Cutting square with LT28

[AvT]

When I saw this debate had to run out in the cold, dark and snow to see how square the 6X6s were that I cut yesterday.  I measured them yesterday and was amazed they were exactly what the setworks said they would be but I didn't check them for square.  Well I was happy to see that in 90 % of the places I checked they was no out of squareness and the worst spot maybe 1/16.  pretty good for a mill that I leveled in about 5 minutes by someone who hasnt got a clue about sawing. I think my new woodmizer did just fine.  I pushed it hard on a couple of boards I cut to see what would happen and  the blade dove like crazy. I don't THINK the mast was deflecting though.  I think that would happen with any mill.  The front of the blade will tend to go down and the back will buckle up in the cut. Somthing I did notice that happened to me quite often was the cant would rock up a bit when I set the clamp. somtimes I had to reset the clamp a couple of times before the wood would sit flat on the bed.  So far I think I made the right choice when choozing woodmizer.  I'm sure they would have changed the design by now if pulldown was a troublesome issue.  There has to be an adjustment you can make roxie that will fix your issue.

[Brucer]

If you push the feed rate too hard, the engine (and the blade) starts to slow down. That leads to wavy cuts. So that's why you want to push it just to where you here the motor start to drag. If your blade is dull you'll have to go a little slower to avoid the waves -- so change the blade.

The mast on the LT70 is much stiffer than on the LT40's (I imagine because of the bigger engine), so you aren't going to have a problem with it deflecting.

Pushing too hard on the clamp can lift the cant and/or deflect the side stops. You want just enough pressure to hold the cant down. And sooner or later you're going to go a little light on the pressure and learn all about cutting spiral cants .

[D Hagens]

  From what I’ve seen cut, bought cut and cut myself when it comes to rough sawn lumber 1/16 deflection is absolutely impeccable in my eyes.
 I would rather build with lumber straight off the saw then the crap then I’m forced to buy and deal with in construction.
 If I could buy lumber with 1/16 deflection on a daily bases I just might consider working for free.
 BTW what Brucer says makes perfect sense to me as I have a vast mechanical background.

[terrifictimbersllc]

And all I can say, is that we are cutting wood, not building a piano.

But my mill sings when things are perfect!

[swandale]

I had the same problem with my Lt 28--Turned out I was clamping the cant too low and too hard, tipping the cant a little. You just  have to check every time that you are flat against the uprights.  

[Peter Drouin]

I cut logs as fast as it will cut with a 51 h cat no dive and all square. wood mizer is the best   for me.  

[terrifictimbersllc]

If a Wood-mizer couldn't cut a 6x6 square, reliably,  because of pull-down,  as is being entertained here, then what would 24" wide boards look like which are cut as fast as surface quality permits?   They'd be wedges.   I cut wide boards like that all the time.  Mine are the same thickness on either side.  Within a 64th, 32nd or 1/16 I'm not sure, sitting here, but no way off by any amount that matters.

[pineywoods]

One factor not mentioned so far...JR's mill has a newly built pineywoods turner/clamp. The clamp and the turner are one and the same. When clamping a cant, it is quite easy to lift the back side of the cant slightly. There is a learning curve..

[Magicman]

  There is a learning curve..

To keep it from turning up on it's side 

[wannasaw]

We bought our LT28 in april and it seems to need tweaking every once in a while. I suggest making sure the rails are 90degrees from the backstops which they should be if they haven't been adjusted (mine have been good every check) Then continue adjusting the blade for square cant off the bed. This will of course produce an uneven board with each adjustment but you should be able to get eveness from the cant into the 32nds. NOTE from personal experience: Make sure the cant you are using to do the adjusting isn't stressed rising in the middle or either end. We also adjusted the bottom board thickness successfully twice so far. I just call it growing pains... Like sawing stickers...

[MartyParsons]

I really should stay out of this but here goes. The comments above should help, here are some other ideas for all band mills owners not just WM.
Round log take one or two cuts with the log clamped, turn log over 180 degrees, make sure you are not Rambo and over clamp ( pulls the log off the bed rails), most times the weight of the log will hold the log down if it is against the back supports or dogs. Take one or two cuts on this face, turn log 90 degrees clamp log, get a framing square and check to see if you are square from the bed rail to the flat side of the log.  ( you should have round side, bark, top and bottom and a face on the back support and a face against the clamp.) If not reclamp, do this for a few logs and look from the operator station down the log and note when it is square and what it looks like. Your eye is a percision instrument. Once you get in your head what square looks like put the square away.
And --- when you turn 180 the log should be against the back support square when clamped, this would be you last face to open.

Now if your mill is cutting curved lumber or the mill is out of align then this will not work. When I train a new mill owner I like to show them this, it seems to help. It also will not work if you only turn the log 90 degrees.

Hope this helps,
Marty