PLATE 1

PLATE 2

PLATE 3
PLATE 4

PLATE 5

PLATE 6
PLATE 10

PLATE 11

PLATE 12
PLATE 16

PLATE 17

PLATE 18
PLATE 19

PLATE 20

PLATE 21
PLATE 22

PLATE 23

PLATE 24
PLATE 25

PLATE 26

PLATE 27
 BUILDING A SAWMILL MILL
FOUNDATION AND TRACK
To start building the mill you should determine the length of log you have
or the length of lumber you will need. In my case the longest log I would be
cutting would be 12 feet. I chose to make the track 4 feet longer to accommodate
the size of the mill head I planned. My mill track foundation is made of 3" x 4"
x 3/16" square tube, 16 ft. long, with the cross members 3" x 3" x 1/4" square
tube, 3 ft. long. One cross member on each end between the track foundation, one
in the middle section, one 4' from each end and one 6' from each end. See Figure
1, Plates 1 & 2. This seems to be plenty of support for the log. Be sure to
weld the cross members level with the top of the foundation to allow your mill
band a 1" clearance without having to build up the cross members too much. Even
with the cross members level with the top, I had to build the cross members up to
be able to make the last cut at 1" thickness.

While building the mill foundation (Figure 1, Plates 1 & 2) it is extremely

important to be sure it is absolutely straight and true. This is important
because, without a true foundation you can't saw an absolutely straight board or
plank. Be especially careful that in welding the cross members you don't get a
twist in the foundation. I purchased four V-groove, heavy duty, 4" rollers
(Figure 1, Plates 3 & 4) with roller bearings for the mill's primary carriage to
roll on. To accommodate the v-groove of the pulley, I welded 1" angle to the top
of the mill foundation (Figure 1, Plates 3 & 4). Other methods may work equally
well, but this was the method I used because it was readily available. Again, be
especially careful to keep the mill foundation absolutely straight because welding
the angle to the foundation could cause it to sag. NOTE: In Plates 3 & 4, a 5/8"
rod with stabilizers is welded in under the mill foundation. This was put- in
after the angle was installed to level it and take out the sag. As I realized
later, the rod helps keep the mill foundation rigid because I use end-jacks to
level the mill.

PRIMARY CARRIAGE

The primary carriage (Figure 2, Plates 1, 2 & 5) is the portion of the mill
that rolls on your track to move the band through the log to cut the size lumber
you need to cut. This carriage must be substantial enough to carry the band
wheels, motor, lubrication for keeping the band clean, fuel for the motor and the
mechanism to raise and lower the band, as well as the secondary carriage for the
band wheels. I built uprights out of 2" x 3" and crossbars of 2" x 2" x 1/8"
square tube, with plenty of cross members to stabilize the system. See photos,
and drawing for the size of my mill carriage. Each side of the carriage was laid
out absolutely level and square and welded. Two identical carriage standards
were made up as you see in Figure 2. The track was leveled, the track rollers
were installed on the carriage body and the carriage body set on the track with
the rollers in place. The carriage body was plumbed and braced. The top cross
members were measured and installed. Note additional cross members added for
stability. These two (front and back) were installed after I was sure the
carriage rolled evenly and smoothly on the track. Make absolutely sure the
carriage does not warp or shift as you weld it together.
 BUILDING A SAWMILL Page
2
BAND WHEELS

The band wheels (Plate 6) are 13" car wheels with tires from the rear axle of
a front-wheel-drive car, salvaged from a junk yard. Find the ones that bolt on a
rear axle and you automatically have true surface without having to worry about
squaring up the wheel, The only adjustable mechanism you need is a toe-in on one
wheel and a tightening system on the other wheel. On my system I put the toe-in
adjuster (Plates 7 & 8) on the drive wheel and the tightener (Plate 9) on the
idler wheel. The toe-in mechanism is needed to track the band on the wheels and,
of course, you need to be able to tighten the band after you install it on the
wheels. To keep the band from being forced off the wheels, I had a machinist cut
down stub axles and wheel hubs.(See Band Guide system)

SECONDARY CARRIAGE BAND WHEEL MOUNTING STANDARD

Band wheels, motor, belt drive system and mechanism for tightening belt
drive system are all mounted on the same secondary carriage system (Plate 10).
This system moves up and down as needed for cut depth. I used a 3" x 6" x 3/16"
square tube to build this carriage. (Plates 11 & 12) I used 1 1/4" cold rolled
steel to keep the mechanism perfectly in line. (Plates 13 & 14) The 1 1/4" shaft
fits inside the ends of the carriage and the secondary carriage rides up and down
on 1 1/4" bearing stops lined up and welded in place at top and bottom of the
secondary carriage to allow the system to move up and down freely. (Figure 2,
Plate 7) I used parts of an old boat lift, with cable wound on a shaft (Plates 15,
16, 17, 26 & 27) to raise the mechanism. The brake is a v-belt on a pulley (Plates
5 & 10) attached to the cable winding shaft, with spring tension and release lever.
This proved very adequate to hold the band at any level I needed for each cut.

