Hah! Love the carrot illustration! I wonder if you could just put the dolly up on an aluminum ladder for tracks. If you could, it should help mitigate sawdust and bark buildup.
Blacksmith here.There's a staple-shaped tool known as a log dog that's been used for centuries to hold logs in place. It's much quicker than your woodscrew method. I'd be happy to forge you a set and send them your way if you'd be interested (or any other basic forgings you might need for that matter).
what can I offer as advice beyond, look what works in the industrial world? it's still fun, and very stimulating to follow you as you problem solve your projects, improve and not just get stuck on "it doesn't work." instead you decide WHY it doesn't work, and work with changes to improve it. very inspirational.
+Matthias I've taken to using my shop vac in blower mode to clear away dust and chips. If you were to do that, then put your dust collection opposite the blower with a wide nozzle, you might be able to catch all of that and not have the clean up time between each cut. IDK
Actually, I have an idea that might work for your mill. Attached to the lower portion of the bandsaw, think a bowl shape with a dust collection port towards the bottom and angled back towards the bandsaw body. It would have to sit below your guide rail follower and it would have to be slightly large to really catch all the dust and chips, but I'm sure you could rig it up.
Apologies if my comments are repeats but: 1) If your motor seems underpowered, you may find a smaller blade cuts easier/better due to less friction and still cut straight if your tracking has improved. I notice a huge difference between a 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch blade on my Grizzly when resawing greener wood. 2) Can't tell from your video but I hope you are using dust mask in addition to dust collection. There can be lots of mold spores, etc.. in wood like you are cutting. I had a nasty prolonged lung infection after cutting some live edge wood a few years back. Love your constant innovations and explorations. Thx for your vids.
Just read the article accompanying this, and the only improvement I can think of at the moment, in the spirit of keeping this cheap and simple, would be some sort of fabric skirt to stretch around the wheels nearest the log. Maybe a strip of jeans stretched over a wooden bar, and the skirt weighted at the bottom, or something? It's the only thing I can think of that may help with the bark buildup you mentioned, and not get too much in the way of anything while you're sweeping up between cuts. I can see there isn't much room between the wheels and the sawhorses :D Take care.
Matthias - great stuff! Just mount a holder to aim a nozzle from a shop vac in front of the saw, and plug the hose into the exhaust/blower side. Should be enough to keep the floor clear while you work...
It's so funny, to my dad, spalted wood was rotten wood, and complicated figure was just asking for trouble with warping and chip out, so the best stuff was clean and straight.
I love the ugly beautiful wood. But you also can't beat the good straight wood! err, wait.... Never mind. I have videos coming, Maybe one day I'll have a mill video!
Hi Matthias, with regards to log repositioning time, have you thought about the following: The pieces of board that you screw into the top of log at 3:59 in the video, the bottom piece of that is currently nailed into the board that the log is resting on. If instead of nailing it there, the bottom was attached to a runner (similar to a drawer runner) that could move back and forth toward the saw, and then you had some sort of gear system (or even just manually) move that sled, you could keep the log stable while moving it forward and not have to worry about unscrewing every time. Note that the piece of wood the log is resting on wouldn't be moving in the proposed setup, just the piece of board that's nailed to the top of the log. Picture a standard kitchen drawer, except the bottom of the draw stays still and just the front panel of the drawer (the log) moves in and out with the board nailed to the top stabilizing it via a runner.
I'm sure you've seen them before, or at least researched it, but the idea at the end with the dogs to hold to log is how large-scale bandsaw operated sawmills work. The logs get rolled onto a carriage that moves back and forth through the bandsaw (as opposed to moving the saw) and are held in place by the dogs. After each pass, the carriage returns to its home position, gets indexed whatever thickness they happen to be cutting the boards at the moment, and makes another pass. Have you also considered some type of adjustable index either on the rolling saw or the sawhorses that would keep you from having to move the log after each pass? Something along the conceptual lines of your gear-drive box-joint jig? Of course they use hydraulics and heavy duty steel framing in sawmills so they have plenty of power and strength, but I'm interested to see what cool, simple idea you can come up with that achieves a similar purpose.
