Sawing 2 logs at once

[sawmilljoe]

Has anybody else tried too saw 2 logs at once. I did 2 small ones today with my homemade winch clamp.

[sawmilljoe]

[Magicman]

 

 
Yes I have but this is the only two that I ever did.  I consider it a gimmick and do not recommend doing it.  Too much lost time with handling and setup.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Agreed it is a gimmick.  The debarker can't get to both and if they're small enough to saw both then they're small enough to move when sawn fast.  Unless you go very slow then that defeats the purpose.   

I had a good customer asking me about doing this.  Same guy bought a little manual mill for one of his paid guys to run and it sits there idle for years while he calls me to saw.  I tell him to leave his little logs for firewood and not bother with sawing them.  

Nothing else beats sawing as fast as you can with a sharp blade and a firmly clamped log.  

[Southside]

Never tried it, but agree on the gimmick comment.  As soon as one lets go and you wreck a $25 minimum band, or other more expensive parts,  it becomes a not so fun gimmick is my assessment.  

[WV Sawmiller]

   I'd seen it here on the FF but never considered it worth the effort. I figure you waste too much time with set up, clamps come loose and you tear stuff up and basically always figured "The juice ain't worth the squeeze."

[LeeB]

Agree with the rest, not worth the effort. 

[sawmilljoe]

This was the first time I had tried it everything did go well ended up with 12 1x6 but would not try this on anything bigger and must be very straight logs. For me on the woodlands it was quite a bit faster. Have a great weekend everyone.

[VTwoodworker]

I have had some good experience sawing two and sometimes three logs at a time.  I saw very part time and much of what I saw comes off my land.  My forest is primarily balsam fir and red spruce that I cut into rough cut framing lumber.  I am often left with a 8'-10' long 3rd or 4th log that is 5"-6" on the top end from my trees.  Not a lot of money in these logs but they make nice 2x4s.  On my manual LT30, I can easily cut 2 matched size logs in about the same time as it takes to do one.  I make five cuts and get 4 2x4s instead of 2.  When I get a good pile of these logs, I will take a day and saw them 2 at a time.  I have not experienced clamping problems and that probably has to do with the straight short logs.

[curved-wood]

 
On my old Enercraft mill that was not hydraulic, so clamping was manual. I made a modification to saw 2 logs at the same time. The modification is inserting a ''T'' that was able to slide just like the treaded rod that is normally used to clamp a single log. That ''T'' was helpful just to make sure that the 2 logs are not moving. The sliding ''T'' could be slided and not being in the way of the treaded rod when not needed so no de-assemble needed. I used that system for sawing logs under 8'' diam and with logs of the same diameter. Very good system for sawing 4X4 cedar. Sawing 2 logs was exactly the same number of passes, just that the logs had to be flip half turn on the second pass (easy hand fliping with small cedar logs )
Now I still saw 2 logs with my hydraulic WoodMizer but it is less fast. I do 2 passes cut at 90 degrees on the first log , pull out that log, do the same on the second log, put the first log back on the mill and finish the job. Save 2 passes. But the helper is working hard. If I am sawing alone it is not worth the effort. 
Both ways are asking some more energy on the helper because a lot of stuff is moving around. I try to dont do too much of those double logs sawing in a row.

[pwrwagontom]

I've done this a couple of times, with low grade, small diameter logs.  Both times I was making 4x4s or 4x6s.
Was a little fiddly to set up. 

[Crusarius]

I was thinking 2 logs end to end. never thought about next to each other. This weekend I found the max length I can cut to be 20'-4.5". I could run 2 10' long logs end to end and do it. To me that would make more sense.

[curved-wood]

Actually few years back I've seen a speed sawing contest where a non hydraulic was faster than an hydraulic one. The winner was sawing 2 logs end to end. While sawing the second log the helper was turning the first log, and while doing the second pass on the first log, the helper was turning the second log, etc .  So the mill was always rolling,  no down time for turning the logs ...they were always ready. Very smart ! The hardware on a manuel mill could be fairly simple to install not so on an hydraulic one. Must need a helper in top physical shape that deserve a good bonus at the end of the day.