Happy New Year to all! I have a question about cutting larger quantities of lumber to length.
Last week I cut up about 300 boards at 2x4, 2x6, and 2x8. When I buck logs to mill, I will cut them about 4-6 inches longer than the boards I want to cut. Example: a 10' board will come off a 10' 6" log. What kind of saw/setup can I use to speed up the process of cutting the trim off and get them to 10'? Cutting that many boards on my table saw to length is time consuming. Is there a saw with 2 circular blades that you can push the board through and cut off the ends in one pass? I have seen those portable chainsaw type "stack" saws but worry about precision on lengths. Can anyone point me in the direction or recomend a good product? Thank you.
If you are talking trimming a unit of lumber to length at a whack, Logosol makes a trimming machine that will do that job very handily. You may have to go to their website to see it, they have a video of it on there, don't know if Bailey's shows it in the "Logosol store".
Usually the aren't cut to length until after they have dried a bit. So, if one end cracks more then the other one end can be cut off more.
Are your boards dry now?
Jim Rogers
Ayerwood, typically I cut all my logs 100mm 4" oversize and then leave it to the customer to dock to length immediately before being used, as has been mentioned this way it gives the 'end user' the option of what to cut from where. If you cut them to exact length and then pack them for an order you can bet some will crack up at the ends and then you are left with a problem AND down here if the timber is even 1mm shorter than the length it is advertised you cant 'legally' sell it as that length you have to sell it as a shorter piece of timber
ayerwood,why do you need this type of saw? What I mean is a customer wanting the lumber sawed 10 feet long so all they have to do is grab and go? If you are trying to get them EXACTLY 10 feet I would think it would be a hard thing to do in a pile. Everything must be lever and square to do it all at once.
As Jim said, I never cut my dimensional stuff to length until I am ready to use it. I always add 4" to 6" when I buck logs. This gives you the option of cutting the board to length and trimming a bad end off and having both ends square. I even trim my ends to fit when I use store bought lumber. Check the ends with a square and you will see why ;D. Tim
You could set up a pair of radial arm saws at the appropriate distance apart to get the desired length of cut. Even one radial arm saw would be a lot easier & faster than a table saw. As others have posted, it is best to let the customer do the trimming, if possible.
Thanks for all your responses. I guess, after reading them, the exact lengths aren't necessary? I take it thats pretty common? Example: 10' pieces are sold as 10'+? I just thought that it would be a good tool to have when making sales. I am very small scale and just do a bit here and there. But I just had the thoughts of doing more milling and sales. And therfore the question.
And I wouldn't trim the ends until the boards were dry.
I assume you are cutting hardwoods??? Most of these are sold as random lengths and widths in order to get the most lumber out of a tree possible. I find in my woods (MO) that the trees, even the supposedly straight ones, have bends in the logs. I try to get at least 8 foot logs if I can, but if you buck at the bends, your lumber yield will be considerably higher than just bucking to standard lengths. This is especially important if you are trying to get lumber out of 9-15 inch logs. :)
Just add up the board feet..... a bit more work at sale time....
I've thought about this a lot. Bucking the logs to 8'6", 10'6" etc makes it easier to figure BF(in my opinion). It also allows for 3" per end for trimming any end checking.
Then you can build racks at 8', 12' and 16'. for holding the dried boards. You can put the 8' and 10' on the 8' racks, the 12' and 14' on the 12' racks etc. This allows for up to 18' boards(not that many people want boards that long).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30097/1204121455.jpg)
In the above picture we use the left side of each rack for the hardwoods and the right for softwoods. In the following picture you can see where we stand up the shorter pieces, live edge boards and character pieces. I haven't had time to build a base to set them on to get them off the ground yet.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30097/1204121455a.jpg)
And if people actually want their boards cut to specific lengths, we did this.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30097/0109131341.jpg)
Now ayerwood I realize you aren't sawing on the scale we are. But the principal still applies. For sales people will want to look through the boards. Hence the racks. For length cuts we just built an extended table for a Monkey Wards radial arm saw. Just measure from the blade to the length you want and drive a small nail into the table. Cut one end, then slide the board down to the nail and cut the other end. Perfect length everytime.
Most people using custom sawmill services are wanting Full dimension boards so we concentrate on that. Until word gets around that you are selling dried lumber, you really don't need to worry much about the so called Lumber yard boards. They are a whole different critter! For now just go for clean cut and dried boards for selling to the public. Is cutting them to specific lumber yard lengths worth your time? And however you look at it, that last few inches is waste anyway. So just sell them the 8'6" as a 8' board.
Thanks Mesquite and Learner and everyone else. Problem solved.