Old Circular Belsaw Sawmill First Run in Years Part 2

We get the belsaw circular sawmill running better. We switched to a belt and pulley system and changed the blade. Time to cut some lumber!

[@thecaptain4740]

you two should listen to people that know what their talking about. first thing throw that saw away do the the same with drive system and the david brown should follow that junk.get on the ball or go home

[@colonialfiend]

Lol. It's all free shit and the saw is cutting lumber now. I will, however, take everything to the dump tomorrow based on your very knowledgeable comment.

[@electricitysucks5]

@@colonialfiend That fella ought to go find his own sawmill in the woods and make a youtube video with this song playin' in the background. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHaVmYx6fqt3f7c

[@colonialfiend]

@@electricitysucks5 haha. He probably has a point though :). We're just having fun and we've learned a tremendous amount from trial and error and even more so from some of the great comments.

[@jmccracken491]

thecaptain4740 I do believe you are a idiot and jealous and probably related to Ol Nancy Pelosi.

[@joesinakandid528]

Hey Captain - - - - - well, I suspect you just know how stupid you sound trying to be better-than-thou. Go get a life. - Joe -

[@gonagin58]

That old dry oak is tougher than the old folks toenails.

[@paulg9004]

I would recommend getting some new teeth for the blade. They are replaceable but you need the cam tool to do it. There's a couple teeth that are bad based on the sound the blade is making and the ridges on the boards you are cutting. This will make it easier on the old David brown and get you a better quality board. Good work getting the old mill going though. It's good to see it not "returning to nature"

[@waltermorgan3293]

The fact that you were able to cut anything let alone old dry oak with that blade is a testament to those old mills. New set of teeth, polishing and possible hammering of the blade will make it like new, Then go back to the PTO drive

[@paulkramer4176]

yep, and if you saw GREEN wood that would help a lot too.

[@justjesse16]

i think if you mounted the 90° gearbox on the tractor to the other direction you wouldnt have the belt twist and proper direction. love seeing old things still work. im currently building a small circular mill to begin my lumber journey. videos like these show the testament of time with simple technology

[@scottfoster2487]

Neat old mill. Lack of rpm is clear,remember the blade is slighty dished when properly set and it takes high rpms to get the blade to stand straight and true. That old property has some neat treasures. There is few good videos of some of these mills on youtube that can educate one on proper operation. Be dang careful if that balde exsplodes since you do not have a operators cage.

[@buggsy5]

Yep. A smaller blade needs higher rpm than a small blade. This one should be turning at least twice as fast - possibly more. With the sawyer's position being right in line with the blade, the setup is dangerous. Even chunks of wood ripped out by the blade could cause injuries. It looks like it was barely managing to cut. Hopefully they will fix the many problems so it will operate properly.

[@johnmoar7658]

i liked your show ,granddad was always on about no rubbish around the feet

[@harrisonmantooth3647]

John Moar ; That was my thought too. I've seen too many accidents caused by objects around the feet. It's too easy to stumble. One other thing, a pair of safety glasses. Until you've lost an eye, you won't appreciate your vision like you should. I love your channel and was amazed how you fellas resurrected that old saw mill. Looking forward to future videos. Stan

[@jgotton6427]

PS - Congrats!! You'll have a ball with that old rig. Nothing like circular saw marks in rough lumber.

[@jgotton6427]

I used to have the same exact rig. An idler pulley on the belt takes out a lot of the vibration and will help keep the belt on. I switched to power take off on the tail end on an old D4 caterpillar and had power to spare, but even with the additional power sharp and swaged teeth made all the difference.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

I really hope that you got the sawmill running properly. Meanwhile you can make lots of money with milling wood using all the dead and half dead trees in the forests. I would absolutely love to own a place like this. Hope the old cars and the tractors will be rescued. 2) Please try to tighten the chain that drives the sled. Respectively try to shorten it if tightening isn't possible. 3) Please try to find a teeth sharpening tool for the saw blade and try to find some new teeth too. Best regards luck and health to all of you.

