Stompy

Nice one, cheers for that mate. I've got loads of tooling steel kicking about, old woodworking machine blades and knives. I've cut some blade shapes out of circular saw blade plates before but never got any further with them...... Would the the blade or cutting edge need tempering after cutting them out???

Just out of interest where do you get the steel from for these?

I'd go with Meranti.......

I second that, awesome work, they are stunning.....

I have plenty of imagination mate............. What I am saying is you wouldn't use a 4'4" (that is what the autotrex cuts) wide board in one piece as the movement over time and lack of stability would be too great. I wouldn't personally use much over 16" wide in one piece otherwise you are asking for movement and defects in the future. Your average mill will cut what, 28"?? That is more than adequate for board width. Yeh if is was an outside table then movement is not so much of an issue but a banqueting table?? And what is a solid door? your joking right? I have been a furniture maker for 15 years and do like nice wide boards but anything over 28" might as well have been ripped down as they are a pain in the a**e to dry flat and to handle and will have shakes defects running through them somewhere. Thats all from my perspective though..........

A Jack Russell and a Great Dane are sat in the waiting room at the vets. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence the Great Dane nudges the Jack Russell and asks him " Hey buddy, what are you in for??". The Jack Russell looks up and replies " Well you would never believe it..... My owners had this swanky do last night at home, loads of friends round, live music, dancing and this giant great buffet. Well I couldn't help myself, just couldn't resist, I waited till the room was free and I was up on the table and I had the lot, party sausages, mini pizza's, crab sticks, I even ate the twiglets"..... "Nice job" replies the Dane "you in for a dickie tummy then?" "not quite" replies the Jack Russell. " A few hours later I paid for it. My tummy was gurgling and before I knew what was happening my arse just exploded....jesus it was everywhere, up the curtain, all over the carpet, i even covered their mates coats. My owners are not happy..... I'm here for the big blue injection" "Christ, thats harsh mate" Murmers the Great Dane. "Sorry Buddy" " No worries" says the Jack Russell "So what are you in for?" "Well...." says the Great Dane " I was in my bed in the kitchen last night and at about 3 am my owners wife comes down in this sexy little black night dress, I mean this thing was just about covering her arse" He paused to smile gently to himself... "Well she went to fridge and leaned in the get the yogurt and her nightdress rode up over her arse.... I couldn't help my self. i jumped up, ran across the kitchen and mounted her from behind and really went for it!" "Jesus" gasped the Jack Russell " you in for the injection too then?" The great Dane glanced at him then down at his paws and said " No, just to get my claws trimmed" Crap I know but made me chuckle

Thinking about it massive wide boards are not actually much use are they?!? Difficult to handle, troublesome to dry flat, need space to store and for long term stability in use they need to be ripped down anyway. From my point of view they would need to be ripped down to fit through my machines anyway and I could't handle these boards on my own in full width. Useful I guess for big table tops etc.... and the bigger the machine and the bigger the cut the better, we are all big kids really Just out of interest that autotrex wouldn't be able to be towed on a 3.5t license??? It being 2.8t and the whole train not be allowed to be over 3.5t and the trailer not being heavier than the towing vehicle? Have I got that right?

Bet their home insurance quotes are pretty scary.......

Alot of money but looks like a cracking bit of kit......... anyone ever used one?? Mobile bandsaw not woodmizer | eBay Proper width 4 inch bands and can cut a massive 4'4" diametre...... it's a beast. Weighs over 2500kg so would need old or trailer license to tow. Is it worth the money compared to smaller cheaper mills?

Looks cracking mate, great finish without using any actual...errr ....finish. Nice work

Snowy, minus 5 degrees but sun is out and it's dry...... lush.

Definately worth milling up, worth even more if it has ripple in the grain (looks like ripples in water when you catch it in the light). Don't dry it conventionally stacked horizontally with sticks as the sticks can easily stain the timber. Best dried stood on end against a wall.

Really??? Used an Altendorf F45 for years in a big workshop ripping down and dimensioning waney edged stock. Have one myself as do many of the guys I know in the furniture industry..... they are great for straight line ripping rough stock, dimensioning timber aswell as panel duties, just change blades.

Iroko makes your lungs hurt because it is toxic, causes respiratory inflamation and serious allergic reactions, internally when inhaled and externally on the skin..... Wear appropriate respiratory protection and cover up if you have 'delicate skin'. It's nasty stuff, used to use it loads when I was in boat fitting, poor mans Teak as it was known there. Learnt my lesson early on while machining it, asthma attack like symptons.... be safe. And get any splinters out soon as they go septic quick and hurt loads. Anyway I use my Makita 5903R 235mm all the time, it's big but safer than trying to push a saw thats not up to the job like the smaller 195mm versions. If your used to swinging big chainsaws about then the weight of the saw will be nothing to you....it sits on the wood anyway so your only pushing it along. 2 cuts is always a bad idea...... tensions in timber cause it to move, twist and cup as the tension is released by the cut. Do it with one cut and you minimise blade gripping by the timber or trying to push the saw into a slightly curved kerf. Use the right tool for the job.... TCT blade of course but don't worry about it being sacrificial, Iroko won't kill it, if it does it's not fit for purpose and you are due a refund. Best find someone with a ripsaw, table saw, panel saw who can wip it down in minutes.... Those Evolutions are great for the money though if your only using them occasionally, good power and will go through anything...

