Log leveling

[redbeard]

I know this has been brought up alot and just wanted to share a story. I have always been set in my ways of doing things, any ways i was sawing for a customer that was helping and he was watching me level the log where i was using a stick across the bunks walking back and fourth leveling the log trying to keep the center (pith) level to the deck. So after a few logs he asked me why i don't just run the saw head back and fourth and measure from the blade. Not letting him think he out smarted me i said yeah i do that but this way is faster. So after he was gone i tried his way and its like why didn't i think of that. I'am sure alot of you guys do this and i must have just missed it in earlier posts but glad i now use this method it is faster.

[Chuck White]

I use the blade quite a lot to measure the low spot in a log.

It works quite well, I usually allow 1 inch below the blade (sitting on the bark) for my opening cut.

There was some discussion on this only about a week ago.  But sometimes we get busy and just don't catch things.

[paul case]

i do the same chuck. i try not to waste any cuts if i can help it.
i found on the leveling thing that the longer i do it the better i get. sometimes i can just eyeball the log against the stops and get it real close. the tape measure trick has got to be quicker than letting the head down and cranking it back up.  pc

[red pine]

 ;D  I am new to milling just recently getting delivery of a 2000 TK, (a log stop got in the way already, so I could try out my free TK (Dayton) sharpener I guess), the leveling idea sounds good to me and I will try it.  Thanks for sharing. By the way the I am still trying to get the sharpener set up and am not sure if the gullet and front of each tooth get sharpned or just the gullet.  ???.   Redpine

[trapper]

I do the same as chuck white but stop at the mark on the scale above what i want the first board to be 4/4, 5/4 6/4.  That way I dont have to caculate how far to drop the blade on the following cuts.

[Chuck White]

;D  I am new to milling just recently getting delivery of a 2000 TK, (a log stop got in the way already, so I could try out my free TK (Dayton) sharpener I guess), the leveling idea sounds good to me and I will try it.  Thanks for sharing. By the way the I am still trying to get the sharpener set up and am not sure if the gullet and front of each tooth get sharpned or just the gullet.  ???.   Redpine

Redpine
Actually the entire length of the sawblade will be ground if the blade is sharpened correctly and the sharpener is correctly set up.

The stone/rock will first contact the tip of the tooth on the face surface, as the rock moves down, the entire surface of the face will be ground and then the rock contacts the gullet and travels across the gullet and up the back side of the next tooth. 

So the first and last place the rock touches is the tip of a tooth.

Of course, this is for a conventional sharpener, the CBN sharpeners contact all surfaces at the same time.

Hope this helps you.

[red pine]

Thanks Chuck White for input. Now I know how to log level and how to sharpen blade (hope those log stoppers stay out of the way!)  Red pine

[kelLOGg]

I made a "T-ruler" (actually two) one for each end of the log. They span over the rails and are "zeroed" so that the graduations match the sawmill depth indicator. I made them from spring steel so they could be stepped on and tossed about w/o distorting them. I leave them at each end of the log and when I need to measure the pith height they are readily available. No need to move the sawhead, just put the T-ruler up against the log end and jack up the appropriate log end. The scale is from a defunct steel tape epoxied to the ruler. It measures about 15" high which sometimes is not enough but most times works well.


T-ruler spanning over the rails. (Sorry, no log available at the time)


Close-up of ruler

[paul case]

hey kelLog,
your toeboard looks like mine!  pc





works real well.

[kelLOGg]

hey kelLog,
your toeboard looks like mine!  pc

Yep, even down to the color. Great minds run in the same rut, uh, channel ;D.
The advantage of your ground mill is that you can place the jacks anywhere. Mine rest on shelves welded to the frame 7 feet apart. If a log is short and doesn't overlap the jack I can't level w/o carrying a sizeable block of wood with me to rest the jack on.
Bob

[bandmiller2]

I just use A retractable 25' tape measure set on the bunks and eyeballed.Of course my mill is at a handy working hight would be tougher to do if it was on the ground.I look for the low spot on the log and measure there,if it looks like the slab will be too heavy or waste too much I  take shorter boards. Frank C.

[GeneH]

I like the idea of measuring from the blade, I always measured from the bunks to the pith to line up and the bunk wasn't always near the log end. I usually run the blade over the top of the log to eyeball how much to take the first cut. I like this post, what I was wanting from the Forestry Forum! ;D

[Magicman]

Avoid falling into the "always" trap because each log is an individual unto itself.  You simply will not always make the best decision on each and every log.  Some need or are easier to measure from the blade, some from the sawmill bed, and some not at all.  Sweep comes into play and off centered piths can be a challenge, especially if it's only on one end.  Some logs may have a centered pith, but have a butt swell on one side.

The point being, most of the time it's simple.  Sometimes it is not.  You can never know what all happened during the life of the tree and those actions may very well determine what the log does as it is sawed.

[ljmathias]

Like MM said, each log is different.  Add to that the end use of what you're cutting and it's a complex equation with no simple solution.  For instance, I'm cutting a lot of live edge siding right now where I need long boards with one edge flat and square and the other wavy but not too far out of line.  Too much taper and it won't cover the screws on the row below it, too little waviness and it looks like a store-bought board, not much "character."  So even bent and twisted logs contribute here- and some of the prettiest boards have a little bend to them plus some branch stumps that stick out a little- maximizing the character takes precedence over other things, as long as it can be hung on a wall...   :D

Good luck.

Lj

[redbeard]

With Alder,Maple,Madrone and our gary oak the pith leveling is not important. Douglas fir it is on the straight logs to get premium beams and longer structual wood and 10" board bat siding its a must.

[thechknhwk]

I looked around a bit on google, but couldn't find anything with an explanation.  What is the purpose behind leveling the pith?

[beenthere]

thechknhwk

Purpose would be to keep the pith in the center of a cant (if that is the sawing pattern) so the juvenile wood in the center of the cant is somewhat balanced. That is a general answer. Also, it helps to include as much of the pith center in one or two pieces cut from the center of the log.

In addition, centering the pith means the taper of the log is distributed evenly in the slabs removed, balancing stresses in the log as the jacket boards are remove.

This doesn't cover all the various ways to breakdown a log. And each log sawn will influence the pattern used.

There are valid reasons (i.e. grade sawing) that you would saw parallel to the bark (instead of the pith) and take the taper out in the pithy juvenile wood in the center (where the lowest grade is usually at).

[sigidi]

Avoid falling into the "always" trap because each log is an individual unto itself.  You simply will not always make the best decision on each and every log.  Some need or are easier to measure from the blade, some from the sawmill bed, and some not at all.  Sweep comes into play and off centered piths can be a challenge, especially if it's only on one end.  Some logs may have a centered pith, but have a butt swell on one side.

The point being, most of the time it's simple.  Sometimes it is not.  You can never know what all happened during the life of the tree and those actions may very well determine what the log does as it is sawed.

Couldn't have said it better.

For the opening cut I too measure from the blade when using my Lucas. If I know I'm doin boxed heart timber, I break out the tape and measure from the heart at each end, but typically I eyeball stuff after marking the heart vertically and horizontally.