Cant ????

[hopm]

If a cant is out of square, is there any easy way to square it before it is sawed to dimensional lumber?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

You can square any cant that is out of square.
But you must first find out why your mill sawed it out of square.
Fixing the problem should be your first move.

It could be nothing more than having bark between the bed and the first flat side.
It could be your back stops are not square to the bed.
An out of square mill will give you out of square cants every time.

[Magicman]

After you follow Poston's suggestions above about insuring that the sawmill is square, check the cant with a framing square when you make the second face opening.  If it is out of square, then use your log clamp or wedges or whatever and raise the offending corner and make a shim cut to square your two faces.  After this, you can now bring your cant down to your targeted cant for sawing.

[warren46]

This suggestion is most applicable to stationary or semi-stationary mills.  The bunks on my mill are level.  When I turn the opening face against the log stops I can quickly use a short level to verify that the face is vertical.  If it is not I can use to log turner or shims to adjust until the face is vertical.  Then when I make the second cut it will be square with the vertical face.  Once the two faces are square, then it is very unusual that the subsequent cuts will not be square.

[hopm]

No problem with what caused the problem.....
operator error......just hoping for an easy way to beat my stupid :D :D

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

No problem with what caused the problem.....
operator error......just hoping for an easy way to beat my stupid :D :D

Its not stupidity.....I went through the same thing as did most of the sawyers on here when they first started.
Its just part of learning. 

[Magicman]

Mistakes are not stupid, they are stepping stones. 

[Chuck White]

Most times when I have sawn an out-of-square cant, it was due to tightening the clamp too tight!

[derhntr]

Cut a few myself >:( saw dust, bark, over tightening clamp, or forgetting to lower rear tow board.

[Magicman]

Always watch the cant when you roll it over.  If it wiggles and seems unstable, even slightly, there is a good probability that there is bark under it somewhere. 

You generally can tell immediately when a side support if out of square.


 
But it never is a waste of time to do a periodic check.

[rjwoelk]

Mm is the side support not supposed to be out as it is to straighten up as you clamp? I check to see if the cant is square when it is clamped.

[Magicman]

There should not be any "slop" in the side supports but excess or inconsistent clamping pressure (as Chuck White mentioned) could compromise the squareness.

I have probably 1/16" of inward angle on my side supports.

[rjwoelk]

I have about the same. Thanks mm

[terrifictimbersllc]

It will be smaller after you square it.

[AnthonyW]

Always watch the cant when you roll it over.  If it wiggles and seems unstable, even slightly, there is a good probability that there is bark under it somewhere. 

You generally can tell immediately when a side support if out of square.


 
But it never is a waste of time to do a periodic check.

On my last go-round with tuning my mill, I used a Wixey digital angle gauge (https://www.amazon.com/Wixey-WR300-Type-Digital-Backlight/dp/B00T6YZ0K6). This way I could have the gauge on the backstop while I made the adjustment. (I don't have a way to make my framing square stand up like MMs picture).

I thought it worked pretty slick and a final check with the square showed it right on.

[Magicman]

I tried the Wixey but went back to the aluminum tubing and framing square.

[AnthonyW]

I tried the Wixey but went back to the aluminum tubing and framing square.

Did you find something wrong with the Wixey method, or just preferred the framing square?

[mesquite buckeye]

Make sure your framing square is actually square.

Don't ask how I know this. :(

[Magicman]

It is just simpler and faster for me.