I guess I should add my Bandsaw mill

[Richardvonmann]

This project believe it or not is actually one of those things that isn't that hard to build, the problem with building it is your always wanting to make it better!
Here is a video of my second attempt, and success.
http://youtu.be/P0KLyC0gVB4

Lots of changes since that video.

 

[fastback]

Nice mill, that's on my list of things to do.

 

[Richardvonmann]

Nice mill, that's on my list of things to do.

If you have any questions when your building it, I have learned lots in my first attempts, the rubber tire thing? Waste of time, there is lots of things that work, and lots of things that don't work. I'm running 18.75 inch sheeves with 2 inch shafts, with a 15 horsepower china motor, more power the better, bigger sheeves is also a good thing, I can cut 24 inches wide, but that is pushing it. Auto raise and lower, power feed, mobile mill with log loader arms is also a good thing, my next attempt, I'll spend more time with getting the log moved around on the bed, anything to make the work more easier. It seems I spend more time flipping and getting the log positioned right for cutting than I do actually cutting.

A good rule of thumb is to build it heavy duty, a small tractor can move a 12 foot 18 inch diameter cedar, no way in hell if it is Fir or Pine.
Logs are heavy, so building it to handle heavy, will make the lighter logs a piece of cake. I built this mill because I needed a cedar fence, cedar boards are expensive, but cedar trees grow all over the place here. Now I want to mill up Fir trees for my new shop....lol

 

[Richardvonmann]

That is fantastic, I've used an Alaskan mill and thought that was pretty slick but you definitely have a big hand up on that.

Shawn

My Brother in 100 mile house has a home made alaskan mill (Chainsaw mill for those that don't know) and it cuts pretty fast, but when you do the math, which is how much for the Alaskan mill set up? and a chainsaw that costs around a thousand dollars. My few hours of work and 1200 bucks in materials and it will beat a chainsaw mill hands down, problem with milling lumber is moving the logs to the mill, or moving them around on the carrage bed, in which case the chainsaw mill has an advantage, that you can just cut your boards out in the bush and carry the lumber out.
The Alaskan mill also takes up less room for storage, but it also has a wider cut, meaning that you could actually maybe get another board out of a log with a bandsaw mill in comparison.

As for speed?
I have yet to see a chainsaw keep up!
It all depends on what or how much lumber you actually need.
It is actually pretty fun making lumber in your back yard, it also allows you to make boards that you will never find in a building supply store.
One of the biggest things that I found while figuring out what works and doesn't, is make everything adjustable!
Another thing to consider is that a mill is like a transport truck with a heavy load, it isn't so much the speed of the band blade as the torque behind it, so in order to acheive torque, you need horsepower, and you won't do well with anything less than 13 to 15 horsepower unless your just cutting softwood that is small logs, say 12 inch diameter.

There is a ton of information on the net, the problem is, that what one person would consider good, another person would consider garbage.