[@austinwagoncompany]

It sounds like your tractor needs a little adjustment the way it slows and then speeds back up while it's not doing anything. Good job though, I am proud of you for staying with it and getting it going.

[@colonialfiend]

Hey man, thanks for watching! You're right , you can hear the tractor bog down then the governor catch up. Its really was just underpowered for the setup we had. We've since replaced all the bits and slowed down the the carriage and it's made a world of difference. We're still underpowered but we know that and will be rectifying that soon. Again, thanks for watching!

[@MrDmorgan52]

@@colonialfiend I don't think you're underpowered. The blade is full as crap,you know that, and it's spinning way too slow. Ss far as HP, I bet an 8N Ford could pull it and they were only 22hp

[@joshschneider9766]

Makes me miss living in colorado. We found an old frock on the neighbors land that ended up running so well we built a huge barn with its results. Definitely wanna swage and sharpen the blade and probably fabricate a blade guard but you got a real workhorse right there.

[@joshschneider9766]

Frick

[@Gigmaster]

Looking good! Glad to see you stuck it out and got it cutting like a well oiled machine (and i am sure it is)

[@colonialfiend]

Gigmaster thanks Steve. If anything it's fun just tinkering with it

[@Gigmaster]

I am amazed you guys got it to where it is.

[@stevenray1059]

I had an M14 Belsaw I ran off a v6 with a flat belt. I used a rubber hay baler belt with a tension roller. It took good feed without slippage. Nice one 👌

[@tennesseesawmillguy1590]

Hard to feather the feed on those Belsaws. I’m considering converting mine to electric motor with a speed control. Looking good, guys. Keep tinkering with it You’re making progress.

[@colonialfiend]

Tennessee Sawmill Guy you're right, it's like it's all or nothing. Good luck if go with a different system and I'd be curious how it works

[@PaulWhitedWoodStoneIron]

Put a few rows thick of duck tape on the center only of the belt pulleys. She’ll stay on then. Makes a crown on pulley. Cool videos thanks.

[@dawsoncanfield5386]

A bit of roof cement, the stuff that is hard, might make it pull better. Or some kind of dressing that gets sticky when warm.

[@glenn9989]

When you can hear the blade wine you know it’s fast enough

[@raypitts4880]

YES SIR MY THOUGHTS YOU SHOULD HEAR IT GIVE LOW WHISTLE.

[@lelandrentz755]

Joys of an old sawmill. Don’t give up it will get better

[@calvinkalmon6746]

Very nice setup, just needs fine-tuning, best of luck with it!

[@dawsoncanfield5386]

My dad had a cordwood circle saw when I was growing up. Driven by belt, Allis Chalmers CA tractor. He used to spin it up fast enough to make it sing. Even when it was the first cuts of the year, it was better than that carbide tipped that was on this saw. Start by sharpening it. Then spin it up a few more rpms. About half throttle on the tractor.

[@tractorman4461]

The Belsaw drives are not anything like the flat belt drives where its easy to slow forward motion. Mine drives with a V-belt and it is very difficult to feather the feed, just like Tennessee Sawmill Guy said. Definitely a ton of improvement already guys !! I pull mine with an Oliver 88 with a 265 cu in six cylinder. I still have trouble with hardwoods, but walnuts, cherry, red cedar and pine cuts great. Mine needs new shanks and bits and a 540 rpm hammering for a right hand mill like yours. I noticed how long your carriage is and it looks as if two standard 6' lengths were assembled to make a 3 headblock exceptionally long carriage. You guys are rockin' it though !!

[@colonialfiend]

Tractorman44 since these videos my buddy rigged up a pully system to slow down the carriage because it was either all or nothing with no way to feather it through. Now its slow enough to send a log through at a good enough pace....not ideal but it works. I guess an electric or hydraulic carriage motor would best.

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@colonialfiend When the old flat belts got glazed over they worked fine. Frick mills here and no problem with the feeds. All flats.

