My Design for a Band saw Sawmill.

[Bob]

Bummer deal dude! 
I found a v-belt almost the right size... in diamator... but its a 3/4" wide belt so it don't fit the pulleys... so I took it with me to tractor supply and used their belt guage on it and bot one the next size bigger and in 1/2" wide width....
brought it home  "Sure it would fit" and I'll be darned it was about 6" too short!
thats really strange too because its much shorter than the old belt I have.... not longer
...anyway I'll take it back and see if I can exchange it fer a longer one....
but this time I'll match it up to the old belt ! LOL
.... that'll teach me to trust their numbers! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA
...
Bob......

[Bob]

hehehe well I got the right v belt finally, and put it on the band saw... made sure it was tracking good and then plugged it in... it promptly spun up and then spit the band saw blade off and that took the v-belt off and  both went flying across the yard... while i cowered behind the bench!
.....
the looseness of the blade allowed it to flop around so much that it just worked itself off I think
... so I put a caster wheel ( one with bearings in it) in the center and tightened up the blade
but before I plug it in again I want to put the guide rollers on it so it stays on there this time...
...I am making the bottom guide rollers adjustable in and out so if I am cutting a small log I can move the guides out close to the wood.... or on a big log, I can move them back...
... I almost have the slides done for the bottom guides, one on each side and I will put one guide up top next to the tension roller to keep the top of the band saw blade on.... with that done I should be able to plug it in and test it cutting a 2x4 !!!
...
 I'ed like to get some small 2" caster wheels that have bearings in them, or at the very least metal wheels on the casters... all I have right now is normal plastic casters which I doubt will last very long at all... maybe one run ? LOL
....
I have found that I can adjust the wheels to have the band saw blade track to the front ,center or back of the tire width.... what I will need to do is adjust it to where it is tracking to the center to back half side of the tire and then with my guide wheels to keep it on the center they will have a constant pressure or contact on the blade.... this will keep it on real good I am sure...
its impossable to put a roller in front of the blade where the cutting teeth are but on the back of the blade its completely flat.... I am sure it will eat through a plastic wheel in a short time
thats why I am thinking of metal caster wheels... maybe if I oil them good they will last a long time... because I doubt I can find metal wheels with bearings in the center ! 
...
its getting closer at any rate...slowly but surely ! LOL
...
Bob......

[randy]

Hey bob, I've seen a few using sealed ball bearings as guide rollers, just using the outer race directly against the blade.

[Bob]

yah ! exactly ! my shop-smith bandsaw has small bearings on it like that...
problem is ...finding bearings of different sizes is harder than finding wheels with bearings!
...
 I used to have a bunch of roller berrings around this place but I have used them up on "invention/experiments" and there is not a single roller bearing to be found...
however... I might be able to get some from old altenators however..... I think I have a few of them laying around collecting rust!... I don't doubt that a bearing would be far superrior to a caster wheel!
.... Hummm... I'll havt'a see what I can scrouge up ! LOL
...
thanks fer the Info Randy !
...
Bob.....

[Bob]

 ummm you wouldn't happen to know where I could find roller bearings hanging on a shelf for sale would ya ?
...
i havn't spent much time in town lately, but I bet if I looked I could find roller bearings somewhere!
...
 Bob....

[Bob]

hehehe I went out to the shop and found a motor that was already taken apart and left in a can...
it had 2 bearings on it... a bit small but should work great
... I managed to smack my finger with the hammer a good one so I am typing this with 5 fingers and not 6... as I usually do....my hunt and Peck is adversely hampered ! LOL... got a nice blood blister forming on my index finger and it "SMARTS"... as they used to say ! LOL
...
still I'd rather have bigger bearings on it.... but if nothing else I can use those 2- 1/4" bearings for the job... I'd rather have 1/2" ball bearings on it as they are wider and there is quite a bit of flex in the system...
....
humm thunderstorms are moving in I see best to turn off and un plug the computer I suppose. ugh!
...
later...all
Bob.

[randy]

Most industrial supply houses have bearings, here where I live there's several places to get bearings and seals, them alternator bearings should work good.

