TimberKing Sawmills



Please visit this sponsor

The Largest Inventory of Used Chainsaw Parts in the World

Toll Free 1-800-582-0470

LogRite Tools

Lucas Sawmills

Forest Products Industry Insurance

Norwood Industries Inc.

Eggimann Motor and Equipment Sales Inc.

Sawmill & Woodlot Magazine

Wood-Mizer Band Blades

Carolina Machinery Sales is a machinery dealer that specializes in the Wood Processing Industry.

Wood Processing equpment. Splitters, Processors, Conveyors

Your source for Portable Sawmills, Edgers, Resaws, Sharpeners, Setters, Bandsaw Blades and Sawmill Parts

Portable Sawmill and Planers Made by Logosol.

EZ Boardwalk Sawmills. More Saw For Less Money!

STIHLDealers.com sponsored by Northeast STIHL

Lawn-Gardening-Tools.com

Hutto Wood Products

Woodland Sawmills

Margeson Insurance

Forestry Forum Tool Box

Author Topic: draging blade back through last cut  (Read 1473 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Dan_Shade

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 4365
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Lexington Park, Maryland
  • Gender: Male
  • I don't want to edit my profile!
    • Shade Custom Sawing
draging blade back through last cut
« on: April 10, 2010, 10:02:23 pm »
Do any of you guys drag your blade back through the previous cut, leaving the previously sawn boards sitting in the cant?  I've heard of this, but don't know if there are any tricks?

Do you stop the saw before the blade exits the cant?  how do you get the saw to stop in the right place?
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Offline Tom

  • In Memoriam
  • *
  • Posts: 25853
  • Age: 69
  • Location: Jacksonville, Florida
  • Gender: Male
    • Toms Saw
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2010, 10:06:07 pm »
I used to do it frequently.   You stop the head of the saw just as the teeth are exposed from the end of the cant so that the body of the blade is still in the kerf.  Then you brake the band and back up.

It's handy when you are by yourself and offloading two boards at a time, or if you have an off-bearer who is good and will take a board off while you are cutting a second one.   You can do that too and it speeds up your production.
extinct

Offline Brucer

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 1920
  • Age: 62
  • Location: Rossland, BC
  • Gender: Male
  • The Kootenay Sawyer
    • The Kootenay Sawyer
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #2 on: April 11, 2010, 01:58:50 am »
I've done it, sawing pine and hemlock 1x . I'd drag the blade back through each cut until I had a stack of 6 or 8 boards on the mill. Sometimes you have to lift the end of the stack as the blade approaches the midpoint on the way back -- just enough to take a little pressure off the blade.

For some reason it doesn't work very well with Douglas-Fir.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw with two 6' extensions, ED22 twin blade edger.
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Online Chuck White

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 2910
  • Age: 63
  • Location: Russell, (Way Upstate) New York
  • Gender: Male
  • Sawing Mobile since 2005
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2010, 07:14:24 am »
I haven't tried bringing the blade back through the cut, but quite often, I'll exit the end of the cant and raise the blade above the board I just cut and return that way.

Same as when I split a 12" cant for 1x6's or 2x6's, etc, I just raise the blade above the top cant and return to the head of the mill, then turn the cants and start sawing 2 at a time.
CHUCK - Retired USAF and now a Mobile Sawyer
1995 Wood-Mizer LT40HDG24 (Onan)
Shingle & Lap-Sider - Cooks Cat Claw Sharpener & Single Tooth Setter
Basic mechanical skills are all that's required to maintain the Wood-Mizer.
4 ft Logrite cant hook and a few unknown brands.
I LOVE MY SAWMILL

Offline Dan_Shade

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 4365
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Lexington Park, Maryland
  • Gender: Male
  • I don't want to edit my profile!
    • Shade Custom Sawing
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2010, 07:21:12 am »
I'm trying to save the time of raising the head up while cutting.
I figure if I can drag back through the last cut, i can save the up/down time of the head.  My 40 up/down motor moves too slow for my liking.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Offline Dave Shepard

