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Simple set cheat sheet

Started by lshobie, October 14, 2022, 10:34:03 AM

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lshobie

Hi all, I don't like the idea of the bottom board thickness being off, some have mentioned a cheet sheet and I'm wondering if I could get a copy.

Thanks!

Louie
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barbender

I don't have a standard one. If you are cutting standard dimensions (4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4) just make sure your quarter scale is aligned with your height indicator scale, and start your cuts on the corresponding quarter scale- if you are sawing 4/4, make your first cut on your cant on a 4/4 mark, and if your setworks are calibrated correctly you should land on 1" (4/4). I only make cheat sheets if I have non standard thicknesses, or for sawing down to a target cant thickness. 

 To make a cheat sheet for a 6" cant, and say I'm sawing 6/4 lumber, I start with 6" and then add 1 5/8" (6/4 plus 1/8" kerf) for each cut. I use a fractional calculator app so I don't lose my mind adding all the fractions. So that one would go 6, 7⅝, 9¼, 10⅞, 12½, 14⅛, 15¾, 17⅜...if I added fraction right in my head😊
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WV Sawmiller

   Here is the one I use. I use 1/8" as the kerf and if I am cutting anything under 3/4" I start so that I leave a 1" dog board. I set the pointer on my mill to read so it leaves a finished board under the pointer. This saves me one cut on almost every cant.

   If you find any math errors let me know and I'll correct them. I have mis-added a time or two but think I have caught all of them now. Good luck.
Howard Green
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Crossroads

I don't use the quarter scale on common sizes as mentioned above. On less common sizes, I have painted the right side of my control box white and use a carpenter pencil to write my start's. Using the sawmill calculator app with the final board dimension set at "none"


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Ron Wenrich

Before I was sawing with a computerized setworks, I did all the math in my head.  It really isn't that hard unless you are using a lot of different dimensions.

Basically, all you need to do is to build a stack.  It doesn't make much difference on 2 sides of the log.  What you need for the other sides is to have a target size that you want to get to.  You need to know the thickness of the jacket board that your producing.  For me, that thickness was 1 1/8" for 4/4 lumber.  To that, you'll add the kerf.  For me, my kerf was 1/4".  So, for each board I was cutting, I needed to add 1 3/8" to the target size.

To get rid of the clumsiness of the 1/8", I simply doubled the number for the size of 2 cuts.  I needed 2 3/4" to pull those 2 boards.  4 boards needed 5 1/2".

When put into practice, if my target size was 6", I would start my cut at 11 1/2".  That was my stack.  I could use that for any target size that I wanted to get to.  If there is no wood to cut at 11 1/2", I simply pull a set and I'm ready to go.

I sawed on a circle mill where you index the carriage, not the saw, to make your cut.  I have never sawn on a band mill, so I don't know how your sets work.  But, you can use the same method to build your stacks.  If you're cutting 1 1/8" boards and have 1/8" kerf, you're board stack would increase 1 1/4" for each board. 
If needed, you can build your own cheat sheet for your lumber dimensions and target sizes.

The alternative is to push your waste to the inside of the log.  That's where you start sawing where you can pull a good board.  Start at a number you can work with.  Then you reduce your size by the board thickness + kerf.  When you get close to the target size, pull down to your target and have take a shim to your target size.  Only word of caution is that you should pull the shim and not just shave the remaining piece.  I've never had luck shaving material, as the blade gets pushed and heated.  I never had satisfactory results with it.  Bands may be different.
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Old Greenhorn

If I did this right, there should be a PDF file attached to this post. Not sure if this is what you are looking for or not.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
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OlJarhead

 

 
Years ago I got a spreadsheet from someone and then made my own.  The key is to remember that the last board is 1/8" less than your simple set setting.  So if making 1 5/8" lumber and SS is on 1 3/4" than the last board will be 1 5/8 if you start at the right height.  As someone else mentioned, you can think of it as a stack:  if you have a big enough log and can mill ten 1 5/8" boards you will have a stack of boards that will be 16 1/4" tall (since 1.625" is 1 5/8" and ten of those will be 16.25") now figure 9 kerfs (not ten since the first one produces the first board but the last one produces the 2nd to last AND the last board (you're splitting the cant in half at that point basically)....so nine 1/8" kerfs is 1 1/8" (8 eights is 1" plus one more 1/8") -- add those two together and you get 17 3/8" as your height.  Make sense?

Now, what you can do and I still do because I mill a lot of different options for people, is you can figure it ahead of time and write it with a sharpie on the SS lid ;)  

You can do this for any thickness of lumber but remember, you can't mill too far down!  I stick to 7/8" as my last board and any lower than that I risk making a mistake so I just don't do it :D

I made a quick calculator for you and hope it helps :D

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