Saturday sawing

Norm · March 23, 2003, 05:17:59 AM

Saturday was just about as nice a day as you could ask for in Iowa, about 55 and no wind. We cut up some logs for a neighbor that had bulldozed an old windbreak. Most were pine but he thought he had a couple of oak mixed in. Turns out one was a real nice cherry log but only about 6' long. This is the first time I've cut pine, not sure what kind they were but they cut easy and made some nice lumber. After we got done with his we cut up a couple of walnut crotch logs that my friend that drives a logging truck had dropped off this winter. These usually end up left in the woods but he asks the loggers to drag out the nice ones for him.

HORSELOGGER · March 23, 2003, 07:45:29 AM

Cmon Norm... I was all ready to see what was inside ;D Any pics after you opened it up?????

Norm · March 24, 2003, 03:59:22 AM

Sorry Horselogger, I didn't get one picture of the slabs after we sawed them. I was dragging butt pretty bad by the time we got this one done and kind of forgot about the after pic's. I'll take a shot of one this week, they were nice but sure makes a guy wish he had a slabber.

Norm · March 29, 2003, 03:39:41 PM

More sawing on Saturday, not quite as nice this week but still above freezing so not to bad. The wanut slab was off the log on my previous post.

The cherry was a chunk that was left in the back lot of Pine Lake Lumber for a couple of years. They didn't even want it for firewood.

ElectricAl · March 29, 2003, 05:30:40 PM

Norm,

That's some good looking Cherry grain.

We sawed a little walnut today too.

Crotch that is ;D

They are Book Matched, but stacked backwards on the forklift. :(

Iowa Walnut

So Norm, do you have real 3 phase? Or do you make your own like Bibbyman and us?

ElectricAl ;)

Fla._Deadheader · March 30, 2003, 04:08:43 AM

Them are some pretty boards, Al. we have a Brown Cedar that is about 22" dia. and it has a fork top. The 2 top cuts are about 9" dia. each. The crotch is about 4' long. I am trying to figure out how to open this log and see how much of the crotch is actually grown together. Would you simply lay it on the bunks with the crotch running edgewise to the mill, or turn it so that the crotch is parallel to the mill, flat ways??

Also, would you bob the 2 top cuts off about where you suspect the crotch to be grown together, so it doesnt open up or split, when I take the first cut or two?? Maybe the crotch isn't worth trying to save??
Anyone can offer advice on this !!

Norm · March 30, 2003, 05:00:14 AM

Nice looking chunks of walnut Al, the big one we cut up didn't have nearly as nice of figure. The one Patty is holding is the heart cut slab, we'll rip the middle out when it gets dried.

We have 3 phase, when we built our place the power poles and wires looked to be the original lines they put in when electricity was invented. It was expensive but since we plan on putting in a wind generator some day we decided to bite the bullet and have it done.

Fla, when we cut crotch wood we lay the log flat, seems to give the best figure for us, have tried it the other way and didn't like the grain patterns near as much.

ElectricAl · March 30, 2003, 06:29:53 AM

F.D.

Norm's right, lay the crotch flat so the board looks like a pair of pants when it's done.

The most important step is leveling the three pith centers.
In your case with the log attached it will be a little more difficult.
Basically, level the "legs" first then level the log end pith. We use the band to reference off of. Next determine the height of the pith on your scale. Add the thickness of your lumber plus kerf several times until the head is at an acceptable height for an opening cut.

Are you saying to yourself,
"Al, that's a bunch of jackin' around" ???

The best two boards are the pith spliters ;)

Give it a try, if you don't like it, sorry. NOT! ;D

This piece was 2 inches longer than the space between the manual log stops. It took 30 minutes to get to this point. I had to turn by hand,
wedge,scoot,trim,scoot,pry,slide,trim,wedge,level :

Linda ran the clamp as I made the adjustments, I could not have got it without help. But the end result was worth the effort ;)

Unfortunately, it was a custom job and someone else will enjoy the the fruits of our labor. :'(

ElectricAl

Fla._Deadheader · March 30, 2003, 06:41:58 AM

Thanks Norm and Al. In the second pic, I tried to show the "split". Does it look like there is a reasonable chance to get a solid board. I am concerned about the way it looks. I would rather NOT see the line all the way to the end of the crotch. Am I thinking correctly or "Don'T worry about it" and just cut.
Al, I follow the way you set yours up. I have already used a 2" to put against the log stops and then sawed the log to fit the mill. That way, you Don'T have to worry about the log slipping between the stops?? I can saw 33" long pieces by using the 2X for a backstop.
NOW, if I can just get the feed controller to work right. :

Fla._Deadheader · March 30, 2003, 06:48:29 AM

A thought just hit me (uh ooh) I have a big Cypress log that has a curve toward the top end, so it will be about a 4' log when I buck it It is about 30" dia and there are 3 large limbs that went out the sides, like arms. I would like to know which way to place the "arms" on the mill. They are almost symetrically placed around the log.

