How to make a band sawmill with your own hands. Features of a homemade band sawmill How to make a do-it-yourself lift for sawmills

The need for treated wood today, despite many of the most different materials is not decreasing and is unlikely to decrease in the coming years. Therefore, the presence of a sawmill for large and small workshops currently plays a very important role.

Band sawmill is an indispensable tool for wood processing and construction from this material.

But not everyone and not always can buy a similar machine made at the factory. And what to do if you need to have a sufficient amount of boards or timber on hand? Actually there is a way out. This is a band sawmill with your own hands.

This option is quite realistic, since the manufacture of this equipment, although it requires a certain skill and experience, is not too complicated. The main thing in this case is to gain certain knowledge.

Thus, it is now necessary to find out what and how one of the simplest types of cutting machines is created - a band sawmill.

Materials, tools and equipment needed to assemble a sawmill

Making a homemade cutting device will require the presence of components such as:

• pulleys (diameter - not less than 30 cm);
• half inch pipes;
• metal corner (size 50 mm);
• profile pipe (size 25x25 mm);
• channel.

A high quality band sawmill can be made with tools and equipment such as:

• welding machine;
• milling machine;
• electric drill;
• "Bulgarian" with a set of cutting discs;
• hammer;
• pliers;
• clamp;
• hacksaw for metal;
• screwdriwer set;
• set of wrenches;
• control and measuring devices (ruler, square, measuring tape);
• fasteners (bolts, nuts, screws, washers).

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How the sawmill works

In order to assemble the device we are considering in accordance with all the rules and, as a result, get a high-quality woodworking machine, it is useful to know the basic technological principle on the basis of which almost all band sawmills operate.

It can be described very briefly. The log (or some kind of semi-finished wood product), which is to be sawn, is placed on the working platform and fixed. Like the foundation itself wooden blank remains stationary throughout the entire sawing cycle into boards or bars. On rails and special guides along the log, a mobile structure moves in both directions with a cutting unit installed on it, which cuts the workpiece into predetermined measured lumber.

Direct cutting is carried out using a saw blade that circulates under tension between two pulleys mounted on a movable frame.

The configuration and dimensions of boards or bars are initially set by the sawmill operator. A smooth straight cutting line is ensured by a sufficiently large saw blade tension force between the driving and driven pulleys.

The full cycle of sawing raw workpieces includes 3 cycles:

1. Pre-treatment of blanks for cutting. The logs prepared for this are sorted by size. To adjust the parameters, they are cut with a chainsaw or a hacksaw for wood.
2. Direct sawing of wood material. The sawmill operator adjusts the equipment. After that, sawing is carried out according to a given pattern.
3. Finishing processing of the obtained lumber. After the operation of the sawmill, small errors may remain on the boards or bars. In this case, the machine is not used, minor defects are manually eliminated by the operator.

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Band sawmill: components and parts

The equipment considered in this case operates according to a block diagram. This principle allows you to build up the structure with additional or improved units and devices.

The design of the sawmill consists of such basic elements as:

• frame with guides (2 pcs.) for moving the saw band;
• rail pair for moving the saw cart;
• screw lifting mechanism, moving the tape;
• spring (hydraulic) belt tension unit;
• 2 pulleys, driving and driven;
• casing for protecting pulleys;
• tape retainer;
• V-belt transmission;
• Electrical engine;
• system of eccentric clips for the processed log;
• stops;
• coolant reservoir.

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Do-it-yourself band sawmill: manufacturing procedure

The manufacture of the machine begins with the creation of the frame of the sawmill. It is made of two channels 8 m long and more than 14 cm high. If there are no channels, you can take two rails under the frame (with the soles on top) or metal corners 50x100 mm in size.

Holes are drilled along the length of the channels at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other. After that, the channels are pulled together by pipe segments ¾ 25 cm long. The pipes are fastened to the channels using threaded studs or bolts of appropriate sizes.

The guide structure assembled in this way is installed on the racks. The racks themselves are also made by welding or threaded assembly from channels (in their absence, from corners or pipes). The number of these structural elements depends on the length of the assembled frame. For example, for an 8-meter bed, approximately 4 racks will be required. When installing them, it is necessary to ensure that the extreme ones are at a distance of 80-100 cm from the ends of the guides. In addition, the design of the frame should be made sufficiently rigid, for which it is equipped with braces.

After that, proceed to the assembly of the mobile cart. Usually the material for its manufacture is a steel plate with a thickness of 46 mm. The dimensions of the metal blank for the trolley must be selected in such a way that the result is a movable unit about 60 cm long. The width of the movable structure depends on the width of the frame and should be such that the edges of the trolley protrude beyond the channels by approximately 8 cm on each side.

Then you should think about a way to move along the frame of a mobile cart with an electric motor attached to it and circular saw. The direction and speed of movement are set by a special steering wheel, which is installed on the side of the sawmill body. The steering wheel is connected to the bushing of one of the sprockets located on the sides of the guides.

A metal chain is used to move the entire structure. To avoid free play at the helm, the chain must always be tensioned in accordance with the technical requirements.

In order to ensure the high quality of the resulting lumber, as well as to create convenient conditions for the operator for sawing wood, the band sawmill must be equipped with special device for fixing the log in a stationary state. For such a device, metal pipes having an internal diameter of about 35-40 mm are well suited.

Movable rods are inserted inside these pipes, and special clamps made of metal corner 40x40 mm in size, and clamping cam mechanisms. It should be borne in mind that for reliable fixation of the processed logs, the length of the clamping elements cannot be less than 15 mm.

Finally, it was the turn of choosing the main components of any sawmill - saws and electric motors. Meanwhile, experienced workers are advised to do this at the very beginning of the manufacturing process of the cutting machine. The point is that from technical parameters of these components as a whole also depend on the dimensions of the entire saw system.

Since the power unit and saw can only be purchased ready-made and with certain technical specifications, then when buying in a store, you should pay attention to electric motors with a power of 10 kW and saws with a diameter of 1 m. Such parameters can ensure maximum efficiency of the future machine. If the motor and saw with these characteristics could not be found, then the frame must be made somewhat smaller.

Building a house out of wood or working as a carpenter requires a special woodworking tool. And this is not about the “friendship” saw, but about the real band sawmill. Of course, you can buy already processed blanks or purchase an industrial sawmill, but the price for all this is very high. In this article we will talk about how a band sawmill is made by hand. The task is quite feasible, but it will require attention and perseverance.

