# If only I had the skills and equipment to do this...



## DKMD (May 10, 2015)



Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 5


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## Kevin (May 10, 2015)

That's what I call a true repurpose. I can see a few things I'm certain he'll want to modify but it was a really imaginative build and looks like he did a great job on it.


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## NYWoodturner (May 10, 2015)

I know squat about mills but the blade on that tire worries me. At some point he's gong to have to tension that blade. It already looks like it sinks in when he starts it up..


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## ripjack13 (May 10, 2015)

That's pretty cool. Maybe he could try solid rubber tires...


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## JR Custom Calls (May 10, 2015)

I've seen a lot of videos and pictures of home made mills... they usually use trailer tires though. I guess it's the same issue as a traditional bandsaw, smaller wheels means more stress on the blade when it bends. That one looks a lot less janky than quite a few that I've seen @NYWoodturner 

Here's one using car tires

Reactions: Like 2


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## NYWoodturner (May 10, 2015)

Holy crap.  Looks like he's used that one more than a few times. Look at the bed of sawdust flex with his weight. Again - I don't know squat about them but I guess I'm just picturing what would happen in the event of a blow out. At bare minimum I'd ruin a good pair of shorts. I do admire their resourcefulness though. Its pretty damned impressive. There isn't much in either setup to get between you and a flying blade. Buy em both a beer

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 1


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## Kevin (May 10, 2015)

Tires work astonishing well for a bandmill. Not as well as large diameter steel forged wheels with belts but they do work. But I know what you mean Scott - the first time I saw a band mill made with tires for the wheels I thought man that's insane. 

A good analogy is this guy's remark in his video why he wanted to build a 4-poster mill opposed to a "single post" - he was referring to Woodmizer's cantilever design. It was either really disingenuous of him or he's pretty naive or else has an ax to grind against WM. He said he wanted to build a 4-poster because he wasn't cutting 2 x's to build a house but cutting "precision lumber" for furniture or however he worded it, insinuating that WM's cantilever design is somehow inferior to the 4 post design. This argument is as old as WM and is pointless too. The fact is my very old and VERY beat up WM mill will cut every bit as accurate as his (and I'd wager much more accurate over say a 10,000 BF run) than his or any other 4 post design. WM mills have produced more lumber than all other brands and all DIY mills COMBINED and you can't hardly tear one up.

On the other side of the coin, the same goes with using tires for DIY bandmills. You save a few hundred dollars at most, but the proof is in the pudding. They work. So, what the heck if you're building a mill on a budget more power to him. I just wish he didn't feel it necessary to take a shot at the world's most proven sawmill design because his mill is awesome and he did a great job building it. He didn't need to take a shot at another mill to make his seem better.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Schroedc (May 10, 2015)

When I was shopping for my mill I looked at a couple home built ones and they all worked pretty well but all of then were short on guards for the blade. The blades also did dig up the tire a bit so you'd have to keep a sharp eye on it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Brink (May 10, 2015)

Solid urethane tire fill would work well, and add much rotating mass, too.


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## JR Custom Calls (May 10, 2015)

Schroedc said:


> When I was shopping for my mill I looked at a couple home built ones and they all worked pretty well but all of then were short on guards for the blade. The blades also did dig up the tire a bit so you'd have to keep a sharp eye on it.


That's my biggest dislike. I would definitely want a guard of some sort. I've had a bandsaw blade break and it literally had me shaking. In fact, the heart doctors need to stop using a treadmill for stress tests and just do the quick and easy route by breaking a bandsaw blade.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## NYWoodturner (May 10, 2015)

JR Custom Calls said:


> That's my biggest dislike. I would definitely want a guard of some sort. I've had a bandsaw blade break and it literally had me shaking. In fact, the heart doctors need to stop using a treadmill for stress tests and just do the quick and easy route by breaking a bandsaw blade.


Funny AND agree


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