To help with the sawdust/bark/debris removal try blowing it away as you cut; for example with compressed air, a leaf blower or exhaust from a shop vac. A strategically placed deflector shield will put the airflow where you want it.
Addressing your issue; I think is you revisit the possibility of a semi fixed dolly trax with a counter leaver wheel system, that it would start to eliminate your vibration issues. By placing the tracks on supports boards under the tracks themselves you can allow for cushioning to level and preventing reverberation. Attaching the tracks to the boards, and the board remaining free, it becomes semi permanent. Removable. Additionally, If you slant a feeding system toward the cutting area - loaded with log after log. Each log would provide the mass to provide the stability. Leaver in front of the first log would hold it all in place, which could be pushed out of the way by the movement of the dolly ban saw, then rotate back after the saw has finished the cut, pushing the fresh cut out of the way.
Looking good mathius. I think something that fits on the sawhorses that you can fix your log to and moved that out instead of moving the log each time would be a good efficient improvement.
For clearing the sawdust/bark bits, have you considered just attaching a fan/blower to the front, so it blows it out of the way? You might have a bit more sweeping up to do at the end, but that way you might not have to sweep after every cut.
A sawmill I worked at had these spikes in the table, you would rotate them and strike them to the side of the wood. We cut fully grown spruce with that thing. The mechanism was simple and effective, maybe worth trying?
just my thought Mathias, get 2 10' pieces of thin wall pipe, the cheap stuff. Make a track from it, attach them together about 14 " ~ 16" apart or what ever distance that works .. make 4 rollers that each have diagonal rollers and install them on the bottom of the saw.... then the saw can be placed on top of the spaced pipes...... and pushed as needed easily...since most the dust will be on the floor rather then on the pipes..... Now further, attached the pipes to the frame that you place your log on so that it doesn't move around on the floor...... hence frame and track are all fairly solidly connected together... at least in a temporary fashion until you easily disconnect when not needed ....
To stabilize and simplify your setup and movement of the log, you might consider a "log dog." As they're super simple to move between cuts and are basically giant staples! I've used them for hewing logs and it would be impossible to hew without them or at the very least, a partner. Best of all you could easily make them from some scrap angle iron you might have laying about!
Mattias. I really like this project because I have a bunch of trees that will be either fire wood or lumber. Sort of an extension of the rail idea, make a board that locks the bandsaw against the guide that you can slide it into. And perhaps a feed mechanism with a screw or winch setup for an automatic feed setup.
I guess these "sawhorses and dolly" setup just take up the same amount of space as the sawmill extension for this bandsaw would. There certainly is some idea behind these experiments with keeping the mill setup vertical. But I also strongly believe that once you make this horizontal (like your smaller one), the resulting sawmill will be the best solution for saving those otherwise wasted logs (making a great supply for a small workshop).
I just sub to your Channel looking at your previous videos, my gosh you really are good at this! and I know that some shop vacs have floor tools that are very wide with slit like nozzles have you ever thought of putting something like that on the front of that band saw almost touching the floor and hook it up to your dust collector so every time you make a new cut it sucks up dust from the previous cut (except for bigger chunks like bark)
You where on the right track with the carriage idea..make a dovetail type groove in the sawhorse tops and build what you drew and use the dovetail grooves to hold them on then build the log clamp.use a cam to hold it tight to the upright and tighten it to the log.
Suggestion for sawdust/bark problem - mount blower/fan to move sawdust from the area the wheels must travel on. Add a backstop on the opposite side of the log support to contain the resulting debris. Just a thought - Annie
Three words: Alaskan chainsaw Mill. I'm sure you have heard of them, and possibly used them, but to me it's worth the time saved versus the lose in wood from a wide chainsaw blade, versus a thin band-saw blade.
Since you are doing so much of this, have you considered building a dedicated bandsaw mill for logs? You could do something much larger, beefier engine, etc. Put either the saw or the log on tracks, and really do a good job of it. In theory your bandsaw wouldn't need that big of a throat because you aren't cutting super thick slices anyways.
