by Terry Carter, Past President of Ipswich Men’s Shed
In late 2018 one our Shed members asked if it was possible to build a mobile log saw in the engineering shed at The Ipswich Mens Shed.
Luckily one of our members, Ross, had experience in constructing such items and so began the saga of building Dougie’s Saw.
With Doug supplying all the steel and specialized bits (engine, pulleys, axles and wheels etc) the construction commenced.
With Ross and Doug supplying the majority of the labour, and a couple of other shedders holding and pushing bits when required, the saw slowly took shape.
Specifications
The saw bed is 8 metres long and 1.8 metres wide and is recognised as a road registered trailer with tandem axles.
The bed is able to be folded in half for transport and extended when working to enable the loading and support of long logs.
The saw is mounted on a moving frame and is capable of rolling along the bed and being adjusted to any height.
It is able to process logs 900mm in diameter and 5600mm long. The band saw blade has a length of 3800mm.
Project timetable: ‘Not a bad effort’
The project was completed mid-March 2019. Not a bad effort for two days a week and Christmas break in the middle.
Doug is currently fine tuning the saw, making adjustments to ensure a true cut while at the same time processing a large pine tree into workable slabs.
The power is supplied via a 13hp Honda driving a pair of suitably “geared” vee belts.
This project is the biggest project undertaken by our Shed and while Ross declares there will not be a second one, both he and Doug should be congratulated on achieving a successful outcome.
Doug also made a financial contribution to the shed to cover ancillary costs incurred by the shed.
Doug is very happy with the finished product. With the aid of his grandson he is putting it to work cutting slabs, ensuring a supply of timber for the construction of his bee hives and other ongoing projects.
What do you think of Dougie’s saw?
We’d love you to leave a comment below. And why not leave details about a project in your Shed? Large or small, other Shedders would love hear about it.