Bandsaw for sawing logs with my own hands

Band saw, made by our own hands? Why not!

Wood is ubiquitous in homes for building, decorating and doing other work. Owners of a private plot are constantly engaged in construction work: to make extensions, update the fence, improve the reliability of structures and so on. The ease of processing as well as the availability of wood initially determined their popularity. Many owners of private houses and plots in their practice have found that to buy logs and get a board, beam, cut is much cheaper than buy ready-made lumber. Also do not forget that sometimes the length and thickness, the width of the boards or bars used are important. Therefore, their own production can significantly reduce the money and time costs.

Band saws are often used to obtain lumber from a log or other billet. The popularity of this equipment has determined the emergence of a huge number of different machines, some of them compact and designed for installation in the home workshop. However, the cost of domestic versions is quite high, it is advisable to buy them only in the case of streaming production of lumber or other wood products. That is why many people decide to make a homemade design. The bandsaw is created with their own hands in a short period of time, for which you should know: what parts are needed for this, how to assemble.

Homemade band saw

Design and principle of operation of the band sawmill

A modern band saw is a real automatic package

A band saw is a universal machine which performs longitudinal sawing of logs for the purpose of obtaining standard lumber. boards, logs, sleepers, carpets. Structurally, the unit consists of four main components: a band saw and its drive, the movement mechanism of the saw frame, the device for adjusting the height of the working blade and the clamping device for fastening round billets. The bandsaw is powered by an electric motor or internal combustion engine. Regardless of the power unit used, its capacity must ensure continuous operation of the equipment without overloading. For non-professional sawmill, 5 kW asynchronous electric motor or 6-8 l petrol (diesel) unit will be quite enough. с. During operation the driving moment is transmitted to the drive wheels (pulleys) with a mounted “endless” saw blade up to 60mm wide. The saw blade heats up and hangs down during sawing, so the tensioning mechanism is either hydraulic or spring-loaded.

The frame with its drive mechanism moves longitudinally along rails set on a solid concrete base. To this end, hardened steel rollers are fitted in the lower part of the frame and are speed-controlled by enclosed ball bearings. The length of the guide rails determines the maximum length of the scaffolding to be processed.

The thickness of the wood layer cut from the log is determined by the height of the saw blade above the floor level and is regulated by a special unit, which includes a paired threaded gear and its drive mechanism. The simultaneous rotation of the two screws on the ends of the slide ensures its movement along the vertical guide rails and prevents the saw from tilting.

The band saw produces material of any thickness with little loss in sawdust

Clamping device with a round tube guiding rail and bushings with hooks mounted with a large clearance prevents the logs from slipping while the sawmill is in operation. The sliding unit with the claws causes the device to jam, thus ensuring the immobility of the circular sawblade during machining. To get a better idea of how this setup works, take a close look at the following illustration.

The saw unit works very simply. The log to be sawn is placed in the bed between the guide rails. it is then secured with hooks, which are wedged by several hammer blows to the edges of the moving units. The carriage with the band saw is brought to the end of the log, after which the height of the working blade is set. After turning the machine on the operator smoothly moves the saw frame along the rails, thanks to what the board of the desired thickness is gradually cut. After reaching the other edge of the log, the cut material is put aside, the saw is lifted and the machine returns to its original position.

In some sources are offered to repeat the construction of units in which the sawing carriage is installed stationary, and the sawing is carried out by the movement of the log, laid on the movable platform. Maybe such a scheme has a right to exist, but we must take into account that for its realization the rails would have to be twice as long.

The machine described above is the simplest sawmill. If we talk about modern equipment, it almost completely eliminates manual labor. All operations including the sliding of the saw frame and the height adjustment of the band saw blade are automatic, as controlled via the control unit.

Features of the future model

Band sawmill with their own hands. a variant of getting the unit, which over time can be modified. For example, if the owner of the construction originally made it for the dissolution of logs, and then decided that it would be nice to produce on it also a bar.

