WM Accuset

[macurtis]

Bibbyman, woke up !;30 sat morning pulled accuset manual
out of notebook, threw out the garbage, put it on paper
where i could understand it. Went out next morning and
programmed it . Still having some trouble with pattern,
Is it like the up/ down mode where you have 16 sets, if that is
the case you would end up with 16x6=72 different settings?
How or what application would you use pattern? I have some
clue but not clear.

Thanks

[Bibbyman]

Two VERY important things to remember!  

AutoDown and AutoUP reference from where your blade IS to where the next cut is to be made.  SO- If the blade is at set by manual adjustment to be at 15-27/32",  then going to AutoDown and hitting the down lever will drop it however much you have programmed in your AutoDown program.  If that program happens to be 1" , then it'll drop 1" and whatever your blade kerf setting is so it will end up being at 14-13/16" for example. Hit the lever again and it will drop another 1" plus kerf.

Pattern mode ALWAYS references the distance from the saw deck.  This is you program in 1",1",1",1",1" and then the last one 6".  When you go to that pattern mode and hit the down lever,  it will go to the next place that measures 6" + 1" and so on.  SO – if you are at say 15-27/32" and you went to Pattern mode with the above program,  it may drop to say 15-3/8" because that's what will make exactly 1" boards and the blade kerfs down to the last cut at 6".

Here are a couple of patters we have sets for and why:

As we make a lot of 1x6s and 2x6s for farm lumber,  we have on Autodown set for 1" drops and another for 1-3/4" drops (that's what we make our 2" stuff – people like'm that thick because they can still nail them with 16d nails – if you make them a full 2", they are awful heavy and 16d nails are just not long enough.)

Then we have a Pattern program sets for 1" down to 6" for the resulting cant.  Then another for 1-3/4" all the way down to 6".  Then we have a Pattern set for 1" all the way down to the deck and another with 1-3/4" all the way to the deck.

Let's saw a 12" log into 1x6s – Go to the Manual mode and eyeball your opening face cut.  Then select Autodown and find the program for 1" drops.  Cut off your slab,  return hit the down lever and it will drop 1"+kerf and cut the next flitch (or two flitches if you like).  Turn the log to face two and repeat.  Then turn to the third face and go to the Pattern mode with the 1",1",1",1",1", and the  6" setting at the bottom and cut that face and a flitch or two.  Then turn to the last face and go to a Pattern setting with 1" drops from top to bottom.  Here I usually just take off the slab and maybe one board.  Then turn to the first face and go back to my pattern with the 6" setting and take boards off'n each opposite side until I've got a 6" by whatever cant with the heart centered.  Then I turn the cant up and go back to the Pattern program with 1" drops all the way down.  I may turn the cant over from time to time to release the stress equal but I don't have to get out of the pattern mode.

Just remember,  Pattern mode is an accumulated distance from the saw deck up.  AutoDown and AutoUP are always distances from where your blade was when you put it into that mode.

Sweet dreams!

[Tom]

And that's what I'm doing in my head?
Sweet dreams?

No wonder I can't get to sleep. :D

[Bibbyman]

I got up this morning and re-read the manual on Accuset.  I can see where the confusion is.  They document the Auto-Down mode pretty well.  Most valuable is the handy set of drawings with step by step instructions on page 1-12 of my manual.  

Then on page 1-15 they start with "1.9 Using Patter Mode".  They start out plenty good but then the middle third of narration goes into programming the drop settings.  That should have been covered someplace else.  Then the last five paragraphs on page 1-16 are back to how to use it.  What is clearly missing is a neat diagram like they made for Auto-Down.

Here are pictures that help explain the example I wrote up last night to saw 1x6s out of a 12" log using Manual, Auto-Down and Pattern mode.

Face One - using Manual mode to open a 6" face cut and then Auto-Down to take two 1" flitches.

Face Two - using Manual mode to open a 6" face.

Face Three - using Pattern mode with sets at 1",1",1",1",1" and 6" for last set.

Face Four - with 1" sets all the way to bed.

This is just an example.  Each log will present another set of conditions as will require some adjustments to the plan.  For example,  if you wanted a 6x6 out of the heart,  then you could have used the same Pattern mode for Face Four.  

Note,  with this sawing program, you would edge out two more 1x6s and two 1x8s out of the flitches from face one and three.  You could probably get a 1x4 out of the flitch on face four.  Edge them on the mill as shown on page 1-12.

Now. Go saw!

[Bibbyman]

If you look at the Face Four picture,  you note that you would need to make a thick slab or a likely poor quality 1x4.  Another option would be to consider making a 2x6 in place of one 1x6 and a bad 1x4.  (2x6 being 1-3/4" thick x 6" wide).  

Here is where you can use the Auto-Up feature to accomplish this.  

You would turn your log to Face Four and go to Manual mode and raise the head above the log.  Then go to Pattern mode with 1" drops all the way down.  As you hit the down on the Up/Down lever, the head will drop to the right location to make every board 1" thick.  When you see you're going to have a thick slab or a board you can't market, then you could consider the option of making a light 2x6.  In the Pattern 1" program, keep hitting the down lever until you are on what would be the third cut.  Then go to AutoUp mode and select a program for 1-3/4" thick rises.  Bump the Up/Down lever up and it will rise 1-3/4".   Make the cut.  Then go back to Program mode 1" drops and bump the Up/Down lever once to get back on location.  But the first stop will only be about 3/4" down from your last cut.  You'll want to bump the down switch again and let it drop the other inch for a total of 1-3/4".  From there on, make 1" boards.

Also, back to your original question as to what application for Pattern Mode.  Well, if you note the example in the book on page 1-12 of using AutoDown only,  you'll find it easy to cut lumber of an exact thickness but difficult to cut to an exact width.  Also note that the last board is on some odd thickness. This will work just fine for cutting grade lumber where the rules allow this.  But when someone wants studs cut 1-5/8" and 3-3/4", you'll find you can't just use AutoDown to saw these out.  Or if you want to cut grade lumber from the outside and leave something like a 6x6 out of the heart saw - then you'll want to use Pattern mode.

By the way,  Mary has sawn more than I and she says she often just starts out in Pattern mode and sees where it will stop to make her face cuts.  If it's marginally OK,  she just goes ahead and uses Pattern mode to saw the whole log.

[macurtis]

Bibbyman---Thank you for the above information.

macurtis

[Bibbyman]

You're very welcome.  It has helped me understand it better just by reviewing it and putting it down here. :P

Please,  if you find some neat way to use Accuset,  let us know.   ;)