I'm surprised that you haven't engineered some sort of quick clamp system for the wood. Seems like the sort of thing that is right up your alley... and now I've watched the last 30 seconds. ;)
Log sled, attached to your gear system similar to your box joint jig. You advance the gear which advances the log. The log is secured once initially, and then the sled powered by your gear can determine the width of cut.
Hi Matthias could you make a sled that the logs would attach to but would slide on the saw horses back and forth so as you cut a slab you can slide the sled forward for the next cut ??
Instead of tracks on the ground, It may be interesting to put a track like a C channel along the 2x4 guide and have rollers on the front face of the band saw slide into the track. That way the band saw can still move freely, but lock into the saw horses when used as a mill.
I hope this is a build up to going ahead with designing and making a full size horizontal band saw mill, similar in size to matt cremona's. it would be brilliant to see that!
for positioning the log, i would suggest a slotted board under the dolly for the wheels to ride in, with the distance between the slotted being how thick the boards are cut. i.e. making a track mill. that way you don't move the log between cuts, you just move the bandsaw to the next set of slots.
If you added a shim to your 2x4 guide the thickness of the cut you want your lumber to be, then remove it for the next cut (original depth), you'd only have to move the log half as much.
Clamps are a pain too. If you want easy reattachment that stands vibration you have a hard problem. For rare homeuse perhaps consider screwing the log to a big plank/rail. The screws eat an inch, but as homeuser it might be faster/easier to lose a bit more for more stability and faster reload. Otherwise going horisontal, as u have done before, is the way.
I suggest you mount a plate or rollers on your band saw to gauge the slab thickness similar to the way it's done on a chainsaw mill. That way you can mount your log out from the table as far as you like or even on lathe type mounting so you can rotate it easily to cut it from the outside in. You wouldn't have to keep making adjustment for each cut. The second thing I see is a need for lubrication. Even though it's a vertical band saw, you are cutting through green wood that is full of sticky resin. If you added a bottle and tube to wet the blade with just water and maybe a catch basin underneath, it should make it easier and your blade will last longer.
You could do your sled idea with maybe a wheel that shifts it 1/4" per turn, maybe a spike at the base of the end if the sled to keep the base of the log in place. On top could have some claws made from wood or metal that you just knock in with a hammer slightly with some kind of lever system in case they go too deep and can't be removed by hand.
Would adding a brush head at 45 degrees to direction of travel, just in front of the leading wheel, help push the bigger bits of debris out of the way?
Matthias, I think that this is a really worth while experiment, and shows the versatility that you have with your home made band saw. I also agree with your statement that a horizontal band saw would be better suited for cutting slabs. Was that statement a possible segue to another project?
for the build-up of sawdust that's on the wheels: Even though its better with the bigger casters, maybe it would be better if you had some-sort of brush system to brush off the sawdust as you roll. If the brush is rubbing the sawdust off, it might be easier to roll. I know that's not really the major issue, but I figure I'd throw it out there.
Instead of turning the log over once you have a right angle between the first two cut sides turn the log around so that you keep the same side down. Adding weight to the log support might help with the vibration.
Hah! Love the carrot illustration! I wonder if you could just put the dolly up on an aluminum ladder for tracks. If you could, it should help mitigate sawdust and bark buildup.
I love the CAD, Carrot aided design!
Groan... I just knew someone was going to say that. Thanks for the laugh (and the groan)!
I watched this series several years ago and then again just now. Great work Matthias. I enjoyed as much or more the second time!
One of the best things on this channel is that Matthias exposes the thought process and experimentation.
Easily the biggest reason I watch his content. Really enjoy seeing the thinking process and learning from him.
Love the carrot mini-scale mock-up explanation at the end. Love your videos !
Blacksmith here.There's a staple-shaped tool known as a log dog that's been used for centuries to hold logs in place. It's much quicker than your woodscrew method. I'd be happy to forge you a set and send them your way if you'd be interested (or any other basic forgings you might need for that matter).
does that offer stand for me too haha I cant believe he has not replied!
