In a previous thread FatRoman had a cherry tree cut down that he was looking at having sawn into lumber.<!—-> <!—-><!—->
My Dad and I have had a Woodmizer for about 9 years. We saw for others mainly, as well as for ourselves. I do most of the actual sawing, including positioning the log, deciding when to turn, etc. Most of what we saw is grade lumber, so we always try to get the best face which means a lot of turning of the log.<!—-> <!—->
We did a job back in March for some neghbors of one of his friends, and I had the foresight of bringing along a camera. Here goes nothing! <!—-><!—->
This is the control panel. The part on the top with the “1,2,3,4” is the Setworks, which allows me to program what thickness I want to cut. After each pass with the carriage, I just pick up the saw head, move it back to the beginning and hit the down button. The blade is automatically positioned for thickness of cut, including kerf thickness.
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This is a shot of the Water lube jug and blade height scale. The yellow background on the numbers is to remind the operator to lower the log clamp arms.
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This is a close-up of the blade tension gauge. WM recommends setting the tension in the orange. As you can see, I like to run it a little high. When sawing, I am constantly looking at the gauge…on wide cuts it lets me know if the blade is being worked too hard and stretching, which leads to wavy cuts.
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Up next is the debarker, it does what it says. It also gets rocks and other junk out of the way of the blade. This is an optional equipment that pays for itself by keeping blades from having to be resharpened sooner.
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This next shot is of the blade guide, which can be positioned close to the log so I don't get any wander in the cut. We upgraded the blade roller guides several years ago and they have ceramic pads underneath the blade to keep it parallel with the bed. You can kind of see them in the debarker picture, to the right of the log.
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Here is a log loaded on the mill ready to start cutting.
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When I get a log like the previous one, or one with a lot of taper, I use the toeboards. These crank one end of the log up in order to position the log, I try to get the center of the log equal heights on each end.
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How do you hold the log on the mill? We have a manual mill, so this is the log clamp. Just a simple cam action helfd in place with a chain. The clamp can be positioned up and down, and when cutting a square cant I can cut all the way down to 1".
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This is the manual log turner. It is operated with a hand-crank winch located at the front of the machine. The cable also detaches and can be used to roll logs onto the mill.
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Here I am making an opening cut on a walnut log.
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Here is my second cut on the walnut log. The orange thing at an angle lower in the pic is the log clamp support(I call it the log dog), this is what you don't want to hit with the blade.
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In this picture I have three sides squared up and am on the fourth. With crooked logs like this walnut, a lot of waste is produced.
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A picture of the cant, makin' sawdust.
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This is at the end of a cut, edging a board. We set the boards with bark on them aside and come back to clean up the edges.
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A picture of one side edged, ready for the next.
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Another shot of edging boards. You can see in the background the stack of lumber from this walnut log.
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Heres a bigger log, oak if I remember right. We can cut up to 36" diameter, but it gets really difficult when positioning the log and turning it when they are that big.
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A stright-on view from behind the blade. This log was crooked, so I had to open the throat on the saw up all the way.
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Very cool, Mitch. Thanks.
I've seen those things sitting or traveling down the road, but not in action.http://www.quittintime.com/ View Image
Here is a picture that shows the log support arms fully raised. There are actually four of them, and we put rollers on two. The rollers help turn the logs easier.
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Sometimes we get help loading the logs. The guy we were cutting for brought his green tractor with front loader. We have used bobcats in the past, but this setup is much better.
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The tractor with forks was also nice to have on this job because later we cut some 6"x12" beams, I believe they were 16' long. Beams that size are hard to move around, especially wet oak, and dangerous also.
I haven't learned yet how to do the multi-colored arrows in a picture like BossHog does. Once I figure that out I can explain what all the buttons and levers are on the control panel if anyone is interested.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
how close to Laporte are you ?.
.
.. . . . . . . .
About an hour, 30 minutes south of Kokomo. This job was over by VanBuren.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Thanks for sharing that. Great picsChuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Yeah, thanks, Mitch.
Hey. It looks like you rotate your log 90 degrees for your second cut. Is there a reason you do that instead of rolling 180 degrees?
