Did you ever have a log........

[mike_van]

That just busted your chops right to the end? I just finished one. A guy needed a 10' white pine 4x6, didn't care if it was dry or not. All my lumber, I couldn't find one. Even a 6x6 good enough to cut down. I had three pine logs, two 10's & a 14, the 10's were 36" scaled about 500bf each. I took the worst one, it had a big limb that had been sawn off, 3 big checks in one end, and a "little" hook in the last 3'.  Oh, and mud on one side.  I get it on the mill, make a slab cut, then a 1" board - The moveable guides all the way out, it's dragging on the log. So, I get a chainsaw, cut a  4"x4" notch in the line of the guide, for clearance. Turn the log - Same thing, another cut with the chainsaw. I learned [twice] if my moveable guide rubs the log hard in the cut, the blade come off. Don't know why yet, but it does. Turned the log the third time, slab cut, a few 1" boards, i've got a 28" face now - Drop the head 4" and saw through it. I slide the 4 x 28 x 10' off, get the tractor, take this huge 3 sided cant off the mill, stood the 4 incher on edge & made a 4x6 - What an ordeal. Yesterday I put the cant back on the mill - going to be a piece of cake now - Squared up about 26x24, When it got down to about 18 x 18, every cut was into that crotch knot - My blade would just howl, leave chatter marks in the wood, and build up pitch something awful. Last resort, I grabbed a can of bee spray [mostly diesel fuel] and sprayed the blade cutting into that knot - problem solved. I'm going to make up a lube tank for future problem logs like this.  If you think this took a long time to type & read, it was no where near as long as I worked on that log -  :D      Live & learn

[Part_Timer]

MIke

I had an 8' maple about 14" or so that I was trying to make 1x's out of.  I got it opened and it started to bow up on the far end.  Then as I got a bit farther into it the ends tried to bow up and to the right at the same time.  I started to cut deep vertical and make 3 passes before I released them just to get done with it.  If I'd a been cutting at home it would not have been a big deal but NOOOOO I'm at my first show for Petersons with about 40 people watching.  Luckily for me most of them had mills and we all had a good laugh at trying to cut rocking chair rockers instead of firewood.

[brdmkr]

Part Timer, that is the way it always happens.  Things generally run smooth until you have folks watching.  I was working on a big pecan log once.  That thing had tons of tension and was really causing me fits.  I had 6 - 8 people there to witness the whole thing.

Another time, I was working on  a really large red oak log and had a pin fall out that allowed the whole carriage to fall right before I entered the log.  Plenty of witnesses there as well.

Now, I try not to have any spectators and things work just fine ;)

[Part_Timer]

brdmkr  I hate that when it happens.  I lost grip on the handle for moving the rails up and down, and it beat the snot out of my hand.  Only about 8 or so people around.

Have you noticed that the only time you forget to swing the blade before you start to pull the head back is when there are witnesses around to see you about jerk your arm out of the socket. ;)

Tom

[Burlkraft]

MIke

I had an 8' maple about 14" or so that I was trying to make 1x's out of.  I got it opened and it started to bow up on the far end.  Then as I got a bit farther into it the ends tried to bow up and to the right at the same time.  I started to cut deep vertical and make 3 passes before I released them just to get done with it. 

That's about the time it goes in the dump trailer and gets a ride to the firewood guy's house..... ;D ;D ;D

[brdmkr]

Have you noticed that the only time you forget to swing the blade before you start to pull the head back is when there are witnesses around to see you about jerk your arm out of the socket. ;)

Tom

That has only happend to me once..... DanG and Woodbowl were right there.... smiling.

Of course that was the first day I used the mill.

Another error that I make with witnesses is swinging the blade for the vertical cut when I intended to back out of the horizontal and make a deeper horizontal cut before the vertical (I often do this when cutting 6" wide in the horizontal as the log seems less apt to move and it keeps the blade from bogging).

Really, it sounds like I should never cut with witnesses ;D