iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Chasing perfection?

Started by JRWoodchuck, March 16, 2017, 08:22:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Cedarman

If you are off and saw the board 1/32 thick, then the next board will be 1/32 thin. This makes a 1/16 difference between the two boards so you are + or -  1/16 ".  If you miss by 1/16", then you are plus or minus 1/8" when comparing board thickness.  But you are + or -  1/16" from wanted thickness.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

JRWoodchuck

The reason I posted this question is I am a bit of a perfectionist. I only saw for myself at the moment, maybe someday I will saw for others. I don't feel comfortable with the quality of my boards to saw for others yet. I have read multiple times on different threads don't expect perfection it's a bandsaw mill. But you all have answered my question that it is possible (I would consider being within 1/64th pretty stinking close to perfection) so I will keep chasing it trying to dial my mill and my skills in better. Thanks again for everyones input.
Home built bandsaw mill still trying find the owners manual!

Deese

I can saw with accuracy of 0.0000000000000001", but only if I perform the ritual EZ Monkey Dance before each cut.  :D 8)
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

pinefeller

life's too short to be perfect...strive for perfection, but be happy with industry standards. i know theres specs for rough lumber but i havnt had luck finding it. the NELMA stuff ive dug up so far is all for surfaced lumber....i know its somewhere in my pile...... :P
for those who say "it cannot be done!" please do so quietly so as not to disturb those who are doing it.

Ianab

Quotelife's too short to be perfect...strive for perfection, but be happy with industry standards

This ^

When they start growing perfect trees, maybe I'll worry more about extreme accuracy. Doesn't matter how good your saw is, if you take a board off a cant, and the whole cant bows by 1/16", at some point you have that inaccuracy. Sure you can flip the log and reduce that, and have things go 1/16" in the other direction. And a good sawyer will do this or other tricks to maximise their accuracy.

But that wont change the fact that the boards vary by 1/16", and this is why it's considered acceptable. If you want more accurate, then you need to get the wood dry, stable and plane it to final size.

Heck you are going to get that much variation in size as it dries, depending on radial or tangential grain, and then throw in a few knots (that don't shrink in length)

Now working to minimize inaccuracies is a good thing, but getting hung up over any minor imperfections is going to drive you nuts, because they will happen, no matter how good your mill is. 


Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

JRWoodchuck

The minor imperfection I am trying to remove are variations in the thickness of individual boards. Not caused by knots or bad logs. Where my blade climbs or dips through the length of the cut. Just mainly wasn't sure if that was "normal".
Home built bandsaw mill still trying find the owners manual!

terrifictimbersllc

Yours is a worthy goal which if always kept in mind will improve the consistency of your lumber and the quality impression people have of your work.  smiley_thumbsup

It can also drive you nuts sometimes.  :-\
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

lyle niemi

what are people building where the rough lumber has to be that perfect ???

terrifictimbersllc

Caring about whether they're  1" or 1-1/16" is the key to making sure some of them aren't 1-1/4", when it matters.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

longtime lurker

Green sawn accuracy is very important if you're building with green timber because if you've got timber thats reasonably straight - or at least bowed but not sprung (bow you can easily pull out with a clamp, spring makes for a battle)- and evenly sized it makes for faster building. You've also got to factor in shrinkage variation: if you've got say 3/16" variation in green sawn size and then pick up another 3/16" through variable shrinkage .... all of a sudden that dead straight roof line has dips and curves that are noticable.

My equipment is very accurate - I literally expect sub mm precision which equates to 1/25 of an inch more or less. And it delivers time after time. So I dont have to worry so much about the thick and thin stuff... each board is forced to the fence by the hob and the saw sits in the middle. But my gear will cut a precisely accurate thickness board with a curve like a banana in it quite happily if thats what the wood wants to do so we still have to face (shim) cut back to a straight line as required.
If you're using gear like a band or a swingmill then you start running into the thick and thin issues, and as pointed out if one board is scant you can mostly expect the next one to be oversize and vice versa. And the solution is really simple... if you cut one board and its thick or thin... face cut. Dont compound the error and make it one skinny board one fat one.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Thank You Sponsors!