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Lathe-Mizer

Started by Octoman, September 23, 2005, 08:58:26 AM

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Octoman

I am wondering if anyone has taken the plunge and ordered the lathe-mizer yet? I am very keen to hear how anyone lucky enough to have one is getting on!  I need pics of course!! :D :D
WM LT 15 - Fortune favours the Brave!

inspectorwoody

Saw one a bit a go at the Missouri Forest Products...Pretty neat deal. Will get pics tomorrow

Gadget

Kirk_Allen

I stopped in at WM today and I WILL be ordering the Lathe Mizer!  The uses for that are limitless! 

Fla._Deadheader


Give us some idears, Kirk.
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Faron

I am thinking mainly porch posts with one of those, but I see a couple of hurdles to overcome.  I don't think I can make an acceptable post out of a log, at least not in the species I have to work with.  Sooner or later they are going to crack.  The solution isn't too hard- saw lumber, air dry it, and glue it back together, then  Lathemizer it.  My other question is the best way to put some design on the posts.  Maybe make a jig or bracket to mount a router and cut some simple design into the round post?  I am assuming the machine doesn't turn the log fast enough to mount a tool rest and cut a design with turning tools.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Brucer

Hey, Harold, after you've sawed that nice round log into a square timber, now you can change your mind and put it back the way it was -- just a little smaller :D :D.

Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Cedarman

If you get enough orders, there is a guy in Montana that makes a portable doweling machine for logs 3" up to about 8 inches. Takes about 15 seconds to make a perfect round post. We were looking into it and sent a pallet of cedar logs out and he milled them and sent them back.  Came back real nice and perfect round.  Just a little sanding and they would be perfect smooth. 

Like I said, you need a big order.  Cost of machine is about 110K.
With all the pole cedar in Oklahoma going to waste, there is the opportunity for someone to get into the post and rail fencing business with some good looking posts and rails.  Take 7" logs, round them, saw into quarters, feather the end and let your imagination take over. Take 6' x 6" round posts cut holes and have some beautiful posts.  Take 3" and 4" poles, round them and dowel the ends.What about furniture too?

Now back to the lathe-mizer.  How much wood can you take off in one pass?
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

inspectorwoody

The lathe mizer is awesome and it does turn the log at a very good pace. I don't know much about using turning tools etc. but I would believe it does turn fast enough to use them.

I will ask about using turning tools today at the show.

Gadget

Frank_Pender

Ya, that fella came to the logging conference a few years ago.   They put some Juniper in that baby and made some nice looking poles, but $110,000.    :'(

  I would have to have at least $200, 000 worth of sales lined up before I even thought of the idea, twice. ???
Frank Pender

Percy

Neat stuff. Im wondering how much coin. I checked it out at the website but no price. The stuff this thing produces is considered "value added" which means its not priced out by the board foot but by the unit(post/whatever). Im always getting peckerpoles thrown in with the biguns and an 8 sided WRC post would probably be easy to sell....hmmmmm
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Cedarman

 A new "toy" comes out and you can just hear the wheels turning.
Now I'm thinking what would a red to the bark cedar log look like when run through the lathe-mizer. If anyone gets one close let me know we could make some red sawdust.  Might have to make a deal at one of their shows and bring some poles along. Dem wheels, they are a turnin'.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

inspectorwoody

Here ya go guys...

The new lathe mizer in action in Missouri









Gadget

Bibbyman

We just got back from the above mentioned show in St. Charles.  The unit in the pictures above is now on our the back of our 3500 Dodge.  ;D We plan to put it on our mill and see what we can do with it. 

Got plenty of ideas.

More to come..
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Kirk_Allen

Harold,
My first thought was Custom Cazibo Kits. 
Porch posts, banister rails, HIGH DOLLAR HORSE FARM FENCE POSTS, CUSTOM TIMBER FRAME POSTS etc,

I aksed them how it works on Hardwoods but did not get an answer since they have not done it on anything other than cedar. 

I did notice that on Cedar the knots had a small rise from the rest of the log.  Those knots are VERY hard to cut.  I think when making the final rounding pass you would want a fresh blade on it to prevent rising around knots. 

Bibbyman

Well Kirk,  I'll answer you questioin first..



We sawed and turned a small walnut log on the Lathe-Mizer.  It was about 10" dia and 4' long. 



As expected - turning it into a octigon was no problem.



But turning it into a round was no problem either.  I think because of the learing curve of doing a cedar log, we're just getting better.   We need to sand it and put some oil on it to bring out the grain for a picture - but in real life you can see all the marbleing of the wood grain.



