Last Board Uneven - woodmizer

[pineywoods]

I see this happen on my lt40 occasionally, but it's usually because the sawmill grimlins sneak out and raise the toe roller just a smidgin  ;D Seriously, here's something that will bite you. most of us start sawing from the small end. If you cut a log that had a big swelled root flare, boards cut from that flare will most likely bend, no matter what you do. Follow Magicman's advice and flip the cant frequently to minimize the bending...

[bkaimwood]

No doubt with what you've checked and come up with so far indicates your mill needs an alignment regardless, but likely not the solution. No skin off your back, should be done anyway. It happens to me more often than I'd like to admit...I get in production mode, pay less attention to stress, get lazy and don't want to flip the cant...but pay for it on the last board, at the very least... We all need to remember, as much we think we are in charge, we are not...the log or cant is...it tells us what to do next, we just have to follow, and stick to, and respect IT'S plan...

[Magicman]

Exactly.  Reading the log and opening the correct face, then watching and reacting accordingly.  :P

[gfadvm]

Hello,
   Measure from the blade to the bed rail. Take a marker and document this measurement on that rail and every other rail. I do it at 18" but the number is not important. They should all be the same. There should be 1/16" higher on the idle side. You should use a STEEL ruler not a tape measure. Make sure the ruler is not leaned forward or back. It should be the same place on each bed rail. If this measurement is off then we need to adjust. Follow the manual. Remove the deflection check the blade to bed rail again. Check blade guide arm adjustment then raise the saw head 1/4" above the bed rail. 18 1/4 on the drive side and 18 5/16 on the idle side. Install the blade guide rollers. ( New B-57 belts should be used) adjust the rollers so the blade measurement is 18" on the drive side and 18 1/16 on the idle side. Then check the blade tilt with the blade tool. Adjust so that the measurement is the same front to back. Recheck your 18" and 18 1/6" from the blade to the bed. If this measurement changed remove or install more deflection it needs to be 18" and 18 1/16".   Last thing is to check the pointer on the scale adjust after measuring from the bottom set tooth on the drive side to the bed rail.

Sorry this is a crash course. Ask more questions and I will clarify if needed.

Hope this helps. 

Marty

Marty, I learn something every time you post. Thanks.

[Jim_Rogers]

When flipping a large piece with some stress in it, I try as best I can to take even amounts off of each side.
And I try and end up with the bottom piece, the one that may not be 100% correct thickness or shape to have the heart/pith of the tree in it. Usually this piece can/could be one of the lowest quality pieces because of the pith. If it is low quality and it isn't the correct shape or size then it doesn't really matter that much.

Jim Rogers

[bkaimwood]

The most frustrating part of this whole "cant stress" dance to me, it that every flip and counter measure taken, decreases board with by at least 1" in most cases... Therefore decreasing lumber value...in some situations, firewood is of more value than the thinner boards I'm forced to cut as the cant narrows... But crooked boards ain't worth nothin'...

[drobertson]

The real issue here as I read it is even boards, even thicknesses.  Crook will come and go and while some of the issues is easy(relatively)speaking, to handle, other times not so.  Some folks have a general knowledge of what a log will produce, and they hope it will, but not all logs give out the desired return for a given project, and again the logs are not available when things go south. Not meaning south is a bad thing, just saying I've sawn for many with limited logs and a cut list that barely covers the cut list.   Knowing the end use is of the utmost importance in determining the pattern chosen.  It just takes time to figure how logs work and the product that comes from them. And this at best is the best guess, wood is wood, it moves around at times.

[Magicman]

The most frustrating part of this whole "cant stress" dance to me, it that every flip and counter measure taken, decreases board with by at least 1" in most cases...

No.  You flip the cant 180° which does not reduce the width.  That is unless I am misreading your statement. ??

[5quarter]

Have you checked to see if your second to last board is thick at the end? if it's stress, both boards will be uneven. if its an alignment issue, then only the dog board will be affected. Also, does your clamp pull down at all on the cant? if it does, it may be pulling the cant down in the middle slightly which will lift up the end of the cant and cause the dog board to be thin at the end of the cut. Good luck.

[bkaimwood]

Hey MM...not necessary a misread...I saw by far more ugly logs than saw logs...not by choice...taking this into account, I can saw textbook, pith centered, proper opening face on crooked logs, and still end up with this situation... I'm sawing, see a board end or middle start to react, react myself accordingly, and flip 180, and continue sawing...other times, I will see the board on the entry side crook right or left, indicating that a 90 degree flip is in order to releive tension on that side of the cant, and correct the crook or sweep that will be in the boards if you continue without reacting... This is where you the board width is decreased...help me if there's something else I could be doing in this situation...

[Magicman]

If you saw down from either the hump or horn faces, you should not encounter crook.  I said "should" because the log is always boss.   ;D

[bkaimwood]

I always do MM...but sawing sub-par logs does unfortunately create this situation for me...happens on maybe half of my sub par logs, which tend to be more often hardwood... Less often in softwoods... Was hoping u had a MM magical cure I had overlooked, but as discussed, the log is boss...

[Magicman]

If logs are like camels, I like the "Dromedary" logs.

Yup, twisting logs have two humps so maybe they are "Bactrian" logs.    They end up being more of a "sacrifice & salvage" job than a sawing job.  I always point that out to the customer beforehand and let him know not to expect much out of that log.   I remind him that I can not make chicken pie out of chicken mess.   Make light of it, saw it and do the best that you can, and move on to a better log.  ;D

[Woodslabs]

Looks like the blade deflection adjustment fixed the issue

[Brucer]

 And after all, that's what this topic was all about  .