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WNYPCRepair

Has anyone seen a swing sawmill up close?

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WNYPCRepair

I'm trying to figure out how they keep the drive connected and swing it 90 degrees. I can't imagine it is done with U joints or belts, or even gears without having to switch between drive gears, which would be difficult while moving, with no clutch. The only thing I came up with was a ring and pinion, but I'm not even sure how that would work. 

I was hoping someone owned one, or had seen one up close and could verify. I would love to build one, and actually have something in mind for the framework and saw/motor carriage, but the 90 degree swing has me stumped. 

A bonus would be how the blade ends up in exactly the correct position for the two cut points to end at the perfect spot after swinging the blade. 

http://turbosawmill.com/chainsawmills/8-cut-honda-gx390-warrior-sawmill 

HORIZONTAL.jpg.156b0fd0a61cc817dd291a2b6cb2c2a6.jpg

saw.jpg.6e481c076cd59ed0371a7a699de41a4b.jpg

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wallfish

To me it appears to have 2 blades, one vertical and one horizontal

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WNYPCRepair
20 minutes ago, wallfish said:

To me it appears to have 2 blades, one vertical and one horizontal



No, just two guards. If you watch a video, it swings the blade 90 degrees. 

This one is automatic, but same saw head
 

 

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wallfish

Ah Ha. Now I see said the blind man.

 

Probably done with a 90 degree gearbox.

 

saw.jpg.89cc7c4e58592625c63830b8beea0558.jpg

 

 

Just kind of thinking "out loud"

saw2.jpg

 

The saw blade can swivel to both horz and vert positions by the gears

 

HORIZONTAL.jpg..jpg.0d4bcbcd2fa420220b800070a88a1213.jpg

Edited by wallfish
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elcamino/wheelhorse

@JAinVA Jim do you have any thoughts on this ? I think you mentioned that you had a saw mill. That saw is something is something else. This is going to be a dumb question ; what is the advantage of the saw being able to cut on two planes?

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JAinVA

Jim,

   I have looked at the video and I wonder if the drive system is the similar to some 4wd front tractor axles.No u joints,just bevel gearing at the turn points.

Being able to saw in two planes means less handling of the lumber.You can saw to thickness, edge the board and not have to move it.The only drawback I see to

this type of saw is a limit to board width which I don't have with my bandmill 

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WNYPCRepair
2 hours ago, wallfish said:

Ah Ha. Now I see said the blind man.

 

Probably done with a 90 degree gearbox.

 

saw.jpg.89cc7c4e58592625c63830b8beea0558.jpg

 

 

Just kind of thinking "out loud"

saw2.jpg

 

The saw blade can swivel to both horz and vert positions by the gears

 

HORIZONTAL.jpg..jpg.0d4bcbcd2fa420220b800070a88a1213.jpg



So you are saying they are swiveling the gear box on the horizontal shaft with the pulley attached, which makes the vertical shaft rotate 90 degrees? Makes sense. I think we have a winner. Now to find a gear box that doesn't change speed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

@JAinVA Jim do you have any thoughts on this ? I think you mentioned that you had a saw mill. That saw is something is something else. This is going to be a dumb question ; what is the advantage of the saw being able to cut on two planes?

 

 

 

 

One cut edges, the other cuts the board.

 

 

The biggest benefit is the log never moves. No flipping, squaring, etc. Just cut boards (of the exact size you need, not full width of the log) until there is nothing left. With a band saw mill, you cut one side, flip 90 degrees, repeat, repeat, then you Have a square log to cut into boards

 

Edited by WNYPCRepair
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WNYPCRepair
29 minutes ago, JAinVA said:

Jim,

   I have looked at the video and I wonder if the drive system is the similar to some 4wd front tractor axles.No u joints,just bevel gearing at the turn points.

