Timber king M14

Tom Caroselli · September 05, 2018, 02:44:17 PM

I finally have my mill all set up and ready to go, after some tinkering with the carriage and other adjustments it's cutting pretty good. My biggest question is how to setup a good way to measure the lumber that I'm cutting. I've seen big big round dials with a pointer on it that looks pretty darn easy to read. Some of your ideas would be greatly appreciated. I own a tree service and lack of wood is not a problem, I have to much wood in my log yard right now. So wasting some wood while I'm learning is ok.
Thanks in advace

Crusarius · September 05, 2018, 03:20:18 PM

I took a broken tape measure and a magnet and put it on the side of the mast. Just have to do math in my head. Or I can move it every cut.

I actually have 2 tapes on the mast. 1 is fixed and zeroed to the bed the other is on a magnet and moves all the time.

Don P · September 05, 2018, 06:45:33 PM

A light cable or string running from the backside of the first knee to the off side of the carriage then stand up a "post", with a small pulley turn the string up, over a pulley at the top of the post and back down to a small weight to keep the string tight. A pointer on the string in front of the post with a scale on the post. As you pull forward or recede the string and pointer climb the post or come down the same amount.

A dial on top of the post could be spun by wrapping the string around the dial axle.

Uhh yeah, been meaning to do that

moodnacreek · September 05, 2018, 08:40:35 PM

Good luck with this. I never had a scale on the bellsaw or the lane that I could really trust. Any movement of the scale and it's working or mounting parts will change the reading. Also a little sawdust in the wrong place ditto. In a perfect world the 'clicks' in the set wheel are meant to control the pull distance. With no back pawl on a bellsaw this method is not reliable either. Someday I hope to make a set works, for my friends bellsaw, that actually works.

Gearbox · September 05, 2018, 08:59:11 PM

I think the simplest one I have seen is a yard stick . run a cable along the bottom to a pulley on the bottom of the yard stick up over top pulley and hang a weight and pointer . he ran 2 metal yard sticks with the pointer on a slide between them .