[@joestreet7036]

Also if you add boards boxing in saw at bottom you won't get sawdust fly out.wish we could post pictures in these reply because I could add some pictures of simple things that really help and speed operation up

[@patricialanne3059]

I am glad you are putting the saw mill into operation. Please consider the saw blade as it is the part that makes it all work.Learn how to sharpen and set the "Teeth" sharpen from the back only. Good luck.

[@johnnyholland8765]

A couple gallons of burnt motor oil liberally slathered over the chains and track and anything that moves would benefit things. Also take a small angle grinder and a wire brush and brush that blade till it shines. A few more horse power from a diesel tractor some new teeth and it will do fine.

[@spasojespasitelj853]

I like these two videos of yours, no matter what many others write, the point is to get the Machine working in its found state. It's easy to buy a new saw, but the charm is to be able to work with the existing one. Haug. Greetings..

[@kevinbunting826]

Nice job getting it up and running.

[@leegibbs6753]

It's obvious that you're new at this and don't know know you're ass from applebutter,but keep at it and you'll learn. When I got my first circle mill I had never run one or worked on one. I had to take it apart and move it to my place and put it back together. I tried to run it with a 35hp tractor and it just wasn't enough power. I finally got a 50hp Allis-Chalmers power unit which still wasn't enough, but at least I could saw. You can never have enough power on a sawmill. I've been sawing for 45 years. Keep at you'll get there. Don't let the negative comments get to you. Lee Gibbs

[@TheMatthew1631]

Need to know the deference between looks sharp and is sharp. That little detail can save many a headache, plus more rpms.

[@beboboymann3823]

This is fascinating! Old stuff wants to have another chance.

[@shaenj]

Very interesting, I like this sort of stuff. Old gear renewal. I'll be watching if you stay enthusiastic.

[@bobsunkees3392]

Add 3" to the PTO O. D. Drive to get the RPM to match your feed and lower the RPM on the tractor 1/3 throttle you be able to cut great.

[@marccampbell312]

another good belt dressing is honey, we have used it many times on drive belts for our Andrews and Bevan chaff cutter, it works really well. nice video thanks :-)

[@williamkowalchik572]

Know a lot of folks that ran mills like that. None could could pass 9 watch you fingers. Cool video.

[@samdunn1807]

We had old feed hammer mill that used a flat belt. You had to get the belt drive perfectly lined up or you would throw the belt. We put the belt on with a twist. You look at old threasher machine photos and the flat belt always has a twist.

[@raypitts4880]

and a longer belt needs less tension as the weight of the belt is doing the grip.

[@jmyers9853]

keep at it, you will get it all together, little by little. i built a bandmill, i know what it takes to make things run right.

[@yokiniqu]

Tractor should drive that saw fine if it was running properly. A sharp blade makes a big difference.

[@AndyM.]

NOW THAT is a saw mill! OL' SCHOOL blade style!!!!!!!!

[@raypitts4880]

older school ones dont have those modern loose teeth back in 66 im 75 and still remember them used to an oliver 80 hp on the bench 52 inch blade no problem.

[@sandrasherwood32]

If you could put a idler pulley between the tractor and the mill that would stop the belt from bouncing / walking off just a idea

[@10scatty1]

Loved your persistence. Wish I had that kind of mechanical aptitude though. RWPierce

[@joestreet7036]

On our mill there was belt tightened on every belt that had load applied..this was simply a pulley on armed that was attached to shaft one each side of that belt pulley.as load was applied the pulley that was tightened would take up the slack.the main drive belt would drop almost 12 inches right near engine which had about a 14 in pulley that one was attached to wall it was simply a couple of angle iron pieces with bearing blocks for the 12 in pulley and a cast iron weight at about 30 pounds forced the pulley down on 12 in wide flat belt.without this tighteners the be would slip under load .the blade and idler pulley act as flywheel.abd as load is added the rpm changes that is what makes the belt loose or tight..sorry for long explanation..in short add idler pulley with strong spring pulling it tight against belt..this should stop slippage..third generation mill wright here

[@kevinhoffman8214]

keep tuning it up , it will get there

[@jtc1947]

Need to take some time for clean up around the site. Hope that things will work out.