Being able to saw in two planes means less handling of the lumber.You can saw to thickness, edge the board and not have to move it.The only drawback I see to

this type of saw is a limit to board width which I don't have with my bandmill 



You can double cut. Edge, cut to the max limit, edge the other side and cut to that limit, as long as the log is small enough. They also have an attachment that replaces the blade with a chain saw bar and chain (made for the sawmill) that cuts wide planks. But for what I need, the saw is enough, I don't need anything other than dimensional lumber for building. If I could duplicate one of these, I could mill trees from my own woods to build myself a barn. 

 

I'm impressed with how quickly @wallfish figured that out. That has to be how it works. And way simpler than my ring and bevel gears idea. I said pinion eralier, I don't think that was correct. Edit, after looking, my idea was one large bevel gear with smaller bevel gears on the input and output shafts. But I couldn't figure out how to implement the swinging part and keep the gears meshed correctly. 

 

Edited by WNYPCRepair
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ebinmaine
2 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

 

I'm impressed with how quickly @wallfish figured that out

It's cuz heez sharp!

See what I did there?

Saw? Sharp? Get it ?

hawhawhaw

:hide:

OK seriously though... Please keep us posted on this build.

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gwest_ca

When you saw lumber like that the board thickness or width varies and often both. Every log has tension in it and as you make a cut you release tension on that side of the log causing the log to bend. The more cuts you make the more bend in the remaining log. The saw follows a straight frame so you can see how the dimensions will vary from one end to the other.

With a band mill a slab and maybe 2 boards is the limit. Turn it 90 or 180 degrees and take a slab and maybe 4 boards. Then turn again. That relieves the tension equally on both sides of the log and it stays reasonable straight and board thickness is consistent. When put through the planer the sound never changes because the depth of cut stays the same.

The secret is to keep turning the log.

 

Garry

 

Adding

This is the one I've seen operate but it has 2 edger blades for a total of 3. Couldn't remember the name.

http://www.mobilemfg.com/

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WNYPCRepair
1 hour ago, ebinmaine said:

It's cuz heez sharp!

See what I did there?

Saw? Sharp? Get it ?

hawhawhaw

:hide:

OK seriously though... Please keep us posted on this build.



It will probably be next summer before I start it. 


I haven't said anything, but I broke both bones in my leg at the ankle in July. I've just started to walk again without crutches. Spent a while in a wheelchair, then crutches, then a walking boot. I'm a member of the titanium club now. I might be pain free enough by summer to start something. I was just able to put my snow blade on the 520H yesterday, though I paid for it today. I have been really sore today.

I'll also have to convince my wife I can cut down trees again, since I was trimming one on a ladder when this happened. Slipped coming down the ladder, was falling backward and was afraid I would end up paralyzed, so I jumped about 6 feet down. Unfortunately, I hit wrong. Still better than my back or neck.

 

 

 





 

 

1 hour ago, gwest_ca said:

When you saw lumber like that the board thickness or width varies and often both. Every log has tension in it and as you make a cut you release tension on that side of the log causing the log to bend. The more cuts you make the more bend in the remaining log. The saw follows a straight frame so you can see how the dimensions will vary from one end to the other.

With a band mill a slab and maybe 2 boards is the limit. Turn it 90 or 180 degrees and take a slab and maybe 4 boards. Then turn again. That relieves the tension equally on both sides of the log and it stays reasonable straight and board thickness is consistent. When put through the planer the sound never changes because the depth of cut stays the same.

The secret is to keep turning the log.

 

Garry

 

Adding

This is the one I've seen operate but it has 2 edger blades for a total of 3. Couldn't remember the name.

http://www.mobilemfg.com/

 

 

 

My dad worked in sawmills all his life, and they used circular saws, but I don't know if they moved the log around. I'll have to ask my brother, he worked in one for a while too. I stacked lumber for a day and said never again. Hardest work I ever did as a kid, and I did farm work all my life until I left home. 

 

Edited by WNYPCRepair
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ebinmaine
6 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

I broke both bones in my leg at the ankle

Oh no!

Get well!

I have a close relative who did a very similar thing a couple years ago. ...

It was "less than amusing "

Glad to hear you're heading the right way though. 

 

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JPWH

Sorry to hear about your leg. Good to hear your mending.

