Sawmill Pictures

The Model One, the first sawmill I built in the late 1990's

Pros - no separate brake needed.

- very fine, accurate control.

Cons - slow when moving a distance

- all mills lettered with my old Roland PNC-1000 vinyl cutter -

Below, the first Model Two with an even smaller carriage (but cuts the same size log) and the integrated reverse disc brake raising/lowering mechanism. (squeeze the brake-off, release the brake-on) Notice the "Reversed Kingpost Truss" bed design which allows for 2"X4" bed rails with more than 2"X6" strength. i.e. (stronger, cheaper, lighter) The 'I' frame powerhead shows well too.

The springs in the two photos above were an experiment to see if they would aid in lifting the powerhead. They did a bit but it was negated as the lighter powerhead had more bounce and made a wavier cut. The solution would have required a locking device to clamp the powerhead to the carriage, making extra steps for the operator, so the springs were removed as below.

The second Model Two with slightly more protective galvanized pulley guards and the yardstick attached to the powerhead for easier (same height) viewing.

Bed close up showing storage of red taper compensator and two red "cant tilts" for making tapered boards or "shakes".

"Never do things others can do and will do, if there are things others cannot do or will not do." Amelia Earhart

Note the worm gear raising/lowering mechanism.

"I think it's very important to have a feedback loop, where you're constantly thinking about what you've done and how you could be doing it better."

Elon Musk

"No one can make you feel stupid unless you already suspect it."

D. J. Huggett

"I don't spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems." Elon Musk

"It's a thousand times easier to 'look and talk'

than it is to 'think and do'." D. J. Huggett