[Bob]

I have an old "invention" that proved to be a joke... where the saying every action has an equil and oppisit reaction....  I tried to mechanically take away that equil and oppisit reaction so I would have a force in only one direction.... it didn't work ! although I built it well and without comprimises...
try as I might (even suspending the appratious by ropes!) it never showed any force in one direction at all....   so I have some old bearings on that thing that I will take off... I was going to keep it and hang it on the wall as a conversation piece <grin> because that is all its good for!
... the bearings will be perfect for the saw mill blade guides... so that problem is solved!
just gott'a dissasemble that old "centrifical engine" thing!
 I did learn from that thing though, that there is no way to Mechanically asorb the equil and oppisit
reaction of an out of balance wheel.... something I have been working on sense I was 12 years old!
but I think it can be done with hydrolics or air power... thats another project all in its own , some time in the future  HAHHAHAH!
...
I re-drew the drawing I have of my bandsaw plans to reflect more of what I'm building... and now have a better idea of problem areas...
 the idler on the "CLUTCH" to engage or disengage the turning power to the bandsaw blade. has to have either a long dog leg in it or a 4" long spacer to reach across the wheel to reach the v-belt
... to get away from that problem I think I will turn the wheel and v-belt over and put it on the inside instead of the outside... making putting on the saw blade easier  and making the belt closer to the frame where the clutch is mounted. seams allot more sensible to me than reaching across the entire thing to get to the belt ! LOL
I am doing this with the electric motor first, but I plan to mount the 8hp B&S on the saw when its all working good... the electric motor makes it so much easier to test stuff with.
...
so minor changes in the works... which will cause other changes down the line... haven't thought it out completely but I am sure its the way to go....it will mean re adjusting the spindles and everything to do with keeping the blade on the wheels and tracking right but its gott'a be done!
...
 I have yet to start preparing the 30ft trailer for its new found purpose, but when the weather gets better I'll get to it.
...
thanks for the info again Randy !  I hope this winter hasn't been mean to you and yours !
Keep ur' Powder Dry Buddy!"
...
Bob.......

[Bob]

Well, the other day while I was in tractor Supply I found sealed roller bearings, 5/8"x 1/2"x 1.5"
so I bought 3 of them... I have them now on the bottom guides and am getting ready to make the top guide...
 I've had the band saw running now about 5 times... and even cut a 2x4 with it.....
 it kind'a bogged it down a bit but I am sure that is because of the LOOSE DRIVE belt! <GRIN>
 being loose like that gives me a "Soft Start"
but it did cut the 2x4... so that's something anyway !
....
I am seriously worried now about the HP requirements of that thing. to get it to work good I may have to buy a 20hp motor from northern tools so it will cut good!
... although there is always the 40hp engine on my Gyro copter but that's "OFF LIMITS" fer scrounging parts!( unless I get the 75hp engine working! Hummmmm)
HAHAHAHAHAHA
...
 any hoo.... I've been playing with the tracking getting it better and better.... and still think I need that 3rd guide up top to keep the band saw blade away from the drive belt.... so I'll put it on
next... and then it's time to work on the carrage for it...
...
I know that electric motors are much more powerfull than gasoline engines when considering the HP ratings.... but I am not real impressed so far on the 2hp electric motor... it should have cut that 2x4 without even knowing it was there.... perhaps with the belt tight it will ...I dunno yet! HAHAHA
... I was planning on using the 8hp B&S on it but I am not so sure that would work very good!
...
 the band saw blade I am using is one off a Wood-mizer Sawmill that John Gill gave me... he had hit nails with it and took off a few teeth and dulled it up real good, and I haven't tried to sharpen it yet.... but His Woodmizer had a 20hp or 25hp motor on it... and it cut really nicely
if I can get mine to cut like that I'll be quite happy ! LOL
but it is a big band saw blade ...about 1.25" wide and over 6ft of a Loop and it would take allot of Power to drag it through a log!
its not a 1/2" wide tiny band saw blade...this thing is huge!
....
anyway I ran it for a good 5 minutes to see if it would get out'a sorts and spit off the blade and it never did, so I'm making good progress on it.
...
my blade guides do work and they actually turn... so that's good!
I think with the last blade guide in, the saw part will be done !
...
I'll see if I can get some pictures taken of that thing so you guys can see what I've been fooling with ! HAHAHAHA (and how far from the original drawing I have made it! Necessary when building with "Found METERIAL")
....
Bob......

