Handy sawmill tricks or things I've just come to know.

customsawyer · January 07, 2006, 02:33:42 PM

When sawing with a WM and you make your first cut then turn 90 degrees and the log wants to turn a little to far raise up the big end of the log and swing the moveable bed rail under the the edge closest to the sawed face and then lower it back down it will usually tip back the other way then if it don't it will when you adjust for the taper on the small end.

woodbowl · January 07, 2006, 03:07:08 PM

Quote from: customsawyer on January 07, 2006, 02:33:42 PM
When sawing with a WM and you make your first cut then turn 90 degrees and the log wants to turn a little to far raise up the big end of the log and swing the moveable bed rail under the the edge closest to the sawed face and then lower it back down it will usually tip back the other way then if it don't it will when you adjust for the taper on the small end.

I do something like that except I try to use the tapers. If it's too wonker sided I keep-a-goin' to side #3 and come back later. .................. How'ed we miss each other at Moultrie? We were parked right behind you. Every time I swung by DanG would say, well I don't know ...... he was here just a minute ago! ???

Tome · January 07, 2006, 05:55:11 PM

I don't know if this qualifies as a sawmill trick but here goes.

I have a 8" ATS and I had my blades retoothed and they put 1/4" teeth on the blades by mistake but I decided to use them anyway as kerf wasn't that critical to me. I didn't notice very much difference in the speed of the cut but the one thing I did notice, which is my point here, I didn't need any water on my blade. I'm assuming that the teeth took out enough kerf that the blade never touched the wood. I thought this might be a good idea if a person was cutting in a very cold climate and freezing was a problem they could just have a 1/4" toothed blade handy so they wouldn't have to use any water.

customsawyer · January 08, 2006, 07:56:07 AM

Woodbowl I don't know how we missed each other. I was steering clear of DanG was afraid he would ask me to pull that ford to FL. with my dodge. :D

woodhick · January 08, 2006, 05:40:41 PM

Yeah Qweaver I'm a true hillbilly. I live about 5 miles from where I was born and raised. I live halfway between Charleston and Huntington. Ever get down this way look me up. ;) Done a lot of rappelling around the state practicing for a structural rescue team I'm on. We practiced one day at Fayette station below the bridge, just don't get much better. I wouldn't mind rappelling off the bridge but jumping is out of the question

. My personal center of gravity is getting lower. :D

DR Buck · January 08, 2006, 06:11:23 PM

This is the best way I found to pull nails. It even pulls after you cut the head off. :D

Impact nail puller
This handle is a sliding weight that, when dropped, forces the tool's pointed jaws to dig in around a nailhead and pinch it tight. Rocking the tool onto the jaws' extended foot levers the nail out.

fencerowphil (Phil L.) · January 08, 2006, 06:39:37 PM

Alright, Dr. Buck, no fair.

Where's the link to where you get these impact pullers.
I know I have seen the thing...
somewhere. :-[

Phil L.

Furby · January 08, 2006, 06:50:51 PM

Try the local box store.

beenthere · January 08, 2006, 06:55:47 PM

Also can find in McMaster-Carr, under 'nail puller' at

http://www.mcmaster.com/

for $52

ARKANSAWYER · January 08, 2006, 07:25:33 PM

A Stanley Wonder Bar is good for lifting slabs so you can get the blade back. Also when sawing long stuff if the balde does not come out the end you can use it to lift and "snap" the slab off.

Also if you are on the road and your blade tensioner on your WoodMizer will not get tight because it is hot and the fluid is low You can back it off and put a nickle infront of the plunger and get more pressure.

WeeksvilleWoodWorx · January 08, 2006, 07:42:25 PM

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on January 08, 2006, 07:25:33 PM Also if you are on the road and your blade tensioner on your WoodMizer will not get tight because it is hot and the fluid is low You can back it off and put a nickle infront of the plunger and get more pressure.

Just A wild idea you had, right? You never really had to try it.. ;D

woodbowl · January 08, 2006, 07:46:55 PM

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on January 08, 2006, 07:25:33 PM

You can back it off and put a nickle infront of the plunger and get more pressure.

A while back I had a set of blades that were just a tad too long and my fluid was low as well. It took 2 quarters to scotch the ram. Almost every time I changed blades I would forget to keep the idle wheel snugged up and they would fall out.

ARKANSAWYER · January 09, 2006, 08:13:22 AM

Yep! a time or two. I to have lost some change that is why I use nickles now. Cost less per blade change. ;D

Keep a pair of vise grips with you as well so if your alt bolt breaks you can "clamp" it back down.

I have used these clamps when the solenoid went out on the road.

jpgreen · January 09, 2006, 09:09:00 AM

Keep those tips comin' fellas... I feel like a seasoned pro already...!

