Tricks and mods to make low cuts on the bed...I need some ideas

[mainiac1]

Hey Guys, I'm getting ready to change the name of my saw from thick n thin to somewhat consistant   Having issues trying to get the lower/last cuts out of my logs. Went 2-3 months with out ruining a blade till last week and I ruined 2 blades on the same log...my fault...hit one of my clamps both times...amazing amount of sparks the first time. What do you old timers use to get low cuts on the saw bed? I have a heck of a time getting any good search results here or elsewhere. Now I'm gun shy about getting that last 1" board without hitting my clamp, but I don't want to cut a bunch of 2" slabs either. Incidentally it was set as low as I could set it, but the blade still contacted the female threaded pipe of the clamp.

[Oddman]

Cant help you out here except to suggest you might adjust the stops on the bottom of your mill head (if yours has them) to keep your blade *just* above the top-most piece of your clamps, that way if you have your clamps all the way down and your saw also at it's lowest, you will know your going to clear.
I'm interested in hearing other's tips on getting a thinner dog board as well, my mill will get down to 1 and 1/16 but would like thinner at times.

[Bandmill Bandit]

Not sure what mill you have but on my LT40 with my removable clamp tooth mod installed I do not go below the 4/4 mark on the ruler. Using this "rule" I have a half inch of clearance from the top of the clamp and a 3/8ths inch clearance to the top of the stationary welded stops on the opposite side of the bed.     



 

Took this pic during what became the final mod assembly after testing a few different designs. This concept for design came from a regular circle mill design for the log holding dogs. The angle is designed to "pull down" on the cant with out showing metal ABOVE the original clamp top surface. 

I have learned to mark the clamp height from operation position by the black paint line on the ram part of the clamp with top of the bunk rail closest to the clamp between me and the clamp. It works very well as that bunk rail never moves and the ram position in relation to it remains horizontally parallel through out its range of motion such that the vertical adjustment will be the same when you "mark" the clamp height to the bunk for reference. You have to be careful when you clamp that way with the teeth in place as it is very easy to rip out the bottom corner of that last board if you use too MUCH pressure on the clamp BUT I find it less problematic  then trying to get a firm hold( that also rips the corner out more often for me ) on the last board with the flat face of the clamp be cause the teeth apply both horizontal and downward vertical pressure to the board with minimal horizontal pressure applied by the clamp.         

I have NEVER made a direct hit on the clamp but I did tickle the top once that did a number on a bimetal blade that I was able to still sharpen out and reset. Have never hit the stationary stops on the bed.            

[mainiac1]

Bandmill bandit, I have an WM LT15, all manual, no automation, though I'm wishing I had power feed and hydraulics now.

[RAYAR]

My mill will go down to 3/4" above the bunks. The cant fixed stops are 1/2" above the bunks and I built a cam lock dawg that will clamp low enough to pass over it at my lowest cut. Is it possible to adjust your blade guides a little lower and do something or replace your clamp to achieve a lower cut? I don't know the adjustments on the LT15 or how low it's suppose to go.

Ray

[Crusarius]

Get a metal cutting blade, set your height to minimum cut you want then go another 1/4" and cut everything off thats in the way.


Ok I am kinda joking here but kinda not. I have often wondered what would happen if I put a metal cutting blade on my sawmill.

[mainiac1]

Get a metal cutting blade, set your height to minimum cut you want then go another 1/4" and cut everything off thats in the way.


Ok I am kinda joking here but kinda not. I have often wondered what would happen if I put a metal cutting blade on my sawmill.

Crusarius, don't quit your day job to be a comedian... .  btw...the wood cutting blades don't fair very well against metal objects

[RAYAR]

Get a metal cutting blade, set your height to minimum cut you want then go another 1/4" and cut everything off thats in the way.


Ok I am kinda joking here but kinda not. I have often wondered what would happen if I put a metal cutting blade on my sawmill.

Don't think you'd have to worry about hitting metal, unless you have armour plate on your log dawg like I have. ;D

[Crusarius]

Get a metal cutting blade, set your height to minimum cut you want then go another 1/4" and cut everything off thats in the way.


Ok I am kinda joking here but kinda not. I have often wondered what would happen if I put a metal cutting blade on my sawmill.

Crusarius, don't quit your day job to be a comedian... .  btw...the wood cutting blades don't fair very well against metal objects

This I know  especially pieces of your mill

[kelLOGg]

I have a flat board with a lip screwed on it. I put the cant on the board and the lip holds the cant in place while sawing. The cant can still be clamped sufficiently against the lip but not to the max.

[Pepe_Silvia]

My LT15Wide came with a piece that fits over the clamp that has a sort of 'tooth' on it that will allow you to clamp with probably about 1/2" of clearance.  Basically it's about as tall as the dog.  I don't have any issue with cutting down to 1".  I'm not sure what the thing is called but I can take a picture when I'm home this evening.

[Pepe_Silvia]

I believe they refer to it as the "Clamp Point Block".

[Pabene]

I have a mill, "Metesa", made in the Baltic States. It has 11 bunks and a bed length of about 25'. No hydraulic. On each bunk it is a fix tooth about 5/8"high to the left. Close to the bunks on the right side there are movable clamp teeth, smilary to RAYAR clamps as also has a fixed hight of 5/8". The blade can be lowered to about 7/8" fixed stop. We have never hitted those teeth or clamps. If I want to split a board in two, the bottom part thinner than 7/8", I have some "wood shim" on the bunks. RAYARs Clamps has the right Geometri in my oppinion, it presses the board to the left and at the same time it will press it down a little.
I think it is important to have clamps along the hole board when you are down to 4"-5".
To cut steel in your mill is possible with HSS blades if you can bring the cutting speed down to about 5% of the normal and add cooling liquid.

