The Idle Wheel - Building a Large Bandsaw Mill - Part 8

[@jeffjones5257]

I love the smiles when you spin the wheel and push the mill head. Proud papa!

[@mcremona]

:D

[@L2FlyMN]

So cool to make & work with new friends!

[@JeremyMcMahan]

That's looking incredible Matthew. Cannot wait to see the smile on your face when you make your first slab!

[@mcremona]

+Jeremy McMahan thanks Jeremy! It's going to be the biggest grin you've ever seen!

[@JimDockrellWatertone]

Looks heavy duty. I am enjoying the build. You wouldn't know that was the first time for April on a stick welder.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Jim! Yeah, she was too good at it

[@acoow]

April!! I discovered her channel about two years after this video. I discovered Matthew after watching April's build of this monster.

[@Thom4123]

The smile on your face said it all as you spun the bandsaw wheel. SWEET!!

[@mcremona]

Pretty exciting!

[@hajesusrodrigues]

Can't wait to see this bandsaw mill cutting some wood, Awesome project!

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@christobar]

I check every day for a Cremona video, it literally makes my day better to see you make progress on this thing!

[@MauriceBlok]

It's nice to see you with a big, big smile on your face! Oh boy, oh boy, can't wait to see more. And oh yeah, about the blame.. my wife will be in contact with you soon :-) Happy woodworking Matt!

[@mcremona]

+Maurice Blok hahaha I'll be avoiding her :)

[@petrosiliadis5461]

excellent job pal! this project will make you forget woodworking. it is turning you into a metalworker! cheers!

[@mcremona]

I certainly hope not lol

[@CasperEngineering]

Looks very well built and I can't wait to see the projects that utilize it.

[@RobinLewisMakes]

Exciting to see the wheel added, so pumped for the next video

[@mcremona]

Thanks Robin!

[@turbocobra]

Dang you guys are multi-talented, woodworking experts, now giving stick welding lessons! Your idle wheel mount turned out great, with the wheel on there it definitely gives scale to the overall project.

[@mcremona]

Thank you!

[@HarlyGuy13]

Gary I was thinking the same thing!

[@carlwhite8225]

April killed it on the welding.I love a lady that can weld.

[@jamesfoskey2804]

I thought Jay only had clones. great update. can't wait to it finished. keep being awesome.

[@mcremona]

lol His hangs around a lot more than mine :)

[@wizardind3203]

you will love your bridge port when you get it

[@revuaf]

Matt do you have an extra welding hold? It would be cool to place the camera closer and have the welding lens over the camera so we all could watch you weld during the build... I have been really enjoying watching this build... Nice work...

[@erichaltomwoodworking7363]

It's really coming along. Great work Matt!

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@rhihodag9873]

Eager to see this thing make some sawdust!

[@phooesnax]

Awesome Matt! Looking great Jim

[@mcremona]

Thanks Jim!

[@samueljames9342]

She sure is a fast learner, I've seen students take 3 weeks to do that well. Great work partner.

[@steamfan7147]

The spring is necessary to allow for expansion of the saw band.The saw band warms after start up at which point it expands and becomes larger.The longer the saw band the greater the amount of expansion.That causes the tension on the band to decrease,you would add tension in order to keep sawing,the problem comes when you quit sawing.With a rigid setup you have to remember to release the tension after shutting down.Otherwise the band cools,contracts and as a result applies massive amounts of force to the saw's components.The force is not insignificant,on one old home built mill I had the force was great enough to fracture a 2" diameter wheel shaft.Not good to start the morning having to replace a wheel shaft LOL. The hydraulic tensioner plan is a good one,it's much faster and easier to apply the correct tension with a hydraulic tensioner,but you still need to include a spring for thermal compensation.The hydraulic tensioner by itself is a essentially a rigid tensioner,since hydraulic fluid it virtually non-compressible .The blade manufacturers can give you the numbers for the required tension.I used some heavy die springs on the last mill I built,I purchased those through McMaster-Carr.It's a simple matter to include a compression spring on the end of a small hydraulic cylinder. Your mill is looking good so far,nice job,I'm impressed with those big honkin linear guide rails!

[@poodlelord]

This video has better welding instruction than some actual welding channels.