Also, You guys Don'T get much "Pecky" stuff, but, would the grain show up in the Pecky log?? Maybe Tom can jump in here.
I have a couple of small Pecky logs here, and will try to cut them and post pics of the way they look.

ElectricAl · March 30, 2003, 07:04:10 AM

I would assume that the crotch will break were the split is. :-/

But the back side should hold together if there is no split. :

I would wack the log off and saw it as normal, then tackle the crotch. If it breaks >:( then resaw the pieces and use it as a book matched panel insert.

Not all is lost. ;)

Let us know.

Tom · March 30, 2003, 06:01:15 PM

Did you get it cut, Harold? How's it look?

Fla._Deadheader · March 30, 2003, 06:37:14 PM

No Tom. I'm having trouble with the speed controller and have to "clutch" the feed to keep the blade from grabbing. A real pain. I called the motor manu. and they have a controller, but, couldn't tell me how to hook it to a reversing switch??
We sawed about 600 ft of SYP, the logs in the yard, and had the blade diving and rising, due to the feed not working correctly.

Tom · March 30, 2003, 07:06:42 PM

Put that handle on there and unhook the motor belt. Your boy was doing a DanG good job of sawing with it.

Fla._Deadheader · March 30, 2003, 07:44:55 PM

Cain't do that. We changed the motor.

ElectricAl · April 05, 2003, 05:52:36 PM

Well, it's Saturday and we sawed Walnut.

IOWA WALNUT

Actually, we have been sawing Walnut for 5 weeks now.
We're down to our last 10,000 feet.

Here's a Whack of Walnut logs

Here's a nice one, it's edged out a 13.5" X 12' FAS, top money. ;D Too bad it's custom work ???

Can a guy have a Whack of Firewood?

Shop built dump box with fork pockets and skid loader mount plate.

[shadow=red,left,300]ElectricAl and Linda[/shadow]

Patty · April 06, 2003, 07:52:20 AM

It was cold up here Saturday. The water in mill tank was frozen, so we busied ourselves prepping locust for the next warm day. Norm plans to build a timberframe cabin, so we thought these black locust logs would make great beams.

ElectricAl · April 12, 2003, 07:12:25 PM

:

Tom · April 12, 2003, 07:18:55 PM

Roll her right off of the back, eh? :-[ :-[ :-[ :D

Fla._Deadheader · April 12, 2003, 07:21:58 PM

:D :D :D :D :D Haven't tried that trick, yet. ;D

ElectricAl · April 12, 2003, 07:29:43 PM

Short logs cause a pain in my back >:(

biziedizie · April 12, 2003, 07:52:00 PM

I notice you have a sawdust collector but I see sawdust on the floor. Was it plugged that day?

Steve

Tom · April 12, 2003, 08:00:27 PM

It's rolling a ton and a half off of the back that will really make you chagrined. :D

ElectricAl · April 12, 2003, 08:39:37 PM

Steve,

Our dust collector gets about 95% of the dust, but some still ends up on the floor.

The dust on the floor you saw is after about 6 hours of sawing. There is more than a pickup load of dust blown into a big wagon.

Tom,

We lost a big one off the back a couple years ago. It cracked our 6" concrete and banged the wall so hard it shook wrenches off the hooks on the opposite wall.

We tried to reach over the saw with the forklift and chain it up. Our 5000lb Toyota could not lift it that far out. >:(

We ended up moving all the logs and lumber outside, cleaning the floor, then lifting the sawmill onto 4 caster designed to move heavy furniture and rolling the saw out of the way. :

A 3000lb sawmill rolls pretty easy on smooth concrete. Once the saw was moved it was easy pickins.

Kinda funny now, but I was freaked out when I saw the crack. Cracks in concrete with radiant floor heat is not to good.

We drop 1 or 2 each year. Mostly because the manual log stop folds down. We just let them fall once they start going. It's not worth getting hurt trying to stop it. ;)

Tom · April 12, 2003, 08:46:06 PM

yep, been there.

What's a pain is when you do that at a customers site and there is no tractor. :

Takes a lot of spiffy cant hook work to get it back to the front of the mill. :D

I have a tire and axle back there to worry about too.

Your right. Trying to catch one will get you hurt.