MOUNTING BAND WHEEL MECHANISM AND SECONDARY CARRIAGE

When you build the primary carriage, keep in mind you must have adequate
room front-to-back to install all of the mechanism inside the primary carriage so
the secondary carriage can move vertically its full range. The largest log I can
saw is about 24" in diameter. If you wish to saw larger logs, you will have to
build your primary carriage higher and wider to accommodate the log. Be sure and
plan your foundation according to the largest log you will be sawing. Regarding
the secondary carriage band wheel mounting standard, be sure to temporarily
install mechanism with clamps and check for smooth, full range travel before
welding or bolting of the components in place permanently. The goal is to have the
secondary & carriage move up and down the full range without binding. I bolted the
1 1/4" shafts that the secondary carriage moves up and down (Plates 14 & 17) on to
the primary carriage just in case I ever wanted to take the secondary carriage out
of the primary carriage for any reason. The band wheels are mounted on a 6" x 6" x
1/2" angle (Plates 7, 8 & 9), hinged to a 6" x 1/2" steel plate. The hinges are
made from 1/2" cold rolled steel inside 5/8" pipe. The pipe hinge is split in 3
sections with the shorter top and bottom sections welded to the angle and the
middle, longer section welded to the plate. As you can see in the plates, the
toe-in band wheel hinge is mounted on the side of the mechanism and, on the
tightener
 BUILDING A SAWMILL
Page 3

end, the hinge is mounted on top to tighten and loosen the band. The adjusting
mechanism and band wheels are mounted so the band wheels run 1" above the bottom
of the secondary carriage band wheel mounting standard. This is designed to allow
mounting of the band guide system 3/4" below the level of the band wheels.

BAND GUIDE SYSTEM

As mentioned previously, the band guide system is made from trailer hubs
(mine were purchased at "Northern") and milled on a lathe to my specifications.
(See Figure 1, Plates 21 & 22) The hub diameter was not changed, but the bolt
flange was cut down to within 1/4" of the hub diameter. A 1" surface was left on
the hub and the remainder of the hub was cut down with a 1/16" relief. This
allows the band to ride freely on the hub, with the teeth of the band free from
contact. The stub axle was cut to within 3/4" of the bolt flange and tapped for a
9/16" fine-thread machine bolt to accommodate mounting the guide on the mounting
mechanism. The two band guides were mounted with the bottom of the band guide
3/4" below the tire so the saw band, as it was tightened, was forced to run tight
on the band guide. The 1/4" flange keeps the band from moving back as the blade
cuts though the lumber.

The band guide mounting bracket consists of 1/4" x 2" angle iron designed to
allow both vertical and horizontal movement of the band guide.(Figure 1, Plates 21
& 22) With these two adjustments, you can get an accurate band travel for a
straight cut. The adjusting mechanism consists of a 1/4" x 2" angle iron with a
slot to adjust vertically and a bolt and slot to adjust horizontally. This allows
for infinite adjustment to true up the blade with the mill foundation to insure a
straight cut.

I mounted the band guides on a square tube to allow the band guide range of
movement closer together for smaller logs. This assures a more accurate cut.
(Figure 1, Plate 23) This mechanism is a 2"x2"xl/8" square tube inside a 2 1/2" x
2 1/2" x 1/8" square tube with a "T-bolt" to secure the adjustment. Always keep
in mind every component you make must relate and line up with the part of the mill
it is designed for. You can't be too careful with accuracy. A straight and true
mill will guarantee straight and true lumber.

ENGINE OR MOTOR

The motor I am using is a 12 horsepower, 12 volt electric start. Larger

would be better—at least 18 horsepower, but the '"*" motor was a gift and, since
I was on a tight budget, it became my power source. I run a single belt from a
6" motor pulley to a jack shaft and a 4" pulley with a belt tightener used as a
clutch. From the other end of the shaft, I ran a 5" pulley lined up with the band
drive wheel. The belt goes around the band drive wheel next to the band and is
kept tight by a belt tightener.(Plate 20) Remember, the motor goes up and down
with the secondary carriage so it all has to be designed to operate as a unit.
For me this system works very well and allows enough speed on the band to cut red
oak, hard maple, pine or whatever I need to saw. So far I have sawed about 4,000
 BUILDING A SAWMILL
Page 4

board feet of hard maple, 1,000 board feet of red oak, all in 1" boards, and 3,000
board feet of aspen and white pine into 2"x4"x 8' lumber. So in all, I have sawed
about 8,000 board feet of lumber with a saw I built for less than $700.00, less
the cost of the engine. At $130.00 a thousand which the people with commercial
band saws charge, that's a savings of $350.00 and I still have the saw.

