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

[WV Sawmiller]

Yeah, it is easier for me as I start on a cell with the last board and I just add each new thickness till I get to the top height I can cut.

[YellowHammer]

For routine pith centered sawing, load the log, look at the far end, (big or small) and look at where the pith crack is on a couple planes and project that out normal to the bark and look for a defect or swell or something that "marks" it or gives you an idea of where it is, especially relative to the mill backstops, which are measuring sticks for the lines projected out to the bark.  These are your projected reference planes. You have to visualize and think in 3D.   Then adjust the toe boards until the bark reference points are equal heights above or below the backstop.  You can practice by taking a hatchet or something and physically mark the bark on a couple planes, but after awhile, that won't be necessary, you'll be able to eyeball it.  At that point, your pith is centered pretty close.

For parallel bark sawing, find the best face, eyeball the dominant line on the best face, and adjust the toeboards or worst case, drag the band over the top of the log or use the fingers, and correct with the toeboards.

At that point make a cut and if it's not good, make a quick toeboard adjustment, and start sawing.

For quartersawing, level the pith by eye, then double check the ends with a tape measure.  I get mad at myself if I am not pretty close. 

As they say, after awhile, you'll be able to eyeball it within a 1/4" without much effort, but for Sawing, I like to be within a 1/4".

I keep wanting to install a laser, the WM is $1600 and many months lead time....I even bought an aftermarket el cheap laser off the Amazon, and it's still in the box it showed up in, a couple years later.  So all I have to do is install it, but just never get around to it.  Now it's kind of matter of pride not having one, although I keep thinking "I ought to install it....Naw,,,yeah,,,,nah,,,maybe someday I'll find a used WM one and buy it,  nah....yeah..."      


           

[chainsaw_louie]

That's a wealth of information! here's what I'm getting:

1. Walk the log and assess what's the best face for the opening cut.

2. On whichever end of the log that has the higher pith, note that height on the closest side support and adjust the toe boards on the opposite end to match

3. Trim the log on at least 2 sides

4. Mark with a crayon on the ends of the log your 'target' cuts.  If the log is going to be flat sawn top to bottom the target may be the center of the pith or a box above & below the pith. Or the target may be the top of the last board laying on the bunks.

5. At this point, look at the cheat sheet and depending on the desired board thickness, grab the measurement that exactly matches the distance from the target line to the top surface of the cant. Adjust the target line up/down or trim cut off the top of the cant as necessary to get an exact match to the cheat sheet number. Move the lower side of blade to the height equal to the top of the cant.

6. Now I have several choices for repeating the setting for the blade drop increments:

- Set my Simpleset or other set-works to the thickness used to get the topmost cut height from the cheat sheet.  Then use this automation to make duplicate thick cuts down to the target line.

- No set-works ...Use the movable height scale, align the solid line on the scale of the desired thickness (4/4, 5/4, 8/4 etc) to align with the target line, then cut at these incremental lines on the movable scale.  If other thicknesses are needed I guess I could make custom scales. 

So the cheat sheet gives a quick height measurement for the starting cut . But the set-works takes over from there. 

The movable scale is pretty much obsolete if one has automatic set-works. Otherwise it is faster and less error prone method to make repeated, duplicate thickness boards. 

Corrections welcome !!

[Stephen1]

Don't forget . assess each log while it is still on the deck. You can make decisions on that log before you even lift it onto the mill. Is the pith equal on both ends? any bumps sticking out, are the ends trimmed smooth? 

[SawyerTed]

You are absolutely on the right train of thought.  

With this framework as a guide, you will find your own methodology that works.   It may be precisely what you have outlined or you'll tweak it a bit.  

It may vary slightly depending upon what species you are cutting and what product you are milling. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Yes, as Ted said, you have it pretty much understood. Remember that every log is different. When you get to the 3rd and 4th face you may want to take a couple of jacket boards off to get to your targets and edge those boards later. I try to use those boards when I am working on an order that may have one or two odd sized boards in it. If you can get the oddballs out of the way, it makes it easier to focus and the bulk of the order.
 You have the basics, now just do it over and over and adjust as you go. Focus on the quality of the boards you are producing and if things are getting out of hand, stop and rethink, then change tactics. Logs can be tricky and not always follow the simple logic we'd like to go by. Sweep, bow, twist, and stress can really make a new sawyer question himself and the laws of physics and math.

[WV Sawmiller]

  The cheat sheet does 2 main things for me.

First it makes sure I end on a finished board saving me one cut off every log/cant I saw.

The second thing is does is when I position the cant the final time and move the blade to the height on the cheat sheet I can see if I can salvage another board off that cant.