This sawmill is assembled in a modular way. If the skills of such works are absent, it is better to choose an elementary model, having found a simple enough drawing. Having sorted it out, it is necessary to get an idea of the peculiarities of making such schemes, get acquainted with the various instructions for assembling band saws.

Single-type or universal design. the next “stumbling block”, so the master must decide what work is more important for him. dissolution into boards or obtaining from logs separate segments. If both are planned, it is better to settle on the universal variant at once.

The most important quality of the block band saw is its steadiness, because the logs have a significant weight and impressive dimensions. Therefore, in the manufacture of the bed, moreover exposed to intensive loads, it is necessary to ensure maximum stability.

Assembling the sawmill with their own hands is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance. Much more difficult is usually the next stage. the preparation of the unit to work. The biggest delay on the way to the goal is the setting, sharpening of the saw itself.

Video on the assembly of the structure, the stages of work on the construction of the device

Wood is a widely used building material, especially for suburban housing. And very often builders come to the aid of sawmills of various types. Today we will consider what is a homemade band saw, which can process wood of different species. You will see a video of a homemade band saw 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 home-built band saw

Band saw is versatile in that it can work with different types of wood and process them into such workpieces as:

Homemade band saw machine weighs on average one and a half times more than the material to be processed, so the workpieces with its help are of high quality and durable.

Sawing wood on the band saw is much easier than on other types of this unit. Thus, sawing can be performed taking into account the peculiarities of each tree, and the amount of sawdust will be minimal.

Band saws have such advantages:

• wood processing comes out of the quality;
• compact size;
• accuracy of sawing;
• affordable cost of materials for assembly;
• ease of use;
• reliability;
• low weight;
• easy to carry and install;
• economical use;
• low noise;
• Low power consumption at work;
• the working life of the block band saw is unlimited.

To make a homemade band saw, you will need the following parts:

• rails;
• angles made of steel;
• channels;
• bolts;
• pipes;
• electric drill;
• clamping plates;
• boards or bars;
• studs;
• struts;
• circuits.

To have a visual idea of the process of assembling a band sawmill with their own hands, we recommend watching this video on the subject.

design features of the unit

You need to know the design of the band saw if you are going to assemble it yourself. Its circuitry is organized on a block-by-block basis, allowing for different layouts of. It may be simpler, or it may be more complicated. Complex design includes an automatic feed saw, a device for determining the thickness of the cut, current load, as well as elements for the feed saws and other.

• frames with guides to move the saw blades;
• screw device for lifting the saw band;
• device for bands tensioning;
• wheels;
• a guard for the wheels;
• belt holder;
• V-belt drive;
• electric motor;
• rails for moving the device
• log clamps;
• stop and tank with water for wetting.

The frame of the sawmill consists of several welded stands where the rollers are located. The U-shaped frame consists of U-sections placed in parallel and fastened together. The driving pulley is mounted on the end of the frame, and the slave movable pulley. opposite, respectively.

In the middle of the frame on brackets are collapsible type guides. They comprise several sections and are easy to transport. The bottom contains the support rollers, where the anchor bolts are screwed in, and the log supports are placed at the top. The guide rails are fastened with the help of the channel beam, where the coupling device is located. It also helps to move the sawing unit. Logs on rails are secured by screw clamps and stops.

The sawmill and rail mechanism allows the logs to be adjusted to the width of the mutually placed guide rails, even if the frame is damaged. The rails are suspended so that they do not depend on each other, so if a large log falls off, the frame remains intact. And to make the rails longer, it is necessary to attach a section.

A saw with a width of 60 mm or less is used for cutting and woodworking. And the band saw blade is tensioned by means of a screw-spring mechanism. There are locks in the front beam and on the sliders of the idler pulley to help set and remove the saw band.

What to consider before assembly?

