Recommend me a small bandsaw mill

[SteveA]

11 minutes ago, Big J said:

Not really my cup of tea if I'm honest. I think that they are better suited to larger logs, which I wouldn't be able to load. 

 

I also don't need (or want) portability. Mobile milling is hard work and I won't go back to that, and certainly not with a mill without hydraulics.

 

 

Thanks!

 

I've asked Trak met repeatedly about mills with stand alone power, but they aren't interested. It was the first thing I said when I visited the factory. 

 

The Woodland mill is perhaps not quite meaty enough for my liking. 

 

Has anyone seen the new range of Logosol bandsaw mills in the flesh?

Yep it's a shame Trakmet aren't on the case with that because they do look good quality mills.... and yeah the Woodland Mills currently on offer do look like something could get bent too easily (they should work on pro versions with chunkier metal throughout).

 

Another basic mill is being sold by Riko, Timbery/ made in USA... but no mention of hydraulics on their website.... https://www.timbery.com/m280-portable-sawmill

 

Is there a way of adapting the cheaper mills with log turning devices to make life a bit easier?

 

cheers, Steve

[Big J]

The Timbery mill looks quite nice. I'll investigate. 

 

The Trakmets are very solidly built. Mine (TTS-1200 standard) is nearly 4 tonnes of steel and I've not had to take the welder to it too often! It's probably cut me something like 1800 tonnes now in the past 2.5 years, so it's doing well. 

 

Hydraulics aren't really necessary as I'll have the forwarder to help move the wood and the low diameter of the timber will mean it can be rolled with a cant hook too.

[Woodworks]

A friend has the Timbery. He say it is pretty light but up to the job if used carefully. Can find out more if interested  

[se7enthdevil]

in my opinion "use carefully" means it's too weedy in construction. i always go for old machines over modern ones for this exact reason. build quality... 

[SteveA]

1 hour ago, se7enthdevil said:

in my opinion "use carefully" means it's too weedy in construction. i always go for old machines over modern ones for this exact reason. build quality... 

Good call, so many modern tools verge on single use throwaway items!

But I guess in the world of bandsaw machines repairing old cast iron machines could work out a trifle expensive.

[difflock]

Still being on a Logosol mailing list I was trying to figger out "whose" bandsaw mill that was, that Logosol are rebranding and selling as their own.

Good luck with your move to Devon Big J.

P.S.

Since an electric motor powered mill always requires a massively oversized generator to provide for the *3 to *6 start-up current, which motor once up and running then prematurely  knackers the diesel driving the generator due to not being worked hard enough.

Why is a diesel-hydraulic pump-motor set up not used, simply to drive the band, even if electrics used for other bits?

I like hydraulics.

mth

 

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, difflock said:

Since an electric motor powered mill always requires a massively oversized generator to provide for the *3 to *6 start-up current, which motor once up and running then prematurely  knackers the diesel driving the generator due to not being worked hard enough.

This is sort of what I was suggesting on the Tesla powerbank thread, the battery-inverter could provide 5kW of extra start up capacity and then the optimum sized diesel provide the running power. The difference in price between a 10kVA genset and a 3kVA one justifying the powerbank cost. Problem is it isn't currently stand alone.

[Swampster]

I know little about bandsaw mills but saw this:

 

  https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F263158522009

 

All the best

[difflock]

6 hours ago, openspaceman said:

This is sort of what I was suggesting on the Tesla powerbank thread, the battery-inverter could provide 5kW of extra start up capacity and then the optimum sized diesel provide the running power. The difference in price between a 10kVA genset and a 3kVA one justifying the powerbank cost. Problem is it isn't currently stand alone.

Actually I  was wondering that no-one was thinking about using the latest ultra-capacitors to provide the extra start up current needed for electric motors, when driven by a genny, or indeed even mains powered..

BTW.

I came across an interesting article about the latest electric motor breakthrough; "self writing" motors, that use the latest electronic jiggery-pokery associated with cordless power tool motors, to allow for up to 100HP single Ph electric motors, but seemingly more pertinent to the US than the UK or Europe.

Fingers crossed there is hope on the horizon for my electric 30HP motor driven Baker bandsaw mill?

Cheers
mth

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, difflock said:

Actually I  was wondering that no-one was thinking about using the latest ultra-capacitors to provide the extra start up current needed for electric motors, when driven by a genny, or indeed even mains powered..

Well as you know I'm a fan of super capacitors and my brother, a carbon scientist, talks of ultra capacitors made of plates of graphene that will offer astonishing energy densities but as yet no one can produce a sheet of graphene bigger than a box of matches and they will need km2 sheets. Also super capacitors are very voltage limited so the array would need lots of them. What I don't know is how much start up current is required, I used to help out on a Stenner 72" bandsaw which ran off the diesel engine from a U boat and that seemed to take ages to switch from star to delta. Presumably the 6 times inrush current to run current decays fairly linearly as the motor gains speed so if it takes 10 seconds that's an average of 3 times the run current for 10 seconds. so your 20kW motor at 380V will need an average extra 100 amps for 10 seconds. That looks like 0.1kWh  so may well already be possible with super capacitors.