That piece of orange osage you used at the end was so vibrant.
what can I offer as advice beyond, look what works in the industrial world? it's still fun, and very stimulating to follow you as you problem solve your projects, improve and not just get stuck on "it doesn't work." instead you decide WHY it doesn't work, and work with changes to improve it. very inspirational.
I just love the way you explain. That carrot makes all the likes. I appreciate your ingenuity. Smart man! Keep up the good work!
awesome visual at the end, really gives an idea as to what you're thinking about doing.
I love the way you are explaining stuff with drawings and small scale models (carrots). It is very simple but very effective.
+Matthias I've taken to using my shop vac in blower mode to clear away dust and chips. If you were to do that, then put your dust collection opposite the blower with a wide nozzle, you might be able to catch all of that and not have the clean up time between each cut. IDK
Actually, I have an idea that might work for your mill. Attached to the lower portion of the bandsaw, think a bowl shape with a dust collection port towards the bottom and angled back towards the bandsaw body. It would have to sit below your guide rail follower and it would have to be slightly large to really catch all the dust and chips, but I'm sure you could rig it up.
Apologies if my comments are repeats but: 1) If your motor seems underpowered, you may find a smaller blade cuts easier/better due to less friction and still cut straight if your tracking has improved. I notice a huge difference between a 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch blade on my Grizzly when resawing greener wood. 2) Can't tell from your video but I hope you are using dust mask in addition to dust collection. There can be lots of mold spores, etc.. in wood like you are cutting. I had a nasty prolonged lung infection after cutting some live edge wood a few years back. Love your constant innovations and explorations. Thx for your vids.
Just read the article accompanying this, and the only improvement I can think of at the moment, in the spirit of keeping this cheap and simple, would be some sort of fabric skirt to stretch around the wheels nearest the log. Maybe a strip of jeans stretched over a wooden bar, and the skirt weighted at the bottom, or something? It's the only thing I can think of that may help with the bark buildup you mentioned, and not get too much in the way of anything while you're sweeping up between cuts. I can see there isn't much room between the wheels and the sawhorses :D Take care.
Matthias - great stuff! Just mount a holder to aim a nozzle from a shop vac in front of the saw, and plug the hose into the exhaust/blower side. Should be enough to keep the floor clear while you work...
Watching you move the log after every cut makes me wonder when you will be creating your screw advance sawmill jig 😁
The analogy with the carrot is brilliant. Great video as always. Thank you!
Fantastic wrap up of the video with the carrot model! Well done :)
I can't help my addiction
It's so funny, to my dad, spalted wood was rotten wood, and complicated figure was just asking for trouble with warping and chip out, so the best stuff was clean and straight.
I love the ugly beautiful wood. But you also can't beat the good straight wood! err, wait.... Never mind. I have videos coming, Maybe one day I'll have a mill video!
Matthew Cremona I don't think there is a short group for crotch addiction.
It's a good thing there isn't a group for crotch figure. Otherwise we wouldn't be inspired to make more. 😂@@RobinsonStevens
Great Work! Maybe you can mount brushes in front of the rollers?
Cremona and Wandel are my 2 favorites... watch every video.
Kryptonite MasterWxwrules 👍👍
Hi Matthias, with regards to log repositioning time, have you thought about the following: The pieces of board that you screw into the top of log at 3:59 in the video, the bottom piece of that is currently nailed into the board that the log is resting on. If instead of nailing it there, the bottom was attached to a runner (similar to a drawer runner) that could move back and forth toward the saw, and then you had some sort of gear system (or even just manually) move that sled, you could keep the log stable while moving it forward and not have to worry about unscrewing every time. Note that the piece of wood the log is resting on wouldn't be moving in the proposed setup, just the piece of board that's nailed to the top of the log. Picture a standard kitchen drawer, except the bottom of the draw stays still and just the front panel of the drawer (the log) moves in and out with the board nailed to the top stabilizing it via a runner.