LOG JAMMING MECHANISM AND LOG STOPS

I mounted two vertically adjustable log stops (Plates 1,4 & 18) about 7 feet
apart on one side (in my case-the left side) next to the mill foundation. This
device keeps the log from moving and can be adjusted low enough to allow the last
cut to be a one-inch board. To jam the log into the log stops, I use a horizontal
and vertically adjustable device with a permanent handle welded to a 1/4" x 4"
off-center steel plate, this forces the log against the log stop. The round plate,
welded about an inch off-center on a vertical shaft, does a very adequate job
(Plate 19).

LEVELING MECHANISM
Each corner of the mill foundation has a 1 1/2" pipe with a foot welded to
the bottom. The pipe slips through a section of 2" pipe, with a "T-bolt" welded
in as a stop (Plate 24). Once the mill is leveled, I am ready to saw lumber.

MEASURING SCALE

I used a yardstick to gauge the thickness of the lumber. (Plate 25) Any
device that will tell you how far the band is from the bottom of the log will
suffice for measurement. The band blade is only .042" thick, so your waste is
not a lot.

A WORD ABOUT THE BAND BLADE

I use a 1 1/4" blade with 3/4" spacing between teeth. The blade is .042"
thick. Currently the band blade, 14' 4" in length, cost me $15.05 each, plus
"S&H". In all the sawing I have done to date (about 8,000 board feet) I have used
5 bands. I have no way of sharpening them at this point, so when they get dull I
put on a new one. To get a true measurement of the blade you need simply to
measure the distance around both wheels and band guides, with the tightener in
the loosest position. This will allow plenty of room for tightening the band on
the wheels. I pumped my tires up to 35 lbs. pressure to ensure a stable
foundation for the band. I also carved the tire flat where the band rides, to
give it a stable surface to run on. To carve down the tire surface, I built a
jig and used wood turning tools. I spun the tire with an electric motor driving
the belt around the tire.

LUBRICATION SYSTEM (WATER)

To saw some lumber, especially pine- with pitch in it, you must incorporate
some method of lubrication to the band. (Plates 2,11, 13 & 15) I mounted a tank
with a hose running to the band just
 BUILDING A SAWMILL Page
5

before the right-hand band guide. Use a shut off in the line to provide a drip
mechanism to give you the amount of lubrication (water) you need to keep the band
running clean. Any handy location for the tank will do as long as all the other
mechanisms can run
free.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The pictures or "Plates", as I call them, are actual photographs of the mill
as explained in this set of plans. The Plates are numbered to correspond with the
appropriate component of the text and figures.

Not specifically shown, is the design of the motor mounts to the secondary
carriage. This mounting will differ with the actual motor used, whether it be
gasoline, diesel or electric. On my mill, the motor mount is welded directly to
the secondary carriage.

Some of the Plates show covers over the band wheels. This is merely a
safety factor in case a band breaks or if the band comes off the wheels for any
reason. Any material may be used. Mine are of plywood and galvanized sheet metal
and attached to the band wheel
mounting mechanism.

This text with pictures and drawings are but one of perhaps many ways a
mill can be built to accommodate your purpose. My purpose was to build a mill
to allow me to saw some lumber for building construction as well as to furnish
my own material for hobbies and crafts at the dimensions desired.

In using this plan as I have it laid out, my intention is to provide

someone, having basic metal experience and skills, a means of using their own
ideas, perhaps incorporated with some of mine, to provide you with a usable mill.
Brochures from various commercial manufacturers of lumber mills may provide you
with other ideas different from the method I used. However, the end result is
the same. Build a mill that will turn logs into lumber at a reasonable price for
your own use and pleasure.

The date of the pictures gives you an idea of how long this mill has been
in use. Originally built in 1995, this mill has now sawed everything from hard,
dry white oak beams to green basswood and even veneer less than 1/4" thick.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD SAWING!!!!

Mencer Johnson 50178 364th.

Place Palisade, MN 56469
218-845-2216
amreco@mlecmn.net
 FIGURE 1 Mill
Foundation—Track

Leveling
Mechanism

Primary
Carriage
Upright

4" Roller

Track

Mill
Foundation

•Vertical Slot

Flange
Band
Roller

Grease Zerc
Vertical Slot

Secondary
Carriage
 FIGURE 2
PRIMARY CARRIAGE—Side View
SECONDARY CARRIAGE—End View

Bearing Stop-welded into

secondary carriage

Band Wheel

Primary Carriage 2
Sets required

Secondary Carriage

Saw Band Drive Belt

Drive Belt
Bearing Stop-welded into
secondary carriage
Track Pulley(4)

Mill Foundation

Track