[@waynecampbell9213]

You need to come up with a tooth setter and a swaging tool. It sounds like the saw is good. Just dull. The swaging tool fits over a tooth. You tap it one solid tap with a hammer, and it spreads the tooth wide. Then you file straight across with a bastard file, to sharpen. If you cam see the edge of the tooth its not sharp

[@sirrick59]

That saw is not Swaged, nor Set. It is a Simonds saw, and has replaceable bits for teeth, that one only has a cutting bit on every alternate tooth - the others have purposely had the tips ground off (these saws will not run without every tooth having a bit and the bit holder - those bits are essential to keep the tension in the sow body.)- that can be a good thing with a low power motor - the same principle as a chainsaw with a skip-tooth chain. If they simply ground the face of the tooth bits, before even trying to cut timber, it would have cut way better. I am a fully-qualified Saw Filer.

[@albertyowell5455]

Get carbide teeth

[@paulbrooks2024]

You men posted this mill ,question were you having fun or wanting advice looking like you got both.

[@colonialfiend]

Both

[@kathyparker7140]

Awesome love it

[@jackpinesavagerepair1918]

4-71 on my bigger mill. Smaller mill getting 2-71 detroit. 4-71 is around 160 hp. 2-71 60-80 depending on what injectors. Detroits work good on mill cause less bob in governor. So keeps blade speed more consistent

[@davidthurmond5320]

They sure didn't think about safety back then

[@colonialfiend]

Nope. We've done a bunch since I've made this video, including putting up a safety screen

[@gfroese4799]

First sharpen , then tighten the carriage chain . Now when that blade is spinning it should be whistling . Those old saws were made to run forever with a little TLC .

[@georgeheroy2276]

A sharpening and wire will that darn blade my grandfather had a sawmill like that and you'd be surprised how many RPMs you lose with a rusty blade !

[@mikebradley4245]

the wood should never touch the blade except at the teeth, the saw has a kerf, so the cut is slightly wider than the blade so the blade does not get hot and warp

[@colonialfiend]

Makes sense, thank you

[@sailingmohican2767]

You need to sand and smooth the clutch plate for the carriage winch

[@daviddorshak8811]

What hp is your tractor? Awesome that you all are working this vintage mill!!

[@colonialfiend]

Not enough! We've since replaced the the shanks and bits and recently we've taken apart the carriage. All the bearings are worn slam out so we've machined some new ones. We have some new angle iron to beef up the carriage but in the end it's only capable of so much

[@motorsportmach]

The rake angle of the teeth might need to be increased. My guy up in Vermont who does my blades says that with lower HP you need to increase the rake. Nice work.

[@johngrace199]

Just came across this video...what's the status of your sawmill these days? Was this a one off experiment to see if you could get it going or are you actually milling your own wood now? Contrary to what others have written...what you guys gained in knowledge alone by putting the old one back together was more than worth the effort. Good for you...

[@colonialfiend]

It's been taken apart. We're putting new bearings in all of the wheels or rollers and beefing up the track. Rather, my buddy Thomas who's in the videos, is doing all of that. Lots of new things done to the mill since that video. We found all new bits and put them on the saw, did away with the belt drive, did a bunch of stuff. In the end, the carriage and tracks were old and misaligned. We plan on putting all back together this winter and sawing more logs!

[@colonialfiend]

And to let you know, the majority of the comments were actually informative and I've actually picked many of their brains and learned a lot. In the end, this is a farm mill and not a high production mill BUT the original owner worked his ass off and built a house for his family with it. I'm more impressed with learning about him than the mill

[@johngrace199]

@@colonialfiend All good to hear. Though this is nothing I would be comfortable tackling...I've rescued and refurbished a number of hand tools, especially hand planes. There's nothing quite like it for learning how best a tool works.

[@LogHewer]

How DARE you touch that saw without knowing every minute detail about it? You...you...greenhorns. Lol. People crack me up. Long as you don't die or break the saw, I'd say getting it humming is a success. 😅

[@salnarducci]

You need to soak that belt in Armor All for a couple days, be like brand new!

