Bandmill base question and sawing pine

I was sawing out some pine for rafters - had really good logs - but they were cut only a few weeks ago. My tape measure may never be the same, the pitch coming out of those logs was crazy.

My friend that was helping me do the sawing introduced me to the greatest pitch removal trick ---- WD-40. That was a lifesaver. I'm tempted to wash my clothes in it...

Now for the question - we have a lot of freeze-thaw that causes us to have to re-level the bandmill constantly. I do not have a good base under it now - and I want to change that but I am debating about a gravel/item4 type of compacted base vs. concrete. However, I understand that concrete is not necessarily recommended because it can cause the mill to bounce about. So my thought was to screw a 2x6 to the jack feet and set that on concrete. The wood should give it just enough traction and give to prevent the bouncing but the concrete will prevent the vast majority of settling issues (although not all given our weird winters/springs here in the Catskills).

thoughts?
thanks,
john

I bought a old truck frame and mounted my oscar 18 to it. Put some jack stands under it to get it up off the floor. I have it in my garage to make it handy. Works well for me.

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Originally Posted by dan petroski

I bought a old truck frame and mounted my oscar 18 to it. Put some jack stands under it to get it up off the floor. I have it in my garage to make it handy. Works well for me.

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Need to mention that I added 150 lbs to the carrage framework to reduce vibration. That helped a bunch

Not sure how the frames are built on your mills, but my Cooks mill has a frame of 3x6 tubing, and has 3 jacks on each side. I just level up the mill on the ground and saw all day, then let the jacks down and fold them up and put the mill back in the shed. Have no problem with keeping the mill level.

I have made 2x 8x 18 pads from oak for each leg to help displace weight with my portable mill but if ground is soft after a rain I go to my gravel driveway.

Not sure what you mean by "bouncing"...I know what bouncing is, but I have my sawmill set up on concrete and have never experienced bouncing {that I know of???}. What is it that bounces???

Diesel fuel also works great for pitch removal, either dripped or intermittently sprayed on the band.

However for body parts, mayonnaise is best. It cleans the pitch off hands wonderfully. I would not be putting WD-40 or any other solvent/hydrocarbon on my skin.

What I have read/understood is that if the mill (because it is a metal frame on metal stands) sits on concrete it will have nowhere for vibration to go. While it makes sense, I would think it would only be an issue with a small log or when cutting the last few boards because the big log would have plenty of weight to hold it down.
Thanks for the info Martin - glad to hear this could be a good option for me.
john

Good to know --- I was curious so I actually went and look it up on the WD-40 website. I believed the myth about fish oil!!! I guess I won't be bathing in it anymore ;)

mayo - I hate mayo so even putting it on my skin will be weird :)

john

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Originally Posted by John Fairbairn III

What I have read/understood is that if the mill (because it is a metal frame on metal stands) sits on concrete it will have nowhere for vibration to go. While it makes sense, I would think it would only be an issue with a small log or when cutting the last few boards because the big log would have plenty of weight to hold it down.
Thanks for the info Martin - glad to hear this could be a good option for me.
john

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What about bolting it to the concrete? Concrete piers set below frost line would be a lot cheaper than a slab with footers but the slab would be easier to clean. We don't have the freeze/thaw problem here so my Woodmizer sits happily on some sections of 6x6 PT beams set into the dirt.

JKJ

My air compressor rocked a little on startup. I stopped by the side of the road and picked up some big rig retreads chunks. Cut them to fit, that was fun with steel belts, and placed them under the feet as rubber isolater pads.
Bill D

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Originally Posted by Bill Dufour

My air compressor rocked a little on startup. I stopped by the side of the road and picked up some big rig retreads chunks. Cut them to fit, that was fun with steel belts, and placed them under the feet as rubber isolater pads.
Bill D

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Wow, that's resourceful!

I've used pieces of stall mats for pads. These are 3/4" thick dense rubber, recycled from tires I think. I cut them to fit with a utility knife, no steel belts to deal with. If you ever need any more maybe someone near you with horses has some scraps.

JKJ

Adding a vibration isolator between the band saw frame and the foundation will increase vibration at the saw.

To decrease vibration you would have to fasten it to the foundation......Rod.