[@rorylobban4789]

That's a neat tap wrench Matt buddy! 😊

[@bocfus72]

Hey Matt, just a suggestion not sure if you have thought about it, but you should think about adding grease fittings on all the moving adjustable parts, it will help you in the long run, great series so far can't wait to see the finished product, keep up the great work!

[@mcremona]

You're one step ahead of me ;) Thanks Dana!

[@bocfus72]

Np, just didn't want to see you go through all that work and things start binding on you when you go to make an adjustment! :)

[@FredMcIntyre]

Looking good Matt, it's really starting to come together! I bet April wasn't too upset getting her hands warmed up while welding, according to her it was like 30° there.

[@mcremona]

+Fred McIntyre Hahaha yeah she was quite chilled

[@AutoRotate1000]

Dang Matt, your going to be able to lift that thing up and down with out the chain lift by the time you get done building it. moving all that heavy metal around to build it is going to at least triple your strength! :)

[@mcremona]

+AutoRotate1000 hahaha I'm sure :)

[@graysquirreltreeservice7299]

Awesome 👌

[@barryfields2964]

April should be on video a lot more. By the way she's a great welder

[@zeoNRider]

Oh , no AW again. Nice work Matt.

[@paulbuckeljr8870]

Looking good Matt! April welding with earrings? What a woman! Don't tell my wife I said that, lol.

[@mcremona]

Thanks Paul!

[@MrMeasureTwice]

Hey Matt - Heavy duty! Looks good and well thought out. ~Jim "Mr. Measure Twice" Marchetti

[@mcremona]

+Mr. Measure Twice thanks Jim!

[@WoodByWright]

Oh YA. I know I say this every time but SO COOL! it was good do see April there.

[@mcremona]

Everytime!

[@drmkiwi]

All good. If it isn't too late instead of using "low tech" shims to get the up tilt, would it be feasable to tap the flanges and then screw a bolt in and lif the flangethen lock it in place with a nut. (If there were four holes, one in each corner you could make some fairly precise adjustments and it should be easier then dealing with trying to adjust with shims)

[@jurgenritzhaupt5562]

You do realize that this is the BOSS build in all of You Tube land. If I could I would watch it 24/7.....

[@mcremona]

hahaha Glad you think so!

[@donpollard9460]

I like your ingenious method of fitting the plates to the "beam" without having to cut or measure, both assembly method and the spacers!

[@archangel20031]

@ 9:40, instead of shimming with strips of wood, just move the red part forward or backwards a little and use the end of the slot to center the punch.

[@markfryer9880]

@ 2:58 April welds a tack and then lifts her visor to check it out. No Safety Glasses!!! If that weld pops or throws off some slag as you chip off the slag you are set up for a world of hurt as the slag is still way hotter than boiling water at that point and we are made up of a lot of water, so you do the math. Please everyone, when you are welding or grinding [don't forget your ear muffs] use proper safety glasses which are rated for impact resistance.

[@ixamraxi]

Calm down there safety officer, you're starting to sound like a shill for PPE companies.

[@RFMongoose]

lol and osha. still mark isn't entirely wrong, I've hat welds pop on me. though nothing has ever gotten in my eyes from it.

[@markfryer9880]

I had some land on my neck and it put a nasty little burn there, and your eyes are not much higher up, plus slag has a nasty habit of bouncing around. I have had stuff get past safety glasses before including a metal splinter to one eye, now you had a lot of heat to that item and suddenly you are up for a whole world of hurt and pain, serious eye damage, possibly permanent and time off work plus expensive medical bills.

[@murraylowe8677]

Matt next time you do some tapping try using a product called "Rapid Tap" it really helps to protect the taps from grabbing. Also when you did your layout if you had just used the sides of the slots on the same side you would have had the correct location for drilling, then all you would have had to do was layout the distance from the edge to give location of your centre punch.

[@drawvenmusket]

Hi Mat, Why not trim the plate before welding it onto the slider. and why not drill a couple holes in it to allow for plug welding too

[@mcremona]

+drawvenmusket I wasn't sure if I was going to need the space behind the shaft. I'm glad I left it because I ended up adding front to back adjusters. I added the plug welds and the second weld pass later when installing the tensioner

[@jointheresistence123]

with the wheel like that does that mean you are doing cross cuts and not ripping the lumber?

