I have a 1976 Mil-Rite chainsaw mill. This works like a bandsaw mill in that the carriage runs down a track. This is unlike any other chainsaw mill I have ever seen.
I have had this for years and used it a lot to mill out my own lumber from our 18 acres of Jack Pine woods. But a year ago someone had an accident with my mill and bent the rails. I have not been able to use it since.
Today I decided to get it going again because I have about 34 logs to process into lumber and I need them out of the yard.
The bent rail is dead center in the middle of the mill. This is a 15 ft long mill which can process 12 ft lumber.
I had to remove the center rails and then take that section apart entirely in order to bend it straight again.
Over on the cement slab in front of our cottage I used a level to check for straightness and a heavy hammer to beat the rail flat again. I propped the rail off the ground with 2x4s to allow the hammer to do its work and pound the rail straight.
It took some time but I got it as close as 1/16th of an inch at the end. This would not be a problem if i put this section at the end of the mill.
Over at the mill I also removed the end section and then put that in the center. The one I just repaired went on the end instead. This means I can get a straight cut all the way to the very end of the log where it will not make a difference on the last couple inches.
You can watch today's video here: