Unless you’re running a commercial logging operation, with specialized saws, log grapples, mills, transportation for the timber, and the skilled workers needed to run everything, it’s generally easier to bring a sawmill to the wood instead of taking the wood to the sawmill. Especially for a single person, something like a chainsaw mill is generally a much easier and cost effective way to harvest a small batch of timber into lumber. These chainsaw mills can still be fairly cumbersome though, but [izzy swan] has a new design that fits an entire mill onto a hand cart for easy transportation in and out of a forest.
The entire mill is built out of a sheet and a half of plywood, most of which is cut into strips and then assembled into box girders for the track. The remainder of plywood is machined on a CNC to create the carriage for the chainsaw to attach as well as a few other parts to fix the log in place. The carriage has a 4:1 reduction gear on it to winch the chainsaw along the length of the log which cuts the log into long boards. After the milling is complete, the entire mill can be disassembled and packed down onto its hand cart where it can be moved on to the next project fairly quickly.
For a portable mill, it boasts respectable performance as well. It can cut logs up to 11 feet in length and about 30 inches across depending on the type of chainsaw bar used, although [izzy swan] has a few improvements planned for the next prototypes that look to make more consistent, uniform cuts. Chainsaws are incredibly versatile tools to have on hand as well, we’ve seen them configured into chop saws, mortisers, and even fixed to the end of a CNC machine.
Thanks to [Keith] for the tip!
Truly an invention to jump-start civilization in case of a semi collapse
You would need an electric chainsaw (and PV) as you wont have refined gas.
Solar panels tended to do poorly in a forest due to leaves blocking sunlight. You’d need to carry dead batteries out of the forest to charge it.
I mean, you’ve got a chainsaw, right mate? Seems like you could probably solve the sunlight conundrum if it’s trees, but I see your point. If it’s accumulated dust, the chainsaw might make it worse.
You won’t even have photovoltaic panels when the slow boat from China stops running. Advanced semiconductors become mighty expensive as they’re virtually impossible to make by “cottage industry” by the people themselves. It might take 50 years to rebuild the society back to the state where solar panels can be manufactured again.
A chainsaw will run on turpentine, which you get by distilling pine resin and wood. It has roughly the same characteristics as kerosene. A common19th century “burning fluid” consisted of 20% turpentine and 80% ethanol, which might be better suited for modern high compression engines.
Chainsaws also use oil (lots) to cool the chain. You also can use vegetable oil like canola. No big problems in a hot region, but starts to loose proprieties in colder regions during winter (eventually freezes).
Yeah, you can use canola, at least, until your chain seizes and wrecks itself and the bar. Ask me how I know…
That chainsaw failure sounds scary! Anyway some comercial brands already provide bio oils mixed with small amounts of petroleum based oils to overcome those problems. Chainsaw oil contamination is a huge problem, recognized by US Forest Services. Everyone freaks when someone drops some oil in the middle of a city, but every day gallons of oil are dumped in the wild and few care. New degradable lubricants or some kind of cooling alternative must be developed.
Menlo micro is producing the successor to semiconductors in ithaca ny. Look it up.
But you can make ethanol and wood distillates for a substitute. After WW2 with the oil shortages in Europe, they even made engine oils by fractional distillation of pine tar.
Meanwhile, solar panels will become mighty expensive to maintain after the big boat from China stops coming around. It’s curious how people assume that they’d still have advanced silicon manufacturing and products available, at any reasonable price, if the world turns into Mad Max.
In a Mad Max world, I think cutting lumber is pretty far down the priority list. After food, water and protection, maybe gonna be salvaging the abandoned houses and Home Depots if I need a plank or two.
On the contrary – it’ll probably be at the top of the list. A chainsaw makes short work of turning those abandoned houses into firewood.
Absolutely, as long as you have functional CNC, computer, supply of engineered timber and power to run it all after civilisation collapses.
A band saw would work much better and waste less wood to sawdust.
Chainsaws waste a lot of wood, also oil, but are more affordable, portable and easy to sharp. Using survival logic chainsaw mills are great. If your goals are hobby or earn some extra money you should use a band saw.
The survival problem with chainsaws in the USA is what EPA rules have done to 2-cycle engine lifetimes. Class IV includes chainsaws and limits on total emissions have forced manufacturers to design for failure after 50 to 1000 hours depending on size and application. Consumer grade things like string trimmers are at the low end 50 to 150 hours. Commercial use is more like 350.
I think a generator and electric saw, chain or band, has a much better longevity and reliability. Plus the engines don’t need oil/fuel (don’t get a 2-cycle generator) mix and take a wide variety of fuel quality.
For non-survival, in my State you can not use green or home cut lumber in construction. It must be kiln-dried to kill fungus and ensure stability and graded.
I am not understanding what you mean by the EPA rules have forced mfrs “to design for failure.”
Mfrs always had (well, ever since emissions regulations applied to 2stroke chainsaws) emissions durability requirements (i.e., the chainsaw emissions may not degrade within declared lifetime, declared or determined by mfr or by EPA regulation).
Are you comparing current emission regulated chainsaws to pre-regulated chainsaws? There is no incentive for mfrs to make regulated chainsaws less durable – if anything they would need to make them more durable to achieve no increase in allowable emissions before the end of the durability period. And as EPA makes the emission limits tighter, it also (usually) makes the durability period longer too.
My understanding was that if the design continues to function in te degraded state beyond some value, it is considered a failure and pollutes too much. So, they need to be borken soon after the time limit. But I could be wrong. That would make twice this year.
this is why you purchase a farmertec 660 parts kit……..for repair purposes only……….
A band saw does a cleaner job but the cost is way more than just a chainsaw and a homemade mill (or spend the extra for an Alaskan Mill).
It depends on what you want the lumber for…
I paid $1200 for a used portable bandsaw mill. I was offered $1500 to buy it by my neighbor last winter, but not wanting to sell collected $300 for lending it to him for the week instead. It was 5 years old when I bought it, and Ive run around ~150 trees through it in the last 5 years. It runs as good today as the day I bought it.
This is HAD so this project fits the bill, but I doubt its going to last half as long as my buy will. I applaud the ingenuity though.
All you need is a bigger sawmill to cut the trees into small squeres first.
“squeres”
Is that a spherical square?
B^)
Would you sell me one?
Looking for a tool cutter that will cut PUR panels.