put on your bennie/thinking cap...
I've seen articles and posts about people using their 14" bandsaws to
cut short logs, i.e. firewood, into planks to then be subsequently
dried.
My ponderings are thus: how far can a person take this method? i dont
want to saw 10000 feet of lumber. but lets assume we have just one
20" diameter maple.
Assumption: a 14", 1 hp, 6" extender kit, timberwolfe blade 3 tpi. a
typical bandsaw well tuned. 2 sturdy infeed/outfeed tables on either
side. grizzly has 'em for about 125$. 1000lbs capacity each.
What stops a man from taking a 10' log -- splitting it in half using a
maul and wedges -- and turning it into planking?? I already have seen
big logs split using the old methods. this is a given. in
mid-winter, a straight grain log will split right down the middle.
but, like in "raiders of the lost ark III"... you must choose wisely.
if the bandsaw will rip short logs, why wont it rip long logs?
If you have a comment to the negative, is there a way to get over,
under, or around it? For instance, "The motor is underpowered!" Can
a higher hp motor be installed? yes or no? from where? be as
specific in your answer as possible. if you have a technique or
magazine article, by all means, site it!
what other equipment would be necessary? what are the dangers?
before you start talking about chainsaw lumbermaking at $1000+ and
woodmizer at 5000+, STOP. i've read it all. i am trying to use what
i have and be inventive. if in the end, the negative column is full,
it still will be an interesting exercise in itself. I just hate to be
told I can't do something. :)
The floor is open.
Let's start with the motor: IS it underpowered?
"Nova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >
> A 10" x 10' half log is a "little" heavy and awkward. If you attempt
> resawing this length log I suggest you bolt your bandsaw to the floor so
> it doesn't tip over.
>
I think it would be easier to mount the log to something, and run the saw
over it!
Greg
William wrote:
<snipped>
> What stops a man from taking a 10' log -- splitting it in half using a
> maul and wedges -- and turning it into planking?? I already have seen
> big logs split using the old methods. this is a given. in
> mid-winter, a straight grain log will split right down the middle.
> but, like in "raiders of the lost ark III"... you must choose wisely.
>
> if the bandsaw will rip short logs, why wont it rip long logs?
A 10" x 10' half log is a "little" heavy and awkward. If you attempt
resawing this length log I suggest you bolt your bandsaw to the floor so
it doesn't tip over.
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
Wilson...
where are you and how did you find a person to come to your place?
and is that price common for the work? i have access to plenty of
logs... it is just KILLING me that all i do is look at them... red
oak, maple, cherry, etc.
thanks.
william
"Wilson Lamb" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> You'll need a carrier board running against some sort of fence to keep the
> cut straight.
>
> I love a hack, but I'd sure put the log on a trailer and take it to a mill
> before messing with all that rigging. Someone with a mill should cut a
> delivered log for a quarter/BF, I think. They don't have to go anywhere or
> set up.
>
> I pay 0.20/BF when the mill comes here to my place...30,000 BF so far.
> Could you use a few 2X6??
>
> Wilson
> "William" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > put on your bennie/thinking cap...
> >
> > I've seen articles and posts about people using their 14" bandsaws to
> > cut short logs, i.e. firewood, into planks to then be subsequently
> > dried.
> >
>
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> put on your bennie/thinking cap...
>
<<snippage of fairly good idea>>
>
> Let's start with the motor: IS it underpowered?
Off the top of the head, and from a bandsaw novice- I'd be more
concerned with the motor's duty cycle than HP. A nice slow feed should
prevent an adequately-sized motor from bogging down, but how long can
the motor run whilst you slow-feed a [whatever]-long log thru.
Curious about what other answers there are...
/vic
You'll need a carrier board running against some sort of fence to keep the
cut straight.
I love a hack, but I'd sure put the log on a trailer and take it to a mill
before messing with all that rigging. Someone with a mill should cut a
delivered log for a quarter/BF, I think. They don't have to go anywhere or
set up.
I pay 0.20/BF when the mill comes here to my place...30,000 BF so far.
Could you use a few 2X6??
Wilson
"William" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> put on your bennie/thinking cap...
>
> I've seen articles and posts about people using their 14" bandsaws to
> cut short logs, i.e. firewood, into planks to then be subsequently
> dried.
>
> My ponderings are thus: how far can a person take this method? i dont
> want to saw 10000 feet of lumber. but lets assume we have just one
> 20" diameter maple.
>
> Assumption: a 14", 1 hp, 6" extender kit, timberwolfe blade 3 tpi. a
> typical bandsaw well tuned. 2 sturdy infeed/outfeed tables on either
> side. grizzly has 'em for about 125$. 1000lbs capacity each.
>
> What stops a man from taking a 10' log -- splitting it in half using a
> maul and wedges -- and turning it into planking?? I already have seen
> big logs split using the old methods. this is a given. in
> mid-winter, a straight grain log will split right down the middle.