General information

Wood has been used as a building material for centuries. We can say that even in our time, many prefer wooden houses in the private sector than concrete. This is due to many reasons, but we are not talking about that. To speed up construction works and to cut costs, woodworking machines were invented. There are a huge number of sawmills today, but they all process logging, only the methods differ.

If you have a band sawmill, made with your own hands, then it can become an additional source of income. After all, you can easily take on private orders, and you won’t deny yourself anything. Would you like a bath or gazebo? No problem, we take the workpiece, process it and proceed to construction.

Why tape?

You are surely asking this question. As noted a little above, there is currently a huge selection, but we will focus on this. The fact is that such a solution has a huge number of advantages. Firstly, this type of sawmill can work with any tree species, from deciduous to highly resinous. Secondly, the assortment produced is quite extensive, these are edged and not edged boards, beams, veneer, carriage and much more.

You will be able to create blanks from which furniture, glued beams, shields, etc. will be made in the future. And in general, the workflow at the band sawmill is simplified. Most importantly, this type of sawing provides for minimal log loss to sawdust, which is a very important point. If a do-it-yourself band sawmill is done correctly, then you will not see waves and bristles on the processed workpiece.

Do-it-yourself band sawmill: drawings and design

Before proceeding directly to the practical part, it is necessary to briefly familiarize yourself with the design and sketch out a few simple drawings. At all, structural diagram designed in such a way that you can increase the layout of the equipment. That is, in the very simple version you get an elementary band sawmill with manual feed of the workpiece, and in the most complex - a high-performance product with automation and sensors.

The basis of the sawmill is a frame with guides. Usually it is assembled with welded soles, where mobile rollers are placed. The bed in all cases is U-shaped and is assembled by welding two channels together. Accordingly, the drive pulley is fixed on one side of the frame in a stationary state, and the second - on the other end in a movable state. The guides are mounted in the middle of the frame and are a collapsible structure. This is very important if the equipment is planned to be transported. In general, a do-it-yourself band sawmill, the drawings of which you can find in this article, is not made so quickly. But such equipment has a lot of strengths.

Do-it-yourself homemade band sawmills from A to Z

We can say that even the simplest home-made sawmill, provided that it is correctly assembled, has a unique design. The fact is that only this type of woodworking machine completely eliminates damage to the bed as a result of a heavy workpiece falling. This is achieved by independently suspended guides.

What you should take care of is the choice of cutting tool. In our case, a band saw is used, which is why, in fact, the equipment is called that. Its width can reach 60 mm. It is tensioned by means of a spring-screw mechanism, which is very convenient, since it does not take much time. The saw blade is installed and fixed with two locks. They must be extremely reliable, pay attention to this if you are going to make homemade band sawmills. You should not make such locks with your own hands, it is better to buy.

The principle of operation of the device

The work cycle looks something like this:

• Workpiece preparation. At this stage, the logs are cut and given the same shape.
• Workpiece processing. The operator sets up the equipment. If there is automation, then the necessary parameters are set, everything else is done by the sawmill.
• The final stage. This stage may not be, depending on the presence of errors. If any are found on the processed logs, then the operator eliminates them.

In general, the principle of operation of the device is based on the fact that during processing the workpiece is in a stationary state and is cut by a movable tape. It moves in a horizontal direction and is mounted on the driving and driven pulleys. To ensure a straight cut, it is extremely important to maintain belt tension. The log is fixed between the guides with the help of a special support. The equipment provides for the presence of an electronic ruler or hydraulics, which is necessary to obtain a workpiece of a certain thickness. Main handmade: laying a log, flipping and clamping it.

Manufacturing of a sawmill

As a basis for our future sawmill, it is necessary to take two channels. They should have a length of 8 meters and a height of about 14 centimeters. Of course, there is not always a suitable channel, so you can go the other way and use rails or 50x100 mm angles. The main requirement is that the base be flat and not have bends. A number of holes are drilled along the entire length of the channels. In this case, the specified step must be strictly observed. According to the holes made, we will build screeds. For this, ¾ inch pipe sections are suitable. Their length should be about 25 centimeters. For connection, it is desirable to use studs or bolts 29-35 cm.

Do-it-yourself mini band sawmill is installed on special racks. It is desirable to assemble them using M12 bolts. Pipes, angles or channels can be used as material. Accordingly, the longer the frame of the unit, the more racks we need. In our case, 4 pieces are enough.

Continuing assembly work

Now we have to make a movable cart. It consists of a metal plate 40-50 mm thick. Depending on the dimensions of the engine, its length is selected, optimally 550-600 cm. As for the width, the trolley should be such that the channels on each side go out by about 70-80 mm.

Important Details

In general, the manufacture band sawmill almost completed by hand. Only a few small details remain. First of all, I would like to say a few words about the movable cart. The fact is that to ensure movement along the guides, it is necessary to use plates and gaskets. In this case, it is necessary to try to make the gap as small as possible. The thickness of the spacers is chosen such that it is 0.5 mm more than the channel flange. You need to fix the whole thing with the help of 8 M8 bolts.

Since a chain is used to move the cart with the engine, it must be ensured that it is sufficiently tensioned. This is necessary to prevent free play of the steering wheel. It is located on one of the bushings near the sprockets that are on the edges of the guides.

Everyone should know

There is also such an option as a gasoline band sawmill. Doing it with your own hands is even easier. In this case, the chainsaw engine, rigidly fixed to the frame, will act as a motor that drives the cutting tool into rotation. The functions of the tape are performed by the blade of a gasoline saw. In general, the design of such a saw is extremely simple, but at the same time quite functional.

It is also convenient to work with such equipment because of the well-thought-out attachment mechanism. It consists of pipes inside diameter 35-40 mm into which movable rods are inserted. Clamps (from a 40x40 corner) and cam clamps are mounted on top.

Conclusion

It is easy to guess that the main elements of the sawmill are the engine and the saw. A low-power motor for a serious bed is not suitable. Try to get a 10 kW motor. It will be quite enough for the above construction. As for the saw, its diameter should be about a meter. If you have difficulty purchasing these components, it is recommended to reduce the dimensions of the bed.

