I made the mill building probably 15 years ago from lumber milled from left over deck Mahogany scraps. It’s got a simple tar paper roof and the cupola houses a speaker for the sound system. I turned a small drum out of brass on my lathe and using hardware for RC planes/cars like pulleys, wire hold downs, and fine cable, I made up a fully functional scale log carriage drive mechanism. It runs with a small 12v gear motor and each end of the frame has a magnetic prox switch, a magnet on the carriage center controls the forward and reverse motion through a wired cube relay. There is also a small prox for the sound system that is activated when the carriage is full back and starting forward so the sound coincides with the travel and motion of the carriage. ano small gear motor drives the saw while another motor mounted in the rafters drives a line shaft with phono belts as the drive belts which drives the swinging cross cut saw. The crosscut saw operator swings the saw back and forth via a flexible cable attached to another gear motor and into the operators hinged body. Lighting is all 12 v. I have a video but not sure how to post it. I haven’t gone outside yet other than just a single loop from my basement and back but many people love watching the saw mill run While it sits on a table in the basement.
Garden Texture fully animated saw mill
Chistech
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I made the mill building probably 15 years ago from lumber milled from left over deck Mahogany scraps. It’s got a simple tar paper roof and the cupola houses a speaker for the sound system. I turned a small drum out of brass on my lathe and using hardware for RC planes/cars like pulleys, wire hold downs, and fine cable, I made up a fully functional scale log carriage drive mechanism. It runs with a small 12v gear motor and each end of the frame has a magnetic prox switch, a magnet on the carriage center controls the forward and reverse motion through a wired cube relay. There is also a small prox for the sound system that is activated when the carriage is full back and starting forward so the sound coincides with the travel and motion of the carriage. ano small gear motor drives the saw while another motor mounted in the rafters drives a line shaft with phono belts as the drive belts which drives the swinging cross cut saw. The crosscut saw operator swings the saw back and forth via a flexible cable attached to another gear motor and into the operators hinged body. Lighting is all 12 v. I have a video but not sure how to post it. I haven’t gone outside yet other than just a single loop from my basement and back but many people love watching the saw mill run While it sits on a table in the basement.
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Great work, what you have achieved, is amazing. I too would love to see it working. John.
Here is the video of my animated saw mill. Sorry that it’s dark but I wanted to show the full lighting. The man operating the swing saw is an LGB ticket man that was cut to hinge at the waist with a pin. A flexible cable run up through the floor into his back is attached to an arm on a gear motor that runs constantly. His arm is hinged and is attached to a wire loop attached to the swing saw. The above line shaft is run with another gear motor and belts are rubber phonograph belts driving the swing saw.
I am contemplating building some addition mill frames, carriage bottoms, drums, cables, prox switches, main saw, and all necessary electronics. The units would be 12v and would be designed to fit the Garden texture saw mill. So basically what i would be offering is a semi assembled kit of a saw mill carriage that operates forward and back with a rotating saw blade. The swing saw and operator would not be offered. I haven’t worked up a price as of yet but it would probably be in the $200 area. I’m not sure if people would be interested so I thought I’d ask.
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Yea, I know this is an old thread but I would be very interested in purchasing a semi-assembled kit. I did work with a couple of Garden Textures kits many years ago and thought they were of high quality.
I hope this kit is a viable option still.
I hope this kit is a viable option still.
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I've seen wood kits for the building but not too many for the carriage and the associated items. There is one on ebay for a very large $ amount but really would like to find something much more affordable.
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Hi I know this is an old post ,did you go any further in producing in kit form can I ask?
Paul from ireland
There seems to be a couple people interested in some sort of kit now. I can cut up a wood kit for the building, and or the log carriage. I can make a more complete kit of the carriage with the brass drum, cable, prox switches, control relay, brass rails etc., but the more I cut nd the more I supply, the more the price rises of course. I need to know exactly what people want and then I can price it out And then you can decide.
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If I could suggest, try pricing out the building separately from the log carriage and then a combined total. I would be interested to see both then definitely go with one or both. Your latest summary didn't include the sound feature, that would be a very important. I hope this helps.
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"The units would be 12v and would be designed to fit the Garden texture saw mill. So basically what i would be offering is a semi assembled kit of a saw mill carriage that operates forward and back with a rotating saw blade." This is what I would want if you are still selling them.
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I am in also. However, is the Garden texture saw mill only available in drawings I thought they were no longer in business
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And another question are the "dogs" moveable so I can fit different sizes of logs?
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If you don't have the track, drum, belts, pulleys, or motors I will still gladly buy the log carriage and dogs themselves.
Just getting back. i have to plan it all out into a list and then price out components. The dogs are brass soldered together and in the prototype, not adjustable. I will also have to make up drawings and assembly instructions. I just cleared off my building bench so I can start working on this soon. I will also include an electrical package that would be the sound system, gear motors, saw blade, relays, proxes, and instructions. I might also consider the upper jackshaft and swing saw assembly. All these items add hours and cost of course but the full effect of the mill as a whole in operation is definitely a centerpiece of a scene.
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Sweet can't wait to hear more about it. I don't know if you can but it would be nice to have the dogs adjustable. I am planning on getting a live steam engine to power the mill so if you could not include the electrical things like the sound, switch back, and motors would help. I do like the idea of having a cut off saw depending on how much money it would add but everything else you said I would like. Thanks and have a great day.
Not sure how you would power the carriage to go forward and back with the live steam engine. You could easily run the saw blade but to operate the carriage off the steam engine would require a forward and reverse transmission that would have to change direction mechanically at the end of each carriage travel.
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