[Bob]

I'm pleased to report that the band Saw project is coming along just fine!
I added angle braces to the unit and stiffened it up and that cured 98% of the shaking! now it just vibrates a bit.... which makes me very happy !
....
tracking of the band saw blade seams to be working very good now...I have made 3 guides and have them
ALL completely adjustable...
 I have ran the saw for quite some time now to make sure the tracking stays put and it does....even when cutting a 2x4 board.... 
...
today I will try to add 2 more guides for the up and down flexing of the blade as it is moving up and down about 1/2" on the guides I made... I want to keep it within 1/8" so more rollers are needed
... although I was thinking about not using rollers there, but I think I should because other wise it will ware on the blade... even if I put a teflon block for the blade to slide through... (the teflon would rub away real fast !)  if I used oak blocks it would probably do just fine... but it would rob
hp... so I'll try to find 2 more 1/4" roller bearings like I did earlier and put Vertical rollers on the bottom roller guides to keep the blade in the right spot!
....
 I thought of just using a fork out of steel welded to the bottom roller guide to keep the blade in the center of the roller... but if I'm going to all this trouble to make a saw mill I just as well do it right and put rollers on it ! LOL
....
all in all besides that vertical roller thing on the bottom guides its ready for the trolly system
...which will have to wait for the money for the steel.... in the mean time I can get the 30ft trailer ready for it.
....
I'll try to get those pics today ! <GRIN>
...
Later all !
...
Bob.....
 

[Bob]

ok I made the 2 vertical guides for the bottom roller guides and got them on there ...man that made a big difference!  
... it runs, tracks good and cuts that 2x4 great as long as I don't push too hard... if I do, the belt slips! LOL
... here is a pick of this monster !
 
 Its setting on a channel iron/pipe bench that has no top.... (that's not its frame)
this is JUST the cutting head .... it consists of the side slide-rails, the green 2"angle iron center
frame rail and the pipe up on the top to stiffen it, pluss all the guides and wheels and stuff
... as I mentioned before I will eventually put a gas motor on this thing, and a clutch
the slide rails that I have to make up now will look like upside down "T"'s  and have wheels to roll
along the trailer frame rails....
...
my hope is to have it mounted on the trailer and load a log with the tractor and or boat winch or come-along.... this should give me a flat place to cut planks from... JUST AS LONG AS I CAN GET THE THING TO ROLL STRAIGHT DOWN THE TRAILER.... without binding in any way... I fear that will be a good trick indeed ! but we shall see !

...
Bob...

[Bob]

And here is a drawing that reflects all the changes from the original plans... sort of "after the fact" type thing.... but when you work with "FOUND" Meterials thats what ya gott'a do ! LOL
...
Bob...

[Bob]

And here is a Close up of one of the 2 bottom "guides"...
...
Bob.

[Bob]

Ugh ! I just spent about 2hrs trying to get the old rotten decking off that 30ft trailer... and I finally got the back end almost clear.... no doubt about it I am going to need it down here where the electric power is... doing it by hand will take months ! LOL !
...its an old 12 wide trailer house frame that has been cut down to 30 ft over all and 2x8 decking planks were laid down as a bed about 30 years ago... well its never had any preservitive put on it and its been setting in the weather all that time.... tis a shame actually because Ken did an exelent job on it.... it hauled the tractor and many loads of house hold stuff... everything in the house fit on that thing ! LOL....
 anyway time to reserect it into a saw mill... and its going to be a big job.
half the boards are crumbling in my hand ...which makes those boards super easy...but the other half are good solid wood...down deep any way... and they don't break....
 I am thinking of taking the tractor and running a long chain under the planks and ripping them off
with the bucket....instead of using my back ! HAHAHAHAHAHA
...
 The side rails of the trailer are what is important for the saw mill...as that is going to be the spot where I roll the trolley on.... and from what I can tell they look to be in good shape...
....
the Sawmill part of it feels like 80lbs or so at the moment...( I moved it a bit this morning)
so when its done ... gas motor and all, it will probably weigh 150 to 200lbs....
 that's enough weight to keep it from bouncing around. which is good
....
it'ed sure be nice if I could put one of these car engines on it, or perhaps the old mercadies diesel... but that is a bit more hassel than I want to get into right now  not to mention moving it when its cutting!.... so I really need a small engine say 2 cylinders 20 to 30hp in that airea
... something will present itself I'm sure  LOL
...
later all !
Bob......

[Feral]

Speaking about presenting itself, hay Dad, how about this 350cc uh Honda? up here? Last I heard it runs... Fair game if you ask me...