any of you guys have a Bandmill?

valley ranch said:

I've been wondering if you have a bandmill. Did you happen to make it? I've been working on one for a while, haven't got it finished yet.

If you have, I'd sure like to see a picture or two.

Richard

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I did a lot of work on a commercial Woodmiser some years back. Pretty good machine, well engineered and constructed. I remember quite a bit about it if you have any questions.

The best portable band mill I ever had the "pleasure" of tailing was built by a local farmer. He could saw 5000'/day every day. I will post pictures,if I can find them..lol

Don't have one. Yet.

My friends uncle has a conventional sawmill, just sitting there rusting away. He is getting on in years and is unwilling to part with anything. His kids have no interest so I expect there is going to be one heck of farm auction one day after he passes. He also has the contents of three blacksmith shops and about 8 Model Ts. When the mill does run its an impressive rig, I think it was built long before OSHA was around.

Dune said:

I did a lot of work on a commercial Woodmiser some years back. Pretty good machine, well engineered and constructed. I remember quite a bit about it if you have any questions.

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I have a buddy who has a fairly new, heavy-duty, Woodmiser. Like Dune says, it's a well-designed and well-constructed machine. My buddy is a home-builder who uses the lumber on the homes and additions he builds and he also sells some. It's a pricey machine. Now, it may work out for him since he logs in the winter when he wouldn't be doing much carpentry anyway but I'm not sure it would pay off for the average bear unless it were used a lot.

ChipTam

valley ranch said:

It would be great having one, wouldn't it? I'm looking forward to getting mine done. I'm at our Nevada place now, need to get back with the material . Was able to pick up a piece of square steel tubing, so together with the time, I'll be able to get something done.

The carriage is completed, I need to set the band wheels, I'm using pulleys with belts. I have a 18hp Koholer. I've been a bit indecisive with how I was would mount the wheels and arrange the adjustment, that held me back some.

Richard

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The patent on the woodmiser must be expired by now. When I worked on the thing was in the mid '90s. Just google up the patent and do an exact copy. The wood miser used vee belt pulleys with loose belts too. Seemed to work real well.

Code here will only allow using lumber with a grade stamp on it. So if your doing something that needs a building permit, you can't use band sawn lumber.

Overregulation Exhibit A.

maple1 said:

Code here will only allow using lumber with a grade stamp on it. So if your doing something that needs a building permit, you can't use band sawn lumber.

Overregulation Exhibit A.

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I believe you, maple1, but there doesn't seem to be any such rule in Nfld. It's amazing how those rules differ province to province. My buddy's dimensional lumber is probably better than industry standards. He cuts his 2x4s a full 2" and a full 4". He did that before when he had a circular saw mill operating off of his tractor and does the same with his new bandsaw mill. Now, dryness of the lumber is another story. I once asked at the local lumber yard if the 2x4s were kiln-dried. The yard man said, "I recon they were growing last Tuesday."

ChipTam

Code here will only allow using lumber with a grade stamp on it. So if your doing something that needs a building permit, you can't use band sawn lumber.

This also applies in Ontario Also Ontario says saw dust BAD for the environment
most small mills shut down by Gov because of saw dust
Regulations way over the top

valley ranch said:

I've been wondering if you have a bandmill. Did you happen to make it? I've been working on one for a while, haven't got it finished yet.

If you have, I'd sure like to see a picture or two.

Richard

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Years back I toyed with the idea of building one. In my mind I thought an old motorcycle would be a good place to start.
Two rims that should work with some mods of course, chain drive all set up ready to go and a motor with gears to adjust the blade speed right where you want it.

valley ranch said:

I saw a home made mill on Youtube that sure looked like it was made from a motorcycle.

Richard

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While waiting in an auto repair shop, I picked up a copy of "Best of FARM SHOW" magazine and read an article about Bill Reeks of Kentucky making three different models of an homemade sawmill. Maybe this will help you.


http://www.farmshow.com/a_article.php?aid=23091

I once asked at the local lumber yard if the 2x4s were kiln-dried. The yard man said, "I recon they were growing last Tuesday."

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The stud/dimensional lumber mill near me which I toured processes green, frozen logs and within a 24 hour period the logs are thawed, sawed, kiln dried, and loaded on truck or rail for shipment. All logs are read by computers for maximum, efficient, and quality output. Truly amazing.

There is no magic in kiln drying vs air drying, except in time required and quality control in each type of drying. Also, there no guarantee that full 2" thick lumber, vs 1-1/2" industry standard, is any better lumber. Grading takes into account a variety of factors, and a full 2" thick 2 x 4 is no guarantee of a quality stud. But if it is a quality stud, it also is a waste of lumber for its intended purpose.