New slats?

I am wanting to replace the slats on my RRC mill. What is the best material to use ? Is there a better material then wood to use ?

 

Oak is what i hear! is Best!

 

oak i hear also and don't forget the polyurathane to presevre the wood from pee,poop,and wear and tear.easy to clean them also.

 

The RRC i have was built in the early nineties
GR CH Joey Ran on it and CH BEau also from RB Kennels
and i will be replacing the track this it was left out side
by the previous owner i want to lighten it up but still keep the strenght
RRC wants 350 for a new belt plus shippping

 

that includes wood and all, i take it?

 

hell no you could get the materials for about $100 or less and do the work yourself.gr ch joey they had a dog named bossman too.

 

were is a good place to find the belts cheap ?

 

The thick wood they use on the RRC is balsa wood. It is not cheap. Sure you could use a different type of wood but I do not think you will find much lighter.

 

Is it true rrc is no longer making mills ?

 

check your pm

 

350 includes the complete belt

 

So I am gathering parts for my slat-mill I am building. I got everything but the slats, I have heard two schools of thought on this. One says use a hardwood like oak or maple(expensive) and another says soft wood like pine, reason being no splinters. So for those that have hardwood slats are splinters that big of an issue?

 

hardwood slats on mine and no real issues, i think pine would be easy to damage, try the cheaper option and if it doesnt work out remake them in hardwood or get a composite timber slate made custom for your mill

 

thanks, I just found a killer deal on craigslist, enough wood for all my slats for super cheap!

 

I have a J Chandler mill that my dogs use for about an hour a day and it still running strong after two years. The slats are oak and the wear is no more than just scratches.

 

I USED OAK WOOD AN I PUT POLY ON THEM. THE OAK WORKS AN LOOKS GREAT THANKS .

JawDog

 

oak is just more durable i think anyway, and can be takin down thin enough with out breaking, but still has the pores for the stain and or poly urethane to soak in pretty deep,the slats i made for mine are soft wood,

that;'s where i went wrong, , back to the wood shop, and i still need the rubber and roller blade wheels still :rolleyes:

 

^^^^^Have you already found a source for the materials BUCK ?

 

Hey Buck, whats the best thickness to have the slats?

 

I finally completed my prototype slat mill with the help and info found on this site.



I ended up using Red Oak Slats. I originally tried to make my own using a miter saw, then trying a table saw but really didn't like the results. I ended up buying the slats locally from a guy for about $2.50 / piece. My total for 50 slats was $125. A lot more than I had hoped to spend, but the quality and finish were exactly what I was looking for. My slats measure 14"L x 2.5"W x 3/8" Thickness.

Here are some links to images of the slats I bought:
http://slatmill.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/slat-1.jpg
http://slatmill.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/slat-2.jpg
http://slatmill.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/slat-3.jpg

Buck:
I bought 32 inline wheels with abec7 bearings for $75. Don't go with the cheap ebay bearings. I bought those and THEY ARE NOT ABEC7. THEY SUCK!!! The expensive ones found on ebay might be real, but the bulk ones were not. For me, the difference in performance and smoothness was night and day. My wheels are 72mm. However, I think I'm going to change to smaller 53mm skateboard/rollerskate wheels because of the slat rock. I could do a double row of inline wheels but that would essentially double my cost for the wheels alone.

Lastly, here's a video of ten year old TBW's Max on the mill. I know it looks kinda ghetto, but believe me I am no carpenter or have no experience whatsoever, lol.

Thanks to all that have posted info and insight on building a slat mill.