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Carrage legnth

Started by bandmiller2, January 21, 2008, 11:17:44 AM

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bandmiller2

As most of you know I'am rebuilding an old Chase circle mill.My aim is a medium duty tractor mill for my own use.Space is somewhat limited most of what I cut is 8',10',and 14'mixed pine and oak.Carrage is 14' but I must rebuild it ,was thinking of dropping down to 12'.My old mill had a 12' carrage can't remember running into anything I couldn't cut,did 16' with no problems,what are your thoughts?? Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

jason.weir

Frank,

Since I'm in a similar situation, I can chime in with my plans.

My mill currently has a 14' carriage that needs rebuilding.  I purchased enough hemlock to make it 16'.  I have the room and almost 50' of track so I thought what the heck and go for the extra capacity.

You mentioned sawing 16' on a 12' carriage, that works out to 2' hanging over both ends of the carriage, does this have any negative effects?  If not what is the practical limit of overhang? 2', 4', more??

-Jason

Ron Wenrich

I saw 23' RR ties and I have 4 headblocks that space out to 14'.  So, I get nearly 5' beyond the headblocks.

You will get spring in the logs.  So, to lessen the problem, you can keep on turning your logs, but you will have to take shim cuts.  The lumber can get to be a little funky, as well.  With hand dogs, you'll have a harder time keeping the log from springing. 

I would say that having a couple of feet overhang shouldn't be much of a problem.  I saw 16' logs with no problem on a 14' carriage, and 18' doesn't pose to much of a problem.

Where you can run into problems is when your track gets out of line.  The longer the log, the worse the problem.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

boulderridge

I've cut 26' oak beams with the two outer most head-blocks being 12' from each other. This left 7'of over-hang on each end. The only thing that kept the log from bouncing was the size of the finished piece. 9" x 7". To cut something much smaller then this with this much over-hang on a circle mill, sets one self up for an interesting ride.   :o

bandmiller2

Jason,50' of track you have your own railroad.Forget where I read it but 2' overhang on the carrage is no problem especially with timbers and dimension lumber.If I had more space I'd go for the long track.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

jason.weir

Frank,

That should have been 40' of track sorry....

Either way should be plenty for a 16' carriage.

-J

J_T

Sawing 16' logs counting standing room an passing the saw with the log don't leave much do it  ???
Jim Holloway

jason.weir

JT,

I was just thinking about that.  My original thought process was that assuming you had a 16' carriage and a 5' blade you would need "at least" 37' of track for the log to clear the blade.  Thats why I planned for 40' 

Then I thought, why does the log need to clear the blade?  The board will fall off as soon as the log clears the leading edge of the blade. Correct?

I know you don't want things too tight or have to work too close to the sharp spinning thing but the old boys didn't build any more track than they needed, what is the conventional train of thought?

I want to have enough track where I can saw 20' stuff, that means more than 40' of track, how much more is the question.

-Jason
Confused as ever...

J_T

Yep it will fall off that way  :) But that last board or large beam on the carrage needs to come off there too ??? I like to be at least five feet when rasling a big log from that spinner  ;D I am getting clumsley in my later years  :'( Wish you were closer I could show you every thing I did wrong . When I started everyone though I was sorting out scrap iron but it works  :D :D
Jim Holloway

J_T

 Jason some them old boys rode those carrages an turned the log too :D :D
Jim Holloway

bandmiller2

Jason 40' is cutting a little short for a 16' carrage.The headsaw should never turn agenst a log thats not moving ether feed or gig back.Depending how you set up your carrage stops,the last truck can go beyond the track,just have a little leadin on the end of the track.You could also make a section of guide track not too critical if the logs not in the saw.Its nice to have some" living room" when your loading and turning logs.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Ron Wenrich

You need room to pass the saw and the board splitter of the front side.  On the back side, you need room to work.  You won't be loading logs right up at the saw.  You should have 5' of free area behind the saw so you can safely load logs and turn on the carriage.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

jason.weir

Well there you go - thats why I love this place ask the right question and you will get the answer you need.

Here is what I figure.

Carriage - before blade 16'
Working room - before blade 5'
Saw - 5'
Working room - after blade 5' (includes  18" splitter)
Carriage - after blade 16'

That looks like at least 47', I guess I'm back to the 50' mark, that will give me over 6' of working room either side of the blade....

Good thing I've got the room..

-J

JSNH

 
Mine is 52' long. When it was made it was 8' shorter. 4' was added latter to each end.
A pic of Jason running it.


jason.weir

That is one handsome man there... ;D

In reality I was kinda worried about screwing something up.  I had just met John 15 minutes earlier and there I was running a big circle mill for the first time.

Only once did I almost saw the setworks handle off because I almost forgot to push it back before advancing the carriage.

Thanks again John for the experience.

-J

Brian_Rhoad

The old Frick mills had 3 15' track sections and a 15' carriage. When I built new track for our mill I made it 55' long. The extra length was nice. My dad talks about cutting 30' 2x6s on a 15' carriage with less than 1/4" difference from one end to the other.

bandmiller2

Jason ,John must be real understanding Sawyers kinda think of the big saw like their wife,don't cotton to outhers messing with it.Most mills theirs one sawyer and he's usally pretty cantankerous. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

J_T

Well you got me thinking  :-\ If you never sawed much on one these things be sure that splitter is set in the right place Fastened down good because now and then when starting a cut if the log has a little slant to it it will try to squese inside the splitter  :'( :'(
Jim Holloway

Ron Wenrich

Butt end front will help with splitter problems.  I get those when I am sawing a log where the slab is not full on the front.  It comes to a point and usually comes from not pulling a slab from the full length of log.  The point likes to go behind the splitter, mainly due to the tension in the slab.

When I first started sawing on a handmill, I had one that went behind the splitter.  I was also pulling up the live deck, so I wasn't watching too close.  When I turned around, my safety window was smashed.  The slab bowed until I ended the cut, which shot the slab back at me. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

boulderridge

Jason.weir,

Addicting running that big saw wasn't it?

Boulderridge

Frickman

A longer carriage will run straighter and truer on the same set of tracks.
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

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