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 4792
  • Age: 2007
  • Location: Alford Massachusetts
  • Gender: Male
  • Geometrically proportional
    • My homepage
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #5 on: April 11, 2010, 09:08:29 am »
On the manual LT40 I'd do that when I had an off=bearer. You get so you can stop the band at just the right spot. As you near the mid-point, you push down on the board(s) so that they don't get pulled back with the head. Saves a lot of time not raising and lowering the head. On the Super, I just raise up and bring the head back for the next cut, leaving the band running.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51 Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Offline wwsjr

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 310
  • Age: 67
  • Location: Fulton, Mississippi
  • Gender: Male
  • Think Orange
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #6 on: April 11, 2010, 09:23:43 am »
On my LT40HD, when using an off bearer or not I felt it was faster to raise above the cut to return. On my LT40Super, I use the board dragback the majority of the time. I raise the head slightly to allow the dragback to catch the board and return. One of the older versions of Accuset had a "bump-up" feature to preset the height to raise the blade with out affecting pattern settings, discontinued on later versions and Accuset 2.  I guess it is a matter of preference but I do not like to bring blade back through the cut.
Retired US Army, Full Time Sawyer since 2001. 2006 WM LT40HDD51 with Command Control, Accuset, Debarker, and Lubemizer. ED26 WM Edger, Ford 3930 w/FEL, Ford F350 Dually, Prentice Log Loader. Stihl Saws & Logrite Canthooks

Offline Papa1stuff

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 519
  • Age: 77
  • Location: Okahumpka ,Fl
  • Gender: Male
  • Can I trade for an LT70?
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #7 on: April 11, 2010, 09:56:07 am »
The only time I tried that ,the blade came off ,raise the blade now ;D
2008 LT40SH/51HP Cat
1994 F700 Ford Grapple Truck
1987 PB Grader with forks added to bucket
2--2008 455 Rancher Husky
WM CBN Sharpener & Setter

Offline Chris Burchfield

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 835
  • Age: 54
  • Location: 7882 Macon Rd. Cordova TN. 38018
  • Gender: Male
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #8 on: April 11, 2010, 10:08:07 am »
I raise each time.  I just bump down for the next cut and the blade goes to where the next cut is to start.  I don't have to figure for the blade and curf loss, it's nice.
Woodmizer LT40SH W/Command Control; 51HP Cat, Memphis TN.

Offline Brucer

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 1920
  • Age: 62
  • Location: Rossland, BC
  • Gender: Male
  • The Kootenay Sawyer
    • The Kootenay Sawyer
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #9 on: April 11, 2010, 06:38:53 pm »
The only time I tried that ,the blade came off ,raise the blade now ;D

Yer supposed to stop the blade first  :D :D.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw with two 6' extensions, ED22 twin blade edger.
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Offline Cedarman

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 3913
  • Age: 64
  • Location: Marengo In
  • Gender: Male
    • Cedarusa
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #10 on: April 11, 2010, 07:12:38 pm »
I am usually sawing ERC.  I want to leave as many boards as possible in place to keep the bottom cant from bowing up.  I get a  lot less thick and thin boards that way.  It is just second nature and I don't even think about it.  When I come back if the stack starts to move I grab the end and push it back.  If I have an off bearer I have them raise the stack a smidgeon. If I overshoot the end, I try to reenter the cut.  If it catches I raise head and bring back.  I don't have accuset.
Once in a while you will catch a splinter and you better be ready to stop or the blade will pop off.
Since we saw though and don't turn the cedar cant once it is cut it is much quicker to bring blade back through cut.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Online Chuck White

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 2910
  • Age: 63
  • Location: Russell, (Way Upstate) New York
  • Gender: Male
  • Sawing Mobile since 2005
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #11 on: April 11, 2010, 09:19:58 pm »
Most of the time I just slide the board off the cant and onto the loading arms and the off-bearer will take the boards from there.

