Cookie cutting

Montana Sawyer · December 17, 2012, 08:54:14 PM

I am a relative newbie here, have been lurking for 5 or 6 months. I have been
chainsaw milling for about 15 years, and as I get older it has gotten to be more work (or I have just gotten older)
I recently purchase a used Norwood LM 2000, and already have a pile of walnut logs (imported from the east) as well as river recovered heart pine.

My question is what jigs for lack of a better term have any of you come up with for cutting cookies. I am a turner amongst many other things and would like to come up with a way to use logs that are to short to turn into turning blanks or cookies.

Any pictures or insight would be much appreciated.

I would like to get them 6/4 or better.

Thanks in advance

customsawyer · December 17, 2012, 09:10:01 PM

As long as the log is not bigger in dia. than btween the blade guides just build a jig that will hold the short log vertical and start cutting.

Magicman · December 17, 2012, 09:31:37 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Montana Sawyer.

My sawmill is vastly different, but I just clamp it upright and saw.

Onthesauk · December 17, 2012, 10:08:10 PM

Welcome! Grew up in your part of the country, (Flathead Valley.)

Chuck White · December 17, 2012, 10:11:49 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Montana Sawyer

Montana Sawyer · December 17, 2012, 10:27:46 PM

OntheSauk,

I have spent considerable time in Darrington as well. when we lived in Seattle
we went to the bluegrass festival in Darrington every year, and were good freinds with several people that were born and raised there.

paul case · December 17, 2012, 11:33:15 PM

Bill G. and I had some fun making cookies for his neighbor George here a while back.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,54542.0.html

The jig I had just kept them from sliding on the bed rails. I use vice grips. ;D

PC

redbeard · December 18, 2012, 12:25:40 AM

AWelcome Montana Sawyer, Iam a MSU alum.. Love Montana. There are some others on here that are close too you. Onthesauk your just over the bridge and threw the valley from me. here is a Jig for clamping material I use for cutting small stuff.

Ive also used this jig for cutting ovals out of crotches taking 4" n 6" passes for bowl blanks. Just cut my angle with chain saw and fixed it to the board with screws. Just keep track of where hardware is.

kelLOGg · December 18, 2012, 06:26:26 AM

Every Thanksgiving my wife's cousin brings me a log(s) to saw. This year it was a cherry and it is for table decorations at her daughter's wedding. They wanted cookies, too and I warned them about the possibility of cracking but I tried it anyway on a section with nails - not too much to lose if it doesn't work. Here's how I did it.

I insert the log between the bunks with the tractor.

Ratchet straps hold the log in place.

Then I can saw.

I sawed 8 cookies (~12" dia) trying to avoid the nails and ended up with thicknesses of 3/4" and 1". I used Gene Wengert's idea for minimizing cracking and soaked them in de-natured alcohol for 12 to 24 hours and allowed them to dry. The cookie pics were taken a month after sawing and only one has cracked and it was one with a nail in it. Time will tell on the others.
Bob

Magicman · December 18, 2012, 07:20:36 AM

I recently sawed a batch of Walnut and Cedar cookies which were used as serving trays at a wedding.

There would be no standard way of clamping because of the different sawmill designs and clamping arrangements.

WDH · December 18, 2012, 07:24:12 AM

Those must have been some heavy serving trays or some heavy servers (or both

).

Magicman · December 18, 2012, 07:33:54 AM

After looking, those were the 1" cookies. I must not have gotten a picture of the ½" serving trays. :-\

bandmiller2 · December 18, 2012, 07:50:04 AM

I would think a fella into the "cookie" thing would be best served with a band with little hook like 4 degree.Hooked teeth tend to grab cross cutting. Frank C.

thurlow · December 18, 2012, 08:19:01 AM

I made some cookies last night, 8) but they weren't very good. The recipe called 'em pimento cheese shortbread cookies; a cup of pimento cheese, a cup of flour, 1/3 cup of chopped pecans, roll out, cut into 'round's, bake. Thought they'd make good horse doovers, but not worth the effort.

dboyt · December 18, 2012, 08:49:29 AM

Great photos. Only time I tried to cut a cookie on the band mill, it spun on me and ruined the blade. After that, I went back to using a chain saw. Definitely want a slow cut, and clamp it securely so it can't spin. Norwood has a 3/4" pitch blade that would less aggressive than the normal 7/8" pitch. Do you have a plan for drying them without cracking?

MM, what did you do with all those cookies after the wedding?

Magicman · December 18, 2012, 11:04:34 AM

I just saw um and leave um. ;D I hope that she doesn't do the same. :D :D

Montana Sawyer · December 18, 2012, 11:20:13 AM

Thanks all for the replies, It has given me some idea as to how to go about it.

My plan for drying is to Anchor Seal the ends, with the rounds debarked and put it in my solar kiln, checking on them daily.

drobertson · December 18, 2012, 01:04:34 PM

Montana, welcome, the way I have done the cookies is to take a 4X6 and cut a V in it to help hold the log. If you want you can cut two, one for each side of the log. I make mine in the neighborhood of 30" long and set them on a board, that span the rails, and make it narrower than the log. I use the same technique on slanted cookies, you will need to find the gap between the rails, and put the desired angle on them,and they seem to dry a little better as far as splitting goes. Have fun, Merry Christmas to you and your family, david

reride82 · December 18, 2012, 04:24:15 PM

Welcome to Forestry Forum Montana Sawyer! Its good to see another Montanan on here. They're pretty few and far between ;) What if you used something similar to a buck saw for doinf firewood? How big are the cookies you are looking to cut?

Levi

beenthere · December 18, 2012, 04:40:47 PM

Levi
Buck saw or buzz saw?

shelbycharger400 · December 18, 2012, 05:03:42 PM

Take a gander at my mill in my gallery.
I can cut cookies on my mill, I prefer to cut them if they are 16 to 24 in dia
The small ones dont sell very well and or not very profitable for my time into them.

now cutting/ milling laying down, my bunks are 1 foot on center. I cut lots of short logs.

wesdor · December 18, 2012, 05:40:59 PM

Welcome to the Forum Montana Sawyer.

If you are a member of AAW ( American Association of Woodturners). Check out the April 2010 Vol 25, No 2 Issue.

Beginning on page 28 they have an article about cutting bowl blanks on a portable sawmill. It looks like other forum members have given you some good advice, so this article is just another possible answer.

We would love to see some pictures of your turning.

Good luck

reride82 · December 18, 2012, 06:06:17 PM

Quote from: beenthere on December 18, 2012, 04:40:47 PM
Levi
Buck saw or buzz saw?

Ha, your memory is better than mine. Buzz saw.

drobertson · December 18, 2012, 06:51:19 PM

Close to a year ago, I gave away my Daughter Caitlin to Levi Entz. These cookies were her idea, they turned out beautiful, as did the bride and groom!