First day of sawing

Paper Maker · February 20, 2011, 11:04:57 PM

I thought I would show a couple of pictures of my first day of sawing. After working on it for several months its a relief to finally get to saw. I got better as the day went but still have allot to figure out. Yesterday I hit the backside of the blade bringing the saw back and bent the blade. Not very bad. I wonder if it can be straitened ? Today I sawed a log 34" on the big end and 25 on the other. I hit something cutting it and ruined another blade. But the bottom line is I've got sawdust in my blood now and I like it. I have got one question though. I was told not to use green stacking sticks on pine. Is this correct.

Dan_Shade · February 20, 2011, 11:09:01 PM

welcome to the forum! I know what you mean by sawdust in the blood, most of us here have it.

It is best to use dry sticks for you lumber, using green ones may cause staining or mold.

Make sure you're sticks are one over the other, the neater the sticks, the more flat the lumber will be.

What type of mill is that?

D._Frederick · February 20, 2011, 11:32:22 PM

My experience is that you can get the blade to saw again but it will never run a 100% true after being bent. Use it to saw dirty logs.

barbender · February 21, 2011, 12:03:56 AM

Nice looking mill. I use green stickers all the time, I cut them as I am sawing. But most of this is framing and rough lumber, so if it stained a little, it doesn't bother me.

carykong · February 21, 2011, 12:40:37 AM

and stick your boards with southern exposure to lots of sunshine

weisyboy · February 21, 2011, 02:36:27 AM

nice going.

we all make rookie mistakes from time to time, i cut an oil drum in half the other day, left it sitting in the frames. :D

one you get that sawdust fever its hard to shake.

thecfarm · February 21, 2011, 07:14:10 AM

The foundation for a stack of lumber is very important too.Make sure it is level and has a good support.Saw up a bunch of sticker to dry.There again make sure they are all the same thickness.Makes a difference when you stack the boards.I've seen where some will buy cheap boards and cut them into stickers.I usually only really saw what I need.I don't have much drying around here.I just use wet stickers for my lumber.But mine is all framing lumber.
By the way,what's all the lumber being used for?

isawlogs · February 21, 2011, 07:50:53 AM

Nice mill !!!
As for the stickerd on pine ... Don't use green stickers on pine, the boards will stain, this stain will go into the board and make it useless to a cabinet maker if that is a market you will be looking to get into. If you want to use the pine as siding , those boards will have a nive grayish stained mark on them.
Use of dried sticker and wood pileed in a well ventilated area is prefered for pine. It is a nice wood to work with but will stain really easily.
Actualy .... You really should always use dried stickers to stack any wood that you do not want any stain on ;)

Magicman · February 21, 2011, 08:56:16 AM

I always try to have a stack of dried stickers. Many times though, when sawing large jobs, I run out of dry and use fresh. When sawing SYP for framing lumber, staining is not an issue.

Not trying to be critical, different sawyers have different sawing techniques. Does that mill have toe boards? It didn't look like you leveled the pith with the mill bed before opening the faces. Personally, I generally raise the small end so that the center is the same height as the center of the large end. Either that or saw parallel to the bark and junk the pith.

Chuck White · February 21, 2011, 10:22:55 AM

I have a cousin who got a new TK last year, I forgot the model, but it has all of the hydraulics.

He told me that he doesn't use the toeboards because he forgets to let them back down. Well everyone does that once in a while, but practice makes perfect.

Magicman · February 21, 2011, 01:36:01 PM

Oh, I have also forgotten to lower them after the second face opening. Makes "wedgewood", and it's not pretty. You may succeed in mastering the learning curve, but the gotcha's will always be lurking. I think that is why we have toes. We've gotta have something to stay on. ;D

Paper Maker · February 21, 2011, 11:07:44 PM

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but what are you calling pith. I basically just cut out a cant and then cut lumber from it. The saw has toe board but I don't use them very much. I forgot to let the front one down one time and made a 12' wedge. Not to sure what to do with it yet. Around lunch time people had gathered around to see what was going on. Mostly retired men that I knew. It was enough to rattle my nerves and make me screw up. Thats when I hit the back of the blade and knocked it off. I jokingly told them that they had to go because I couldn't concentrate with them watching. They just laughed. It was all in good humor.
I'm cutting the lumber for a friend of mine to build a shop out of.

beenthere · February 21, 2011, 11:15:34 PM

The pith is the center of the tree. The growth rings encircle the pith center.

Sawing logs like Magicman described is a good technique to learn that will help you produce straighter lumber and balanced center cants.

And yes, having onlookers can be stressful when trying to concentrate on the many things happening while sawing.

barbender · February 22, 2011, 12:40:01 AM

One reason I try to saw small end first is I find I am more likely to forget the toeboard at the far end of the mill up, because it is not that easy to see.

customsawyer · February 22, 2011, 04:16:11 AM

Forgetting the toe board roller in the up position is not a rookie mistake it is a brain cramp that any one of us can have. I do recommend using them as you will be able to produce a better grade of lumber. One of the things I do on my mill is when I release the clamp my next move is to bump down on the leavers for the toe board rollers. Once you get yourself trained to do this it will be vary rare that you make that mistake.

sigidi · February 22, 2011, 06:00:35 AM

Nice to see ya mill papermaker! you done for now though mate - you've made sawdust ;) ;D

terrifictimbersllc · February 22, 2011, 07:02:20 AM

Quote from: customsawyer on February 22, 2011, 04:16:11 AM
Forgetting the toe board roller in the up position is not a rookie mistake it is a brain cramp that any one of us can have.

Would be nice to have some flashing or beeping alert going on at the control panel when the rollers are up.

Magicman · February 22, 2011, 08:01:04 AM

My preference is with normal logs, I want the small end toward me. It's just easier to set the log up and of course the toe board is easier to see.

With big butted stuff, I want the big end toward me because it's easier to be sure that the mill head will clear.

The toe boards are a tool to help you produce more and higher quality lumber. I would urge you to use them. As customsawyer said, you will develop a technique and sawing habits that will minimize but never eliminate screwups.