[@SpareroomWoodworking]

Awesome stuff Matt. Can't wait to see this in action. Would've been awesome if it was done in time for a Steve Ramsey style Halloween video :P

[@mcremona]

+Spareroom Woodworking I still have time lol

[@SpareroomWoodworking]

:)

[@Woodnfixit]

Awesome! That thing is a monster! Big enough for an industrial mill. Are you going to have any kind of hydraulic or motorized assist to move the carriage through the log? I'm thinking when you're actually cutting, it would be too much to do manually.

[@mcremona]

Eventually it will have power feed. It won't be much work to push it through the smaller logs. For the bigger ones, I'll set up some sort of winch.

[@2112solas]

Hi Matt best build I've found on youtube -a real inspiration! Do you mind me asking ,what ballpark figure did it cost in parts (and broken bits) for the finished mill? I'm seriously considering building a slightly scaled down version here in Ireland. Cheers!

[@dpmakestuff]

It's starting to look pretty sexy!

[@mcremona]

Thanks Dustin!

[@ManCrafting]

Matt, I don't blame April a bit for wanting to keep welding. It's fun! It's coming along.

[@hinduspl]

I just start wondering from what planet my girlfriend came from.

[@georgiastaley44]

Movies

[@jasonpatterson8091]

I may have missed a video, but how much is the carriage portion of this going to weigh when completed? As a rough guess you're somewhere around 1/2 ton right now without any of the saw. Am I correct that it's going to be human driven? I'm just trying to imagine the friction you'll be going against with carriage and saw alone, not to mention the extra force required to move the blade through the wood - like pushing a car for the entire duration of each cut. Is there a place for a winch or similar to attach if it winds up being too much to move as a practical matter?

[@mcremona]

The carriage will weight around 3/4 ton when complete. Funny thing is it's getting easier to roll as more weight is added. I'll be pushing it by hand initially. For the bigger logs that require a slower and consistent feed speed, I'll use a winch to pull it along and in the future, I'll be adding power feed.

[@timhorn81]

Hello Matt, awesome job! Where did you purchase your wheels...What size are they?

[@mcremona]

30" from Cooks. Thanks!

[@catchon5372]

Awesome build man! Curious where you bought your wheels for the blade? Thanks! Also what size blade you using?

[@jimdavidson3537]

Years ago I built a dynamic tensioner for some farm equipment using a hydraulic RAM and a pressure regulator. Had a pressurized hydraulic reservoir that supplied the pressure regulator. That way I could preload the system prior to use and it maintained pressure during the use. Used it for years with almost no maintenance and it worked to keep the chains on our loaders tight and working. May or may not work in your case depending on the magnitude of the tension that you need. This is something you can add at a later date while still using the existing hydraulic RAM.

[@Nevir202]

james davidson he could have even used something really simple, like a collection of those pneumatic cylinders that help push up the rear hatches on SUVs.

[@AD-nn7vh]

wow this is awesome, curious how did/do you load the logs??

[@richardfuerst5188]

GREAT VIDEO-- I was wondering why you did not use UHMW (plastic ) on the top of your beam ,this would cut down on the drag caused from all that weight on that block ...Great sawmill videos

[@MrGameaddict1234]

Where did you get the 30" bandwheels? I've gotten a new passion for milling after watching your youtube videos. I've had a bandmill for almost twenty years nothing this size but I do love sawing with it. I bought a Alaskan style mill 48" just to be able to slab logs that wouldn't fit in my mill. Before I saw your videos of you building the mill I had been thinking of building one that had a 72" throat. I'm looking for information and it seems hard to come by. How wide is the throat on this mill. If you don't mind I may ask you some things from time to time. Great job on the mill so far keep up the good work.

[@bigjohnl57]

hi Matt. just a suggestion for you. from all my experience working as a mechanic on specialized equipment, I believe you would be better served by using studs to hold the bearing assembly to the block. Use the coarse thread holes you already have (with loctite)and fine thread for the rest of the stud. You can realize more clamping force due to the thread engagement of the fine threads. You will probably need the extra force due to the fact that you are going to shim the bearing assembly for alignment. You will lose the benefit of friction due to reduced surface area in contact between the two pieces. Otherwise, you're doing a great job, as usual.

[@desertvs]

Twins!!!! 13:53

[@zenfuller4255]

Hello Mathew, I need help finding those big sheaves and blade guides. Can you help me?