So we talked about how to make a band sawmill with your own hands. Of course, making such a unit will not work at all without costs, but you can save a lot. In any case, it is desirable to be guided by the workpieces being processed. The more they are, the more massive the bed and the sawmill as a whole will turn out. In the end, you can use the simplest design and use a chainsaw as a base. If everything is assembled correctly, the result will please you. Now you know how a band sawmill is assembled with your own hands, and you can use this knowledge.

Sawing machine for wood (sawmill) - rather complex special production equipment, requiring strict observance of safety measures in the course of work. In the conditions of the Russian Federation, your own sawmill can significantly reduce the cost of wood construction and/or become a source of stable income. The purpose of this publication is to help the reader figure out how to make a sawmill with his own hands, choose the design that suits him and avoid insurmountable difficulties in its manufacture.

When is it needed?

Interest in the "do-it-yourself sawmill" actually came to RuNet from the EU. There, in a certain period of time (which has not yet completely ended), independent sawing of round timber into measured lumber turned out to be profitable no matter what. In Russia, the situation is significantly different. First, the “scissors” of prices for wild logs and timber in Russia have already been “divorced” a lot. Secondly, the primary processing of wood is a particularly dangerous job, like logging. It is not realistic for a small individual entrepreneur to open a sawmill legally - Russian labor protection legislation is draconian in this respect.

The third point is sawdust. There will be a lot of them from the primary processing of wood. Store sawdust (for example, for fuel for the stove long burning) is impossible - they begin to ferment, releasing highly toxic methanol (methyl alcohol, wood alcohol). Sawmills are required to hand over sawdust for recycling. “Beyond the hillock” is easier with them - the local MDF and fiberboard manufacturers will willingly buy the raw materials they need, maybe even with self-delivery. RF wood is by no means poor and Russian manufacturers board / sheet wood materials "left" batches of sawdust do not take. Based on these conditions, it is possible to preliminarily determine cases when making a sawmill on your own in the Russian Federation may make sense:

• An indispensable condition is if round timber is easily accessible in your area, and the nearest sawmill is far away. Renting a timber truck for Russian distances (meaning an empty run from the garage) along Russian roads in the outback per ton-kilometer of cargo is much more expensive than the European one.
• If the indispensable condition is met, then the first case is independent wooden construction with a chronic shortage Money. Then independent sawing of round timber into timber will reduce the construction estimate by 2-3 times and up to 5 times, taking into account the cost of manufacturing a sawmill. Resp. the construction period will also be lengthened, but when there is no money, then there is nothing to choose from. With sawdust - do what you want, they will turn out once.
• The next option is sawing wild logs to order at home, i.e. master on call to the master's farmstead. In the conditions of the Russian Federation, this is perhaps the best option: you can also bring a mobile mini-sawmill (see below) to your place of work in a passenger car, so that the cost of sawing is acceptable for both parties. Sawdust is the owner's problem, and a small one, because. they are also thrown out to him on the site once. The master does not have a headache from them, i.e. you can register, eg. IP carpenter and work "in white".

Design features

The main feature of the sawmill is that the saw in it is always longitudinal. How much more difficult it is to cut wood along the grain is well known. Unlike circular saw the sawmill does not deal with measuring boards and beams, but with wild logs of generally irregular shape. Therefore, in sawmills, a saw carriage with a working body (actually a saw) moves along the sawn log; otherwise, it is very difficult to ensure the accuracy and cleanliness of the washed down. At large timber processing enterprises there are also sawmills for sawing very long logs (up to 30, and in the tropics up to 60-70 m). In them, the carriage is motionless, and the log is moved by a hydraulic system; alignment of the line is provided by a computer with sensors. But at home, such a solution is unrealistic.

Note: sawing of logs is always carried out in the direction of convergence of the wood fibers, i.e. from butt to top. If you put the carriage in reverse, then any saw (see below) will certainly get stuck in the tree and / or break.

What to drink?

How affordable for manufacturing, durable, convenient and safe to use a home-made sawmill will be, is mainly determined by the design of its working body. Another essential condition is the requirements for the productivity of the machine and its mode of operation (regularly, from time to time). The third is the resource of the working body and the possibility of its replacement. And, finally, the energy supply at the place of work is also important: what is more accessible there - electricity or motor fuel? There are also less significant additional conditions, see below.

In sawmills of small and medium productivity (up to 3-5 cubic meters of wood in 6 hours. work shift) are applied next. types of working bodies:

• Reciprocating saw bar (old).
• Saw blade (pos. 1 in the figure below).
• Saw blade (pos. 2).
• Saw chain (pos. 3).
• Chain saw bar continuous action(new, item 4).
• Household chainsaw (pos. 5).

How to drink?

The orientation of the cutting surface can be horizontal or vertical. Resp. and washed down will be horizontal or vertical, and the sawmill will be horizontal or vertical. Vertical washed down, firstly, reduces the waste of material, because. it is enough to align the log under it only in a horizontal plane. Under a horizontal cut, a log to minimize waste requires alignment both horizontally and vertically, otherwise too much wood will go into the slab (“hump”). Secondly, when sawing vertically, the sawed off (sawn off part of the log) does not put pressure on the working body and clings to it much less. Therefore, for sawing the same timber vertically, the drive power is 2-3 times less than horizontally, see the video below:

Video: homemade vertical chain sawmill

But, firstly, the injury risk of vertical sawmills is much higher than horizontal ones. Secondly, the transverse feeding of a log under the saw of a vertical sawmill is structurally and technically very complex, and it is extremely difficult or even impossible to ensure the maximum allowable sawing accuracy according to specifications up to 6 mm per 6 m of the log length on a self-made vertical sawmill. Therefore, it is better to build a sawmill with your own hands for a horizontal gash.

The structural composition of the sawmill

We will talk a little further about the features of a particular saw for a sawmill. First you need to understand the design of the sawing machine as a whole. It consists of:

1. working body - saws (see above and below);
2. drive to it from the motor;
3. saw carriage;
4. rail track (guide) for it;
5. carriage (lodgment) for a log;
6. grips-holders for him;
7. a frame that combines all this into an integral device and provides its overall strength and reliability.

Note: certain structural components of the sawmill can be made integral with the frame.

