Bandmill Setup on a Slope

A small sawmill owner shows his portable mill set up on a gentle hillside slope. October 15, 2010

Question
A couple of months ago I started a post about different layouts on small bandmills. I got a ton of good information that has proved invaluable. I promised to post a picture of my mill once I moved it. With the recent posts about getting into sawing, I thought it might help.


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Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor R:
That's a great setup - looks like you're cutting cedar. I have a 1220 with a similar setup but we don't have a hill to help us out. Is the mill bolted down? While the 1220 is a stout little guy, we've rolled some logs on that have shifted the mill off its block. Just be safe. Have you ever forgotten to put the stops up and let one fall off the back side?



From the original questioner:
Thanks. You're right, that's a load of eastern cedar that I'm cutting. The log on the mill is actually a white oak that's been down a few years. The sapwood was rotten but the heartwood was perfect - it made for some tough cutting though!

We have no shortage of hills around here (Alabama), which in this case is nice, but it's tough for a lot of things (including getting logs out of the woods).

It's funny that you mention the mill moving; that's actually why I moved it recently. I had the mill on 6x6's just sitting on the ground and knocked it off, flipping my carriage over. It's amazing how heavy that thing is! I decided to go ahead and set it up like I wanted it.

They're hard to see in the pictures, but I have metal angle iron that allows the mill to shift slightly (to avoid bending the mill) without allowing it to come off the beams. The beams are bolted to the posts as well.

I have come close to rolling logs off several times, but (knock on wood) I've caught it before rolling the log on the mill every time.



From contributor F:
Great pictures. I am slowly becoming a believer in bandmills. I have always been 40 years behind the times with a circular mill, mainly because we cut small softwoods. I think the moving and set up time must be quite easy and quick, moving from site to site or landing to landing.