The Lathe-Mizer is bolted onto the bed rails with four J bolts.



A stop is bolted to the rail to stop the sawhead before it gets to the headstock.



The tail stock is rough adjusted by loosing two 3/4" hex head nuts and sliding the head stock on the frame the re-tighten the nuts.



4' chunk of cedar log clamped into Lathe-Mizer.



Cedar being turned round.



After turning it round,  we were ready to go for another.  We decided to just make this one into an octigon again and reround it.   Here is what it looks like with a flat on top and bottom - House log anyone?



Or how about a square with four rounded corners?



Even came out with this dimond shape... with six flats and two rounded corners.



Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Cedarman

How long from round log to perfect round post?  If you have a relatively round 7" log, how to make it a perfectly round 6" post?
Ain't cedar purdy?
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Furby

Bibby, let us know how that walnut one dries will ya?

Cedarman, wouldn't the bark wreck havoc on the blade?

Bibbyman

Quote from: Cedarman on September 25, 2005, 01:47:10 PM
How long from round log to perfect round post?  If you have a relatively round 7" log, how to make it a perfectly round 6" post?
Ain't cedar purdy?

We're still pretty far down on the learning curve and I think we can improve our time and outcome with some changes and practice.

Right now it's a struggle to get the log on it and centered up, etc.  I've got some ideas to help this process.

Cutting the 8 flats is pretty quick - especialy if you have an off-bearer to do the indexing for the next cut.

We need to get some thincker blades to try.  Right now we are using an .042x1.25 blade.  It takes a couple of slow passes to get the flats turned to round.  With these blades we still have humps where the knots are.  I'm thinking the thicker blades will help a lot.  Got some on order.

As we get better I'll try to get some better figures on "How long".

Furby,  I'd think you'd still want to saw off the bark and get it down to some consistant size.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Furby

That's kinda what I was thinking, but a 7" log into a 6" post is cutting it close isn't it?

Bibbyman

Quote from: Furby on September 25, 2005, 02:12:03 PM
That's kinda what I was thinking, but a 7" log into a 6" post is cutting it close isn't it?

Well,  often a cedar with a 7" top will have a 14" bottom!  :o  And could be flouted plus rough.  Making it into an octigon first will take off all that junk.  Any little bit of bark that is missed while making it into an octigon will probably get slug off in the turning.

I just came back in from the sawhshed where I put on our only .055 blade.  We've used it to saw nailly logs so it's none too sharp.  But the stiffness helped out a bunch.   I rounded up a small cherry log.  I was pleased with the results considering the condition of the log - some kink so it was sawing through soft on one side and hard on the other and a couple of small knots.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

ARKANSAWYER



   Silly me I have been doing this the hard way for years.  Wonder what the coin needed is going to be?


ARKANSAWYER

Bibbyman

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on September 25, 2005, 04:05:32 PM


   Silly me I have been doing this the hard way for years.  Wonder what the coin needed is going to be?


I thought about having a bigger square on one for the base of a porch post but not a smaller square section to build into the structure.  I'll have to see how that could be done.  I'm thinking,  I could make a stick the right length and lay on the bed rail between the bolted on stop to stop the head at the same spot ever cut.  Then use a hand saw to cut off the chunk.

Mary did the paperwork so I asked her - the introductury price is $1995.00.  I'm not sure how long this price holds. (Maybe we got the only one!!) :D

They were talking about having a mill set up with it at Paul Bunyan and they would be making a rail fence and maybe other things.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Cedarman

Could the lathe-mizer be put on the mill so that one end was higher than the other?  Doing this would make a tapered round pole.  Customers can have strange requests. Just looking at all the options.

Arky, that pink wood is gorgeous!!!
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Bibbyman

Quote from: Cedarman on September 25, 2005, 08:18:28 PM
Could the lathe-mizer be put on the mill so that one end was higher than the other?  Doing this would make a tapered round pole.  Customers can have strange requests. Just looking at all the options.

Yes,  I'm not sure how much taper could be put in one but maybe I'll get a chance to try that out.

And yes,  customers do ask for strange things!  No matter what you got, that ain't what they want!
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Octoman

Bibbyman, i'm very jealous!! :( :( :D

Do you think the 13hp of the lt 15 will be suffucient against the turn of the lathe?

Lets see pics of the walnut log when finished!
WM LT 15 - Fortune favours the Brave!

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