    For example if I am sawing true 2" framing using 2-1/8" drops on my set works when I rotate the cant the final time I might move the blade to a 10.5" height and see what is above and below the blade. If there is no bark left on the cant there what happens if I move it up to the 12-5/8" setting? Can I get a clean 2" board? Maybe I can't get a clean 2X6 off the cut but I see I can still edge out a good 2X4. If so I start my cut there and salvage the 2X4. If I can't get a good 2X4 maybe I can drop to 11-5/8" and cut a clean 1" board using my 1-1/8" setting. If that works I cut the 1" board, land on my 10-1/2" mark, switch back to my 2-1/8" setting and saw boards to the bed of the mill.

  The cheat sheet saves me time and cuts (Money!) and it lets me salvage more boards (More money and maybe a happier customer).

[John S]

I keep wanting to install a laser, the WM is $1600 and many months lead time....I even bought an aftermarket el cheap laser off the Amazon, and it's still in the box it showed up in, a couple years later.  So all I have to do is install it, but just never get around to it.  Now it's kind of matter of pride not having one, although I keep thinking "I ought to install it....Naw,,,yeah,,,,nah,,,maybe someday I'll find a used WM one and buy it,  nah....yeah..."      

Purchase the WM hardware for the laser installation and use your laser.  I did it about a month age, instructions were included with my LT40 owner's manuals.  Thanks for the great videos.

[SawyerTed]

The cheat sheet is helpful when trying to estimate how many pieces a log will make.  Measure the SED of a log, figure the max cant size and check the cheat sheet. 

Customers often ask how many pieces a log will make.  They have a cut list and don't want to cut too many logs or need if they need more.  

[Warren]

Lots-o-good advise above.  A couple more thoughts to ponder:

1) I normally sawed small end first as well.  The one exception I had were logs with a big butt flair.  If I was 50/50 whether or not the blade guides would clear the flair, and I was not in the mood for spending a lot of time trimming with a chain saw, I would load butt end first and  assess minimum trimming was necessary to get past the blade guides.   And yes, using the far end toe roller does occasionally result in long door wedges when you are accustomed to using the near end toe roller. 

2) Also as noted above, repetition, repetition, repetition.  No substitute for experience.  The more you saw, the more you will become calibrated to your mill.   Eventually, you will start making adjustments and fine tuning your cuts without even consciously thinking about them...  The more sawdust you make, the more you learn.  

Just my dos colones... Good luck !

[Old Greenhorn]

Yes, all the suggestions here are accurate and now you just have to internalize all that and practice over and over. I might also suggest coming back and re-reading this thread in 6 months to pick up on some of the more subtle suggestions. It's a lot to learn and perfect..

When I first started running the LT50 I made a lot of trips down the bed measuring. It didn't take long (as I worked through a big order of 6x6's) to get in a groove. Soon I was able to just step out to the side and look down the log and level it up, splitting the difference in taper between the top and bottom. I wanted the pith level for a good center post to keep that pith down the middle.
These days I only walk and measure on finicky stuff or oddballs, or logs with a sweeping or slanted pith or other 'issues'. But that is rare. Keep the principal points in mind and it will all fall into place, then add details as you get comfortable. Once in a while you will screw up a log or make a dumb move, that too is part of the process.

There are a lot of 'moving parts' involved in milling and just setting up the log with a plan is the first thing. But sometimes you will think you made a mistake in your setup choices and it turns out to be a dull blade, or log stress which you can't see until you cut. Just take it easy and enjoy the ride.

 BTW, where are you in NY? I am in Eastern Ulster Co.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I have said sawing is like driving a stick shift, tuning left on a steep inline. You have to hit the signals, brake, down shift, turn and accelerate all at the same time while watching ahead and your rear view mirror. After a while it all becomes second nature and you never even think about the different steps you are taking but at first you try to concentrate on each one independently and it is hard to remember to do them all and in the right sequence.

  Tom makes a good point about coming back and reviewing this in a few months. I remember when Tyler from NC WM brought me my new mill and did a demo with it and showed me all the steps he did a good job but I did not know enough at the time to ask the right questions.

    Watch videos but more important if you can is to go watch other sawyers and ask them questions. Many of the steps and short cuts they take without thinking but when you ask they can explain. Very small tips save you a lot of time and effort and make you more efficient.

    Watching a good sawyer is like watching a really good waitress as she does her job. She's refilling tea and coffee glasses, removing used dishes, bringing checks and desserts and has complete situational awareness of every customer. Every step she takes produces something of value.

  When the blade is in the wood you have a few seconds on each pass to think about the next step so use those seconds effectively. Good luck.

[chainsaw_louie]

I had a Lucas but really wanted to try a bandmill.  Now that I've got a  bandmill I'd describe it as having 4 bodies of knowledge and skills in no order of difficulty and newness to me: 

- sawing techniques 
- mill maintenance and alignment 
- blade sharpening and equipment 
- engine , efi , ecu tuning code resolution 

... but I'm getting it , thanks to FF !