[@mcremona]

Cook’s saw

[@VintageWoodWorkshop]

man, what an epic build! really enjoying the videos showing your progress. cool to see April jump right in and help with the welding

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@WoodenCreationz]

Looks awesome Matt! Had no idea you had so many Logs already.. They are over taking your place. lol

[@mcremona]

Thanks!

[@thomastieffenbacherdocsava1549]

Looks like you gave up on oil to lubricate the drill? That Triton Lockdown Bench is sweet! Best of luck with the weather!

[@mcremona]

+Thomas Tieffenbacher/DocSavage45 (DocSavage45) I still use it, just don't show it to save time. Yeah the super jaws are super handy!

[@kerstinholz8915]

Hi Matt i am from Germany ans i would like to now, where i can buy the idle wheels. Best regards J

[@zenfuller4255]

cookssaw.com/parts/band-wheels/

[@bradrick72]

What welding rods are you using?

[@mcremona]

+Brad Pretzer 6011

[@tomsdreamshopworx]

Wheely got it going now you wascally wabbit!

[@mcremona]

+Tom's Dreamshop Worx 😂

[@RayMAKES]

very, nice Matt! I like how this is a backyard build with an emphasis on precision and quality!!! keep it up.

[@mcremona]

+Ray Pena thanks Ray!

[@thomastieffenbacherdocsava1549]

Matt, You are a gracious host! You spent a long time practicing and redoing your welds on the trailer. Looks like a lot of grinding? Triton has a gem in you, and their tools do have a good reputation. This is going to be a beast! Let's call this your "Bandsaw Mill Madness." LOL!

[@reverendblair9274]

Looking good, Matt. I can hardly wait for the milling videos. Hey, do you think Triton would sponsor me? I don't have a channel or anything, but random people do wander into my shop to drink my beer.

[@mdbohica]

So, how many times in this project so far have you uttered, "If I NEVER tap another goddam hole again in my life, it will be too soon!!"

[@mcremona]

The tapping I like. It's the drilling that I could do without

[@mdbohica]

Matthew Cremona BAHAHAHAH...OMG I bet!! I have watched all of them like, There has GOT to be a faster way of doing that!! lol

[@robertevans6481]

I thought i was seeing double lol....the more you do on this mill, the more its a beast...yes someone said " until next time. Happy saw mill building time..

[@toadamine]

That welding is bad! Like really bad... you didn't bevel any of the plates, then just ran one pass, then ground the weld off... why use half inch plate of you're only gonna lay one tiny weak bead to hold them together🤷‍♂️

[@coburnlowman]

April seems like a true sweet Lady. Also she is pleasant to the eye. Personally I have a pretty wife who I love dearly but has no desire to be in a shop. She does come out when she can but doesn't touch anything. She doesn't know the difference between a metal lathe and a milling machine. She does know the table saws cut wood but no idea how. My Wife is a great companion and also pleasing to the eye. Watching April sometimes makes me wish Mandy was shop savy . But she is great at our financial services and just keeping our lives organized so she can tell me to the penny how much money I can't spend. I love you Mandy💑💏

[@cuba198316]

hi Matt, can you please tell me where you bought the bandsaw wheels?

[@automan1223]

I think I saw in a later video Cook Sawmill

[@RickRabjohn]

What a huge project - incredible - I am wondering how your going to load the logs onto the mill? Ramps on the side with a winch to roll them on?

[@mcremona]

+Rick Rabjohn thanks! Yes in the future when I get rid of all the logs currently in the driveway. The logs I have now will get loaded with my trailer

[@RickRabjohn]

This is going to be great and thanks for bringing us along to watch as this evolves. Very cool!!!!

[@thomasarussellsr]

That smile on your face when you started walking the carriage with the wheel spinning. Priceless.

[@MRrwmac]

Congratulations! Seeing that smile on your face after you hung the wheel on and sliding the uprights was nice! I'm guessing that if you get it completed and there is a snow storm on that day, you will still be out on it milling your logs!

[@shipskepr1]

no oil during tapping?

[@cpobyrne1]

At 4.13 Matt gets zapped and disappears!!

[@bobleeswoodshop7919]

Hey Matt, you still need that sky hook 🎃🎃🎃🎃 great job on the mill and video!!! Regards BobLee

[@mcremona]

+Robert E. Lee / Bob Lee's woodshop thanks Bob!

