Dimensional Sawmill Prototype 2 Concept and Requirements
Q: On Sun, Nov 24, 2013 at 10:59 AM, Christopher Reinhart <chris@opensourceecology.org> wrote: If we can take the sawmill to the level of the brick press, and add to it a straw product, we have the holy grail of DIY architecture for most of North America and much of the world. Actually, almost anywhere. The sawmill and brick press alone are a complete package, but add the insulative building component and the deal gets so much sweeter.
A: I suggest you bust out a concept diagram. Long carriage. Blade on that. Another blade at right angle to that. Z raising. Platform + log dogs. Blade is on our Universal rotor - with a faster hydraulic motor. same with small blade. So radicalizing modularity for interchange with tractor and trencher parts.
This will be awkward initially - but here is what I see:
Tractor with long axis being the implement. We put an independent carriage with the 2 blades on top of that. This stands on feet. Then you take the tractor to a log. Perhaps put a second smaller loader on rear to move log onto a platform. the platform drops from the front loader of the tractor.
So basically, get rid of the entire frame: z axis can be the actual raising of loader arms - but there would have to be some mechanism to measure out height - as simple as a rest for the loader arms.
I believe we can build a radically simple Dimensional sawmill. Even if it's rough at first, that would be proof of concept. Then we optimize for perfect boards.
Q: Anyway, I want to take on the sawmill as a project. I want to bring it to the level that the brick press is at. I also want to help build the next brick press and make the documentation for it. I get a lot of questions about the press as I talk about the MicroHouse, and I want to know that thing inside and out. Right now, I just know how it works and the basics of how to manually run it. I need to build it, and get intimately familiar with the details.
A: Exactly.
Q: And btw, the reason I love unloading dozens of sticks of steel tube or other similar heavy manual labor is that I get a very good understanding for the material and what it would be like logistically to use it in our modern barn-raising. How much does one of those sticks of steel weigh, btw? And how long are they? 10 feet?
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Cloverdale_Manufacturing_6_in_60_Metal_Order