Consider such nuances before working:

• In order to prevent the saw blade from coming off the wheels, the belt tensioner has the ability to adjust the placement of the wheels;
• The saw band is equipped with a protrusion equal to the height of the tooth, so that the separation of the saw teeth is not disturbed;
• the controls of the sawmill are placed on your side to make this process easier;
• Measuring rulers are needed to measure the thickness of the finished lumber in all directions;
• the place of cutting should be placed in the sector of visibility, for this purpose it is better to provide illumination, its height should be at about waist level, which will simplify the loading of material and its removal from the machine
• Equip the sawmill with a system for regulating the water supply for lubrication, this will prevent sawdust from sticking to the pulleys and saw blades, and it will also extend the life of the device. The liquid tank is placed at the top and the liquid supply is controlled by taps placed on the tank;
• The sawing frame is raised by means of sliders on the columns of the bed. The sawing carriage is moved by means of a screw device, powered by an electric motor and able to clamp it in position. the intermediate cord for the power supply to the engine of the devices must be installed above the sawmill.

Assembling stages of the home-made bandsaw

For the base of the sawmill, we will need channels of 8 m in length and 140 mm in height. You can use several rails, turned sole upwards, as well as steel angles of 50×100 mm. All blanks must be straight.

The steps of the work will be as follows:

• Drill at a height of about one and a half meters along the entire length of the channels in a small number of holes. Make the same number of struts from 250 mm long pieces of pipe. To fasten the channels and ties take threaded rods or bolts with a length of about 300 mm;
• mount the runners on stands, assembled from channels and bolted together. The number of struts depends on the length of the bed. If it is equal to 8 meters, they must be 4 pieces. Place them at 100 cm from the end of the rails;
• To give the frame extra strength, put struts. The structure is assembled on site, since it has an impressive weight. To make the guide rails horizontal, the bars or planks must be put under the rails. Also, if there is a need, you can undermine the ground;
• Assemble the moving cart on the basis of a metal plate with a thickness of 45 mm. 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 sides of the cart should extend out over the channels by about 80mm on all sides. Plates and shims of varying thickness will help move the cart along the length of the rails;
• When assembling the sawmill, make sure that the gap is as small as possible. Also, the shims should be about 0.5 mm thicker than the channel flanges. Gaskets and clamping plates should be screwed together. And to prevent transverse play, you need to screw plates to the base of the cart on the side of the bolts;
• The cart can also be mounted on bearings and the electric motor can be mounted on top of the cart with brackets.

How to make a powerful machine from old drums and hubs

The upper roller must be fitted movably to tension the belt. A frame is welded for it with a pivoting adapter plate. It is welded with a roller installed at the top of the 50×50 mm rack.

The vertical tube of the welded frame is used as a guide for a 15×15 mm tube. To fix the latter, you will need to drill and weld in nuts for screwing in the clamping bolts.

Further it is necessary to make 2 catchers of a tape. For this, 2 angles are cut from a piece of large section pipe.

At the short edge, a wide open slit is made in them. A long inside cut is made on the opposite half. An axle with a bearing is welded into the first one. On the same half of the angle on the outside are screwed bearings, as in the photo.

One belt catcher is bolted at the end to a 15×15 mm sliding tube. The second one is fixed to the frame at the bottom near the first roller connected to the motor.

To match the size of the frame, a table is cut out of particle board or plywood. It is screwed through a piano hinge to the bed. A parallel stop is fastened to the tabletop, and a piece of profile tube is inserted into the kerf on the tabletop to insert the strip.

In order to be able to adjust the angle of inclination of the table it is necessary to make a sliding support under it. For this a strip with a longitudinal cutout is prepared. It is connected to the table top on the opposite edge of the hinge with a mounting bracket. Opposite to the band on the bed a nut is welded, in order to clamp the support with a bolt in the desired position.

Next, the machine is painted, the motor is powered, the trigger is installed. Before start-up the saw blade tension is adjusted by sliding the upper roller, and the position of the catches.

How to make

Let’s consider in more detail how to make a sawmill from an ordinary chainsaw by the example of a stationary design.

