Mobile Sawmill Goes To The Woods

Mobile Sawmill Goes To The Woods WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous When Walter Rodler starts harvesting trees he likes to leave waste in the woods and just bring home lumber That’s why he built a mobile sawmill mounted on a 4-ft wide trailer that he can pull into the woods for selective harvest on site “Why drag the logs out of the woods when you can take the sawmill to the woods?” asks Rodler “I bought a Hudson with a 21-in log capacity and two 6-ft track sections ” Rodler quickly found ways to fine-tune the sawmill such as moving the engine to the center of the base to reduce wobble He swapped out the 3-in clutch for a 4-in racing clutch from an old go-kart “It is a heavier reciprocal clutch that keeps the blade from slowing down when it hits a notch ” says Rodler He also designed and engineered a band blade tensioner with an idler wheel It steadies the blade on the 2 main drive wheels The idler also guides the blade over the top of the new clutch He found the tracks provided with the sawmill were bowed in the middle about 3/16 in from welding “I added a simple bolt-on tensioner to make the track true and stronger ” says Rodler Two track sections didn’t provide enough length for Rodler who wanted to cut longer beams and boards He made extra 6-ft sections of track fabricated from the same type of 2 by 2 by 1/4-in angle iron as the original Sections of flat steel bolted to the underside of the section ends for about a foot reinforce the joint “I use a pair of vice grips to hold the sections together until I can insert the six 1/2-in bolts and tighten them ” says Rodler “I use mechanical dowels to align the sections If it isn’t quite square I use a washer to true it up ” The dowels are 1/2-in bolts threaded into tapped holes in one end of a track section Rodler used an angle grinder to remove extra thread leaving just enough to attach a washer and nut where it protrudes through the next section “It works to align the track quickly ” he says To make the Hudson truly mobile Rodler built a special trailer and mounted a section of track on it The 6-ft long 4-ft wide trailer frame is fabricated from 2 by 2 by 3/8-in sq steel tubing Wheels salvaged from old trailers are cut from axles just ahead of the springs Two wheel stubs are then welded to a subframe that is mounted to the frame for a walking tandem axle “I used road-rated heavy-duty sealed bearings to mount the walking axle to the frame with a flange ” says Rodler “Unlike a simple pin attachment it is tight and trails well on the road I’ve towed it at up to 120 kilometers per mile 75 mph with no problem ” The trailer can be used for a variety of purposes with Rodler’s multi-use bed It can be used as a log bed with stakes or adapted to carry an ATV While there are no springs or other suspension Rodler has found letting out a little air softens the ride for big loads When transporting the sawmill Rodler bolts a length of track to the trailer Two small plates can be bolted to the track to either side of the sawmill wheels to hold it in place during transit They also serve as stacking points for additional lengths of track which in turn are locked in place with bolts making one solid piece for transit Once on site the track section with the sawmill can be off-loaded and an alternative frame mounted to haul sawn wood away Once track sections are connected and leveled side to side Rodler is ready to mill out lumber “I like to lay the tracks on a 5-degree grade ” he says “This lets the weight of the mill do all the pushing with constant pressure If you push it can vary the pressure and deflect the blade ” Logs are held in place by Rodler’s no-dog milling guides Their sloping sides fit any size log for initial cuts “With improved and selective timber management it makes sense to do the milling in the woods ” says Rodler “With a mill like this you can cut full dimension lumber that is in increasing demand People are looking for beams and I even had one guy looking for lumber milled on only 3 sides ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Walter Rodler P O Box 695 Debert Nova Scotia Canada B0M 1G0 ph 902 641-2114; swrodler@eastlink ca

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