[@deh375]

Like watching the Keystone Cops !!!!!

[@brianpisant3567]

I suggest a longer belt with a twist. The belt slips off because the tractor and blade pulley are misaligned.

[@dshurak827]

Growing up on the farm, some of that "Old" wood is harder than any green wood, aught to try something green

[@alvarsdzenis4739]

i love it, but she sure makes that wee tractor motor labor.

[@boathead22000]

clean up that blade and do a little sharpening, a little will help. up those RPM's. cut a green tree and get rid of that hard oak.

[@scottl8436]

Good job guys looks like a lot of fun how big is your sawblade what diameter thanks

[@criscoscorner3791]

It looks like the second blade was missing the inserts... not sure what they are called but they replace the teeth so you don't have to buy a new blade

[@fhagerber4079]

She cuts like butter tell me how does butter cut

[@jackpinesavagerepair1918]

Saw blade doesn't run parallel to carage. That's why you need the book. Will explain everything

[@albertyowell5455]

You need about 1/8th inch lead. If you don’t know what that is, find out now.

[@william6526]

He's nuts to stand in front of that old saw not knowing if it's going to come apart. They need to completely go thru this carridge track and clean all the drive chains up. But a sharpened blade by someone who knows how to sharpen and hammer a saw blade would help. These guys are very sharp just like the blade.

[@jackpinesavagerepair1918]

Go online and get book, Circular Sawmills by Stanford J Lindstrom

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Simonds still makes the bits an you can make the rig to roll the ring out to change bits. The old sawyer here did nd that tractor does NOT like that gas. Talk to a sawyer and get some tips about swaging the bits and filing. This sawyer filed with a flat file straight across. And get a pine to break it in with. Oak is too tedious for a break in. More for a break down since it's dry and hard as steel. AND build your pulleys up in the middle. That'll keep the belt on better.

[@dans_Learning_Curve]

Came a long way! Are you planning on cutting a lot more lumber? If yes, I'd suggest some more horse power.

[@milk_chemistry]

did you sharpen the teeth of the blade

[@raypitts4880]

you sharpen the teeth not the blade.

[@HOGRANCHgeorgegabriel9538]

IF YOU WOULD HAVE FINISHED THE LUBE JOB THIS MAY HAVE WORKED, AN DITCH DAVID BROWN!

[@albertyowell5455]

You need to clear out the junk around your feet. When you trip, That ‘dull’ blade will cut your head right where your hat fits. This has happened already. You need a 4x4 safety bar to prevent you from falling into the blade. Furthermore, this mill was junk when it was new, so don’t plan on sawing much. Hobby fun maybe.

[@scottl8436]

And how long is your carriage thanks

[@seriksson9721]

Vhy test it with oak?

[@Doitgood52]

You think rust on the blade is the problem??? SHARPEN THE BLADE!!🤨

[@mervjb809]

I'm no saw mill expert by any means, but I do know a thing or two about sharp blades. You need to clean that blade up and sharpen those teeth. It'll make all the difference in the world!!

[@mikemraz8569]

The blade needs to have a surface speed of 10,000 ft. Per minute

[@raypitts4880]

circumference by revs = ft per min make it whistle wont hurt the blade as long as the bearings and tractor can take it give some stick dont be afraid of it if it was going to break it would have done before you were born im 75 i learnt from my grand papey.

[@susanvaughn741]

More oil please!

[@fubarfab]

Whats your rpm?

[@jimcurrier3922]

Saw blade needs to turn faster.

[@robertmorton2790]

Its not a sin to not know something if you dont know just ask someone will know

[@johnfaulkner8766]

New teeth set speed up correctly it needs adjusting or someone will get hurt

[@lelandrentz755]

Any new videos or updates?

[@colonialfiend]

Hopefully soon. Really miss messing with it.

[@waynecampbell9213]

You guys need to find an oldtimer to tell you where you are screwing up. I haven't worked on a mill for 40 years and was able to point out everything you were doing wrong

[@andrefourer]

I think your blades need urgent dental suggère.

