I know it's no piece of cake but..... Build your own mill. Here's why....

[EWO]

The advice is top notch but the guy was not. Most definitely not a true gentlemen. His mills were top of the line, as nice as any ever made. Just do not pay him upfront. Do not pay him half now and half at pick up. He was not near as accessible once he had the money.

With that said, he kept his dogs in A-1 condition. He would eat bologna sandwiches and potted meat all week in order to buy better dog food or medicinals for his dogs. That is top notch.

He struggled with upfront monies and delivery dates. EWO

Having spoken to ciruos many years ago, just before he retired and went into bike building, he ran down a whole load of info on the phone from overseas. Top guy and a true gentleman. The biggest and most important factor to making a slat mill, according to him, was the frame and belt, and how both must be aligned perfectly in order for a mill to run true. So belts attached to the slats must be in perpendicular fashion, and the mill must be built straight. tHAT WAS HIS ADVICE.

[easyboss]

EB, did you build the mill that's your avatar picture?

No frosty - these are mills designed by HF mills Netherlands. Top notch. Im a dealer for these mills but i dont build them. www.hfmills.nl

[EWO]

Baler belt is a little thick. It will last forever but sort of stiff over the end wheels.

I bought my oak material from a local pallet company. I cut them and planed them to size. Lowe's and Home Depot sell it but it is as high as all get out. EWO

[EWO]

Post a pic of your belt material if you will. I built mine 1st time with a strap type material and it worked very well. Over time the holes stretched a little and then the tracking got off. It was always in need of adjustment. I bought a one ply PVC type belt got it put together and it is way stiff.

Would like to see a side view or a part number for a material that works. EWO

[Wise]

Good approach and good luck man. I used bailer belt myself, it is heavy and durable lil stiff to begin with but it'll be fine, I found a local cabinet maker and he made slats for a decent price.

[EWO]

Good job. I'm an "as long as it works, as long as it serves the purpose" type myself. Good job.

Once you have it up and running you can always adjust and make improvements. The first carpet mill frame I made had a ton of 'adjustments' and 'improvements' to axle diameter and axle/roller location. I drilled and re-drilled so many holes the end of the mill looked like I hit it with buckshot. It was a mess. But it got better and better.

The oak slats may be heavy but you can always run them thru a table saw and then plane them to a thinner/lighter slat. Since it is working I would do that before I went to a bigger wheel.

Either way, good job. I always like 'doing it myself' vs. spending a boat load of cash. EWO

[MOSES]

I used to help Randy out from time to time when I came to the yard. The key items to insure that the mill tracks true are as follows:
1. The frame MUST be square, he used a table jig
2. I think he used 1.5” tubing. If you are going to use aluminum I would step up to 2” due to the weight not the tensile strength of the metal
3. The slats and the belt are very often over looked. I think he was using 2.25 and I don’t remember what they were in thickness. What I can assure you is that if the slat are too small or to large you will get slat rock.
4. The belt I honestly don’t remember anything other than he used the clipper laces and had them shipped to him.
5. The roller bed should be attached to the frame in a manner that minimizes the transfer of vibration to the vertical support members of the frame. Randy used 4 stud point with rubber washers located on the horizontal supports of the frame.
6. The main wheels are adjusted just like a motorcycle rear wheel he used split hub 6” wheels
7. Roller bed wheels and all bearings are about how much you want to spend. Not that the distance between wheels can not be greater peak to peak than the slat. So if you are using wheels that are roughly 2” this works well with a 2.25” slat.

All in all it is not hard to do at all, but you are looking at $500-$600 or close in parts for a budget build, minus tools and your time. Is it worth it, depends on how much time and or money you have. Randy built his first mill because he needed it to work Ranger, not because he felt like making mills. It honestly was something that Tom kinda pointed for him to be able to make a few bucks ontop of the dogs.

Anyway, I can provide a few sketches of any areas where you have issues, I don’t have the time to make CADD drawings right now. If people are really looking for more details PM me and I’ll honestly give some thought to pulling together a set of DIY plans and parts. I hope this helps!

YIS

[MOSES]

Moving up to 10” main wheels will not increase the rotation of the belt, I agree that it’s the easiest solution that comes to mind. However, you might want to reduce the thickness of the slats or the belt to reduce the weight.

[EWO]

Randy C? If so he made some nice mills. Top of the line. He lived just down the road from here. I pass the spot every day to and from work.

Great mills. Great craftsmanship. A skilled guy no doubt. It just turned out to be a bad idea to send the money first, that always seemed to make the phone not work. But that does not take away from the quality of the build. EWO

[MOSES]

LOL...Yea that's Randy. It sucks that he has to own the turn around on the product, but he was always backed up. That was why I spent the time helping when I could, he could use the hand and I needed information. He never had an issue telling me whatever I wanted to know, it was just a matter of asking the proper questions, it didn't matter if it was the dogs or the mills. He was in ruff physical shape and was always fighting with the VA over his knees, a damn shame! I miss my trips to Franklin, those were the good old days.

I remember when I first met him (lord), you can never judge a book by it's cover. He ended up being a stand up dude that took a great deal of pride in his work and the dogs.