> but, like in "raiders of the lost ark III"... you must choose wisely.
>
> if the bandsaw will rip short logs, why wont it rip long logs?
>
> If you have a comment to the negative, is there a way to get over,
> under, or around it? For instance, "The motor is underpowered!" Can
> a higher hp motor be installed? yes or no? from where? be as
> specific in your answer as possible. if you have a technique or
> magazine article, by all means, site it!
>
> what other equipment would be necessary? what are the dangers?
>
> before you start talking about chainsaw lumbermaking at $1000+ and
> woodmizer at 5000+, STOP. i've read it all. i am trying to use what
> i have and be inventive. if in the end, the negative column is full,
> it still will be an interesting exercise in itself. I just hate to be
> told I can't do something. :)
>
> The floor is open.
>
> Let's start with the motor: IS it underpowered?
[email protected] (William) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> put on your bennie/thinking cap...
>
We spent Saturday morning turning a 9' long, 26" diameter Western Red Cedar
log into 2x lumber, for a Boy Scout project. The sawyer, one of the good
guys from the local woodworking club, had a pickup truck fairly loaded with
equipment. Here are several of the more impressive parts, to me at least:
* A custom built tripod, standing 9' tall when assembled. From the center
top plate, a heavy duty block & tackle (? pulley assembly) was hung, rigged
with STRONG chain. The tripod legs were tubular aluminum, very industrial
strength. 1 man, one leg at a time, to haul it from the truck.
* Custom, adjustable log racks, built from square tube steel. The tripod,
bock and tackle were used to hoist the log onto these racks. Adjustable
wedges reduced the tendency of an irregular, roundish object to rock.
* A large, powerful chain saw, with maybe a 30" bar. And a special,
reduced-kerf cutting chain.
Most important was the experience. Bill knew how to use the gear, and what
safety equipment was needed. Where to have helpers stand, and what to let
them do. What and when to check.
After the sawyer had quartered the main log, 4 men and a strong boy lifted
one quarter of the log onto a different type of stand, for quarter sawing.
This is the first size stock piece which might reasonably be considered for
cutting on the type of bandsaw to which you refer.
The problem isn't the bandsaw, but the weight of the stock. The output,
less waste and sawdust, strained the weight limitations of my GMC 1500
pickup truck. This was red cedar, not maple...
Let me make a few observations, and you can value them for exactly what
I'll charge you for them:
* You have an abundancy of desirable wood, either on the stump, or in log
form.
* Your equipment was designed to do a different task than that which you
consider.
* Your experience in that task seems minimal.
* That task, especially for newbies, involves some considerable risk of
personal injury.
* I have heard that some sawyers will work out a trade arangement, whereby
you can have them convert the log, and split the output. This would seem
to be an arrangement that, in your case, might have merit. His gear and
experience, your raw material.
Or you could at least try your theory with smaller sized logs, and find
your, and your equipment's, limits.
My $.02.
Work safely.
Patriarch
(If you found this useful, please send a check, care of JOAT, to the wreck
charitable trust...)
Your looking at quite a weekend of work, I agree with Andy, make a log sled
and set it up 2 carry 98% of the load, that 14 incher isn't designed to have
much beyond 50 lbs on the table (if that). Also even a 1/2 log split
lengthwise is going to be pretty heavy is there someone around to help
manage it? (Or call the paramedics?) There are some good resaw articles
about calculating drift, most of those are going to go out the window when
you throw that pile of future sawdust on there. In the end what do you lose
if it doesn't work out? The experience is worth trying. I'll be curious to
read the results.
EJ
William wrote:
> put on your bennie/thinking cap...
>
> I've seen articles and posts about people using their 14" bandsaws to
> cut short logs, i.e. firewood, into planks to then be subsequently
> dried.
>
> My ponderings are thus: how far can a person take this method? i dont
> want to saw 10000 feet of lumber. but lets assume we have just one
> 20" diameter maple.
One reason I want to get into metalworking in addition to woodworking is to
be able to build something that would hold the log and let me push my 14"
bandsaw through it. <g> But I also need more space than my single car
garage shop in which to store the wood for a year.
My 14" Jet is always whispering in my ear how it would like to have a couple
sets of castors mounted to the sides of its base and run horizontally on a
track. ;-) I hope to help it fulfill its dreams.
I enjoy messing with tools almost as much as making sawdust.
-- Mark
On 9 Feb 2004 13:26:31 -0800, [email protected] (William) wrote:
>I've seen articles and posts about people using their 14" bandsaws to
>cut short logs, i.e. firewood, into planks to then be subsequently
>dried.
People with more time than money. If you want to make a habit of this,
or if you're paying shop overhead costs while you're doing it, then
get an 18" bandsaw with a decent motor. If you have the space and the
power feed for it, restoring a big old cast iron machien costs no more
than a new 14".
Oh, and if you do try it, make a log-carrying sled. Don't try to feed
a wobbling log on a flat table.