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Dealing from the bottom of the deck to quarter saw a log

Started by warren46, July 12, 2014, 09:58:37 PM

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warren46

I have a very nice red oak log that I want to use to make some quarter sawn lumber so today I took a not so nice log to try out a method I plan to use to saw my nice log.  I took some pictures and will share how I sawed this log.


 
I got the log on the mill and turned the side with the most defects up.  I then centered the pith on both ends and sawed through the center.


 

I then pushed the top half off of the mill and set it aside with the front end loader.



 

I then turned the half ninety degrees and sawed it into quarters.



 

I then turned the quarter so one face was on the bunks and the other vertical against the posts.  I then took a light pass of of the top of the quarter (not shown in the pictures.  This resulted in a solid face I could set against the stops on the bunks.  I then took a five quarter board off of the bottom of the quarter.



 

I then turned the quarter ninety degrees and took off the board I just sawed.



 

Then I clamped the quarter and took another board off the bottom.



 

I repeated taking boards off of the bottom until the boards were to narrow to be useful.

There was not much waste and all of the boards had good figure and flecking.  I know there are several ways to quarter saw logs but this approach seems to minimize handling and waste.  Any comments will be appreciated.


Warren E. Johnson
Timber Harvester 36HTE25, John Deere 300b backhoe/loader.

JB Griffin

Nice job Warren,  Thats how they do it at the local stave mill except they use a band resaw.
2000 LT40hyd remote 33hp Kubota with 6gpm hyd unit, 150 Prentice, WM bms250, Suffolk dual tooth setter

Over 3.5million bdft sawn with a Baker Dominator.

ddcuning

That is true quarter sawing Warren. Nice job! On my circle mill, i have to saw with the pith up and i get a mix of both rift sawn and quarter sawn.

Dave C
We're debt free!!! - Dave C, Nov 2015

POSTON WIDEHEAD

That is totally wrong Warren. You should sell your mill and sell vacuum cleaners door to door.  :D

Just kidding buddy....very nice sawing. There are several ways to quarter saw...and what ever works best for you....get you some.  smiley_thumbsup

Very nice pics too! Thanks for sharing. :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Okrafarmer

This is probably the standard method for quartersawing on band mill. I use this method sometimes, and sometimes I turn the quarters upside down so I can saw off the top of each quarter instead of the bottom. Then there is the octagon method, which works well for really big logs only-- say 24" or greater. I learned that method from Customsawyer. I have used it on several large logs. It gets you almost 100% quartersawn wood (that is, wood with less than 22.5° of grain angle).
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Percy

Quote from: warren46 on July 12, 2014, 09:58:37 PM
I have a very nice red oak log that I want to use to make some quarter sawn lumber so today I took a not so nice log to try out a method I plan to use to saw my nice log.  I took some pictures and will share how I sawed this log.


 
I got the log on the mill and turned the side with the most defects up.  I then centered the pith on both ends and sawed through the center.


 

I then pushed the top half off of the mill and set it aside with the front end loader.



 

I then turned the half ninety degrees and sawed it into quarters.



 

I then turned the quarter so one face was on the bunks and the other vertical against the posts.  I then took a light pass of of the top of the quarter (not shown in the pictures.  This resulted in a solid face I could set against the stops on the bunks.  I then took a five quarter board off of the bottom of the quarter.



 

I then turned the quarter ninety degrees and took off the board I just sawed.



 

Then I clamped the quarter and took another board off the bottom.



 

I repeated taking boards off of the bottom until the boards were to narrow to be useful.

There was not much waste and all of the boards had good figure and flecking.  I know there are several ways to quarter saw logs but this approach seems to minimize handling and waste.  Any comments will be appreciated.
Wow....nice job meticulously done... I been cutting bridge timbers and drill pads for too long. I dont see any oak up here but if thats a not so nice log, that good one must be awesome. Again, nice cutting.. ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

kelLOGg

Warren, It took a few readings but I see why you made the light pass on the top of the cant. The TH cuts against the moveable clamps not the squaring arms.

Nice sawing. That's the way I do it, too. They say QS is slow because of all the turning but on a manual mill like mine everthing is slow so I don't experience much difference in QSing and plane sawing.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

kelLOGg

and I like your term "dealing from the bottom of the deck". I'm going to use that term in describing QSing when I QS for customers.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Southside

I have never run a mill, owning one is on the someday list, so with that qualifier out of the way.  Can you please tell me why you would saw off the bottom and not from the top?  If I understand what you did correctly wouldn't the results be the same?  Thanks
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Dave Shepard

It is much more stable to have the widest face of the cant down on the bed rails of the mill.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

beenthere

In addition, one height setting on the saw head if sawing the same thickness for every board.

