ripsaw portable saw mill

[offgridchris]

following my other post about making shingles. has anybody seen or used the portable ripsaw below

 

Ripsaw portable sawmills - welcome

 

a bit pricey but its the cheapest way i could cut thin boards or shingles in long lengths.

 

i was thinking of creating the taper by dressing the shingle with a draw knife?

 

any other ideas

 

as i said before if the roof is going to cost me over £3000 if i buy ready cut WRC shingles or more for cleft hardwood.

[Robert_S]

i would bite the bullet and buy proper WRC shingles i shingled a couple of roofs one one about 20 year ago and its still fine, its false economy to try and go cheap with a roof you will pay for it many times over if it leakes ( ive learnt that lesson the hard way!!)

 

Remember and get the copper nails with the shingles

 

good luck with it

[agg221]

Chris, whereabouts are you?

 

I have a Ripsaw mill, the hand-mounted one rather than the rail-mounted one. Very nice piece of kit but a very idiosynchratic company to deal with. If you're not in the US it's very hard to get things delivered from them - in the end I sorted my own shipping via a forwarding agent.

 

The problem with milled shingles is that milling doesn't follow the grain, while cleaving does. The exposed end grain makes the timber more prone to rot. You don't necessarily need WRC - oak and sweet chestnut are fine in the UK. If you're prepared to make your own then the material is pretty cheap - you need the short lengths that nobody else wants, e.g. from overgrown coppice. There are some decent videos on Youtube showing how to make them - but they also give a good indication of just how much time you need to commit to it!

 

Alec

[Cracker]

If you need any froes, I'm yer man! You could organise a shingle party:thumbup1:

[offgridchris]

ive ordered the sweet chestnut. so cracker i may be in touch for a few froes because a party sounds like a good idea.

 

alec, im in mid wales. aberystwyth.

 

ive been investigating what do do next because i want to "upgrade" my milling from an alaskan to one which is more suited to smaller diameter logs and many more of them . also a log cabin workshop. the logosol looks good but expensive just for the frame. also their bandsaw is only electric, something i haven't got in large supply.

[agg221]

I'm the opposite side of the country unfortunately, but if you ever make it over to Essex then you're welcome to a look at the Ripsaw.

 

I mill small quantities, as a way to get the timber I need for boats, building etc. The main limitation I had was moving timber to a mill, so I went for milling kit I could move in a car, and then in a wheelbarrow to pretty much anywhere. So long as I could move the timber section out to the roadside and either stick it on a roof-rack of if there was enough to justify hiring a lorry, I was fine.

 

The Alaskan met my needs for some years, but was too tedious for milling the planks I needed for boatbuilding (2in thick oak, 20ft long x 10in wide average). I bought the Ripsaw last year, for milling bits of house as I got access to a number of oak butts. It is hugely quicker, but temperamental. I had a band on it on Friday - today it decided not to work and the bow in it caused it to ride up over the bandwheel and cut its way through the outer case, quicker than I could get my finger off the trigger (this is in running up before putting it anywhere near a log). So, still sharp band (£18) is now scrap. You also have to keep the oilway well cleared, and make some form of gasket to get oil to flow through to the gears. But, on the plus side, end to end of a 20ft long, 14in wide cut (max possible) in oak heartwood, about 3mins. This actually makes milling pleasurable!

 

You do need to watch powerheads with them though - the 066M was hugely overpowered. I have now fitted an 044 which seems pretty well matched. You need a fairly modern saw as you want the higher revs rather than torque - the blade can't handle more pressure like a milling chain can if you take the rakers down a bit.

 

The other limitation of the Ripsaw is its throat opening, but wouldn't be a problem if you're mostly doing small stuff. It copes OK with up to 20in oak butts, but if I want a different cutting pattern I run the Alaskan through first to make sections i can work on more comfortably.

 

I am still looking for a 3ft x 3/8 bar with oiling holes to fit my 076 though - that should make the comparison between the Alaskan and Ripsaw more interesting!

 

Alec

[offgridchris]

alec,

 

thanks for the low down on the ripsaw. ive been carrying my alaskan mill to where the trees have fallen for the past year and now my back is aching and im looking for a way to speed up the process. the speed on the ripsaw sounds good, but i think im going to stick with a chainsaw for the time being.

 

the alaskan is amazing for bigger stuff. i even managed to help a guy out who needed a cross cut slice from a large pine where all the local mills couldn't manage a 35" cut.

 

also ive only got a 880 so it looks very over powered as i was told on another forum.

 

my concern is sharpening the ripsaw. how long does a blade last while cutting oak?

 

if im in essex i'll give you a shout. cheers. or if you want to mill some red oak in mid wales, let me know

[agg221]

Ripsaw blade probably lasts about 10 cuts before sharpening, and then takes one sharpening which does the same again, then it's scrap. It doesn't like grit or bark, so I de-bark (well, actually I tend to mill butts which are so long dead that the bark and sapwood just fall off!). Under those conditions, I suppose that means I'm cutting about 400sq.ft on a band, so about 5p per sq.ft in band cost, which is probably more than chain cost for the same. However, fuel+oil on the Alaskan would probably be about 10p per sq.ft, while on the Ripsaw it's only about 2p, so it works out OK. You would definitely need smaller saw though!

 

Alec

[Cracker]

ive ordered the sweet chestnut. so cracker i may be in touch for a few froes because a party sounds like a good idea.

 

 

I've got two on ebay right now, one finishes this evening, currently on £21.

 

ive been carrying my alaskan mill to where the trees have fallen for the past year and now my back is aching and im looking for a way to speed up the process. the speed on the ripsaw sounds good, but i think im going to stick with a chainsaw for the time being.

 

I'm using a quad bike to move the mill and extract the timber. They go virtually anywhere and pull 250kg easily. Mine is and old Yamaha Kodiak, very useful and versatile tool.

[Rob D]

.

 

I am still looking for a 3ft x 3/8 bar with oiling holes to fit my 076 though - that should make the comparison between the Alaskan and Ripsaw more interesting!

 

Alec

 

 

Good info on the ripsaw Alec.

 

By the way the only options I think you'd have for your 076 would be a Stihl Duromatic bar (no end sprocket) or you could have a Cannon 36" bar with 3/8 nose sprocket. More expensive though.

 

PM me if you want prices.

 

Regards, Rob