# Homemade Sawmill



## Phil4me (Dec 5, 2018)

I'm working on building a homemade sawmill and I'm curious if anyone else on here has undertaken that task? It's a bear of a project, even for the relatively small bandsaw mill I'm working on.


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## CIW (Oct 2, 2007)

I have designed a bandsaw mill on Solidworks (My design software). Over the next year or so I'll build it up.
Its designed to be powered by a diesel engine or electric motor that drives 2 hydraulic pumps. All built on 2, 12" "I" beams that also make up the frame of the trailer. They then unfold to give me the ability to cut 20' logs up to 36" in diameter.
I would also like to mount a flip over circular saw on that same frame to quarter saw high quality logs. I haven't worked out the details of that as yet though. I'll get there though.


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## JohnP (Sep 1, 2010)

CIW said:


> I would also like to mount a flip over circular saw on that same frame to quarter saw high quality logs. I haven't worked out the details of that as yet though. I'll get there though.


Seems like you might be better off finding a table saw to rob of parts and pieces. An OLD 10" table saw would have nice heavy shaft and bearings. Plus a pulley.


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## Phil4me (Dec 5, 2018)

Wow, that sounds beefy. Mine I'm making will be a trailer as well, and will use a 16hp Koehler engine off an old wheelhouse garden tractor. I have the carriage partially completed and I believe my maximum cut is 28". For now I will use come-alongs for the elevator and the log dogs but I do have the hydraulic components to make that all hydraulic as well (the elevator may instead become powered by an electric winch). 

For me, it's about cost effectiveness. I need to budget this whole project under about $500. I already have a trailer, engine, and many other parts, but I've spent almost 200 on bearings and blocks, hubs, and a blade so far. It's a heck of an undertaking!


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Any time I've wanted to build equipment for 3 cents on the dollar, I discovered why the machine is so costly. Lots of us do it in different ways. "I want a reliable car with great gas mileage for $100." I want to fence in 20 pigs so they can't get out I have a pile of slab wood and some roofing nails." "I bought 20 acres of woods. I want to make it into a field. I have a shovel and a crow bar." " I want to cut lumber efficiently, I have a chainsaw and a $100 attachment."

If you are going to make lots of lumber for a long time, buy a used Woodmizer. If you are going to cut a little now and then, find someone with a mill. If you have a lot to mill but just this year, buy a used Woodmizer and sell it when you get done.

If you are stuck on building one, there's lots to consider. Source of 1 wide bands. Make your saw to take standard length blades. Buy a saw tooth sharpener. Buy a tooth set tool. Copy the design that guides the bandsaw, so it can be adjusted in and out.


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## Phil4me (Dec 5, 2018)

Ive bought great cars for under $200 several times.

I cannot afford a woodmizer, or a harbor freight knockoff for that matter. So necessity calls for me to make one, since I still need one. My intention is to make one, then make just enough money with it to buy one. It isn't rocket science, it just takes a lot of time.

I suppose the purpose of this thread was to get other people's takes on their builds and to gain knowledge. Have you used a saw tooth sharpener for a bandsaw? How many times can a blade be sharpened?


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Phil4me said:


> My intention is to make one, then make just enough money with it to buy one. It isn't rocket science, it just takes a lot of time.


I commend your forward thinking.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Phil4me said:


> Ive bought great cars for under $200 several times.
> 
> I cannot afford a woodmizer, or a harbor freight knockoff for that matter. So necessity calls for me to make one, since I still need one. My intention is to make one, then make just enough money with it to buy one. It isn't rocket science, it just takes a lot of time.
> 
> I suppose the purpose of this thread was to get other people's takes on their builds and to gain knowledge. Have you used a saw tooth sharpener for a bandsaw? How many times can a blade be sharpened?



I couldn't afford a Woodmizer in 1991 when I bought mine either....but Woodmizer had financing at the time that allowed me to do so. As adverse as I am to debt, I don't mind going into hock for something I think will pay for itself. The WM has paid for itself about 50 times over, and will continue to do so for many, many more years (probably more than me  )

There are different qualities of bands. The lower end cheaper ones are run by pallet shops on multi-head band saws.....they simply run them until the break, toss and put a new one on.

