Woodworking
Definitions
Definitions
Chainsaw Sawmill:
This was a chainsaw mill that my father
and I fabricated. We used a 046 Stihl and
some plans gleaned off the internet , and
while the machine did work, man was it
ever slow. In fact the joke was, you cut one
side of the board today, and the other side
tomorrow. In the end this mill was a true
failure. We still have it, but we no longer
use it.
This was a chainsaw mill that my father
and I fabricated. We used a 046 Stihl and
some plans gleaned off the internet , and
while the machine did work, man was it
ever slow. In fact the joke was, you cut one
side of the board today, and the other side
tomorrow. In the end this mill was a true
failure. We still have it, but we no longer
use it.
Danielson Planer:
I included this picture because I am sure
very few of you have seen a planer quite like
this. Instead of milling the wood in a rotary
fashion, this one takes the wood off by a
sharp hand plane type iron that revolves
around on a horizontal plane and twisted
via the z axis.
Its said that the planer could take off 2
inches of material in a single pass and that
workers had to put sail cloth around the
beams holding up the building because
chips were eroding the buildings timbers.
This planer was used mostly for roughing
out timbers used in giant wooden ships at
the turn of the century.
I included this picture because I am sure
very few of you have seen a planer quite like
this. Instead of milling the wood in a rotary
fashion, this one takes the wood off by a
sharp hand plane type iron that revolves
around on a horizontal plane and twisted
via the z axis.
Its said that the planer could take off 2
inches of material in a single pass and that
workers had to put sail cloth around the
beams holding up the building because
chips were eroding the buildings timbers.
This planer was used mostly for roughing
out timbers used in giant wooden ships at
the turn of the century.
Circular Sawmills:
These sawmills are still made even today.
In commercial applications their numbers
are dwindling because the sawmills take a
1/4 inch kerf. That means for every four
boards they saw, they lose one board to
sawdust. This is pretty wasteful in todays
terms. Bandsaws on the other hand lose
only one board for every sixteen boards
they saw out. A chainsaw mill in hindsight,
loses one board for every three it saws.
These sawmills are still made even today.
In commercial applications their numbers
are dwindling because the sawmills take a
1/4 inch kerf. That means for every four
boards they saw, they lose one board to
sawdust. This is pretty wasteful in todays
terms. Bandsaws on the other hand lose
only one board for every sixteen boards
they saw out. A chainsaw mill in hindsight,
loses one board for every three it saws.
Bandsaw:
This is an entry level bandsaw mill costing
around 4000 dollars. This type of sawmill
can produce good lumber, but it is pretty
slows as compared to a circular saw.
Still bigger versions abound and a
bandsaw in the 30,000 dollar range can
saw 4000 board feet a day.
A sawmill in Northern Maine (Ashland) is
the fastest sawmill in Maine. The planer is
the slow part of the operation and it can
produce over a million board feet a day. Its
sawmill rig however can saw more than
that. Obviously bandsaws are the answer
to modern sawmill efficiency and
production
This is an entry level bandsaw mill costing
around 4000 dollars. This type of sawmill
can produce good lumber, but it is pretty
slows as compared to a circular saw.
Still bigger versions abound and a
bandsaw in the 30,000 dollar range can
saw 4000 board feet a day.
A sawmill in Northern Maine (Ashland) is
the fastest sawmill in Maine. The planer is
the slow part of the operation and it can
produce over a million board feet a day. Its
sawmill rig however can saw more than
that. Obviously bandsaws are the answer
to modern sawmill efficiency and
production
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Shingle Mill:
We have an old turn-of-the-century shingle
mill and they are identical to the shingle
mills you can purchase today.
They work by oscillating back and forth and
cutting a cedar shingle that is tapered.
Interestingly enough they can be set so that
they do not cut at an angle, but also straight
and were the same mills used to produce
packing crates back in the day.
These machines are very dangerous. In
fact it is said that an experienced shingle
miller could be seen...not from the quality of
his shingles, but from his hands. A 9
fingered shingle mill operator was the kind
to look for. Experienced, but smart enough
not to get any more fingers.
We have an old turn-of-the-century shingle
mill and they are identical to the shingle
mills you can purchase today.
They work by oscillating back and forth and
cutting a cedar shingle that is tapered.
Interestingly enough they can be set so that
they do not cut at an angle, but also straight
and were the same mills used to produce
packing crates back in the day.
These machines are very dangerous. In
fact it is said that an experienced shingle
miller could be seen...not from the quality of
his shingles, but from his hands. A 9
fingered shingle mill operator was the kind
to look for. Experienced, but smart enough
not to get any more fingers.