We were just discussing this yesterday and couldn't really come to a clear opinion on which was more efficient and why.
You saw mostly hardwoods?
The majority of the time I rotate 90 degrees, it just depends on the log. After I have a cant with four flat sides, I try to select the best face for grade lumber.
I have sawn a couple eastern red cedars, but most everything around here is hardwoods.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Would you cut logs in LaPorte?
How do you charge for cutting?
Laporte is quite a ways from me, but if the price is right...
Wood-Mizer has a program where you can call and find sawyers local to your area. Give them a call at 1-800-553-0182.
I charge either by the hour or by the board foot. 1,000 bf or more, it's by the board foot. Less than 1,000 bf it's by the hour. Some guys charge set-up time and travel charges beyond a certain number of miles from home base, I don't. I also charge if I damage the blade from hitting imbedded junk. You would be surprized at how quick you can ruin a blade from hitting a nail. My dad has sawn for friends on the shares, 50/50. I quit doing that because I ran out of room to store the lumber. Anybody need some walnut? spalted maple?
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Near Upland ?Upland is my home town !..you never know how deep a puddle is from the top......You are always welcome at Quittintime
Yup, just around the corner...we usually get off I-69 at the Upland exit.
My brother and I used to ride dirt bikes at an old farmer's place near Upland, Barney's. He had about 40 acres and you just put a couple bucks in a box and ride as long as you want.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
I've had a few things sawn with a Wood Mizer. Impressive, if you've ever worked a circular saw mill. Thanks for sharing those, hope you didn't use up slateman's pic allotment<G>http://www.tvwsolar.com
Now I wish I could give Brother Bill his great thrill
I would set him in chains at the top of the hill
Then send out for some pillars and Cecil B. DeMille
He could die happily ever after"
Really interesting thread. Thanks for the well thought out photos and descriptions.
I'd like to see you continue with this thread indefinitely. It has the potential to teach a lot of people about milling lumber and how it's often done these days.
I have two wooded lots in NY state, with many mature hardwoods on them. Your operation shows how a property owner such as me can get the most out of whatever he logs off for his own use.
Thanks HVC,
I will have to remember my camera more often, and to get a good cameraman. I have a canon 2 megapixel point-and-shoot that needs upgraded. I don't take a lot of pictures in general, so I only have a 32 and 64 card. My card got full fast with my dad taking a lot of redundant pics, so it went back in the truck.
This job had several logs, and one that was a royal pain. The taper on the log was bigger than the throat of the saw, so we had to pull out the chainsaw and axe to whittle away a path for the blade guide. It would have been nice to get pictures to show what to do in situations like that. There was also a log that had a knot and took a turn at that knot, so I talked the customer into shortening the log so he would get more usable lumber.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
That camera is fine for this format. I too have a Canon point and shoot camera. Very good choice, IMO.
Google "memory cards" for many dealers. Card prices are so low now that you won't believe it. Big memory for small $$.
I've spent some time watching small traditional saw mills in operation. There are quite a few family operations in my general area. Always enjoy the process but never learned much about it.
Looking forward learning more from you.
Just got an e-mail stating my 25GB bandwidth has been reached on my photobucket acct. I'm going to look at other sites to host the pics, then fix the problem.
Mitch
http://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the thread and pictures. I hope you can get your host issues figured out.
The only thing that saves us from bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty. [Eugene McCarthy]
Happy birthday Ron
Thanks for the wishes. At the risk of hijacking Mitch's thread - The mods banned me for 2 weeks from the tavern, then banned the profile that I had set up for my former GF. So I can't see the HBD thread now. Guess I'll see it when they let me back in.
Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical. [Blaise Pascal]
Rez is having fun while you are unable to respond.
The mods banned me for 2 weeks from the tavern,
Hey....Happy Birthday, you outlaw you.
HVC,
My GF got into professional photography, part time, and she has 4GB CF cards. I could hold a lot of pics on those!