[Downstream]

The ez boardwalk and Jr have a simple 1x1 tube with a cable attached to the end that has two stop positions.  Lowered the end sits just below and in front of the blade on the stop side.  The stop has a piece welded on it that will catch the 1x1 tube end if they are on a collision course and stop the saw head from moving forward.  Very simple and works well.  I only do live edge slabs 2" or greater thickness so rearely do I need to cut too close to deck.  If I had to I would use a board with a lip to raise it up slightly.

[mainiac1]

My LT15Wide came with a piece that fits over the clamp that has a sort of 'tooth' on it that will allow you to clamp with probably about 1/2" of clearance.  Basically it's about as tall as the dog.  I don't have any issue with cutting down to 1".  I'm not sure what the thing is called but I can take a picture when I'm home this evening.

Thanks Pepe...I think i can adapt a tooth onto my clamps to get down to 1/2". I drilled out the ends of my clamp posts (not sure what to call them...the all thread rods) to hold a forzner bit that grips the log really well or cant really well. Anyone know where to buy the allthread and female pipe part like woodmizer uses on their log clamps?

[WV Sawmiller]

   Most of my customer's order today was 3/4" thick sheeting 8" wide EWP and I sweated every final cut on every cant but did not skim a clamp. Even skimming a clamp knocks the set off and means putting on a new blade. I religiously used my cheat sheet when I start my final cut on the cant but I admit I did start a little proud on each starting cut to give me maybe 1/32" to 1/ 16". On my cheat sheet for any cut under 3/4" I start with my mark planned to leave a 1" board on my last cut and I tell my customers I can't/won't safely cut below that. 

   I like the idea of points on the clamp to help hold down the cant, especially when there is much stress. I'm hoping to see some creative, simple to make/use jigs to save that cut and protect our blades. Realistically we'd probably all be better off in the long run not pushing the envelope that much.

[Pepe_Silvia]

Here are the pictures.  This thing just slides over the end of the clamp.  You can see how it has a flat part to set against the bottom of the cant and the point grips the side.

 

 

 

 

[Southside]

I have NEVER made a direct hit on the clamp

Oh I have - in Full Tilt Boogie mode no less - the resulting spark show resembled the scene of the movie where he says "something wonderful" is going to happen, right before the whole universe blew up.  ;D 

[Crusarius]

I set my physical stops to not go any lower than I am comfortable. Leaves my last cut to be about 3/4" it sure is close to my 5/8" high clamps though. I put a 45 degree point on them so when the cant is clamped it pulls it tight to the bed.

this picture shows my clamp on the sliding side. Not the best but the only one I could find at the moment. The other pics are somewhere in the gallery.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

The bunks on my Norwood have 1/2" tabs that the square cant can be pushed up against. If the cant is square I don't even dog it down. If the cant is taller than wide or If I am trimming down side wood along with the cant then I will dog it down.

Jon

[Jwswan]

 I can't find any photos, but last year I had to resaw a flat bed trailer full of 16-18' 2" by 8" ponderosa pine for a customer wanting to turn it into interior paneling.  I live on Lake Superior and he got it at an auction so it was a bit of a novelty up here. I have a WM L35.   I made a long lift with 3/4" plywood ( I used marine plywood since I have lots of scraps on hand- It's nice and flat I just made it the length of the bed with gussets underneath and the width of the stock to be resawn).  I screwed a 3/8" lip onto the carriage head side.  It'd be a pain to lay on and off every log, but put all the odds/ends off to the side and set up and saw them all at once.  The different homemade clamp options are the best solution long term, but a wood lift could get you by until then.   anyway, lotta right approaches! good luck:)

[Brad_bb]

@mainiac1  I also have an LT15(2014 vintage).  I can cut down to 1- 1/16" and it will not allow me to hit the little stops on the crossbars/bunks.  Are you hitting those?  As far as your uprights/backstops, you have to manually make sure they are down.  My clamps are the screw type and though not the easiest to work with, you can get them half on enough to hold that last board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NjGLMQRXfA

[mainiac1]

@mainiac1  I also have an LT15(2014 vintage).  I can cut down to 1- 1/16" and it will not allow me to hit the little stops on the crossbars/bunks.  Are you hitting those?  As far as your uprights/backstops, you have to manually make sure they are down.  My clamps are the screw type and though not the easiest to work with, you can get them half on enough to hold that last board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NjGLMQRXfA
Brad, thanks for the helpfull video and post. No, I'm not hitting the welded on stops, but have hit the clamps 2x's. One of the guys here posted some pics of aluminum caps that I can make that have a cut that looks like it will work good. Also wanting to find some all thread rod to match what those clamps used on our LT15 mills so I can fab a couple more...$100/clamp assembly from WM is a little much.

[mainiac1]

I set my physical stops to not go any lower than I am comfortable. Leaves my last cut to be about 3/4" it sure is close to my 5/8" high clamps though. I put a 45 degree point on them so when the cant is clamped it pulls it tight to the bed.

this picture shows my clamp on the sliding side. Not the best but the only one I could find at the moment. The other pics are somewhere in the gallery.

What mechanism holds your clamp in place? How do you tighten it to the log? WM uses some type of large threaded rod that slides on some pipe mounted between the frame rails. See Brads video in here a couple posts down 

[Crusarius]

Mechanism is friction held with a spring.

here is the complete setup when I was mocking everything up. I am not sure if I ended up getting completed pics or not.












5/4 deck board




here is the completed clamp.