Woodmizer doesn't cut with grain very well

[flatrock58]

My brother in law got a hold of some black walnut yard trees and wanted them cut.  After he finished digging out all the metal we started cutting.  The small and crooked pieces took a while, but we finally got them cut.  He had a couple of 26" diameter pieces that were only 12-18" long, from the butt of the tree.  I told him we could make cookies, but he wanted to just turn it sideways between the clamp and backstop and cut short boards.
I soon found out that when you crosscut cutting with the grain you don't get nice little sawdust chips, but large noodle like strings that quickly clog up everything.  There were noodles packed tight all around both wheels and blade guides and blocking the sawdust port. After several boards we stopped and cleaned the mill out and turned the log back to the standard orientation. Another lesson learned.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

WDH sawed a good many Walnut cookies on his WM.
If he got Noodles he didn't say anything about it.  ;D

[barbender]

That's not crosscutting, that's cutting parallel to the grain.

[4x4American]

I've done that on a chainsaw many times, they call it noodling, that makes some good tinder for starting a fire.

[Southside]

You get in the south and talk about noodlin and it involves catfish, muddy water, swimming, telling the other guy to "hold my beer", and all too often a snapping turtle or nasty snake!!! 

[WDH]

I don't have any issues like that when cutting cookies.

[Jeff]

Do I understand that you had a short log crosswise on the mill, not standing on end?  That would certainly cause noodles, but as mentioned, that would not be called crosscutting.

[flatrock58]

I guess you are right.  It would not be cross cutting.  Cutting with the grain sure does make a mess though.

[pineywoods]

X2 on the mess. Been there done that, especially using a good sharp 10 deg blade.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yep, any type saw will cut those long strips like that in most woods when you cut lengthways. I used to sell a neighbor Norway spruce blocks to make wedges to be used in the coal mines and he said they were one of the worst about making long strips when cut lengthways. Sometimes I get  a nasty crotch that won't split with a maul or wedges and I split them with my chainsaw and I get them then too. Just the nature of wood.

[Jeff]

A vertical edger on a circle mill cuts like that as well, however the blade exits the log in it's rotation clearing the gullets, but the chip is long, unlike any other sawdust. The deeper the cut, the longer the string. Our vertical edger had a maximum depth of 3.75 inches.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I've "noodled" may times with a chain saw,  know it well.  Have to clear the sprocket cover and kick the noodles aside on the ground when splitting a log.  Great for hamster bedding if I needed hamster bedding.

But never thought of holding a log like that in 17 yrs on my mill I must say.  To be honest it seems easier than arranging a board and fence to hold it the normal way, at least as far as the clamping goes.

[Jeff]

Yes, that's what I was thinking too. If the low will fit between the clamp and the fence, much easier to hold it, but looks like there is a major setback to that.

That got me thinking, I wonder if you took a hand full of sawdust from most bandsaw mills, and then a handful of sawdust from a mill like the E.Z. boardwalk, that enters the log on an angle, it you could perceive a difference in the dust. (actually chips). Would they be slightly elongated? 

[paul case]

When I switched from the EZ Boardwalk  to the WM LT40 I couldn't tell any difference at all in the sawdust.

PC

[Jeff]

Yea, but did ya have a handful of each and really examine It? CSI

[Jeff]

Checking sawdust increments.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I'm waiting for that episode of Forensic Files!😀

[woodmills1]

The few times I have done parallel cutting I thought the noodles looked like the stuff that used to be called excelsior.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_wool

[paul case]

Probably not.

I do notice that since the blower picks up most of the dust from the mill, the only time I really care about the sawdust is when the blower stops working. :-\ :'(

That results in ss. Sawmill sadness that is.

PC

[JB Griffin]

That results in ss. Sawmill sadness that is.

PC

That is a great video on youtube, search sawmill sadness. One of if not the fastest mills I've seen.

[Southside]

Did you notice at 4:00 when he raises his arm - you can see the IV line coming from the Mt Dew can... :D

[Crossroads]

With my old lt30 the discharge was wide open and the noodles exited pretty well. But the new mill has finger sticking down in the discharge, so I don't think it'll get rid of the noodles as well.