[@eddygoodwin7089]

Pretty sure the tractor they had set up on it before had a pto that ran 1,000 rpm this one is looking like 540

[@raypitts4880]

yes good point some machines have a speed up gear x2.

[@buggsy5]

But it looked like the drive pulley was gearing down the belt speed. For that blade, I think about 1000 rpm for the blade would be about right. But it wasn't turning anywhere near that fast.

[@scottl8436]

Which one of you owns the mill did the mail come with the property thanks

[@colonialfiend]

Boo

[@roberthawthorne6515]

It looks like the saw is cutting to one side, check the “set” of the teeth..

[@raypitts4880]

was the problem run out and pinching all right till a belt was used.

[@workaholic5318]

Sharpen your saw and stabilize your carriage track or your are just going to destroy what you have.

[@colonialfiend]

workaholic53 we've since replaced the bits and squared and tightened the tracks

[@lewiemcneely9143]

@@colonialfiend Now for an UPDATE VIDEO!

[@georgelambert9780]

Should have sawed fresh poplar log first would have cleaned the saw for you .stage and get you a jockey saw grinder you will be fine

[@neilmacleod5371]

I see why they left it in the bush , nice toy all the same . ... nothing beats horse power . .......v belts ??

[@colonialfiend]

Neil Macleod it's fun to play with. I look forward to getting back out there again

[@warrenbickel4221]

On

[@arkansas1336]

Saw blade needs 560 to 590 rpm's

[@bobsunkees3392]

It's only about 340rpm.now with that dia. Of blade I would guess about 900+RPM to get to what you suggested need to add 3"to the PTO. O. D. Make a big improvement.

[@tomcogger2132]

Seems way under powered. I think 50hp woud work much better.

[@tommyswoodpileadventuresan5940]

What is the horrible scraping sound the carriage makes when it returns?

[@MrThenry1988]

Return chain. Old loose and rusty

[@richardbruce8111]

Say Guys clean the blade ,angle grinder on a stick or turning the blade by hand, more revs ,find out the correct speed this is FAR too slow . Sharpen the blade & stop mucking round with old timber! check the saw guide s to stop the flutter never put a good blade into old dirty rotten logs .Sort the pro drive so there is not such a bad low lineup its way too out of line. Could be a great setup but you need to get these points right

[@colonialfiend]

We've since found new shanks and bits but horsepower is still an issue. We've slowed the carriage down with some different pulley arrangement and it's doing ok. We're stuck with the logs that are on that property so it is what it is. It's been fun but it's really just a toy mill and we're by far real sawyers......just love tinkering with old shit

[@robertward553]

All these people bad mouthing you guys should go fuck off. What I'd do is grease and oil everything, invest in the cost of getting those blades cleaned and new tips put on and sharpened. I lived on a farm and constantly had to go to the lumber yard to buy boards and fence posts, that thing will pay for itself in no time. Good videos.

[@colonialfiend]

Haha, I'm not sweating the comments. Most have been very helpful. We've already replaced the bits, took the carriage off and squared that all up. Put all new grease fittings and everything, and we've been cutting a lot of boards I just haven't made any more videos. I will make another one soon just because it's so much damn fun to mess with this thing

[@robertward553]

@@colonialfiend Will look forward to see them.

[@Goldchucker1]

Do you fellas know what PPEs are?

[@highwatercircutrider]

What’s a PPE ? A digital outhouse ? Lol

[@MrThenry1988]

Same as the bunch that used to run it had.

[@raypitts4880]

silly bloody plastic hat wont save you if a knot comes out or one of those new fangled teeth arnt set.

[@wallaceseabolt6731]

You fellows need to learn something about a circular mill before you kill someone.

[@jeffreycarins9463]

Water is cheap dry log

[@BakoelGendoel]

less sharp..

[@curtistucker8059]

Is it just me or are these guys completely clueless. The old timer that built that rig must be spinning in his grave

[@colonialfiend]

I agree completely. My buddy is a complete dumbass.