What will be needed

For the work will require the following materials:

If there are no square metal pipes, you can use ordinary water pipes instead. Only in this case it is necessary to choose pipes of sufficient strength. But it is better to use metal channels, if you have such a possibility. They are more convenient to work with during installation, and they can be fixed more reliably.

manufacturing process

To make the device will have to perform the following steps:

• Assemble the base of the future sawmill from pipes and angles. Immediately mount the construction is not necessary. First it is necessary to fold it and check how evenly all elements are connected. Do this with the help of a level. Only after that should the pipes be joined together by welding.
• When the rectangle of the base is assembled, for greater structural strength it must be strengthened with at least two ties. You can make them out of the same metal tubing. Ties are fastened crosswise at an equal distance from each other. The best way to mount it is with bolts.
• Then thinner pipes or metal profiles are welded on top of the pipes from which the base of the structure is assembled. They will serve as guides for the logs to be sawn and will not allow them to fall off the sawmill. Cross bars are also welded on. Ideally, they should rotate to make the logs move more smoothly and to minimize the effort that needs to be exerted during the operation of the sawmill.

You can do without cross bars if you use round cross-section ties made of pipes. The log will also move along them quite easily. But remember, its movement won’t be as easy as with revolving cross-rails.

• After the base is completely prepared, it is mounted on the struts. Steel square brackets are best suited for this role. They are welded in the corners of the base. To make the structure stronger, struts can be welded between the uprights.
• After that they assemble the cart for the cutting part. It is a rectangle of metal pipes, resting on two longitudinal steel strips. Between these strips and the walls of the rectangle is set on two slopes, so that the structure was stable. Under the strips, rollers are placed, which will ensure the movement of the cutting part along the base. Then another tube is welded to one of the strips, connecting it to the rectangle from above. This is the attachment point for the saw.
• When the cart is ready, the saw is secured. There are a variety of ways to do this. The most common way is to secure the saw body with screw clamps or metal ties. It is sufficiently reliable and does not cause permanent damage to the device. If necessary, additional cross bars are added to the cart from the same pipes from which the other parts of the construction were made.

There is another way to fix the saw, by the blade on which the chain is fixed. It is less reliable, requires drilling out the blade, and fixes the chainsaw worse. But this way of fixation the saw chain vibrates less (most of the vibration is transferred to the saw blade base) and makes more even cuts.

Functioning principle

Before making the construction yourself, it is necessary to study the operation and features of the miniature circular sawmill equipment. it is often used for medium and large logs. The result is a beam and boards.

The main element of the construction is the power unit that ensures the rotation of the sawing discs. In addition, the following components are required for automation:

• line for the feed trimmer. It can be automatic or stationary. Often the latter solution is preferred, because it is more economical when making it with their own hands;
• sawing unit. Can include one or more cutting blades. It also comes in transverse and horizontal;
• control unit. It is located on top of the sawing unit. With this device the craftsman has the ability to adjust the engine speed, start and deactivate the equipment.

The corner saw is used for radial and tangential sawing of workpieces. The design features of such a unit allow for extremely efficient use of the entire log.

Purpose and principle of operation

Band saw is a complete machine. designed for longitudinal sawing of wood of all degrees of hardness to standard lumber. beams, edged or unedged boards, laths, veneer, and other blanks. Subsequently, they are used in many areas, primarily in construction and furniture production.

Configuration of a band saw.

Using this device makes it possible to produce high quality products with specified dimensions. This is facilitated by the option to quickly and accurately set the sawing parameters.

Nowadays many different horizontal band saw schemes have been developed and in some projects even a standard chain saw is actively used. But they all work according to the same principle.

It boils down to cutting a log (or any wooden semi-finished product, which is brought to the necessary conditions) fixed on the platform by the sawband moving horizontally.

It is tensioned between the two pulleys. master and slave. with a force that ensures a fixed straight-line, longitudinal cut of the wood material.

The size of the resulting lumber is set by the operator of the sawmill. Using hydraulic aids or an electronic ruler. The sawing speed is also set electronically. Stacking of logs on the frame, clamping and overturning of blanks is done manually.