Whatever you do make sure you apply a finish to both faces not jut the face you will see. It may seem a minor thing but you must balance the faces to minimise any movement..... it's to do with moisture release and surface tension

physical finish is almost as important as your choice of wax or oil... Make sure the surface is well sanded and free from minute scratches from the sandpaper. Work your way down the grades of paper from 120, 180 finishing with 240. Work with the grain to minimise any minute marking. Only then add the finish... I'd go for oil, much more hard wearing than wax. Apply in thin coats with a lint free rag thin wipe off the excess with kitchen roll, again working with the grain. Get your eyes level with the surface and in the light you will see where there are smears, wipe them away...... Be gentle and quick as the thin coat will go off quick. Repeat above step 3 or 4 times, rubbing back very lightly between coats with something like 400 grit paper just to de nib. Should give you a immaculate finish..... Might be a bit much for what your doing but thats how I finish my furniture. Oil is pretty forgiving so you can still get a decent finish by just laying it on.... And as above Osmo is good or Morrells eazioil if you can get it.

Cheers Jonathan...... I would usually be have someone with me but every so often a little impromptu or emergency milling is in order when I'm the only one about. Just wondered is there was any sort of limit to milling width anyone would suggest for a one man winch mill operation?

Looks cracking Rob, I could well be interested in one of those too..... Do you think it would work well with one man and your winch system?

Very true, if only to create another toy for the collection And I'm sure it can..... What is this chainsaw mounted bandsaw you speak of?? got any pics? Sounds interesting

That LM2 does look a cracking bit of kit, you sound chuffed with it. Do you find you get any band wander on it at all? Trying to work out the optimum band width in relation to accuracy over power needed to drive it. I'm still happier with a 4 inch plus band I think. I'll try to get some pics up of the beasts I'm looking at if your interested?? Bit of machine porn for you sir?? I know what your saying about the hydraulic mill, but I can't help thinking that there would be far too much bespoke fabrication, trial and error, and hence cos,t to warrant pursuing it without the idea of recouping any cost through selling a few units..... ie: if there was a market?!?!

Do you not get a nice flat cut with your bandsaw mill?? The reason I was never that keen on woodmizers etc is the blade width or lack of. It seemed that a narrow width band would wander all over the place giving a rippled cut..... all cutting tools if pressed will take the path of least resistance. I recently looked at a bandsaw mill over here, proper industrial piece of kit with proper 5 inch wide bands. Good price (5000 ish euros) compared to woodmizers etc but would be tricky to make them mobile due to weight. Perfect for a stationary mill though. Anyway think I give it some thought and see what I come up with, am pretty set on making one now. Your guys plans with hydraulic motors etc sound awesome, a bit beyond me at the moment but I will watch with interest. Thanks for all the sound advice

Cheer for that Alec, quite an in depth reply!! Lots to think about and all makes sense.... I know the overall weight is an issue in single person use but at present I'm a fairly young pup so it's not so much of an issue. See what I feel about it in 10 years. My thinking was the toss up between stability and weight.... Yes Aly is light weight but you do get some amount of flex. From a furniture making point of view any flex or vibration in machinery is not a good thing, hence the use of cast iron in all my big machinery. I know they are stationary tools and built for precision but the principles remain the same. I'm thinking some hybrid construction, steel where I need it and aly everywhere else. I know what you saying about entry and exit from the log, I always thought a more stable method was required, I found using the ladder on each cut made it easier but this adds time and effort which I'm trying to reduce. Maybe some sort of flip over frame extension to give more contact in front of the saw at the start which can then be flipped to allow the same but behind the saw at the exit from the log?? Again this will add weight.... I like the idea of rollers so maybe the issue for me is just removing the debris before, a simple brush in front to clear the way? And yep some sort of manual rise and fall system would work, something that acts on both sides to maintain a constant uniform thickness. I have seen then on trailer mounted chainsaw mills but again it's adding weight..... Weight seems to be the issue..... Maybe I'm thinking about it all too much and current designs are fine???? Cheers for all the advice

Have any of you made one? I'm going to have a go myself, purely for personal use. Have a welding plant and tools and access to a metal working shop should i need anything else. Just after some tips or feedback from you guys really. What would make your set ups better.... I have looked all of the internet and tried to pick what I think to be the best elements of the homemade ones I have seen . So far the most important design features seem to be... Adjustable to take different bar lengths Adjustable handle positions Possible rollers on the base (flat contact part) Rollers on the sides to help move along the log Some sort of precision depth of cut adjustment Is the weight a huge factor? I know you have to move it around but in use the log takes the weight. I mill mainly at the yard so not a problem I guess... Anyway any advice or some pics much appreciated Cheers

Thanks mate, a lot of hard work ahead to get this place in order but well worth it. It's absolutely stunning and the folks here are great.... feel right at home. If any of the lot are ever out this way feel free to drop by, our door is always open and theres always food, drink and a bed for any weary travelers

Slighty overcast with sun trying to break through here hasn't rained in nearly 3 weeks..... I'm waiting for the snow but it doesn't seem to be coming.