Drawings of the sawmill in full structural composition (layout diagram) are given in Fig.:

Its features are, firstly, a frame made of wooden beams. Second, the minimum welding work during assembly. This important point A: metal structures when welding leads; because of this, it is very problematic to lay the accuracy of sawing with a welded sawmill in TU. Thirdly, the rail track of the carriage (pos. 13 on the right) from a steel angle, cheaper than a channel; the necessary stability of the track is ensured by the rigid fastening of the rails to the frame. As a result, the bearing shoes of the carriage are pairs of conventional rolling bearings, and the smoothness and accuracy of its movement are high; carriage tremor is the main cause of cutting defects. Another consequence is the carriage feed mechanism without gear (chain, screw, etc.), which also increases the smoothness of its movement. Finally, in a carriage of this design, it is possible to install a drive with any of the saws listed above under a horizontal cut; disk, with a tire of continuous action and a chainsaw, also for vertical.

The disadvantage of this machine is comb-shaped log holders. It is impossible to make them from a channel less than 60 mm, they will not hold the timber. That is, the last unusable slab will turn out to be no thinner than 60 mm. In addition, material waste will increase because the vertical alignment of the log in this machine is impossible. However, getting rid of these shortcomings is not so difficult by using a separate carriage for a log of a simple design, see below.

Some explanations require the operation of the unit for setting the thickness of the cut (on the sidebar), which in this machine is quite simple, accurate and easy to use. Nuts 5 on the tie-in are welded to the base plate 4 and locked. After the first cut, the adjusting screws (pos. 1 on the sidebar and 11 on the right) rotate synchronously, because they are connected by a chain drive (pos. 20 on the right). The locknuts (pos. 2 on the sidebar) do not need to be loosened: they will loosen themselves. After installing the saw in a new position below the previous one, the lock nuts are tightened by hand.

Saw like a saw - rip

A reciprocating saw bar is nothing more than a carpenter's rip saw blade. Its drawing, tooth profiling and wiring diagram are given in fig. on right. The drive in the sawmill - from the flywheel to the crank mechanism through the slider - is a smooth steel rod sliding in a cage with bronze or babbit inserts (this is exactly what is shown in the figure above with the layout diagram of the sawmill). In the old days, instead of a saw tire, craftsmen put blades of carpentry bow saws; they also saw along, and you could buy them in almost any tool store. In this case, the web tension on the return stroke is provided by a sufficiently strong return spring.

The advantage of a reciprocating saw bar is a smooth, clean cut with a width of no more than 3 mm, i.e. little waste of material. The resource is very solid, no less than that of a saw blade, see below. But there are also a lot of disadvantages:

• Low productivity: if the carriage feed on the reverse motion of the saw exceeds 1/3 of the height of the tooth, i.e. 4 mm, the saw gets stuck.
• It is impossible to cut a log with a diameter of more than 300-320 mm - the canvas immediately gets stuck and wrinkled.
• Raw, unseasoned wood does not take, it also immediately bogs down and breaks.
• It often gets stuck in knots and squirrels.
• With insufficient tension on the reverse stroke, the cut deteriorates sharply - it becomes wide and torn.
• The same - with an excessively strong return spring.

In professional timber processing, reciprocating saw bars went out of use by the end of the 19th century, and among amateurs - with the advent of chainsaws in everyday life.

Disk

A saw blade from a circular saw will not fit into a sawmill: it is made of steel of poorer quality than is required in this case. When sawing damp logs, the material of the disc from the circular will soon self-release due to heating, the disc will quickly fail or it will be completely blown apart. That's why saw blade for a sawmill, pleasure is not cheap. In separate sources, you can find advice: they say, cut a round from galvanized (!) Or duralumin (!!!), fasten 2-4 teeth on it, and saw. Judging by the fact that the authors of publications of this kind seem to be alive and not mutilated, they themselves did not do this and have no idea what could come of it.

Disc sawing of wood is widespread in professional woodworking, because. allows you to cut several pieces of measured lumber from the wood in one pass; for this, angle and multi-blade saw carriages are used (top left inset in the figure). However, an industrial sawmill is a complex structure, see fig., on the topic “with your own hands” does not pass in any way.

An amateur, if he gets hold of a saw blade (diameter from 600 mm, the tooth profile is the same as that of a longitudinal saw, see above), you need to keep in mind its advantages and disadvantages:

• Large resource - up to 5000 hours and more complete; up to 1500-2000 hours between teeth regrinding.
• Required for sharpening grinding machine, there is no way to do it manually.
• The cut is not very even with a width of 3-5 mm, i.e. material waste up to 10-12% by volume. A “clean cut” disc, giving a waste of 2-5%, costs 3-10 times more than a simple one.
• You can cut without technical breaks for the whole 6 hours. shift; maximum performance in given class devices.
• High power consumption, because the disc rubs against the tree both vertically and horizontally in a cut with a large side surface. To get the required drive power in kW, multiply the log diameter in dm by 1.7.
• The quality and condition of the sawmill being processed have practically no effect on the productivity.
• A disc with a diameter of 800 mm can cut a log with a diameter of up to 350 mm.
• Larger discs in amateur designs are very dangerous, because. require a high-precision drive to avoid beating.
• The drive is only electric, because. The idle disc must rotate absolutely smoothly. In the tree, he already has more than enough twitching.

In general, a do-it-yourself sawmill is definitely not an option. Consider the drawings in fig. below. The first thing that catches your eye on the left is a carriage on rollers in channel rails. This is not a rail track made of milled profiles: the rollers are skewed by 1-2 mm when the carriage is moved. The result is a disc warp of 6 mm or more. Immediately - his stuck in a tree. Given the mass of the disk, its rotation speed and moment of inertia, the occurrence of an emergency and extremely traumatic situation is inevitable.

Further, the lower edge of the disc must fit into the groove of the log carriage, otherwise it will not finish sawing it to the end. And so, we sawed off the first crust. What's next? In theory, the grooves in the carriage need several according to the thickness of the resulting boards. After each washed down, either the carriage rises, moves forward and again falls into the working position, or the carriage with the log must be moved under it in the same way. Do you imagine such a design, made at home? No, it's going to give you a headache.

What if it's simple? Just move the log on the carriage? No, not easy. It must be laid again so that the next washed down runs exactly parallel to the previous one. And on the carriage there is not a stick, there is a hefty heavy block of wood.

