I had to order my Norwood without a toeboard. The company claims it is still in develpement, and won't be available until about the first of the new year. I have no idea how to deal with log taper without it. I would appreciate any advice on this matter.
We lived without toe boards for 7 years with our manual LT40. We had a 6' rock bar that we'd use to lift the end that needed toeing and stick something under it. Something like a 1' lengt of 1"x 2" would give you two choices that will take care of most needs. Anything more and you just have to find something thicker.
I didn't have toeboards on my Norwood and I used a wrecking bar as a lever to lift the end of the log, and slid a felling wedge under the log. It was faster and easier than any of the manual toeboards I have seen.
Nick
I built my own. Ran a piece of 1" hot roll thru a piece of 1" schd. 40 pipe. Weld that to two seven inch arms, welded to a 11/2" piece of pipe mounted between the rails to hinge. Welded a 11/2" x 8" piece of pipe for a pulling arm to the 11/2" that is mounted between the rails under side. Installed a 2000# boat winch at the end of mill to lift the log. Install only enough cable to do the job. One wrap on the drum is all you need. So far it has worked good. I may need to double the cable to give me more lifting power for large logs. Cost was only for some 3/16" cable, about 10'. Neighbor had given me the boat winch and the materials came from my junk collection. bg
I've never had toe boards. Just chunks of wood.
OK, I take everybodys point. I guess it's much ado about nothing.
No it's not, metljackt. It's an important item. It's just that there are ways to get the job done without having a manufactured toe-board.
Being able to level the heart of a log is definitely a necessity unless you are using a swing saw; then you have to adjust the saw to be level with the heart of the log.
I've had toe-boards on all of my mills and would hate to do without them, even if I knew that there were other ways to level the log.
Funny toe story...
Son Chris thought at one time he'd be a sawyer. He'd helped us a good little bit so he wasn't starting from scratch. I put him to sawing some 4x4s out of cedar. Not a tough sawing job. It was on the manual mill without power toe boards. So I gave him a 100 level class on leveling a log. I says, "Measure the big end. This one's 9" on the big end. Now measure the little end. This one is 7"on the little end. Subtract 7 from 9 gives you 2". Now divide that in half that gives you 1". So put the 1" stick under the little end to bring the heart up level with the bed.". I continued. "Now if the log has a bend in it..... Or if.. or if.." About then he cuts me off and says, "So... you always just put this stick under the little end." "Yea." I replied and left him to sawing. I think he wasn't ready for the advanced class in log leveling. ::)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22539/2976/0724091929.jpg)Most of the time the log ends wont land close to a bunk so you can get a accurate measurement when leveling log center or pith, I like to use a rigid stick like a drying stick that will catch two bunks and i will check both ends till i get it level. If my mill didn't come with toe boards i would probably use bottle jacks or some sizzor jacks with wedges and blocks. Sometimes i find myself running back and forth 10 times cause the hydralic toe boards are so close together that when your trying to level a longer log each small movement will raise the end of log several inches, where if i had a manual jack i could place it anywhere its needed with finer adjustment. Just saying!
Chunks of boards gets tiring after a while. A good roller toe board makes it so much easier. Lot of times I'll crank up the toe board under a bunch of boards and lift the whole mess off the mill with forks on the FEL. Got a maximum length log on the mill that's 1" to far to the end...easy just crank up the roller toe board and roll it back. Want to cut a log longer than your mill? Again no problem.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,7789.msg247857.html#msg247857
The one above is a better design and stouter than 99% of the ones being sold today.
try this for an idea and it will make you throw wood blocks at your rock bar.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20540/2953/sawmill_021.JPG)
the jack is sitting on some blocks under the mill. i have to use it for other things from time to time. come to think of it almost everything i have are multitaskers. pc
I still carry a few sticks of 1x2x12 hard maple on my saw-jobs even though I have hydraulic toe boards.
Sometimes, the end of the log just doesn't line up with a toe board and then we have to improvise!
We just use a cant hook to pry the end of the log up and place a piece or two of the HM under it on the closest bunk.
You could make something like this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11185/toe_boardi.jpg)
Dakota
Have been sawing with my neighbor for two years and we just cut boards, no beams, posts or anything like that and we have not centered any logs. Is this something that needs done always?
I raise the small end enough so that the center of the log is an equal distance from the bed on both ends. Works best for me.
Dakota; That's a real ingenious approach.
Should work real well.
texbob,
it will improve your lumber and you will get more from logs that have taper. pc
Chuck White,
I'm not the genious who thought that up. I just saved the picture of it because I thought it was ingenious.
Dakota
texbob, sawing parallel to the edge of a tapered log often saves some high quality wood, when you do this around the outside then the wood from the center is tapered and sawing that taper off wastes away lower quality wood.
My Cookssaw had scissor jacks for toe boards. They were bolted to a cross piece under the log. Unfortunately the center of the log changes as the diameter of the log changes. A scissor jack does not work very well if the load is not directly over the jack. Guess I could have just unbolted the jacks and moved them where needed but I found it just as easy to use a bar and blocks of wood. Now I am sure if I had hydraulic toe boards, that would be much better.
Not to be a jerk, but I am only posting on this thread so it will show up in my "replies to your threads" So since I don't actually have anything helpful to contribute at this time, I won't say anything about the subject except that I am interested to see how everybody hashes it out. ;D