If you consider they are too expensive, have a look around in the secondhand area.

If you just like building things go for it. I always wanted to have a go at building a twin blade saw that had a seat for the operator and was self propelled (I did see a derelict version at a place where I was working), but I have never got close to that concept and once you go to that level the portablility starts to go out the back door.

Regards
Paul

Swing Blade Sawmill - YouTube
Homemade swingmill sawmill 5 - YouTube

the above 2 url's illustrate 1 homemade model

the one below is another with a 10hp electric motor single phase. i presume thats 240V and i wonder if house current would handle that?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9tYOIeYYEY]Homemade swingmill sawmill - YouTube[/ame]
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the one i have not been able to relocate was also electric which simplifies the 90 degree rotation. he gave a blow by blow description as he built it.

my interest in all this was sparked by shock horror when i calculated roughly what it would cost to finish my verandah. minimum $5000. and my further shock to discover decking (maybe 100X19) was $5/m. i need about $3000 worth. then there's the roof. i already have a brushbox log of 36" diameter about 5m long. its been on the ground in a lot of wet weather for 15 years. haven't stuck a saw into it yet so not sure how much good wood would be left. i've got flooded gum but thats probably useless for a verandah, (i wonder if its ok for purlins for the metal tiles i have), then there's 2 or 3 other hardwoods name unknown but only 18" approx diam. and i've been promised others. so even if i bought say, a lucas, for the duration, i could lose a grand on resale (if i chose to sell) and still come out in front. but they seem to hold their price.
i heard rumors that some guy in my area was toying with building his own so i'll have to put ears to ground for a while. yes, i have an engineering background and like tinkering but time is a bit scarce with 2 younguns and anyway just thought i'd put the idea out there.

Originally Posted by ramana2

the one below is another with a 10hp electric motor single phase. i presume thats 240V and i wonder if house current would handle that?

the one i have not been able to relocate was also electric which simplifies the 90 degree rotation. he gave a blow by blow description as he built it.

my interest in all this was sparked by shock horror when i calculated roughly what it would cost to finish my verandah. minimum $5000. and my further shock to discover decking (maybe 100X19) was $5/m. i need about $3000 worth. then there's the roof. i already have a brushbox log of 36" diameter about 5m long. its been on the ground in a lot of wet weather for 15 years. haven't stuck a saw into it yet so not sure how much good wood would be left. i've got flooded gum but thats probably useless for a verandah, (i wonder if its ok for purlins for the metal tiles i have), then there's 2 or 3 other hardwoods name unknown but only 18" approx diam. and i've been promised others. so even if i bought say, a lucas, for the duration, i could lose a grand on resale (if i chose to sell) and still come out in front. but they seem to hold their price.
i heard rumors that some guy in my area was toying with building his own so i'll have to put ears to ground for a while. yes, i have an engineering background and like tinkering but time is a bit scarce with 2 younguns and anyway just thought i'd put the idea out there.

I am not sure where the vid originates from, but because of the cold look to the surroundings I will guess at America. It would almost certainly be 3phase. I can never quite come to terms with how their voltage translates to HP. In Oz the largest practicle single phase motor will be 5HP and for that you will need at least a 20amp power outlet and associated, suitably-sized cabling.

I guess you nailed it when you mentioned cost vs time. Buy a secondhand mill, do your job and re-sell it. However a more practical solution for you would be to engage a miller with a portable mill. This would at least solve the problem regarding your structural timbers.

There are, as I'm sure you are aware, a number of people who contribute here and if you express an interest they may be able to make contact.

The issue with buying a mill to do one small job is that apart from expense and time you have a limited time frame to work out how to do it all. You only have to stuff up one log and you may be short of the raw materials too.

Regards
Paul

Thanks for posting the links.

Now that I think about it I saw one sometime in the 1980s. I was made using a volkswagen motor and had a 16"? blade. The dudes that ran it were a pair of cowboys and I recall that the thing had little or no safety features and i wondered how they stayed alive running that thing

To make ya deck, best to get a fella in, will cost you less than half purchase price to get your timber milled up. I made a deck for myself 85 sqm and it cost me $2,000, but I didnt pay for the miller

https://www.woodworkforums.com/f132/lucas-mill-77172/

but for goodness sakes if/when you do get someone in, make sure they know what they are doin, not just know how to 'talk' - remember there are lots of Lucas owners, not so many Lucas operators

Originally Posted by Sigidi

- remember there are lots of Lucas owners, not so many Lucas operators

That's a very good way of putting it Al

The Lucas brothers/family started somewhere, same with Peterson. I can't see why you could'nt make one, who knows yours could turn out better than all of them. Simple safe engineering. Go for it. Thats what make this country great, out there having a go.
Regards John