Making a mobile cart

The main part of the cart will be a plate made of steel 6-10 mm thick. The dimensions will depend on the size of the motor and other parts of the unit. The optimal length is 60-80 cm. The electric motor and the saw shaft must be secured to it. The distance will depend on the size of the pulleys and the length of the belts. It is necessary to provide the possibility of tensioning the belts by any of the available methods. The entire assembly should be covered with a protective box that can be securely fastened.

From a profile pipe or angle (any profile with sufficient rigidity) cut blanks of the required size for the vertical bars and horizontal bars of the cart. Assemble the side elements of the unit and fasten the wheels to them. Install them on the rails and secure them with temporary fasteners, controlling the position with a plumb line. Join the side parts with horizontal crossbars. Optimal connection method. electric welding. After checking the position, the final welding can be done and the temporary fasteners removed. To reinforce the rigidity use struts. On the assembled construction it is necessary to install a metal plate with rollers. The rollers must align precisely with the crossbars and move without skewing or jamming.

Read also: Training as a Cnc machine operator in Izhevsk

The movement of the plate can be made mechanically from the hand wheel or electrified using a small capacity electric motor. On one side of the plate is necessary to pull the chain, at the turns set the rollers or gears. One of the elements must adjust the tension. The chain is attached to the plate and put on the drive sprocket of the hand wheel or motor. All elements have to be covered with a safety guard to protect against dust and shavings. The bandsaw can be operated in vertical or horizontal position. It is possible to create a universal design that allows you to rearrange the saw to any position.

Sawmill

To begin with knowing what and how much we will cut. If you need to cut 100. 200 rafters for the house under construction from the free logs, then 400 boards. it is better to use a manual professional chainsaw. Let’s make a home-made sawmill from a chainsaw, the method is inexpensive, simple and effective.

The drawing of the simplest sawmill from a chainsaw (download full drawing)

You will need any flat metal profile, welding and angle grinder. We start with the maximum log length. practical about 4 m. For such a length you need to find a channel or I-beam, you can weld from pieces with strengthening. the main thing that the resulting profile was flat. Let’s start to make our autonomous tire saw on the base of a chainsaw.

The structure is a powerful profile at a working height. above the belt, on which the attached chainsaw moves in the cart.

The height is due to ergonomics, a long knee-jerk posture is not useful. The log is placed parallel to the main profile on the support frame and the chain saw moves along the log to make the necessary trimming.

Some more details about the features. The main element. the main profile, which provides geometrically correct dimensions of the lumber, must be sufficiently strong and rigid, if the channel. not less than 200. The profile is supported on 3 or more supports connected to the support frame on which the log is placed.

If you dared to make a chain saw on your own hands. have a look at LOGOSOL sawmills. Blueprints and documentation can be downloaded on the site and take as a basis of their homemade.

The main sawing errors are formed by the vibration of the cart with a chainsaw, so the advance of the cart on the profile. at least four rigidly pressed metal wheels, you must provide a manual drive. The simplest. a well screwdriver with a drive wheel along the main profile.

To install a heavy logs it is usually put slants, which is convenient to push the log in succession on the sides on the supporting frame, wedging it on the frame.

The most difficult thing is the adjustment mechanism of the thickness of the product. The simplest way is to install screws or any jacks of rigid fixation on the edges of the supporting frame moving in the vertical plane. Adjusting jacks. adjusting thickness of the product. Example of construction of mobile tire saw on the basis of a chainsaw can be seen on the photo.

Wood can be cut by one person alone: hold the chainsaw handle and adjust the throttle, use the other hand to feed.

Some thoughts on the expediency of making a sawmill. Proven by time and practice. self-made makes sense with free materials. If you calculate the labor and materials, and the possible benefits, you will see for yourself. The worst thing, when making it yourself. few people pay attention to safety. This point should be thought over necessarily! No accidental work and quality wood.

Features of the future model

Band sawmill with their own hands. a variant of obtaining the unit, which over time can be modified. For example, if the owner of the construction originally made it for log splitting, and then decided that it would be good to produce on it also a bar.