First- I gotta load a log on the thing and saw it.. :

;D ;D

dail_h · January 10, 2006, 12:54:47 AM

Customer gave me one of them nail pullers the other day ;D ;D

Qweaver · January 10, 2006, 01:47:54 AM

The handiest (is that a real word?) addition to my sawing process was building a set of forks for the loader on my tractor. I don't have a de-barker so I don't skid logs...I pick them up and carry them to keep them clean! So I go to the log pile with my little Kubota, feed chains around the log, pick it up ang put it on the saw, saw it and throw the slabs on the forks, carry the slabs to a pile and go pick up another log. Sounds simple hey? Not nearly as simple without those forks! I just wish the Kubota was strong enough to pick up the logs with the forks...ain't happening tho' Who knew sawing logs to build a house could be so much fun!!! :D

Bibbyman · January 10, 2006, 02:08:25 AM

This is the test log. A water oak 12+ long and about 40" on the little end. When we were tried out loaders, this is the only one that could lift this log even though it was all it wanted.

jpgreen · January 10, 2006, 09:39:22 AM

Is that like a Pettiebone Bibby?

I was eyeing a Mil Surp Pettibone allterrain forklift. How are backhoe's for moving logs?

I need a multi purpose peice of equipment, one that can move and load logs to bout 36" dia, and I need to stack beams and logs for my new house I want to build, and diggin' footers and plowin' snow would'nt be bad neither.

Think it may add up to a sizeable back hoe.

stumpy · January 10, 2006, 09:56:50 AM

This is probably not a new idea, but it works great. I keep a gas powered leaf blower with my mill. I use it to blow of the mill after each use. It works great in keeping the buildup of sawdust from freezing and gumming up the works.
Another idea is to take and old saw blade and cut off a 2' piece. grind the teeth dull and put a wod handle on it. It works great in cleaning out the cut behind the saw to make it easier to back the saw out of a log when you hit something. It also works great as a scraper to clean of a board.

Bibbyman · January 14, 2006, 02:40:49 AM

Use this trick at your own risk. There is a real danger of dumping the log off the back side of the mill!

By placing a 3x4 against the back supports and lowering the back supports, an over sized log can be pushed a little further to the left - giving more room to get the sawhead through. You can only go so far over before you've ran out of clearance between the log and the vertical mast. Got to watch out for the inside blade guide roller too.

sawguy21 · January 14, 2006, 09:16:55 AM

Quote from: DR_Buck on January 08, 2006, 06:11:23 PM
This is the best way I found to pull nails. It even pulls after you cut the head off. :D

Impact nail puller
This handle is a sliding weight that, when dropped, forces the tool's pointed jaws to dig in around a nailhead and pinch it tight. Rocking the tool onto the jaws' extended foot levers the nail out.

Hardware stores have carried those for years. Best DanG tool going for demolition and reno work. And pulling nails from logs. I hate hitting them with the saw chain.

customsawyer · January 14, 2006, 07:10:56 PM

I have a New Holland 4x4 tractor with a loader for moving logs when I am doing portable sawing but when I am at one location for a long time I like to take my backhoe as it has a left hand reverser on it so you don't have to push a clutch to change directions (BIG PLUS WHEN OPERATING A LOADER AROUND A SAWMILL) My backhoe has forks that just hang on the front of my bucket and they work really well one of the things I like the most about these forks is I can hang them on the widest part of the bucket which puts them about 7' apart making longer logs alot more stable. I also built me another set of forks that has three forks on it that I place beside my roller tables and as the slabs come off the mill we just push them onto the extra forks and then when I need to remove the slabs I don't have to try to scoop them up on the forks I just unhook one set and hook up the slab forks and I'm gone takes less than 10 seconds and the backhoe will pickup about twice as much as the tractor (The tractor is 85hp and will lift about 2800 lbs)

Qweaver · January 14, 2006, 08:37:19 PM

This is my old Ford 1910 and I was amazed at what it would lift. I once put a 3000lb concrete septic tank in the hole with it. It was definately maxed out but it did it. I wish my new Kubota had the grunt that this old Ford had.

jpgreen · January 14, 2006, 09:38:45 PM

Bibbyman.. Oh Bibby,,, I'm still trying to find out what the cool looking rig of his is?

getoverit · January 14, 2006, 10:33:01 PM

I have an old 71 Ford 3000 Diesel for farming, and I found out that the rear hydraulics wont lift a log. It doesnt have a bucket on it.

How big of a tractor do I have to get in order to lift a 5000 pound log? It's time to replace this one anyway and I need the 3 point attachments for farming, but could use a good bucket attachment on the front for log moving.