I'm sure you've seen them before, or at least researched it, but the idea at the end with the dogs to hold to log is how large-scale bandsaw operated sawmills work. The logs get rolled onto a carriage that moves back and forth through the bandsaw (as opposed to moving the saw) and are held in place by the dogs. After each pass, the carriage returns to its home position, gets indexed whatever thickness they happen to be cutting the boards at the moment, and makes another pass. Have you also considered some type of adjustable index either on the rolling saw or the sawhorses that would keep you from having to move the log after each pass? Something along the conceptual lines of your gear-drive box-joint jig?
Of course they use hydraulics and heavy duty steel framing in sawmills so they have plenty of power and strength, but I'm interested to see what cool, simple idea you can come up with that achieves a similar purpose.
You're a genius! I love watching your video! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
This is like the greatest wood working channel on TH-cam! Mathias I love your videos, keep up the good work!
Enjoying following your engineering process, very useful food for thought.
Your use of the carrot slice was pure genius.
Al Perger Carrot CAD
wow!! AMAZING wood grain patterns where the branches grew! thanks for posting!!
This channel is never disappinting
You could add a skirt like feature to the band saw above the casters, to catch the debris before it gets to the floor.
To help with the sawdust/bark/debris removal try blowing it away as you cut; for example with compressed air, a leaf blower or exhaust from a shop vac. A strategically placed deflector shield will put the airflow where you want it.
Matthias, did you think about keeping the saw stationary and building a big sled running on a track to move the log through the blade.
Interesting idea, might as well mount the saw horizontally then.
Bob D. Just get some angle iron and use as tracks. The logs on tracks and band mill stationary. Just suggestion.
W.A. van Buren actually might get less pinching vertical, like you are doing.
Nice Idea but he would need twice the space for cutting the same length of log if i'm thining right. Correct me if I'm wrong :)
He's already done this. Look back like 4-5 years.
Addressing your issue; I think is you revisit the possibility of a semi fixed dolly trax with a counter leaver wheel system, that it would start to eliminate your vibration issues. By placing the tracks on supports boards under the tracks themselves you can allow for cushioning to level and preventing reverberation.
Attaching the tracks to the boards, and the board remaining free, it becomes semi permanent. Removable.
Additionally, If you slant a feeding system toward the cutting area - loaded with log after log. Each log would provide the mass to provide the stability. Leaver in front of the first log would hold it all in place, which could be pushed out of the way by the movement of the dolly ban saw, then rotate back after the saw has finished the cut, pushing the fresh cut out of the way.
Looking good mathius. I think something that fits on the sawhorses that you can fix your log to and moved that out instead of moving the log each time would be a good efficient improvement.
I love when you make tiny little models of things
Maybe you can attach a broom to the front of the saw so that as you roll the saw forward you sweep up in front of the wheels.
Love your illustrations :) and they work great explaining the problem :)
Ive been wondering when your just gonna build a saw mill, also i love your examples of explanations. Very creative.
You have so much skills using the bandsaw i just started this year using it and i have too use a guard to do it or i will get in trouble
I'd love to see a miniature version of your possible clamping plans, and use them to mill up actual carrots for proof of concept tests.
I like your use of the carrot! Very good presentation
your idea to make clamping bracket usually used in large sawmill to make a log stay steadily in its place
Matt Cremona is an artist and you are an engineer.
Still waiting for a stronger motor on the bandsaw. Excited to see how it cuts when that happens.
For clearing the sawdust/bark bits, have you considered just attaching a fan/blower to the front, so it blows it out of the way? You might have a bit more sweeping up to do at the end, but that way you might not have to sweep after every cut.
Matthias, A simple brush or squigie in front of each caster should clear debris out of the way and only take a few seconds to add.
Man I wouldn't have got it without the carrot and the drawings :D Great!!! Thanks
A sawmill I worked at had these spikes in the table, you would rotate them and strike them to the side of the wood. We cut fully grown spruce with that thing. The mechanism was simple and effective, maybe worth trying?
just my thought Mathias, get 2 10' pieces of thin wall pipe, the cheap stuff. Make a track from it, attach them together about 14 " ~ 16" apart or what ever distance that works .. make 4 rollers that each have diagonal rollers and install them on the bottom of the saw.... then the saw can be placed on top of the spaced pipes...... and pushed as needed easily...since most the dust will be on the floor rather then on the pipes.....