I also use it as a safety issue, it keeps the off-bearer away from moving parts.
CHUCK - Retired USAF and now a Mobile Sawyer
1995 Wood-Mizer LT40HDG24 (Onan)
Shingle & Lap-Sider - Cooks Cat Claw Sharpener & Single Tooth Setter
Basic mechanical skills are all that's required to maintain the Wood-Mizer.
4 ft Logrite cant hook and a few unknown brands.
I LOVE MY SAWMILL

Offline Papa1stuff

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 519
  • Age: 77
  • Location: Okahumpka ,Fl
  • Gender: Male
  • Can I trade for an LT70?
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #12 on: April 11, 2010, 10:17:44 pm »
Yer supposed to stop the blade first   .

I did ,the blade was not turning and I went slow ,but still caught and came off.
It is much faster to rasie the blade and return
2008 LT40SH/51HP Cat
1994 F700 Ford Grapple Truck
1987 PB Grader with forks added to bucket
2--2008 455 Rancher Husky
WM CBN Sharpener & Setter

Offline Dan_Shade

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 4365
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Lexington Park, Maryland
  • Gender: Male
  • I don't want to edit my profile!
    • Shade Custom Sawing
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #13 on: April 11, 2010, 10:30:34 pm »
it may be fast with a super, but with a regular LT40, the up/down takes a lot of time....

i find leaving the boards on the cant keeps it pretty flat, to help alleviate the thicks and thins.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Offline backwoods sawyer

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 1159
  • Age: 48
  • Location: Camas Valley Or
  • Gender: Male
  • LT-70 proto-type, Cooks AC-36 with edger
    • Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #14 on: April 11, 2010, 11:54:49 pm »
I put the next size larger pulley on the up down motor and always clear the stack with the saw. Putting a saw back on and risking damaging the saw are not worth the time saved to me. But it is always good to look at the pros and cons of an idea before implementing.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. From our Backwoods to yours....

Offline sigidi

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 1092
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Aus
  • Gender: Male
  • Don't burn it or bury it, treecycle it!
    • Reall Milling
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #15 on: April 12, 2010, 06:20:01 am »
I'm not totally familiar with how you bandmill boys do it, but can't the offbearer/tailer, get the board from behind the head as it is about 2' from the end of the log and just tail out when it's cut off, sawyer, brings head back, drops for next board, starts cutting and part way through next board tailer could be back ready for next board? and if he isn't back tell him to start running? ;D
Always willing to help - Allan
www.reallmilling.com

Offline Dan_Shade

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 4365
  • Age: 38
  • Location: Lexington Park, Maryland
  • Gender: Male
  • I don't want to edit my profile!
    • Shade Custom Sawing
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #16 on: April 12, 2010, 07:03:16 am »
has using a larger pulley caused you any problems?  I like that idea....

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Offline Tom

  • In Memoriam
  • *
  • Posts: 25853
  • Age: 69
  • Location: Jacksonville, Florida
  • Gender: Male
    • Toms Saw
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #17 on: April 12, 2010, 01:09:28 pm »
Sigidi

It's more of a technique to be used when you are alone, but it also works for relieving some of the stress and anxiety from an off-bearer when his sawyer is so much faster than greased lightening.  ::)



extinct

Offline sigidi

  • Senior Member x2
  • *****
  • Posts: 1092
  • Age: 37
  • Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Aus
  • Gender: Male
  • Don't burn it or bury it, treecycle it!
    • Reall Milling
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #18 on: April 12, 2010, 06:00:56 pm »
Thanks Tom ;)

so here's a question how fast would you slice out say a 2x6? so how quick does the tailer have to be to get the last one stacked so he is back for the next one?
Always willing to help - Allan
www.reallmilling.com

Offline petefrombearswamp

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 403
  • Age: 74
  • Location: Finger Lakes region of NY,
  • Gender: Male
  • me & my son
Re: draging blade back through last cut
« Reply #19 on: April 12, 2010, 06:09:08 pm »
I like to pick the head up and  return.
I haven't tried returning thru the cut, but will tomorrow to see what happens,
I saw alone a lot and if this helps i will do it.
pete
LT40SHDD51
Kubota 8540 tractor, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
241 acres of woodland
wife who understands my quirks

 


Testing New Bottom Sponsor Area

Saw Anywhere!