small logs on an LT40

[Dan_Shade]

a friend, and good customer, of mine called me this evening and asked how small a log I could cut, I told him the normal of 8" diameter.

Turns out, he found a large pile of small cedar logs, that will probably yeild 4 or 5" square cants.

Have any of you made any types of jigs to secure small logs on the mill?

[DR Buck]

Take lots of extra bands with you for when the logs jump out of the clamps.   

[Dan_Shade]

i was thinking of building a jig where I could end dog the logs

[Magicman]

No jig, but I have sawed 4" cants out of ERC many times.  Some so small that the "cant" ran out before the "log" did.  I just work with each individual log and get it held in place.  Hydraulic as well as manual side supports, toe boards, clamp, and luck.

For me, hourly rate.

[Cedarman]

Have all logs with small end toward mill head.  Have a shim board of about 3/4" thick to lay on first rail or second rail if log won't reach 1st rail.  I have tape attached so that I can flip the shim off and not have it fall away.  Cedar logs usually have 1" to 1 1/2" taper per 8'. So to saw parallel to the heart you need a shim that is 1/2 the difference in taper from the small end to the large.  Putting this shim on and off is lots faster than the hydraulic shim.
There are various ways of locking the log in.  We only moved the log 90 on each turn.  On the 3d cut we did not lock in.  Instead I would enter the log slowly and once in about a foot then would put down pressure on the log with my hand and do that while speeding up the saw head throught the log.  My son and I got very efficient when sawing thousands of 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 and 4x4 x 8'  With the old manual LT30 we could saw a log every 2 minutes as long as we had logs on the log deck.  We used a 4' rod with a hook to pull the next log on the mill.

[ladylake]

I made a couple of jigs to hold 1-1/2 " square oak pieces upright, I cut 8 to 12" long pieces put them in and clamp those small logs or sticker boards against them . I just bolted some 1-1/2" ID tubing to a couple of the cross members. You can clamp that small stuff and saw right through the back stops then.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

I got a good idea from brother Schmid,my swinging uprights are 2x2 x1/4 square tube near the top I'll drill and tap for a 3/8 bolt, sharpen the end to a point and when doing pesky small stuff screw it through for teeth to hold the log.Frank C.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I saw alot of 6 inch logs on mine and make 4x4's and 1x4's all the time.  I have sawn a 3 inch redbud log and made a 2x2 out of it.  He wanted it sawn so I sawed it.  I do take 4 inch logs and split them in half for hand rails and such for rustic work.  I do it by taking two deck screws run them up through a 2x4 and about 1 inch into the log.  Then clamp the 2x4 with the mill and saw away.