Well, let's say our family / staff are heroic, we don't care to turn logs, and the loss of productivity due to this is acceptable. Then we look at what is marked in red in the drawing on the right in Fig. Yes, it's a log holder. Without it, it will either roll off the carriage, or tip over when 2-3 blocks are sawn off ( unedged boards throughout the forest for dissolution on measuring boards). The holder falls on the very middle of the log. You can't pee on it. In total, the most valuable, wide, strong and most uniformly drying core chopping block will most likely go to waste, because. due to the shifting of the log, it will turn out to be unacceptably converging to a wedge in thickness.

Note: an amateur single-disk sawmill for a horizontal saw is no more convenient and no more productive than a vertical one, but structurally it is much more complicated and dangerous.

So, a do-it-yourself circular sawmill is an option in one single case: if you come up with an improvement in the rank of a commercially promising invention and you need to test the idea in hardware in order to apply for a patent. In all others, it is not necessary.

Saw tape

The band sawmill is one of the inventions that give a significant result with trivial technical solutions. A reciprocating rip saw has a lot of advantages, and its disadvantages are due most of all to the presence of a reverse motion. So, you need to get rid of it to get a continuous saw blade. As a result operational properties band sawmills differ significantly from those of the prototype and machines of a similar purpose:

1. Productivity - up to average, 2-3 cubic meters. m of wood per shift.
2. It cuts both aged and raw freshly chopped round timber.
3. The cleanliness of the cut is as high as that of a rip saw blade, and material waste is just as low.
4. The cutting accuracy is as high as that of a sawmill, provided that the saw blade is evenly and optimally tensioned.
5. Sawing logs immediately into pieces of measured materials is impossible.
6. Energy consumption per 1 cu. m of wood is 1.2-1.5 times lower than that of a sawmill.
7. In order to avoid self-tempering of the material of the tape, technical breaks in work are necessary: ​​after each washing down for 5-10 minutes; after sawing 0.5 cu. m (2 logs with a diameter of 0.3 m and 6 m long) - 10-15 minutes; after 2 hours of work - half an hour-hour; from 6 hour shift to next. the same - at least 2 hours.
8. Full resource of the working body (tape) - 100-500 hours; restart is not possible.
9. The cost of a tape in terms of an hour of work is much less than a simple saw blade.
10. The cost of the entire machine is several times less than that of a disk machine with an angle carriage for one cut.
11. The drive is electric, because the idle smoothness of the tape needs to be as high as for the disk.

Due to these features, the band sawmill finds the widest application in small sawmills. According to most of the ads: “We accept a round log / log for sawing”, it is band sawmills that work. In Russia, band sawmills are produced in a fairly wide range (Taiga, etc.).

The simplest way to do rip saw- roll her canvas into a ring and put it on the pulleys, pos. 1 next. fig.. To avoid injury by a non-working branch of the canvas, a protective cover is put on the working body. Making a sawmill with a tape without it (pos. 2) is extremely dangerous!

The second stumbling block for do-it-yourselfers here is the tape pulleys. The branded profile of the side surface (working) has a special slightly convex profile. The tape slips from the cylindrical pulley; flanges (rims) do not help. Some craftsmen from this tilt the entire sawing knot up 1-3 degrees. However, if the tension of the tape loosens a little (which is possible during one cut), the tape will fly off from above; without a protective cover, this is even more dangerous than sliding down.

Craftsmen smarter found a way out: the tape is put on wheels from cars and motorcycles with tires, pos. 3 in fig. and fig. at the beginning. Their profile is almost exactly what you need, and the elasticity of the tightly inflated chambers ensures optimal belt tension, at least for sawing a whole log. In addition, if thin enough are sawn quality materials, then you can get by with the simplest friction drive, also pos. 3 fig. on right. Simplifies the manufacture of the machine, because. auto-moto wheels are already quite balanced, see video:

Video: do-it-yourself band sawmill

Transfer to saw

When sawing damp raw logs and knotty / serrated and viscous small-layered wood, the transmission from the drive to the tape (main) also turns out to be a stumbling block. The mechanical characteristic of the belt is too soft: the belt is elastic and can slip. The gear, on the contrary, is too rigid: for a moment before jamming, the gears give a sharp, strong jerk. In both cases, it is very likely that the tape will become stuck in the tree and collapse, which immediately creates a dangerous situation.

The best main gear for a band sawmill is chain. It provides an idle run of the belt almost as smooth as a belt one. And when sawing a "bad" tree, the chain's own inertia pulls the tape with small, frequent jerks, and the heterogeneity of the wood is successfully overcome. The same property of chain transmission is used, for example. in screw wood splitters.

Chain instead of ribbon

The working body of a chain sawmill is a chain with saw teeth stretched on rollers. Its operational strength, resource and reliability (not prone to getting stuck on wood defects) are several times greater than tapes, and the cost per cut length to wear is lower. The saw chain is subject to resharpening (a sharpening machine is needed!) and does not require technical interruptions during the shift. The drive can be non-volatile from a 1-2 cylinder 2-stroke internal combustion engine: the saw chain itself dampens its vibrations. In terms of safety, the chain sawmill is the best in this segment of production equipment.

Disadvantages, firstly, increased energy consumption compared to tape - the chain casing rubs against the tree, although not as much as the disk. The second is a wide (4-6 mm or more) rather ragged cut: lumber from a chain sawmill needs to be sanded (therefore, a grinder is not often built into a grinder) or will go on sale as a second grade. Consequence: increased waste of material, up to 15% by volume. The third is that in continuous operation it is necessary to supply coolant (coolant, emulsion) to the saw chain, see fig. Fourth - a long technical break between shifts for self-healing of the properties of the chain: at least 10 hours. And, finally, the high labor intensity of maintenance: regrinding and / or replacement of chain teeth is required every 10-50 hours of work, and fuss with them - mother, do not worry!

Due to these circumstances, chain sawmills are used predominantly. for the primary sawing of forests at stock exchanges and at harvesting sites. In the latter case, the non-volatility of a machine with an internal combustion engine plays a decisive role: it is brought on a truck or tractor, the woods are cut into planks and they are taken away. In remote regions of the Russian Federation and Canada, timber losses are often more than compensated for by savings on transportation of round timber by timber trucks. But such an approach, of course, does not go to the benefit of the forest as a living community. And from excessive felling, and from clogging with sawdust.