Now further, attached the pipes to the frame that you place your log on so that it doesn't move around on the floor...... hence frame and track are all fairly solidly connected together... at least in a temporary fashion until you easily disconnect when not needed ....
if you do a horizontal band saw you can use some mechanism with screw and gear to adjust the thickness
To stabilize and simplify your setup and movement of the log, you might consider a "log dog." As they're super simple to move between cuts and are basically giant staples! I've used them for hewing logs and it would be impossible to hew without them or at the very least, a partner. Best of all you could easily make them from some scrap angle iron you might have laying about!
Mattias. I really like this project because I have a bunch of trees that will be either fire wood or lumber. Sort of an extension of the rail idea, make a board that locks the bandsaw against the guide that you can slide it into. And perhaps a feed mechanism with a screw or winch setup for an automatic feed setup.
The home-made bandsaw sawmills I've seen all use a hand crank attached to a pulley for feeding the saw carrier over the log.
Love the Carrot illustration. Perfect!
I guess these "sawhorses and dolly" setup just take up the same amount of space as the sawmill extension for this bandsaw would. There certainly is some idea behind these experiments with keeping the mill setup vertical. But I also strongly believe that once you make this horizontal (like your smaller one), the resulting sawmill will be the best solution for saving those otherwise wasted logs (making a great supply for a small workshop).
I just sub to your Channel looking at your previous videos, my gosh you really are good at this! and I know that some shop vacs have floor tools that are very wide with slit like nozzles have you ever thought of putting something like that on the front of that band saw almost touching the floor and hook it up to your dust collector so every time you make a new cut it sucks up dust from the previous cut (except for bigger chunks like bark)
You where on the right track with the carriage idea..make a dovetail type groove in the sawhorse tops and build what you drew and use the dovetail grooves to hold them on then build the log clamp.use a cam to hold it tight to the upright and tighten it to the log.
I love the crotch figure in the wood it adds a lot of design which adds more character. I love the live edge boards.
Suggestion for sawdust/bark problem - mount blower/fan to move sawdust from the area the wheels must travel on. Add a backstop on the opposite side of the log support to contain the resulting debris. Just a thought - Annie
Three words: Alaskan chainsaw Mill. I'm sure you have heard of them, and possibly used them, but to me it's worth the time saved versus the lose in wood from a wide chainsaw blade, versus a thin band-saw blade.
this cuts faster than a chainsaw
I'm really enjoying the sawmill series. Please keep going, I'd love to see future improvements!
Have you thought about using some piping to make a railing system that bandsaw can run?
Since you are doing so much of this, have you considered building a dedicated bandsaw mill for logs? You could do something much larger, beefier engine, etc. Put either the saw or the log on tracks, and really do a good job of it. In theory your bandsaw wouldn't need that big of a throat because you aren't cutting super thick slices anyways.
You could charge out the casters to straight "V" casters and run on inverted angle iron. That would eliminate side to side.
I'm surprised that you haven't engineered some sort of quick clamp system for the wood. Seems like the sort of thing that is right up your alley... and now I've watched the last 30 seconds. ;)
Log sled, attached to your gear system similar to your box joint jig. You advance the gear which advances the log. The log is secured once initially, and then the sled powered by your gear can determine the width of cut.
Matthias, have you thought of just making cants with the setup, and then resawing slabs in the normal way?
Hi Matthias could you make a sled that the logs would attach to but would slide on the saw horses back and forth so as you cut a slab you can slide the sled forward for the next cut ??
Instead of tracks on the ground, It may be interesting to put a track like a C channel along the 2x4 guide and have rollers on the front face of the band saw slide into the track. That way the band saw can still move freely, but lock into the saw horses when used as a mill.
you might try to mount a push broom on the dolly base to keep big chunks from getting under the wheels
Hey matthias get one of them dewalt cordless blowers and attach it to the front so it blows the chips out of the way
You could add some small brushes in front of the caster so that they push debris out of the way.
