Just joined this group and have a question: I recently purchased a Wood-Mizer LT15 and I'm trying to figure out how to mill logs that are24-30" long. I'm sure someone else here has solved this problem a long time ago and I'm hoping to learn from their experience. Thanks!
Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
Yes, there are a variety of ways that have been posted on holding short logs.
Bridging that gap with a base board and having a 'fence" at the back to span the space so the clamp works are the basics.
A search may get those threads to come up, as well as several may see this and respond directly.
Do you get a lot of short logs to mill? And what is the product?
Welcome to the forum! I routinely cut short logs. The clamps on the Norwood are movable to accommodate different log lengths, but for really short logs I bridge across two bunks with a board, then use a sacrifice board to bridge between stops, so that I cut the sacrifice board as I go. The first cut is a little iffy, but once you get a flat side down on the board bridging across the cross bunks, it goes pretty well. Here's a photo.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12837/Wlnt_Crotch_06m.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/12837/Wlnt_Crotch_03m.jpg)
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, gfadvm. :)
Welcome to the Forum!
Welcome to the Forum!
Here's one thread on the subject:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,68074.msg1020343.html#msg1020343
...and another:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,69169.msg1037724.html#msg1037724
Welcome to the forum!
You guys are really helpful! those Links were the answer for me. I knew someone had been there, done that.
I really appreciate the help. I often get given short crotch cherry or walnut that people have cut for firewood and don't want to split it. I agree: burning cherry and walnut is a shame!
Thanks for the helpful responses. I'll probably be back with more questions.
gfadvm,what's the plan for lumber coming off the mill?
The short stuff will be for boxes and door panels for the most part.
The longer boards will become chairs, tables, or ?
I am a hobby woodworker that always wanted a mill and I found one on CL that seemed too good to pass up! Now I need to sell more chairs to pay for it!
As an FYI a buddy did a Sketch Up of a really cool short log jig on my Lumberjock's thread. Not sure if I'm allowed to post a link here.
gfadvm, Welcome to the forum, these folks are great and always very helpful.
All I can tell you about short stuff like that is I hope it is for something you want or need and not for a customer. It is very hard to make any money with stuff that short because there is just so much work involved compared to the actual board feet you get out of it.
I tell all my customers to please make sure the logs are at least 8 feet long because it makes everything go easier from the turning to the tapering to the clamping to the sawing to the off bearing etc.
Good luck with whatever method you decide to use.
This topic is somewhat dated but a new topic would have been so similar that it might be better to keep them together. say_what
A while back I had to split about 40 peeled posts for a special project for a cabinet shop. I had a devil of a time keeping them steady with the clamping system on my mill, so I came up with something else. Then it was quite some time before I needed to use it again... until today.
This was reportedly a 150 year old slab of eastern red cedar from a historic homestead. A little over 3' long, about 3" thick and extremely uneven, apparently hand hewn originally. Client needed two parallel faces. Tried to skim off the high spots so the blade chattered a bit at the beginning but he was extremely happy with the results. smiley_thumbsup
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/Small_log_clamp_05.jpg)
Closer view
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/Small_log_clamp_04.jpg)
Empty view (sorry for the shadows), it can hold any length up to 9'
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/Small_log_clamp_02.jpg)
Can clamp at an angle and an uneven surface
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/Small_log_clamp_01.jpg)
Attaches to the bunks using an existing bolt.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19572/Small_log_clamp_03.jpg)
Tom I like that, going to have to save this one and build it.
Nice work, Tom.
Looks like whatever you put on there, stays on there for sure.
Allan
Tom, that is an excellent solution.
Look at Tom....gett'n jiggy with it. Nice tool!
Tom, Thanks so much for taking the time to post that! It is MUCH more secure than the one I cobbled together. And I have all the stuff I need to make yours.
Welcome aboard. Glad you found the solution to your needs. You almost always will get the help you need on the FF. Post some photos of your latest jig and other projects. bg
Thanks Bill. Posting pics here has proved an insurmountable task for me. I have read all the pic posting threads but just not smart enough to "get er done". I can post pics on Lumberjocks with no problem but haven't figured FF out yet.
Computer skills are my "short suit".
Tom,
Solid design, looks very practical and with a few clamping options you should be able to mill just about anything that wanted.
ive done something similar to what tom has, with a chain slabber, you need a REAL agressive spike on the bolts due to the additional bite of a chainsaw chain, it will tear it out of the clamp system if it dosnt dig in a bit.
I have a whole pile of channel even boxes of mounting hardware, Never occured to me to incorprate it with the mill. And have scratched my head several times on jigs. Yours is the cats pajamas Tom nice work!. My head is spinning. Sometimes I will lay a sacrifice board on top with a heavy can't for weight and let it hang over the entry cut and it helps eliminate the chatter marks when skinning a face.
I have tried a piece of 'hold down' wood but in this case the top side of the slab was uneven. The depth of cut varied from 1/8" to about an inch. I made two passes to get the first side flat and deep enough to get a clean surface. He was hoping to preserve as much thickness as possible so I flipped the flat face down and shaved it as closely as possible.
The jig was built of 2 - 10' sticks of unistrut, 4 short pieces of angle iron, 8 carriage bolts, assorted bolts, nuts and washers. I used large wing nuts to tighten the moveable clamp bases. The wing nuts are large enough to keep them from turning within the channel. Probably the longest task in the project was grinding a 45° point on each carriage bolt.
I considered building it shorter (like two pieces from one 10' unistrut) but the mounting points for the toeboards and clamping system made that inconvenient. It only takes about 5 minutes to mount it on the bed of the mill. Would have preferred hex head bolts rather than carriage bolts (so I could use a small ratchet) but couldn't find any that length that were fully threaded. Paid for itself the first time I used it.
Tom. do you have a hard time spinning the log? I need something like that but work alone about all the time.
That's slick there. Now we're cookin !! (old saying)
I built one like this:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13397/short%2520log%2520clamp.jpg)
xlogger - I haven't had any problem turning the logs but they are either short (3' or less) or small diameter so they don't weigh that much. The jig is independent of the stops and the clamp so you could raise the stops and tip a large piece with the clamp but if they are that large I wouldn't be using the jig. I do all the pieces that might need the jig first, or last, so I only put it on once per job.
Wally's World - I started with a jig using pipe clamps, similar to yours. I had trouble with movement when the blade entered the log. My mill has a 30 hp engine and that is a lot of torque to resist. I also drilled through the faces of the clamp and put in some small lag screws but I just wasn't comfortable with its stability.
There are a lot of different types of stock to hold and a lot of ways to hold them successfully. This one has worked very well for me in the situations where I have used it but every design is a series of trade offs.
Great looking jig Tom! I'm thinking I can build something similar for the dedicated slabber. Attach to piece of strut to each of the my main support timbers and make sliding log spikes to hold the log still. Right now I just wedge it all into place with 2 x 4s and nails. Sometimes I spend more time securing the log than I do slabbing it.