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smallfoot

He's rockin' the "Nuttin Special"!
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
7,209
Location
Flawda Flats
So I'm helping a buddy build his house out here and soon we'll be heading inside to work in the shade we created with a roof (boutdamtime). Trying to save some money and help do some custom work on the features there so I'm building a sawmill.
Been studying the different designs people have come up with and have pretty much figured it out in my gourd how I can do most of it's parts and pieces. Junior brought some steel home leftovers from a mistake on a commercial building. Structural steel. The pieces in the pix are approx. 6'x10' . Built from 2x4x1/4thick and 4x4 3/8" thick. Welded together I now have a track 238" long. With the right size saw head and trolley, I should be able to cut out to 17 foot. !6 footers are preferred for the longest stuff we'll tackle in the house. If I need more, I'll come up with a track extension. The track as it sits is a little wider than normal and certainly more than I need but I've got ideas on keeping this low and having a place for a walk board so I don't have to step thru the mill frame braces as I go.
Gonna cannibalize the cart for now for axle and wheels. No more than it gets rode, I'll use the parts more here.,,,sheesh:rolleyes:
Got the motor already. Predator 13 hp, electric start. Most of the working parts I have already received. Will have to hit a steel supplier in Orlando for the angle I'll need for the wheel tracks. Using V- notch wheels on the trolley and will fit up with 1" angle turned corner up. We'll see how this goes. I've got to get out there to weld some stuff up. Might be a little later this afternoon tho...
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I'm guessing you plan to use trees on, or near the property?

Building a saw mill for a single projects seems excessive, but I'm sure you have your reasons!

.
 
^^^^ Me too. ^^^^
What type of wood are you cutting and how many board feet do you think you will need to mill?
Torchie

We have mostly pine available out here but a friend has some cypress logs we can get too. We took 5 trees out the other day although not really big enough for making decent boards, I can make some things out of them. We have enough standing pine to build for a while. We'll be picky for what we need. Have not figured how many board feet we'll need yet. I suspect most will be wall coverings, ceilings, and some cabinet and island work.
Doc, for 28 years I've been on the south ranch here with no neighbors. There are now three families back here and all of us have uses for the mill. It was kinda funny while ago when I was down in the barn trying to cut steel with the plasma and I'm about half way thru the third piece of steel and the power goes out. I check my breakers at the barn...no, nothing thrown, walked up toward the house to see if lights were on,,,no, no lights at the main house...up the road and met both neighbors checking out the power problem...
 
Interesting project, smallfoot. I'll be watching and learning.

Hey, I'm learning too. Spending alot of study time on frames and such and downfalls performed before me. Picking and choosing methods that look workable for me.
 
As long as its got wheels on it, I good. :D Just don't be givin' any fancy paint jobs. [ddd
Hey, it does have wheels but the plan is to be non-mobile for now. Wheels will move the blade. Paint:)eek:) sorry to say some of this frame has some thick gray paint, I wouldn't mind it being rusty, I just don't think I want to spend the time taking paint off.
 
Hey, it does have wheels but the plan is to be non-mobile for now. Wheels will move the blade. Paint:)eek:) sorry to say some of this frame has some thick gray paint, I wouldn't mind it being rusty, I just don't think I want to spend the time taking paint off.
Give it some time, it should develope a nice patina. :D
 
Wow Smalls, what a project...by the way..:rolleyes: when you get
it up and running you could go ahead and cut out my house plan and
have it seasoning till I get down there.......no rush it'll be a while :D
;)

[P[P[P
 
Wow Smalls, what a project...by the way..:rolleyes: when you get
it up and running you could go ahead and cut out my house plan and
have it seasoning till I get down there.......no rush it'll be a while :D
;)

[P[P[P

But,but,but,but, aren't ya supposed to build the barn first???:D
 
My former next door neighbor built a bandsaw mill. He used it to cut railroad cross ties. I have one that he cut holding up a section of my house.
Worked it until he got a$$ hole deep in debt and lost everything. Bad money management. Kept buying bigger equipment, truck, lift trucks, etc, couldn't make the payments, left owing a bunch of people money.:eek:

Y'all gonna plane the lumber or use it rough Smallfoot?
 
Probably use rough cut for most Bama. Some things like cabinets and a kitchen island will probably be planed out and sanded. That'll be up to them.
I don't know how many of ya'll have tried to build anything lately but there are no cheap ways to build with lumber anymore. My buddy and I have gone a long ways on his house so far and nothing has stayed in range cost wise. He wants some wood inside. Quoted 4500 on septic, actual was 9700. Well was 5400. I paid 7600 for power lines to be run a mile down my driveway 28 years ago. Junior's power ran off that original line and only had to go 400 feet and it cost him 5000 to run his. They got you in a vise money wise. Jr has built his house with block and is going metal roof and it'll be a strong dwelling. He cut no corners. He will be finishing this up going from paycheck to paycheck before it's over. As soon as he mentioned he was going to sell his other house, it sold, forcing him to vacate and move into an RV on this place. We're still going on the sale proceeds but we have to do something to make it happen. I'm planning on helping out with the mill. I've got 13 acres with trees and the lot I sold Jr. has 6 acres of trees so we can come up with timber with some sweat equity. Trying to make it a little more "special" using some material from original ground...
 
Good for you guys.[cl :D :cool:

I know it will take longer but it's worth it in many ways.(Not just money).
Nothing is cheap any more smallfoot. I can't even get a hard time for free.[ddd
In this household the end of the month is always the same conversation...
Me. "where'd the money go that I stashed for my project."
My wife." You probably spent it when you left the house.":eek:
Used Saw Miser portable band saws go for at least $6500 around here.
[P [P [P
Torchie
 
I ended up with about $2500 in my carport, metal roof, treated posts, spruce rafters, rest was yellow pine. That was my income tax refund from last year. I still have to come up with about $400 for crushed rock, and I'm afraid to figure what the concrete will cost.:eek: If I had to have paid labor, it would have easily been double that figure, or more.

Everything you do costs nowadays. More you can do yourself, the better off you are. That's why I do as much as I can, I'm a cheap bastige! [ddd
 

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