Tire new

The continuous saw bar is a cantilever chain saw, i.e. tension-free at the end far from the drive; coolant supply is also not needed. Do you recognize? This is the “canvas” of a chainsaw. Application modern materials and continuous improvement in design has made it possible to create chainsaws that are suitable for domestic use in all respects. A sawmill from a chainsaw at home is also made much easier than any other; drawings of a bed with rails and a log holder can be taken, and carriages for a household chainsaw. Its operational qualities and features (except for the resource) will be approx. the same as the chain sawmill. Changeover from horizontal to vertical cut is carried out simply by moving the carriage. But be aware:

• The life of the saw motor will be reduced by approx. twice.
• The full resource of the “canvas” of the best models will be no more than 20-30 hours, and the cheapest ones - 10-12 hours.
• Every 2-3 hours you will need regrinding, and every 4-6 hours you will need to replace the teeth (if it is possible for this sample).
• The total working time during the day is 2-3 hours.
• Technical break until the next shift - from 12 hours.
• The saw must be designed for both cross and longitudinal cut.

The last circumstance, as Comrade Sukhov would say, is a delicate matter. For models from leading manufacturers (Stihl, for example), both cuts are provided by default, but the resource for the longitudinal is given for normal use: 15 minutes of work, half an hour of rest. It is impossible to withstand it in the sawmill, because. it is impossible to stop the carriage while the sawing is in progress. In this case, the resource of the saw bar is reduced by half or three times. For “alternative” manufacturers, most often the opposite is true: by default, only a cross saw is used. If the user manual says “transverse and longitudinal”, “also longitudinal”, etc., then the resource for a longitudinal cut is not specified. Keep in mind.

For sawmills, special continuous saw bars are produced. Due to the rejection of the transverse cut, their extension (length) is greater, up to 1000-1200 mm, the cut is thinner (3-4 mm) and cleaner; virtually the same as a band saw. Resource and mode of use - like a saw chain. A sawmill with a tire can be of a conventional design (on the left in the figure), but in the context of home-made ones, a tire sawmill of the Logosol type is of much greater interest, center-right in the figure. Spring-loaded edging supports keep the log from rolling. Elevators are adjustable separately, which allows you to level the log horizontally.

The history of Logosol is interesting and inextricably linked with ours. In the USSR, since the 1930s, the export of raw wood was strictly regulated and produced in large quantities through well-established channels. After its collapse, the former Soviet republics, which have forest reserves, literally flooded Europe with cheap round timber with norms even from a log. In the EU, the main own logging is carried out in Germany and Switzerland in the Alps. There are enough smart woodworkers here and there, and they are accustomed to working on an acute shortage of raw materials. At local prices for timber, the calculation of income from the purchase of wild timber and sawing into a board-beam in my yard gave results that made my eyes but forehead climb. Plus - there is no disposal headache from sawdust, but there is a significant additional benefit from selling them. It was then that the Swiss Bengt-Olof Byström came up with the sawmill, which he called Logosol. Its highlight is the replacement of a technologically complex rail track with a smooth guide along which the carriage is moved manually with pressure. This requires more work and some skill, but the design of the sawmill is greatly simplified, and its cost drops significantly. Amateurs have developed many modifications of Byström's undoubtedly successful design. Their drawings of Logosols and nodes for them can be openly taken from here: //www.logosol.su/files.htm. And how to make a Logosol sawmill with your own hands, see the video:

Video: do-it-yourself mobile-stationary Logosol "Terya"

The appearance of Logosol is the immediate reason for the development of saw bars for sawmills. On sale there are their models, interfaced with household chainsaws: we remove the regular blade, we put the tire. Thus, the matter with the cost and laboriousness of the drive was also decided: a chainsaw on the farm is already a necessary thing.

Mini

Further development of Logosol's idea - a mini sawmill without a frame, guide and rails, see fig. on right. Instead of a guide, an existing saw cut is used; with careful manual sawing, its accuracy within the log is maintained. In this case, in addition to the tire and the drive, only the support platform and the handles for holding and moving remain on the carriage.

The pioneer cut is made according to a template (a flat board, at the top right in the figure), a channel, a frame from a corner, etc., longer than a log. Subsequent horizontal ones - according to the previous one, in the center on the right. If a vertical cut is needed, a channel is laid (bottom right), because. in this case, a flat lateral support surface is needed. However, all this does not eliminate the last problems: installing a log on a carriage, aligning it and holding it.

Carriage, grips, clamps

There was such a problem as a frame with additional nodes. The one in pos. 1 fig. on the left is far from optimal. For a one-time sawing on a self-construction, it is too complicated and expensive. It is also not suitable for long-term regular use: even if the supporting frame is made of a 200-mm channel, it will not sag on the first or second ten logs, which means the machine is completely unusable. A stationary sawmill must be made with a separate concreted rail track and a log carriage (pos. 2; we will not focus on safety in this case - the topic of this article is different).

The next tasks are leveling and holding the log. In industrial woodworking, hydraulic jacks with hooks are used for this. The log is hung on a hoist, lowered onto the carriage without touching, the jacks turn on and grab it tightly. In automated carriages, a log is placed on it and the hydraulics immediately level the wood according to the signals from the sensors.

In amateur conditions, the first is hardly feasible; the second is not feasible. In many makeshift sawmills log grippers are made as shown in Fig. below. The log is hung on car jacks (see below), hooks are brought to it, sliding along the guide (pipe, thick rod). The hooks are knocked out with a hammer according to the principle of “lightly tapping with a sledgehammer”, they are wedged on the guides and hold the log.

Firstly, such a fastening is simply dangerous: the grips can wedge due to vibrations during sawing, and this is an accident, most likely with serious consequences. Secondly, it is impossible to grab the forest by the very “bottom” in this way. This means that you will have to turn the log over without finishing it to half. As a result, the quality of sawing and the waste of material will be the same as on a vertical single-disk sawmill, see above.

gun carriage

Let's try to develop technical requirements for a log carriage, suitable incl. for use with a portable mini sawmill when working on site:

1. materials - ordinary rolled metal without preliminary rejection for evenness;
2. for strength, reliability and durability - welded;
3. the influence of the quality of welding and warping of the metal from it on the quality of sawing is absent;
4. prepared base (supporting) surface - not required;
5. weight and dimensions - suitable for transportation in a mini-truck, pickup truck and on the top trunk of a passenger car;
6. the maximum length of the processed log is 6 m;
7. its maximum diameter is up to 1 m;
8. leveling and hanging the log - in any way independent of the gun carriage, see below;
9. the influence of the evenness of the carriage along the horizon on the quality of sawing - no;
10. the reliability of holding the most clumsy unrooted timber is absolute;
11. the possibility of dissolving sawn planks on edged measuring boards / beams without readjusting the sawmill is a must;
12. security - sufficient for non-production conditions, when access to the site of unprepared outsiders is easily controlled.