We have an antique threshing show every year, the next county north. They usually have a circle mill set up, run by steam power. Always neat to watch that in action.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
We have an antique threshing show every year, the next county north. They usually have a circle mill set up, run by steam power. Always neat to watch that in action.
I spent a couple of summers at a canoe camp in western Ontario, back when I was a kid, fifty years ago. There were two old Norwegian carpenters working there, mostly building new structures. The had a small steam powered mill which served to cut every stick of lumber that was used there. The kitchen stoves were wood fired too.
Nothing wrong with those old ways, nothing at all. And those two old guys were strong as oxen too, in their seventies. I wish I'd spent a summer or two, working with them.
Nice. Most guys around here take the time to chip away the bark where the saw will go (unless they have a debarking unit) so that dirt and stones don't wreck the blade. Have you had any problems?
Scott.
I haven't had any problems with the debarker, it cuts a good size groove and knocks away unwanted junk. I am usually concerned more with dirt than rocks, but the debarker takes care of that in short order.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
I found a close-up pic of the debarker in the wood and running. The arrow points to an alarm(back-up beeper) that lets people know it is turned on. Whenever the carriage is in the forward movement position, the debarker is running(as long as the switch is turned on). I can hardly ever hear it because of the engine noise and I wear earplugs at all times.
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Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Hi! Rockwell, your post is very inspiring and informative. It's nice to see the wood grain on the planks coming out from that ordinary looking log. About two years ago I had to cut a sycamore tree that was over a hundred years old it towered almost 150 ft. tall the size of the trunk is over 60" across, the length of the main trunk is about 25 ft. I want to saw it in planks but I have no body interested in helping me. I contacted several independent loggers but no one is interested in that type of tree. I wander why? what is your input? I want to do it my self with a chainsaw blade as big as the width of the tree, with a handle at the other end of the blade for a helper. is it possible to do that? is it too dangerous to even try?
Hi Snoofy,
That's a big log, and could be why you didn't get any interest in sawing it. My mill can only handle a 36" diameter log. With a log your size, it would need to be sectioned into managable sizes before it could be put on the mill. That equates to a lot of work.
One option is to use an Alaskan Chainsaw Mill which comes in many different sizes. I have never used one, or watched one in action, but there are videos on YouTube.
A few years ago we were sawing a bunch of logs, and came to one we had to split. The log was oval shaped and would not fit on the mill. So I took my Stihl075 with 30" bar and made a plunge cut down the face of one side, rolled the log and did the same on the other side. It turned out well, but it was slow going and I wouldn't recommend anyone trying it without adequate experience with chainsaws....safety first.
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Ahhhh.... I see now. I was thinking to myself, "What the heck is he talking about... I don't see a debarker". I didn't know it had one built-in.Scott.
"What the heck is he talking about... I don't see a debarker".
It's name is Bob. Recently retired, I believe.
Har har har.....Scott.
Same here. Great thread.
Mitch ,
Check to see if your allotment here has been lifted . Mine has . I can post pics thru the site here again.
Walter
Here goes, we'll see what they let me do.
In this picture, you can see the black leveling posts on the mill. There are six of these total-one front, one back, and four mid-machine. These allow us to set the mill up flat. And I learned the hard way one time to always put the front one up after hooking to the truck at the end of the day.
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Just a shot of me opening up the oak log.
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Here's a shot about half-way through the oak log. Gives a better perspective of the size of the log.
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Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/
Very nice .
Lets hope we can do this all the time .
This shot shows my second opened face, 90 degrees from the first. Usually what I do is open the log and take a few boards off the first face; then I will turn it and take a few boards off the second face. Unless the customer wants wide boards, I try not to get the faces too wide. I try to explain to the customer about cupping issues when drying, etc. It is also easier when we edge the boards to have one flat edge to sit on the bed of the mill.
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This picture shows how low we can go. 1" above the bed rails, I think this is a 2.5"+/- that I'm splitting in half.
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Well that's about all the pics I have from this job. I'll be sure and document future sawings. Now to get the pic host site thing figured out(Mzinga says I only have ~75kb in my allotment).
Mitchhttp://www.freewebs.com/glenndalepedalplane/