Then there are saw shops that sell bands they get from buying large rolls of band from Simmons/Lennox/etc. They custom cut to length for any saw, and weld together. Problem is, if the guy doing the welding doesn't know how to anneal the weld after, the bands don't have a long life and break at the weld. I ordered some from a place (cheaper) once, and none of them lasted long, all broke at the weld.

Other problem with that type of blade is the blade technology is often wrong for a saw mill....where you want to make WIDE cuts, at least initially. Pallet shops never saw anything over 6" wide they re-saw 4 and 6" heart cants into pallet lumber they buy cheap from sawmill...(heart wood is trash). The first cut on a saw mill band might be 20" or more (I think mine opens to 22" max). BIG difference those blades.


I've tried lot of different blades over the years, and now stick with Woodmizer.....which can be re-sharpened and re-set (you need to do BOTH correctly each time) about 4-5 times before metal fatigue sets in and they also break. I average around 500 board feet per band before they need sharpening....but that varies with how clean the log it (dirty logs drastically cut that down), species of wood, etc. Hit one nail, it's over for that band until you sharpen/set.


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## Phil4me (Dec 5, 2018)

TnAndy said:


> I couldn't afford a Woodmizer in 1991 when I bought mine either....but Woodmizer had financing at the time that allowed me to do so. As adverse as I am to debt, I don't mind going into hock for something I think will pay for itself. The WM has paid for itself about 50 times over, and will continue to do so for many, many more years (probably more than me  )
> 
> There are different qualities of bands. The lower end cheaper ones are run by pallet shops on multi-head band saws.....they simply run them until the break, toss and put a new one on.
> 
> ...


That's some good information, thank you. As I've stated before, I'm building a bandsaw mill, plain and simple. I will not be buying one, I am building one. That part is settled. I'm uninterested in getting told I need to give up and buy a woodmizer, as it is not an option, period.

With that said, the band information is intriguing. You use a woodmizer brand band? Do you sharpen them yourself or ship them to get sharpened? Or is there a local sharpener you use (that is also an option for me)? If you sharpen your own, what brand sharpener do you use? 

I'm interested to learn the most common approach to this, and it sounds like self sharpening is common. That does intimidate me, as I've never done that.

Is there anything else you could share regarding the prepping of logs or the correct tension on the band to improve its longevity? 

Thanks again.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Phil4me said:


> With that said, the band information is intriguing. You use a woodmizer brand band?


As stated above, yes, I now ONLY use Woodmizer blades.




Phil4me said:


> Do you sharpen them yourself or ship them to get sharpened? Or is there a local sharpener you use (that is also an option for me)? If you sharpen your own, what brand sharpener do you use?


I sharpen them myself. Bought a sharpening package with my mill as there was no other option in 1991. The sharpener was just "ok" (I plan to buy Cooks sharpener this summer after I rebuild my mill building and offer local sharpening). The setting tool was lousy. Very slow, 15-20min per blade, I hated it. I later bought a Suffolk Machinery double tooth manual setter and can set a blade in 2 minutes or less.
Woodmizer since has come up with their Re-sharp service, but at 8 bucks/blade (w/shipping), by the time I get it sharpened twice, nearly paid for a new blade. They do, however, an excellent job. 
I tried a couple of local places, was never satisfied with the results, you mileage may vary.



Phil4me said:


> Is there anything else you could share regarding the prepping of logs or the correct tension on the band to improve its longevity?


Logs ? Keep them clean to start with....I skid mine out of the woods with just the last couple feet dragging the ground to minimize dirt. Wash with pressure washer if real dirty. Use a 
"Log Wizzard" (google it) sometimes if washing doesn't work.

Tension ? Yep...quite important...too little, you run the band off your wheels. Too much, you'll break bands prematurely. Has to be adjustable, as new bands stretch (like new chainsaw chain) and you have to stop and re-tension after a bit of running.

Woodmizer solved this problem with a small,hand crank hydraulic cylinder that moves the idler wheel out from the drive side wheel. Has a pressure gauge, when you hit the right amount you stop cranking the handle.

Pressure gauge shown on outboard wheel below.


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## Phil4me (Dec 5, 2018)

A hydraulic cylinder with a pressure gauge sounds like a perfect setup for band remaining. Thanks for that.

I'll check out a log wizzard as well. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate all the advice from folks who have been doing this a while. That's the kind of thing I can't really just Google.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Please post your results when you cut your first board.


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