SAWING ADVICE

[KDEC19]

Well i sawed today with the lt15.  I just have to say it is a little tricky with the manuel mill.  I first had lt40 hydrolic with computer control.  Then I got a super  :Pfully loaded.  Now I am back at it with the lt15......
I am seeking some advice on cutting with the manuel scale system.  I set at 6 and cut.  then dropped to four and cut then dropped to two and cut.....  the first two 1 and 15/16  the bottom board 1 7/8.  is this normal.  how do get the same wood!!!!

any stategies would be greatly appreciated.....

I will saw all day monday and greenhorn it some more

thanks.... ;D ;D

[backwoods sawyer]

Sounds like your scale needs calibrated to the head.

[MartyParsons]

You should have a magnet scale with 4, 5, 6, 8 qtr on it. It would be in a small square white box. Measure the bottom set tooth on the drive side roller to the bed rail. It should read the same as the scale indicator. You can adjust these easily if needed. Remember the reading is to the botton set tooth. If you set the scale at 6 " then drop to 4 " and then to 2 " the bottom will be 2" the top cuts will be 1 7/8". If you have a .045 blade set at .024 you will be loosing about .096 per cut ( less than 1/8" or .125). Stress in the log may give your last cut or every cut differences in the thickness.
The magnet scale will add the kerf to the setting. This is a Standard qtr scale 4 would be 1" and so on. There is a grade decal available that would give these 1/8" over for lumber shrinkage so 4 qtr would be 1 1/8" You can also drop 5 qtr on every cut and get al little over 1 1/8"
10" is the magic # when cutting 1" lumber. If you start at 10" and drop 1 1/8 " every time you will end up at 1" and not have any shim at the bottom.
Hope this helps!
Marty

[bandmiller2]

#19,what i do for band or circular mill is make up a card for the clipboard with the number of boards and the setting.One board 1"two boards 2 1/8 keep adding the kerf,as Marty says 1/8 isn't perfect but close when you figure band wobble.when you take your last slab cut just look at the card and set on the nearest number.Its not perfect but little around a mill is.Frank C.

[WDH]

You really need the magnetic scale.  I set the graduation on the 4/4 scale on 1 & 1/16 so that last board is a little thicker since it is not uncommon for the last board on the bed to be a little scant in the middle due to tension in the log.

If you want to use the manual scale versus the magnetic scale, start at 1 & 1/16 and add 1 & 3/16 to that as you move up the scale.  This allows for 1/8 saw kerf and gives you a rough thickness of 1 & 1/16.  You can go to Excel and print out a cheat sheet to refer to so that as you move down thru the cant, you know precisely where on the scale that you need to be for each cut.

I just use the magnetic scale and I get just slightly over a 1" thick board using the 4/4 scale.  The mill cuts so accurately that this thickness works out great to plane a board down to 3/4 finished width.  I have gotten very positive feedback from people that I have sold lumber to because of the consistency of the thickness of the boards. Some say that it is the most consistent rough lumber that they have ever bought. 

Many people target for 1 & 1/8.  I target between 1" and 1 & /1/16", and that has worked out fine.  I guess it is whatever suits you or any customers that you might cut for or sell lumber to.   

To cut 8/4, I simply move the head down two cuts on the 4/4 scale.  That makes it easy to take 4/4 and 8/4 off the same cant and keep everything still in order to get a full 1" board on the last cut.  That makes the 8/4 thickness 1" for each graduation on the 4/4 scale plus 1/8" for the kerf that you did not take since you cut only one board at 8/4 instead of two boards at 4/4.  That gives you a rough thickness of 2 & 1/8 on the 8/4 boards.

[Dodgy Loner]

I use the magnetic scale for sawing hardwood lumber, but for softwood framing lumber (2x's) I use the manual inch scale. It's simple to get everything the same thickness. I just square up a cant, setting the head at a multiple of 2, minus 1/8". Then I drop the head 2" for each board, and I end up with a stack of boards that are all 1 7/8" thick.

If you set it at a multiple of 2 and do not account for the thickness of the kerf, your last board should end up at 2" thick, while the rest of the boards will be 1 7/8". If the thickness of your lumber is within 1/16" of the proper thickness, though, I don't see what the problem is. Especially for framing lumber.

[Chico]

Just a note If you're trying to learn to saw grade you reallydon't want the shim on the outside I open a mof then saw from there regardless of species then on your final setups on softwood if you cutting demension and not random then you set up as WDH says but on grade of anykind you should always shim on the inside where the lower grades are
Chico

[Dodgy Loner]

Huh? ???

[Dan_Shade]

I think Tico is saying that it's better to saw on the taper with hardwoods.  i.e. sawing parallel to the bark.

I always try to saw parallel to the pith, I find the tapered boards harder to use in projects.  I take the taper out in the slabs.

[logwalker]

Chico, you might consider using some periods and maybe a comma or two. It is diddicult to understand the run on sentences. Joe

[Chico]

TRy this saw as normally do.... But shim on the inside where the lower grade is rather than setting up on the outside to pull a number and take a grade face The only way I saw on a taper is on a very small log that it may be possible to pull 2 hi grade boards out of a cheap log.....On a larger log I just use a mof and keep turning till the log faces out which will improve both grade and overrun...
Chico