Sequence of sawing

[LeeB]

And when you get it all figured out you have to make sure you stop exactly on the right spot. Not always easy to do even with a set works. They aren't 100% accurate and my eyes don't help me any as I get older.

[Darrel]

When I first got my mill, I had a hard time getting it to stop exactly where I wanted it. I have learned that if I drop the head a bit low then bump it back up that I'm just as accurate as any setworks. And thankfully at my age I am blessed by being able to read without my glasses. I do need them for distance vision but not close up. My problem is getting my brain to figure out where I need to stop. If I'm trying to make 3 cants 3 5/8" each, I always find that my last one is a bit different then the others. It's like a 1/16 inch thicker. If I'm cutting 3" batons and 5 cants, it gets worse.  I know it's only a 1/16" but it bothers my OCD.  So if I can fix it I will.

[Ga Mtn Man]

Darrel-  I can't understand why the error on your last cant would be so large (1/16") or why it would be worse when cutting more cants.  Assuming your actual kerf is 0.090, which would be typical for an 0.045 blade, and you are using the mill scale which allows 0.125" for the kerf, each cant, except for the bottom one, should be 0.125 - 0.090 = 0.035 strong, which is a little more than 1/32".  The error at the bottom should be the same regardless of how many drops you are making.  I've never had a customer who minded the extra thickness and if you start a little high on your first cut you can make the bottom one come out a little thick also.       

For five 3" cants:

Blade Hght   Board Thickness

15-1/2
                      3-1/32
12-3/8
                      3-1/32
9-1/4
                      3-1/32
6-1/8
                      3-1/32
3
                      3
0

 

[Darrel]

I don't understand either, but I will figure it out just as soon as winter comes back or the mud dries up. It's still January and the mud should be frozen but it is 6" deep and quite sloppy in my customer's/neighbor's field where my mill is. His logs are staged and ready to saw but it is way too muddy. So anyway, as soon as I can get there I'll figure it out. I've never had anybody complain about it but it does bother me. Chances are if I figure out what I'm doing wrong, I'll either fix it or maybe even choose to live with it but not knowing is a puzzle that I feel the compulsion to figure out.

Thanks for your reply. What you say sounds correct, I'm sure I'm the problem more than my mill. Probably just making some mistake in my figuring.

[dean herring]

Thanks MM
Last log came out MUCH better

[Magicman]

I was sawing some 2 3/8" stuff today that put a serious wrinkle in my cheat sheet.  Had to make a few "practice runs" to find my starting height. :-\

[ncsawyer]

Yes those "weird" sizes can be a little aggravating. 

[PAmizerman]

Boy reading this thread brings back old memories of my old lt30 manual. Now I'm spoiled with accuset 2
Just punch in the numbers and letter rip.

[Crossroads]

I'm not sure if this question should be in this thread or a new one, but have decided to just add to the conversation. Anyway, I have a job coming up milling some fir. Most of it is in the 10-12" range and the customer wants me to try to squeeze 2-4x6 or 2-4x8' out of each one. Since I can't do that without splitting the pith, should I tell the guy that I can only get one quality 4x with the heart centered? In which case he would end up with a bunch of side wood that he's made it clear he has no interest in.

[Magicman]

I will have a very similar (actually exact) situation tomorrow with a few logs.  I will get one heart centered 4X6 and discard the rest of the log...no side lumber.  I can bust through the logs without being concerned with waste or edging flitches/boards. 

It's gets down to communication with the customer.  I refuse to saw something that I know full well will be unusable after I am finished and gone.

[Don P]

That's sort of like taking the ribs and throwing out the tenderloin. Not that I don't appreciate the dilemma, been sawing through the bycatch from the timberframers for way too long on this job trying to clean the plate. I think I just mixed 3 metaphors  ;D

[Crossroads]

I was afraid that's what you were going to say, thank you for the conformation. I'll follow your lead and advise him to go with one quality over 2 questionables.

[Crossroads]

That's sort of like taking the ribs and throwing out the tenderloin. Not that I don't appreciate the dilemma, been sawing through the bycatch from the timberframers for way too long on this job trying to clean the plate. I think I just mixed 3 metaphors  ;D

Mmmm, tenderloins ;)

[Magicman]

The smaller logs had already been pulled as culls.  If I can bust through them and recover a 4X6 then all is good.  It will be quick and easy with 4 passes for ~$10.

[Crossroads]

Hopefully I can talk him into making 1x out of the sides, even if he sells them.

[Magicman]

In my instance here he does not want anything less than 12" so I won't saw any. 

[appleseedtree]

Thought I'd reopen this thread a year later to ask a similar question. I've got four 12' perfectly round, straight, about 26" D mostly tight grained SYP logs from a blow over and a standing tree that I want to make house siding out of. I've got the Wood Mizer lap siding attachment that came with the old mill but I've never used it. So tell me if I'm right about this. I believe I should use the heartwood only, and I'll only get one 8" cant from each log. Is it practical to get a couple of very small cants off the sides and make siding from those as well? Do I saw down until I hit knots then flip and discard the knotty center?   I'm matching siding that's already on the building and planning to put the new boards up "greenish" so I'll saw slightly oversized.