Remote band mill, how can I avoid walking and measuring ?

[chainsaw_louie]

Im trying to figure out how to be more efficient when running the LT40 remote by myself and minimize my trips to the log deck.

When I watch the videos that folks post of milling with remote operator consoles,  when squaring a log into a cant or trimming edges of boards,  there isn't much walking down to the far end to measure the height of the log and calculate the depth of cut or toe-board height. Somehow they know the proper height to cut at without measuring or so it appears.

How do they make efficient and accurate cuts without getting an actual measurement of the the log's far end height from the bed rail ?    Miscalculating, wastes wood ,  time , fuel etc.   I find myself either taking a walk to the far end with a tape measure and measuring or I run the saw head down and lower the blade to the top of the log ...but then I still have to walk down to read the small numbers off the vertical scale.  Or, I guesstimate and often have to make a second cut. 

Besides using a laser to see how a log lays on the deck,  is there a  technique(s) besides walking down and measuring that gives the remote operator the necessary height information?

Using the vertical scale to measure the far end works but if a log requires turning it means a back and forth trip of the saw head to enable the hydraulics.

Thanks .

[SawyerTed]

Which setworks?

With the Accuset 2, I normally don't measure but once and many times not at all.   There are enough settings to really reduce the number of measurements necessary.  

One key is small end toward the sawyer.   For me this allows me to sight better for adjusting the toe boards.  

I tend to have to take more measurements when cutting 12/4 plus live edge material, one or two off kinds of stuff. 

[rusticretreater]

Small end towards head.  Set head height with ample clearance, run down to the other end, lower to the log and take a reading.  Adjust toe board, take a reading.  Return and cut.

[barbender]

I would think situating the small end towards the head of the mill would eliminate most of your problems.

[customsawyer]

With LT40 side supports, they're a little under 12" high. Eyeball how high things are compared to those side supports. In time your eye will become "calibrated" to where you can tell a 1/4" difference from one end to the other. You will know that you need to set your blade to whatever height to clean things up. You might need to lower your side supports to cut at that certain height but you won't have to go to the other end with a tape measure.  

[TreefarmerNN]

Small end toward sawyer.  Consider marking the uprights with lines every 2".  Logs bigger than the uprights mean just eye balling how high it is above the upright.

Woodmizer used to sell a sight gauge which was basically a piece of spring mounted on a clip at the height of the blade.  I could use that as a fairly decent gauge of the height of a log but it means bending over to sight down it.

[GAB]

When sawing top down, if your leveling roller is up you are more apt to notice it  after turning a partially sawed log.  This helps in reducing the number of extra long door wedges.
GAB

[barbender]

In addition to the height of the backstops, I also "gunsite" from my board dragback to my blade, to guage where I'll be at on the far end.

[chainsaw_louie]

I'll try to remember to load the small end of the log towards the head,  that makes sense.

I have the Simpleset set works .

Its difficult for me to read the height gauge numbers when its 6' or more away. Larger letters would sure be helpful , or binoculars !

[SawyerTed]

Do you use a cheat sheet?  A cheat sheet will help cut down on the measurements with a tape or rule.  A cheat sheet makes a sawyer use the scale more.  

[chainsaw_louie]

Do you use a cheat sheet?  A cheat sheet will help cut down on the measurements with a tape or rule.  A cheat sheet makes a sawyer use the scale more. 

Could you explain what you mean by a cheat sheet .  Thx .

[barbender]

When I make a cheat sheet, it is numbers that give me a starting point so that I land on my desired cant size with the dimensions I'm sawing. Say I'm sawing 6/4x6" boards. I'd have the numbers 6" (cant width) 7⅝, 9¼, 10⅞, 12½ etc. Those numbers give you 6/4 accounting for ⅛" saw kerf. So say you open a face, and take a 6/4 flitch. Flip 180°, and now you can use whatever one of those numbers gives you an opening face. Keep sawing down with those numbers until you get to your 6" cant width.

I have a fraction calculator app on my phone that has saved me from standing there with drool dribbling on my chin while trying to figure out the numbers for my cheat sheet😊