[@woodengamer]

Gah! wish I knew April was in town, would be fun to meet her. Any get togethers tomorrow night?

[@RandomChannel967]

Another great installment Matt, I'm halfway through a metalwork project with just 1/4" steel and I'm finding it tough, these videos make me feel like I've got it easy! Thanks!

[@bloodyshadow1382]

You should do a video on welding as you seem to be enough of an expert to avoid the simple stupid mistakes, and yet enough of an amateur to still not have all of the specialized technical terms. Also, you should try experimenting with underexposing your shots of welding as it can look magical if you do.

[@jeffreygibbs3524]

A tip for your welding with stick. If you tap the stick, you run the risk of sticking to the part. Try stroking with pressure and that issue isn't as prevalent.

[@darrinbunston5932]

Just curious I see you welding a bunch of plates together to make a box for a slide around that post just wondering if you could have save some time by going one size tubing bigger for making your slide

[@victoryfirst2878]

I can tell neither of you are real welders by the inconsistent deposit and undercut fillet welds. Stick welding is very forgiving for novices. Just saying fella.

[@markfryer9880]

Another tip when stick welding is to get yourself an empty tin or coffee can to put your hot stick stubs in along with small metal off cuts otherwise you can expect to find them embedded in your work boots melting their way towards your foot. Saves clean up time too.

[@Dingbat217]

How about using a air cylinder for the tensioning system, that way you can use a pressure regulator and simply set the pressure to a fixed number and the blade will always be under the same tension. To release the tension simply put in a valve and a dump port and you can take the tension off the blade when you need to change the blade. What are you going to do for blade sharpening, are you going to build a blade sharpening jig that can sharpen the blades in situ so you don't have to take the blade off the bandsaw all the time?

[@spartaeus]

Where did you buy the bandsaw wheels?

[@robertpearson8546]

In perfect hindsight, you could just have made one side of the box out of 1" material.

[@ScenEverywhere]

Just wondering... Don't you ever mill any 16' or 20' beams or lumber?

[@robertpearson8546]

The design error is mounting the axle to the box instead of 1 diameter below the box. That would have maximized the throat depth.

[@evanherk]

You'd hate it to be under-engineered, wouldn't you? :-)

[@mcremona]

yes :)

[@dananelson3534]

Agreed, build it the right way once. Do you see yourself building another sawmill? :)

[@AndrewBrowner]

over built is under engineered.. using 1" thick material where 1/4" would do fine is terrible engineering.. im not being specific to matt the sawmill came out great but just in general bigger isnt alway better.. building something 5x the cost and 5x the wight that does the same job isnt a good thing

[@ringerson4x4]

Women are inherently better welders than men, it has something to do with patience I believe. Your twin brother even dress' like you at 13:50.

[@mcremona]

lol

[@rorylobban4789]

@aprilwilkerson see those little nuts on the temples of the weld mask? If you tighten them up a little, it will stop the mask falling down when you don't want it to.

[@ypop417]

If you use Air or Hydraulic get a regulator then pressure will stay consent and keep tension consent no matter the stretch of the blade.

[@lesabre1972]

You get better penetration doing it your way, not so much metal to heat up when welding the box around the slide. You did good.

[@cdawg9149]

"What do you do with your left hand?" " I prop the rod"

[@xrude7875]

nice looking unit , maybe just me but i think the size of most of the steel is overkill ! but it will never fall apart

[@panofish]

will it only be human power that pushes the blade through the log?

[@mcremona]

+panofish initially

[@elliottperkins4358]

WOW you must be very strong to push that much steel

[@mcremona]

haha I'm pretty strong for my size

[@willwade1101]

A nut welded to the back of the spindle so that a bolt can be put in it to jack the rear of the spindle up would do the trick.

[@willemkossen]

Wow. This automatic tensioning, arent there pressure gauges that output to usb, so you could have the mill automatically adjust pressure with an arduino or the like? (Could be a claggett collab) How are you ever going to move this gargantuan contraption?

[@mcremona]

I'm sure there are and that will probably be a future upgrade along with this thing being fully computer controlled. With a forklift probably haha

[@garymccoy2888]

Oh, wow, $45 K. I had no idea. Plus, you will know everything about yours so if something goes awry you can fix it. Can't wait to see you cut your first lumber. We used to live in the Minnetonka area. Don't miss the winters, but the people up there are amazing.