Sawmill Design

[Larry C]

Philip thanks for the explanation; I hadn't heard that term before.

Jerry happy to have you tagging along; a little dejavu.

Jeff thanks for following along and yes Saw Mills rock.

[cuse]

Love a good sawmill...I'm here for it!

John

[Larry C]

John nice to having you tagging along; enjoy.

[Larry C]

Now for the condensed version of the machines for the Mill. All of the machines are from Sierra West; he supplies the detail parts and you supply the wood, rods, and any brass strips needed for the build. Going to Brett's website you can download the instructions for each machine that gives you a full list of what you'll need. I actually downloaded all the instructions at once BEFORE I ordered the wood. One word of caution, try to buy brass rod; I couldn't locate any locally so I purchased piano wire which is nasty stuff to cut.



These are the 'dead rollers' which also includes the cutoff saw but more on that later. This uses a combination of 12x12's, 4x10's, 4x12's, 3x10's, 4x6's, and 2x4's all of which were grained, colored with chalks & clear alcohol then given a coat of A&I. The rollers were white metal and given a bath of 'blacken' then buffed with a dermal tool.



Next are the 'live rollers' which was a little trickier but again the instructions made it somewhat easier. This used about the same lumber so the 2 machines would be the same height; the wood and metal parts were given the same treatment as the previous machine. At the right end the protruding rod will receive a pulley to make it 'live'.

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The 2 machines together are quite long so you can see why the Saw Mill deck is so long. Following the instructions the cutoff saw, which is between both roller machines, was to get suspended from the rafters. Borrowing an idea from another modeler I scratch built a unit to hold the saw and NOT be dependent on the rafters.



Speaking of saws, this is the single blade 'husk saw' used to rip the logs into manageable lengths. Again I supplied the wood, rods, and NBW's with the other parts included in the small kit. The wood and detail parts were treated as the previous machines. All the belts for the Mill were cut from Tyvek, a free USPS envelope, cut into the required width strips then painted with raw Sienna craft paint.



This photo will give you and idea just how small and detailed the 'husk saw' really is showing the pulleys and belts underneath.

We'll end it here for this post and next time I'll show you the last 3 machines that go with the Mill. Thanks for following along leaving your comments. Any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Stay tuned.

[friscomike]

Wow, Larry.  Those machines look great.  I've ruined more than one pair of side cutters on piano wire, but it stays oh so straight.  Have fun, mike

[craftsmankits]

Really nice start.  I agree with Mike, the piano wire is tough, but it does stay straight.  Will be watching your progress with great interest.  Mark

[Larry C]

Mike thanks and yes the piano wire does stay straight I just wish it wasn't such a bear to cut.

Mark thank you so much; nice to have you following along on this build.

[Rick]

Larry, that all looks good.
Have you tried using your Dremel and a cutting wheel (Small flat black disc)?
That's what I used and it worked well.
I think we also talked about the saw blade on RR-line and it should be shiny from daily use.
You might have already done that.

[Jerry]

Larry the machinery looks excellent.

Rick is right use a Dremel to cut the wire.

Jerry

[Larry C]

Rick thanks. No I haven't tried the Dremel but I'll have to try it out. I'm sure we did have the conversation about the husk blade but I don't recall it; that's nothing new and no I never did change the color. Since the posts are a recap of what's already been done, I'll add it to my todo list for the Mill which I'm working on while I'm bringing everyone up to speed.

Jerry thank you so much; they were fun to make.

[Philip]

I don't remember this gem! 

[Larry C]

Philip thanks. Actually I started it about May 2024; I think. Looks like you won't get bored then with the build recap then.Lol.

[KentuckySouthern]

Nice! Again... like I remember?

[Larry C]

Karl thanks. I'm right there with you; I can't remember what I had for dinner three nights ago.
Old Age? naw!! Just a case of CRS; translated "can't remember sh*t. Lol.

[Rick]

Larry, one tip on using the Dremel to cut the piano wire.
Don't use any pressure.
Have the Dremel run at a high speed and just rest it on the wire and it will cut it like it's hot butter.