Any swingmillers, or anyone else really, you should know me I'm not particular when needed help :D
As most of you know I have a Lucas, I'm wanting to be building my house really soon. THe house is to be elevated on posts, timber posts (what else would a miller use?)
I have some very suitable timber to use for it (high durability grade) but they are pretty small logs in comparison to what is nice on the mill. ie. I'm going to get one good 5"x5" out of each one.
My thoughts went along the lines of squaring the face and two sides, then turning it over (I don't want to turn them over, but the last cut will be too close to my log dogs and I'm tired of Ferous timber) my only problem being, when I turn them over I will have to go through levelling my tracks again. So I'm guessing each post will take about 1 hour to produce.
Anyone think of something better - other than getting a hydro bandmill ;D
I will cut the 3 sides as mentioned then remove them, and set aside.
When all of the posts are cut, I start a big log to use for a base, and cut a "table" .
I then put the 3 sided pieces on with the side to finish up, and make all of the cuts at once, no adjustments needed. I'll leave a step on the right side and undercut the blade intersect step away, and screw a 2x4 or something to the left side to keep the piece from moving when cut.
Works for me....
Captain
It would help if we knew what you have for a dogging system. On little logs, if you have "pincher "type dogs like D & L makes, you can put a piece of inch board under the logs at each bunk, to shim them up a bit. You will still get plenty of bite into the sap wood and eliminate all the fussin around with re setting your tracks. 1 hour per post ... I would find somebody to do it for me before I spent that much time to make a post, but i guess its all in how bad ya need it ???
Captain,
I came back to my computer after taking the kids to school, I saw replies to my posts this morning and also a reply to my swinger question, I look at the notice and see "Captain" has replied to your post.
I think, "great I want to see what he suggests" now sure enough, you've come up witha little system for doing it which will cut down at least half the time required to make these posts. I need 76 all together and taking more than nine, 8 hour days to get through them wasn't my idea of fun.
Doing it your way, once the logs are 3 sided and the 'new, big' log is faced, it will be less than 5 mins to finish each post off.
One other thing, given your method, do you think I could do away with the 2x4? only asking as this would save more time and as a 3m (15') post once squared to 5x5 will be aproximately 132' or 60kg I'm thinking it would be heavy enough to stay in place, but then again it would be unfunky having the blade jsut enter the cut and grab the log and pull it out huh?
Horselogger - my 'dogs' are something I've developed myself, essentially it is a bunk about 6" in height and 4" wide. Once I have the log up on two of these I square it to the blade, then knock two block's into the side of the log at each bunk, these are then screwed into the bunk to stop them moving.
As long as the bottom cut is above the head of the screw, I'm fine, but some of these I will just be squeezing 5x5 of heartwood out of.
What are your thoughts?
Also Horselogger, I am time rich, very rich, not so money rich. Hence the reason for even comtemplating doing all the stuffing around. THe mill costs nothing to run and I've got no payments on it either.
If I had a nice run of custom jobs come in, then yeah, I would happily send 'em to someone to make posts out of, but I'm too poor for that.
I would want the 2x4 as an insurance policy to prevent movement to the left.
You could just use a couple of blocks spaced correctly to do the same thing.
It's all about speed.
Captain
hmm.. if you find a spot to set up for the duration of your post cutting job, get your bunks good and set in, and set parallel to the rails, so that you could reference a measurement off of them, you could do like you said...square three sides and flip the cant and re dog. When you raise up at each winch, wind the same revolutions exactly and that should get you close . After some fine tuning you could be right there. ??? Or maybe a better answer is .. I dont know :D
Well I think the idea is forming in my head to get some jobs under my belt and pay someone else to do it... ;D :D ;D :D
Seriously though, both a good idea, either way I will have to set up some help for when i do it
Interesting procedure, and hopefully a sequence of pictures will appear soon. :)
OKies.... thinking here.
What about setting up some better bunks.
First part is like your existing bumks. Roll log into place and level it with shims under the small end, small log so a prybar and some offcuts will do the trick. Large end gets clamped properly. Take off the top slab and do the 2 vertical cuts.. now roll the log over onto the second part of the bunks. This will be level with the mill rails and have little angle iron tabs fixed 5 inches apart. These slot into the vertical saw cuts you just made and you take off the top of the log again. 3 slabs fall off and you have your 5x5. No extra leveling of the rails.
Might take a couple of hours to build, but will keep the mill away from the clamps and be much faster then having to re-level the mill.
Anyone got a better plan?? :)
Cheers
Ian
Sigidi
I am hoping that DanG will wiegh in here. He described a 'beam cutter' that he thought up for me that would basically raise the log after removing 3 slabs. It may be the ticket for you. I also like other solutions too. If these 70+ posts will be the end of the 5x5s for you, I suppose any of these methods will work in a pinch. BTW, I feel your pain with the small stuff. The big logs are cool, but those little jokers are a real pain with a swing mill. Keep us posted as to what you decide.
I'll be sure to re-instate this thread once I've gone through it all. Pic heavy too!!
I've got to come up with the best method time-wise and handling-wise. I don't have support equipment other than Biceps Brachii and Pectoralis Major.
Any input others have still won't go astray - I have to process somewhere in the region of 24 cubic metres (about 10 mbf) of logs for wall framing to let them dry a little before taking on the posts.
I use slotted bunks as the basis for dogging. I have also used the bed of nails
trick in chain saw lumbering.
Imagine this.
When you start your squaring, have the log sitting in a snug, rectangular slot
in your bunk. Have the slots in the bunks, then to the right have an indexing
kerf cut in each bunk. Farther to the right have another slot into which you have
installed a small square of wood with about a dozen drywall screws installed.
The screws are points-up, protruding about an eighth of an inch (3 to 4 mm).
The block with screws should be made so that it fills the slot in the bunk and
gives a raised bed of nails effect.
Step 1 do dual vertical cuts to remove each side of bark - slow and steady, now
Step 2 tumble the "scragged" blank to the bed of nails
(Use the index kerf lines in the bunks to guide your alignment perfectly
Step 3 dual vertical cuts again to complete.
This works for square, rectangular, even tapered beams, and it works from big to small,
depending upon how large your start-point notches are. What makes this work is the fact
that the pull-back vertical cut on the swinger is so gentle, if you take it slow. (You can even
do my trick without the "bed of nails" blocks, but it is safer with them.
Wah Lah!
The slotted bunks are handy all the time
Plus, the "bed of nails blocks" are made to be removable.
Phil L.