Holding the bar by the nose

**BobL** · 17th October 2008, 10:48 AM

My new GB 42" sprocket nose and 60" roller nose bars arrived a couple of days ago (Thanks Laurie aka Sawdust)

Neither of these bars will fit the BIL mill which has and all ally nose clamp designed for clamping onto the very end of solid nose bars like this.

If I use this clamp on the new bars, the 25 x 25 mm square jaw plates that make contact with the bar will just crush a sprocket/roller nose and stop the sprocket/roller from turning. Also the way the chain is tensioned on the BIL Mill means the location of the contact are with the bar is variable.

The old clamp jaw plates are made of 8 x 25 x 25 mm ally plate and welded in place. Step one was to cut through the welds with a Dremel and small cutting wheel and remove the old ally jaws.

Next make 2 steel new jaw plates 25 x 40 x 6 mm.

I milled the 12.5 mm wide slots using my big drill press, a cross slider vice, and carbide cutter.

Driil, tap and screw the steel jaws onto the original 25 mm square solid ally bar supports of the BIL Mill nose clamp, using 3/6" countersunk screws.

The slots in the steel jaw plates are to accommodate the head (in one slot) and nut (in the other slot) of a small (6 mm) tensile steel bolt that fits in a hole thru the centre of the bar nose. The "nose bolt" only permits the centre of a roller nose to be gripped by the steel jaw plates attached to the clamp.

Sorry its a bit hard to see the bolt. In this photo I'm practicing on the old hardnose bar.

Here you can see the nose bolt thru the bar nose and how the head sits in the slot.

Why do I need the slots? - that's because when I adjust the chain tension the bar needs to be able slide backwards and forwards because the mill is mounted on the bar bolts (not the bar) at the inboard end.

Here you can see the clearance between the bar and the steel jaw plates.
This photo is still using the hardnose bar

The steel jaw plates only grips the central nose bolt which allows the sprocket and roller to only be gripped in the very middle of the bar where the sprocket/roller bearings will not be affected.
The red two-ended arrow shows the range of forward and backward movement possible during chain tensioning.
The other big bolt at the bottom left is what pulls the two jaws closed onto the nose bolt.

Here is the setup with roller nose bar - plenty of clearance there.

Adjusting the chain involves.
- Loosening the single nose clamp,
- Loosening the bar bolts at the power head,
- adjusting the chain and
- remembering to tight up all the bolts.

Fortunately the GB roller nose came with a hole in the centre of the nose already. I haven't tried the sprocket nose because I have to (VERY CAREFULLY) drill a hole - although the nose is replaceable if it all goes pearshaped.

The Hardnose bar can work with or without a bolt in the middle of the nose. It is actually better not to use the bolt with the hardnose bar because the bar can then be clamped even closer to the end of the bar and one gains about a 1/2" of cutting length.

Next I have to modify the aux oiler to suit all the bars.

**Sawchain** · 17th October 2008, 09:14 PM

Thanks Bob, I only make sawdust !

Laurie

**BobL** · 18th October 2008, 01:02 AM

Here is my new oiler for the Roller and Sprocket nose bars.

Top view, Brass plate (from and old x-ray machine) attached to the top part of the bar nose clamp.

Other side view. Piece of 3/8" brass ll thread with hole drilled down the middle attached to the brass plate.

You can also see the old thru the bar oiler in this shot.

Tip of delivery line is placed 2 mm from chain.

Adjustment bolt allows oiler to be repositioned by rotation to account for different bar nose location and different radii nose bars so that the delivery point is precisely above the chain/bar line.

**Sigidi** · 22nd October 2008, 12:13 PM

Geese Bob, that's sweet, ever thought of making them for prodcution?

**BobL** · 23rd October 2008, 12:59 AM

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Geese Bob, that's sweet, ever thought of making them for prodcution?

Cheers Sidgi!

I know it will sound like a cop out but I usually find it too stressful and boring to make stuff for production. I like inventing stuff and having a go at materialising some of my ideas - I have way more ideas than I ever get around to building. I leave it to someone else to do the innovation for production which generally involves minimising costs and compromising the original ideas.

I am also not consistent enough of a person and have great respect for people who can do this - whether its home brew or building widgets.

Ibanez · 23rd October 2008, 11:26 PM

Originally Posted by BobL

Cheers Sidgi!

I know it will sound like a cop out but I usually find it too stressful and boring to make stuff for production. I like inventing stuff and having a go at materialising some of my ideas - I have way more ideas than I ever get around to building. I leave it to someone else to do the innovation for production which generally involves minimising costs and compromising the original ideas.

I am also not consistent enough of a person and have great respect for people who can do this - whether its home brew or building widgets.

how much does the mill weigh, mine out of steel for a husky 395 with a 48in bar is very heavy, I like what you've done what would you charge if you were to make one for me.

Shayne

**BobL** · 24th October 2008, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Ibanez

how much does the mill weigh, mine out of steel for a husky 395 with a 48in bar is very heavy, I like what you've done what would you charge if you were to make one for me.

Shayne

The original mill was designed to take a 52" blade and weighed in at 13.7 kg with no oil in the aux olier. Adding and subtracting bits and pieces to the mill over the last 15 months now has it at 13.5 kg including a litre of bar oil in the aux oiler.

The 076 + 42" bar and chain adds 13.5 kg so all up it's 27 kg. This is not light but once lifted onto the log rails it is very easy work - the hardest part is lifting the mill on and off the log rails.

The new mill itself will be only 1.2 kg heavier. The 60" bar and chain adds an extra 1.5 kg so all up 2.7 kg heavier when using the 076. I have been given a not working 066 which I am in the middle of repairing. Replacing the 076 with the 066 using the 60" bar should get me to less weight overall that the original mill with 076 and 42" bar.

How much would I charge to make such a mill? - see my previous post above.

Cheers

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