This sawmill is assembled in a modular way. If there is no skill in such work, it is better to stop at an elementary model, finding a fairly simple drawing. After dealing with it, it is necessary to get an idea about the peculiarities of making such schemes, get acquainted with the various instructions for the assembly of band saws.

Single-type or universal design. the next “stumbling block”, so the master must decide what work is more important for him. dissolution into boards or obtaining from logs separate segments. If both are planned, then it is better to immediately settle on the universal variant.

The main quality for the band saw is its steadiness, because the logs have a rather impressive weight and impressive size. That’s why it is necessary to ensure maximum stability when making the frame, which is also exposed to intensive loads.

Assembling the sawmill with your own hands is not as difficult as it may seem at first sight. The next stage, getting the machine ready for work, is usually much more difficult. The biggest delay on the way to the goal is the setting, sharpening of the saw itself.

Looking for the ideal place

Optimal conditions. own workshop or other premises for processing such materials. The minimum area of such a building. 18 m 2. The most uncomplicated way out is the “dislocation” of the sawmill in the open air, but it has a great disadvantage. This is sawdust flying into its territory, as well as descending on neighboring areas.

In this situation, the smartest solution is to build a solid fence around the machine. Plywood or polycarbonate can be used as a barrier material. A large canopy, arranged over the sawmill, is also not bad, as the roof will allow to work in all weather conditions. The next requirement. the place where to store manufactured lumber, so you need to solve this issue before drawing up the project.

The result of the self-made sawmill from a chainsaw

If the goal is to construct a mini sawmill for the house, then you need to start with the making of the scheme of the home-made machine. Based on the scheme, you can proceed to the implementation of the idea to life. It is not difficult to make a mobile sawmill for sawing boards, and any master can cope with it. To do this, you need to have at hand the necessary tools in the form of an angle grinder, drill and welding machine, consumables in the form of fasteners, handles and screws, rollers, as well as the main parts. angles, channels, tubes.

The rest is a matter of time and skill. When working at the sawmill it is necessary to take into account that it is better to use chains made of hard-alloy materials and with carbide or diamond coating on the teeth. This prolongs chain life and avoids unnecessary stress on the tool when the teeth of conventional chains become blunt. It is not recommended to cut logs at low temperatures, as frozen workpieces will dull the teeth of the chainsaw even faster. Having a chainsaw in the economy, you should not be limited to its basic functionality, as this tool is able to perform many useful work, replacing such expensive equipment as a sawmill. What other sawing jobs you can do with a chainsaw that you can extend with special bits and pieces. you can read in the article.

Safety precautions

A chainsaw is a dangerous tool and calls for caution and care. The use of additional devices significantly increases the risk, because when sawing, the cutting tool is not visible, which puts the vigilance of an inexperienced worker to sleep. Do not refuel with fuel while the saw is in operation. keep clearance from the chain as much as possible when moving the guide bar. In addition, all standard chain saw safety precautions should be followed:

• Work only with a chain saw in good working order;
• Do not refuel while the saw is in operation;
• Do not fuel your chain saw outdoors or in a well ventilated area
• Do not smoke while fueling or working;
• Always carry the chainsaw after it has come to a complete standstill in its carrying case;
• Only start a stalled chainsaw after it has been removed from the cut;
• Watch what your helpers are doing so that you don’t injure them by accident;
• Use personal protective equipment. goggles, gloves, headphones.

The requirements are simple, but they allow you and your helpers to stay healthy and able to work.

A carriage for a chainsaw, created by your own hands, greatly expands the capabilities of the tool. It becomes possible to make different kinds of lumber, the accuracy and precision of work increases. However, at the same time, the danger of using the tool increases. All homemade carriages and other devices represent a risk group, therefore it is not recommended for people without proper experience and skills to undertake the manufacture of such devices.

It is necessary to correctly assess one’s capabilities and level of knowledge, the degree of danger and responsibility of such work. If the user has sufficient training and experience, the process of making a carriage will not take much time and allows him to get a useful and convenient device.