Could you could mound a shop broom on the front of the band saw to push the debris out of the way as you go?
Matthias, thanks for the awesome content!
I hope this is a build up to going ahead with designing and making a full size horizontal band saw mill, similar in size to matt cremona's. it would be brilliant to see that!
for positioning the log, i would suggest a slotted board under the dolly for the wheels to ride in, with the distance between the slotted being how thick the boards are cut. i.e. making a track mill. that way you don't move the log between cuts, you just move the bandsaw to the next set of slots.
i look forward to all your videos. thanks for the entertainment while i'm stuck at work =P
If you added a shim to your 2x4 guide the thickness of the cut you want your lumber to be, then remove it for the next cut (original depth), you'd only have to move the log half as much.
I wonder if you could build guide tracks unit along the saw horse that the mill fits into?
in metal machining they use V blocks to hold round stock. I wonder if something like that would hold logs better while you cut it.
John made a fixed height horizontal sawmill. Thought that was pretty neat. Simple.
Clamps are a pain too. If you want easy reattachment that stands vibration you have a hard problem. For rare homeuse perhaps consider screwing the log to a big plank/rail. The screws eat an inch, but as homeuser it might be faster/easier to lose a bit more for more stability and faster reload. Otherwise going horisontal, as u have done before, is the way.
I suggest you mount a plate or rollers on your band saw to gauge the slab thickness similar to the way it's done on a chainsaw mill. That way you can mount your log out from the table as far as you like or even on lathe type mounting so you can rotate it easily to cut it from the outside in. You wouldn't have to keep making adjustment for each cut. The second thing I see is a need for lubrication. Even though it's a vertical band saw, you are cutting through green wood that is full of sticky resin. If you added a bottle and tube to wet the blade with just water and maybe a catch basin underneath, it should make it easier and your blade will last longer.
I, too, like the carrot clamp idea. Do you mind if I use it on the carriage of an 18" veneer mill I'm developing for professionals ?
improvements worked, nice little pile of boards ,
You could do your sled idea with maybe a wheel that shifts it 1/4" per turn, maybe a spike at the base of the end if the sled to keep the base of the log in place. On top could have some claws made from wood or metal that you just knock in with a hammer slightly with some kind of lever system in case they go too deep and can't be removed by hand.
try adding a brush in front of the wheels to keep from running over large bits of bark
Who knew a carrot would make such a great demonstration. Great video
great idea ---from a seed of a idea comes a mighty machine ...
You are a very ingenious fellow. 🤛😎👌
as a suggestion,you could try to jam the log at the end between 2 stakes.or make a rectangular frame and make a big ass clamp
Would adding a brush head at 45 degrees to direction of travel, just in front of the leading wheel, help push the bigger bits of debris out of the way?
"I'm running out of time, so I'll just do this and that and that." Pretty much what I would do in three weeks. Lol.
Perhaps some pivoting timber dogs would make the operation quicker. I have these on my rack saw. Cheers, Andy
Matthias, I think that this is a really worth while experiment, and shows the versatility that you have with your home made band saw. I also agree with your statement that a horizontal band saw would be better suited for cutting slabs. Was that statement a possible segue to another project?
You are making sawn timber at the right price---nothing wrong with that,its commendable..
Izzy implemented the horizontal method when he purchased that chainsaw attachment for his circular saw.
for the build-up of sawdust that's on the wheels: Even though its better with the bigger casters, maybe it would be better if you had some-sort of brush system to brush off the sawdust as you roll. If the brush is rubbing the sawdust off, it might be easier to roll. I know that's not really the major issue, but I figure I'd throw it out there.
good and simple idea!
Instead of turning the log over once you have a right angle between the first two cut sides turn the log around so that you keep the same side down.
Adding weight to the log support might help with the vibration.
Maybe you should put a brush in front of the caster to push stuff away from it.
great !!!, bravo !!!,....from Barcelona, Catalonia