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Heighth of log deck for circle mill

Started by Trapper John, August 22, 2016, 08:26:26 PM

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Trapper John

I have started building a log deck and was unsure of heighth it should be in relation to the carriage bed.  I was thinking it should be slightly below (  1/16" ) the carriage so that the cant would just clear it.  I was going to run it up fairly close to the carriage, like a half inch.  Am I on the right track here?

sealark37

If you place it that close to the carriage, you will not be able to walk to the rear of the carriage to position the log or dog.  I like the design that uses two or three bridges that carry the log to the carriage, then stand up to block the next log on the deck.  The same height for the carriage and deck seems to work well.  Regards, Clark

dgdrls

Hey TJ,

this is what I remember
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkzm5N5UQW8

I guess it depends on your set-up  I think Sealark37 is on track here more than I
D


BUGGUTZ

Mine sits about level to the carriage. I have two pipes that extend to a lip on the rail of the track. Sits about 2ft away.
Everyone has to be somewhere.

ozarkgem

That is cutting ties!  I can't even think that fast let alone saw that fast.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

Kbeitz

Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Ron Wenrich

You probably can be back a bit further than 1/2".  At that end, you won't be loading anything that will fall through the crack.  As for height, you want to clear the thickest piece you'll cut.  If you're splitting a 16" piece to make an 8x8, you'll need to be lower back that 8".  1/16" seems a little tight.  Maybe 1/4". 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

steamsawyer

I have about two feet between the carriage and my rails. This leaves me adequate walk way for access to the dogs. My bunks are railroad rail and I have a two inch pipe that flips down on each rail to connect the rail to the carriage. These flippers can be left down or flipped up to pass by the front of the log deck. Every thing is set up to be level between the deck and carriage. I thought I had some pictures of the flippers in my gallery but I guess not. I'll see if I can find some and post them.

I would say the height is up to your own discretion, depending on how far you want to bend over, or the reach you have to your set works and dogs.

Alan
J. A. Vance circular sawmill, 52" blade, powered by a 70 HP 9 1/2 x 10 James Leffel portable steam engine.

Inside this tired old mans body is just a little boy that wants to go out and play.

Great minds think alike.....  Does your butt itch too?

Alan Rudd
Steam Punk Extraordinaire.

steamsawyer

I found some pictures of when I installed the flippers a few years ago. The reason I made everything level at the same height is so you can roll a log or cant off as easy as rolling it on.


  

  

 
J. A. Vance circular sawmill, 52" blade, powered by a 70 HP 9 1/2 x 10 James Leffel portable steam engine.

Inside this tired old mans body is just a little boy that wants to go out and play.

Great minds think alike.....  Does your butt itch too?

Alan Rudd
Steam Punk Extraordinaire.

Ron Wenrich

I would think the difference in your height between your deck and your headblocks would cause a problem.  A round log would roll in fairly well, and hop when it hit the height differential.  A log that isn't quite round wouldn't roll onto the carriage as well.  On live decks, the log deck is higher than the headblocks by about 6-12".  There is a stop and loader on them, and it acts the same way as spinning a log onto the carriage with a cant hook.  There are a set of ramps that will make up the difference in height.  They are often flatten on the end so you can pull thick cuts without dragging on them. 

I think your height depends on how you turn your logs.  I turned out quite a bit, rather than turning in.  I also had a set of rollers to assist by turning onto the rollers and it would send the log back onto the carriage.  They have been discussed several times here on the Forum.

If you keep your small end towards the mill, you will be setting taper without the need to hop over your deck. You set them and dog in the front of the carriage.  Move the carriage forward to set the other dogs. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Trapper John

Ron, when you roll the log towards you and use the flip up wedge or roller, I assume you first had to recede the cant so the edge will not catch on the carriage.

Ron Wenrich

Its been decades since I've used this, but to the best of recollection, you would recede a bit, depending on the log size.  When you're down to a cant, a lot of the turning can be done without the wedges.  For cants, I would recede the cant far enough so that it could be turned down with a cant hook.  Wedges/rollers are mainly for turning logs. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

DMcCoy

I used a half moon for flipping big logs so my bunks were stationary and tight (@1") to the carriage.  My deck height was almost even which caused some issues if I had a blind cut in a big log and my chainsaw handiwork wasn't quite up to snuff.

Babylon519

This is mine. Works well and is level with the mill's sled. I can pre-load 8 to 10 logs (about 16") on it. Sure makes life easier!



Jason
Jason
1960 IH B-275 - same vintage as me!
1960 Circle Sawmill 42"
Stihl MS440 & a half-dozen other saws...

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