And I found that no clamping is necessary if resting on the wide face. Just maybe some steadying to hold down on occasion. The offbearer can do that with a short stick or board.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Dave Shepard

You have to raise the head up to gig back and then reset for the next cut.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

MSSawmill

Nice! I wondered how it was done on a bandmill. Just seems like a lot of log handling with having to move the log after each cut. I guess that's the sacrifice you make for quarter-sawn lumber
Home-built bandsaw mill
2004 Kubota M110 with LA1301 loader

Okrafarmer

Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 13, 2014, 03:36:45 PM
You have to raise the head up to gig back and then reset for the next cut.

That, or you have to move your cant out of the way and retrieve your board from under it each time. Which is why I often QS off the top instead of the bottom. If you can manage to clamp it well enough, taking off the top is easier in my opinion. But I do it both ways.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

Magicman

Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 13, 2014, 03:36:45 PM
You have to raise the head up to gig back and then reset for the next cut.
Not necessarily.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

delvis

Quote from: Okrafarmer on July 12, 2014, 10:22:38 PM
This is probably the standard method for quartersawing on band mill. I use this method sometimes, and sometimes I turn the quarters upside down so I can saw off the top of each quarter instead of the bottom. Then there is the octagon method, which works well for really big logs only-- say 24" or greater. I learned that method from Customsawyer. I have used it on several large logs. It gets you almost 100% quartersawn wood (that is, wood with less than 22.5° of grain angle).

I had never quarter sawn until last year and I used the octagon method and it worked very well. 
If I never saw another board I will at least die happy having spent the last few years working with my dad!

delvis

Quote from: MSSawmill on July 13, 2014, 03:46:40 PM
Nice! I wondered how it was done on a bandmill. Just seems like a lot of log handling with having to move the log after each cut. I guess that's the sacrifice you make for quarter-sawn lumber

Only agree to quarter saw by the hour!  Also, sawing any thickness less than 4/4 should be considered on an hourly basis.  Too much time involved to make money by the foot when sawing 'specialty' stuff.
If I never saw another board I will at least die happy having spent the last few years working with my dad!

Brucer

I do it the same way, but with one minor variation.

1) Quarter as shown.
2) Clamp the cant face down and saw a board off the bottom.
3) Turn the cant and saw two boards off the bottom.
4) Repeat step 3 until the cant is finished.

- You will get the same number of pieces of each size  :).
- Less unclamping and turning :).
- Just remember when sawing two pieces, you have to make the higher cut first. If you don't you'll have to unclamp, remove the board, and reclamp :(.

If you doubt me, try it on paper first ;D.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Dave Shepard

Quote from: Magicman on July 13, 2014, 09:24:04 PM
Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 13, 2014, 03:36:45 PM
You have to raise the head up to gig back and then reset for the next cut.
Not necessarily.

Are you sliding the band under the cant, or removing the cant from the mill?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Dave Shepard

Quote from: Okrafarmer on July 13, 2014, 09:09:43 PM
Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 13, 2014, 03:36:45 PM
You have to raise the head up to gig back and then reset for the next cut.

That, or you have to move your cant out of the way and retrieve your board from under it each time. Which is why I often QS off the top instead of the bottom. If you can manage to clamp it well enough, taking off the top is easier in my opinion. But I do it both ways.

With a two plane clamp you can tip the cant over and pull the board out, then reclamp. But I realize not everyone has a two plane clamp.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

GAB

If you look at the third picture the one above the statement "I then turned the half ninety degrees and sawed it into quarters."
Not being too bright I would have located the point where it was sawed and gone up 2 board and a saw kerf and taken 4 boards out of the middle, and then followed Brucer's method.
I know I'm lazy and I try to minimize emanual labor whenever I can.
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

YellowHammer

Warren,
When I'm quarter sawing like that, instead of sawing one board at a time, I put two quarters down, clamp and saw both at the same time.  Two boards in one pass.  Unclamp, manually flip the quarters and pull the boards.   
YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Magicman

Quote from: Dave Shepard on July 14, 2014, 09:25:47 AMAre you sliding the band under the cant, or removing the cant from the mill? 
Unless it is a heavy cant, it is possible to slip a plastic wedge under the cant and back out leaving the bottom clamped board, especially if the logs are short.

I wasn't trying to be picky....just offer another view of the possibilities, especially with a manual sawmill that may not easily and consistently hit the desired thickness on that bottom board.

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Southside

Magicman,

Off topic, but what is with the stack of chocolate chip cookies and thing that looks like a slice of pie down at the bottom corners of your post?
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Magicman

Off hand I would say that it is a stack of chocolate chip cookies and a Birthday cake and a piece of pie that Jeff baked for me.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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