Drawings of a log carriage for a sawmill, incl. mini, satisfying the specified conditions, are given in fig. (left/center - top view). Material - channel 120x60, bar 14 and 16 mm.

Exactly under the holes M14 in the upper flange of the channel, holes D15 are drilled in the lower flange for the passage of the shanks of the hook-holders (on the right in the figure). The M16 holes in the bottom shelf (marked in green) are for threaded legs. The configuration in plan and the location of the grippers-holders allow you to securely hold both full-length logs and short logs. Use this carriage as follows:

• the log is hung out and leveled on a pair of car jacks. Option - one jack in turn: put something suitable under the raised end, rearrange the jack and raise the other;
• the carriage is slipped under the middle of the log with a widened part to the butt and aligned along the axis of the forest. If the log was hung on a hoist, then the middle pair of legs should fall under its center of gravity;
• the hook-holders are turned out until the log touches so that their points look inward exactly at each other. Missing one turn (per thread pitch M14) does not affect the sawing accuracy;
• the log is lowered onto hooks. If the timber was hung on one jack and prop, then the jack is first released, and then the prop is knocked out with one sharp blow;
• to reliably hold a thin light log, you can sit on it and jump;
• they saw a log with any sawmill with horizontal cuts. The thickness of the last slab in the vast majority will not exceed 40 mm.

Clamps

The full functionality of this carriage will be provided by 2-5 clamps (almost always 3 is enough) for sawing blocks into dimensional lumber. The design of the clamp to the log carriage is clear from fig. below. The clamps are bolted into the regular holes of the M14 carriage, so their bases and the distances between the axes of the mounting holes are different: unlike the hook-holders, the clamps are not interchangeable! For dissolution into boards / beams, the logs are first sawn into blocks. Then the blocks are sorted and collected into packages of blocks of a similar configuration to each other. The next package is clamped with clamps on the gun carriage and spread on boards / bars with horizontal cuts.

Outcome

Let's like, as they say, grandmas: what kind of sawmill to do with your own hands and in what cases it makes sense.

If you see a circle of clientele for sawing and / or see stable income from the sale of lumber - tape on automotor wheels. She will last at least until she has enough money to buy a “new, good” factory one. Then it will be possible to open a sawmill in all its form and calmly work legally. If sawing wood is an auxiliary activity for you, the Logosol sawmill will show itself better - it is less productive, but structurally simpler and cheaper, and a chainsaw will come in handy for it on the farm.

Wood is widely used building material, especially for suburban housing construction. And very often sawmills come to the aid of builders different type. Today we will look at what a homemade band sawmill is, which can process wood of different species.

You will see a video of a homemade band sawmill on the topic of its assembly and learn what are the advantages of this device and how to make it at home.

Advantages of a homemade band sawmill

The band sawmill is universal in terms of the fact that it can work with different tree species and process them into blanks such as:

• veneer;
• boards;
• bars;
• guards;
• furniture accessories, etc.

Homemade band sawmill weighs an average of one and a half times more than the material being processed, so the workpieces with its help are of high quality and durable.

Sawing wood on a band-type sawmill is much easier than on other types of this unit. So, sawing can be performed taking into account the characteristics of each wood, and the amount of sawdust will be minimal.

Band sawmills have the following advantages:

To make a homemade band sawmill, you the following details are required:

• rails;
• steel corners;
• channels;
• bolts;
• pipes;
• electric drill;
• clamping plates;
• boards or bars;
• hairpins;
• braces;
• chains.

To have a visual representation of the process of assembling a band-type sawmill with your own hands, we recommend watching a video on this topic.

Unit design features

You need to know the design of the band sawmill if you are going to assemble it yourself. Her the scheme is organized according to the block principle, which allows different arrangements. However, it may be simpler, or it may be more difficult. Complex design includes automatic feed file, a device for determining the thickness of the cut, the current load, as well as elements for feeding by sawlogs and others.

The nodes of the band sawmill are as follows:

The frame of the sawmill consists from several welded soles where the rollers are. The frame in the form of the letter "P" consists of channels placed in parallel and fastened to each other. The driving pulley is attached to the end of the frame, and the driven movable pulley is opposite, respectively.

In the middle of the frame on the brackets are collapsible type guides. They include several sections and are easy to transport. The bottom contains support rollers, where the anchor bolts are screwed in, and the log supports are placed at the top. The guides are attached using the channel beam, where the hitch is located. It also helps to move the sawing device. The log on the rails is fastened by means of screw clamps and stops.

Mechanism of sawmill and rails allows you to adjust the logs across the width of the mutually spaced rails, even if the frame is damaged. The guides are suspended so that they do not depend on each other, so if a large log falls, the bed will remain intact. And to make the rails longer, you need to attach a section to them.

For cutting and processing wood, a saw with a width of 60 mm or less is used. And the saw of the band sawmill is tensioned by means of a spring-screw mechanism. There are locks on the front beam and on the sliders of the driven pulley, which help to install and remove the band for sawing.

What should be considered before assembly?

Before work, consider the following nuances:

Stages of assembling a homemade band sawmill

To base the frame of the sawmill, we will need channels 8 m long and 140 mm high. You can use several rails turned upside down, as well as steel corners measuring 50 by 100 mm. All blanks must be straight.

The work steps will be:

• drill holes in a small amount along the entire length of the channels at a height of about one and a half meters. In the same quantity, make screeds from pipe sections 250 mm long. To fasten channels and ties, take threaded studs or bolts about 300 mm long;
• mount the rails on racks assembled from channels and bolted together. The number of racks depends on the length of the bed. If it is equal to 8 meters, then there should be 4 pieces. They need to be placed 100 cm from the end of the guides;
• to give the bed extra strength, put braces. The structure is assembled on site, as it has an impressive weight. To give the guides a horizontal direction, you need to substitute bars or boards under the racks. Also, if necessary, you can dig the ground;
• we assemble a movable trolley based on a metal plate 45 mm thick. Its length should be about 60 cm, and the final calculations depend on the dimensions of the electric motor. The width should be such that the edges of the trolley extend beyond the channels on all sides by about 80 mm. Plates and gaskets of one thickness or another will help move the cart along the length of the guides;
• when assembling the sawmill, make sure that the gap is as small as possible. Also, the gaskets should be about 0.5 mm thicker than the channel shelves. Gaskets and clamping plates are attached to each other by means of special bolts. And in order to prevent lateral play, plates must be screwed to the base of the cart from the side of the bolts;
• the trolley can also be mounted on bearings, and at the top of it you need to put corners for mounting an electric motor.