Jay

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WHX??

Not good to hear about the injury Brian maybe you should stick to 'puter fixin! :ychain: Who am a to talk tho ... I do stupid stuff like that too, one of these days my luck is gonna run out.

 

Those saws do haul the mail, looks to be much faster than a band type saw. Dan @Achto you see this?

The saw in the video didn't look like it could saw very wide 1 x's tho... less than half the diameter of the blade which didn't look very large?

Edited by WHX12
speeling
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elcamino/wheelhorse

@WNYPCRepair Brian  Sorry to hear about you fall. Ladders are dangerous , ask my L2 Vertebrate . I wish the video would have shown some of the boards. I was interested in the results and it ended. That is one heck of a saw.

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dcrage

“My dad worked in sawmills all his life, and they used circular saws, but I don't know if they moved the log around.”

 

Stationary circular saw mills that I have ever seen or watched videos off here in North America turn the whole log. Swing blade mills seem to be concentrated in Australia and New Zealand. 

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wallfish
On 12/4/2017 at 5:58 PM, WNYPCRepair said:

Now to find a gear box that doesn't change speed. 

I would guess you might want to reduce the speed for torque consideration depending on what you're drive motor/engine is. That thing in the video is powering through those logs very quick so it's taking some major hp to do it. But, with a 1:1 you can always change the size of the pulleys to gear it however you need to as long as the gearbox can take it.

I would go band saw type if building one. All that other stuff seems to complicated to get exactly right and in all that time of building it, you could already be sawing logs. Put the effort into figuring out a quick power way to turn the logs. :twocents-02cents:

  http://www.surpluscenter.com/Power-Transmission/Gear-Reducers-Gearboxes/Gearboxes/

What's that jug on top do? Water for cooling?

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Pullstart

Would a hydraulic motor be easier to backwoods brew up? No direct link to the drive source, just lock in your 90° points on the build and get to work!

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WHX??
12 hours ago, wallfish said:

What's that jug on top do? Water for cooling?

Yup ...water cooling for the blade, ay least it is on band mills and I would guess the same as circular swing mills.

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WNYPCRepair
On 12/5/2017 at 2:39 PM, WHX12 said:

Not good to hear about the injury Brian maybe you should stick to 'puter fixin! :ychain: Who am a to talk tho ... I do stupid stuff like that too, one of these days my luck is gonna run out.

 

Those saws do haul the mail, looks to be much faster than a band type saw. Dan @Achto you see this?

The saw in the video didn't look like it could saw very wide 1 x's tho... less than half the diameter of the blade which didn't look very large?



There are 6, 8, 10, and 12" models. The 12" can cut 11" x 12" beams by double cutting. 12" x 12" cutting normal. 

The 6" uses either a 3 HP electric motor, or a 13 HP gas engine. 
 

 

 

 

.

On 12/6/2017 at 7:41 AM, pullstart said:

Would a hydraulic motor be easier to backwoods brew up? No direct link to the drive source, just lock in your 90° points on the build and get to work!

 

 

That isn't a bad idea, assuming the HP and torque is available. I'll look into that.

 

I was able to find the gearbox. I think there is a model 215f that may have dual outputs, I'm not sure. 

gearbox.png.b2ec26b82b6256e5a11d444971ab443c.png

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WNYPCRepair

The pivot point would be exactly half of the dia. of the blade plus 1/16 inch to create the step on the wood

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WNYPCRepair

Thanks guys, I am walking pretty well now, but still taking it easy on the ankle. Doctor visit tomorrow and X-Rays. Hopefully I am done. 

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Pullstart

After seeing the way this thing works, makes me want one!  After seeing the cost, makes me want an Alaskan Mill to supplement my planer!  

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WHX??

What holds the log in place? Nothing? I see no kind of clamping device?

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WNYPCRepair
2 hours ago, WHX12 said:

What holds the log in place? Nothing? I see no kind of clamping device?

 

 

Just the weight of the log, but they do sell a dogging accessory 

Edited by WNYPCRepair

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