Installation of the key components of a band sawmill

To move the trolley with a circular saw along with the engine, special chain required. It is pulled in order to exclude free play, which is installed on one of the bushings on the asterisks along the edges of the guides.

One of the advantages of a homemade band sawmill is to ensure the comfort of work by equipping it with a log fastening mechanism. Such mechanisms are made on the basis of pipes with a diameter of about 40 mm. We insert movable rods into these pipes, at the top we place clamps based on a corner measuring 40 by 40 mm and cam clamps. In relation to the existing distance to the cutting line, the length of the clamps should be from 15 mm.

Install the main components of the sawmill:

• electric motor;
• file.

It is advisable for the device to purchase an electric motor with a power of 10 kW, and the file should have a diameter of one meter. If you cannot find these elements according to the given parameters, then the bed should be smaller. remember, that component size affects the size of the future sawmill.

As you can see, assembling a band sawmill with your own hands is not so difficult if you understand the design features of this device and have all the necessary components for work on hand. And its high-quality implementation is the key to the successful operation of the device.

Although the abundance of wood creates a vast supply of lumber, it is not always available. The cost is especially “biting” with large volumes. Buying a sawing machine will not pay for itself with a small production or household need. Therefore, home-made mini-sawmills are widely used. The simplest and most used type of them was the tape sawing station.

Principle of operation

The design is represented by two rotating elements, between which the saw is stretched. As the coils rotate, reciprocating motions of the cutting element are created. Because of this, the cut occurs. The sawmill works in a horizontal plane.

The cutting element is fixed on a mobile trolley. Moving along the rails, it travels a distance equal to the length of the element being processed. The log is fixed on the frame motionlessly. To do this, you need to make clamps attached to the frame.

The maximum processing length depends on the length of the rail along which the trolley moves. The maximum width depends on the distance between the saw tensioners. All distances are marked on the drawing.

For quality work:

• the log must be fixed;
• the gradation, accuracy and evenness of the cut are adjusted;
• the saw blade must have the required tension;
• The saw must be sharp and with set teeth.

The sawing process takes place in three stages.

1. Previously, the wood is sorted according to the dimensions of length and diameter. There is a manual adjustment of dimensions to the parameters of the sawmill.
2. sawing process. Before making the first cut, the operator checks the equipment and sets the cutting parameters.
3. Subsequent manual revision. A homemade tool does not give accuracy and evenness. Therefore, the necessary parameters must be made with a grinder or a planer.

Materials and tools for installation

A do-it-yourself band sawmill is created from new or used materials:

• pulleys approximately Ø 30 cm. Spare parts from the Niva combine are perfect;
• a pipe of half an inch and a second, larger in diameter. The second product must be chosen so that it is worn on the first with a slight backlash;
• steel 50th corner. It is better to place it vertically with an edge. When installed upside down with a shelf, increased accuracy of roller adjustment is required. Otherwise, the wear of the wheels is very high;
• sleepers are formed from a profile metal pipe. A section of 25 * 25 mm is enough;
• a movable mechanism is attached to the rails in the form of a piece of an inch pipe and fittings fixed to it. It is designed to fix the workpiece.

The following tools are required for assembly:

• drill;
• welding installation;
• lathe;
• grinder with circles for metal, a cleaning brush and a circle for wood;
• hammer;
• building level;
• roulette;
• fasteners and wrenches.

Drawing and main components of the sawmill

Before manufacturing, you need to calculate the need for materials. For this, a do-it-yourself drawing of a sawmill is sketched out. It can be done by hand, but it is better to use drawing systems. Graphics programs such as Compass and SolidWorks will help you create 2D and 3D, calculate static and dynamic loads.

To get started, you can make a simple device with a manual feed. Having understood the principle of operation, you can increase the power, add electronics and sensors.

The assembly of the sawmill is based on the frame principle. With significant loads, the frame should be done with braces. The main components of the product include:

• frame directly;
• guides for the movement of the saw unit;
• screw assembly for moving the tape;
• spring mechanism for tensioning the saw;
• two pulleys - movable and stationary;
• protective cover;
• transmission node;
• engine (electric or gasoline);
• tank with liquid for cooling;
• workpiece clamps;
• stoppers.

An electric or chainsaw is often used as a cutting element. This is useful for small jobs. This design will save the assembly time of the sawmill. Drawings for its manufacture are much simpler.

DIY manufacturing

First of all, the rails are assembled. It is better to immediately make them 8 m long. To exclude deformations of the base under load, it is necessary to make screeds from a ¾ pipe. Bolts from 29 to 34 cm long are used as fastening. This must be indicated on the drawings. Racks are assembled on M12 bolts.

The massiveness of the structure requires a permanent installation. Therefore, a concrete foundation is provided at the assembly site or bars are placed under the racks.

The movable trolley is presented as a monolithic steel plate 46 mm. The dimensions of the slab are 60 cm in length and 80 mm wider than the rail track in width. This must be indicated on the drawing.

Pulleys are mounted on the movable carriage. One is movable, the other is not.

It is better to place the pulleys not in parallel, as in many production drawings, but at an angle of 4 ° relative to each other vertically. In this case, the tape will not fly off during the cutting process.

For the convenience of work, you can make a steering wheel. The movement from the steering wheel is transmitted through a metal chain. In some models, a control unit is made.

After the clamps for the log are mounted. At the end, in order to avoid damage, an electric motor and a saw are installed.

The saw can be factory-made or made of cold-rolled steel 65G or U8, 10. The thickness of the cut is selected based on the type of wood.

wood species	Face density, kg/cm2	Steel thickness, mm
soft (pine, spruce, linden, cedar, fir)	up to 385	0,2-0,4
Solid (larch, oak, apple, ash, birch, elm, beech)