Sawmill and Timber
Sawmills and Sawing => Circle Mills => Topic started by: Leeroy on October 05, 2017, 04:08:49 PM
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I know I am putting the cart before the horse here but wondered about milling very short logs. Like 3 feet short. Had a shipwright contact me for some specialty pieces, cut from crotches. If not I could leave them longer, but both sides of that crotch is my bread and butter (firewood and grade sawlogs)
For now it'll be the Alaskan mill cough hack
Lee
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If you have a good, solid slab of oak, or something similar, like 3 inches thick and long enough to reach across the heads, then you can use good lags and attach it to the short piece, and mill away. Be sure you have the short log well supported, maybe even using a sacrificial piece. I have done this before, and it works.
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Lee if you think you might do more" short milling" move one of the head blocks closer. Do you have a screw dog, that's the one with the acme screw and the hand crank on top. If you move a simple head block about two feet away you can hold all kinds of shorty's. Frank C.
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Oh boy - you definitely need to get your mill to cut the short stuff. Making money with an Alaskan is a hard way to go! But.......if the price is right.......
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Obviously, having head blocks close together is the best solution, but on my Meadows, they could not get closer then 6 feet I believe. And milling short crotch shaped stuff was a challenge, but there is always a will when there is a way.
The real problem is not just holding it end for end against wobble...but that if you use like a few blocks and "pinch" the short piece with one dog, then it can also slide away from the head block.
One advantage a bandmill will have over a circle mill is slow and gentle applications if needed. Big difference in a 56 inch blade and the 75 or 125 ponies running the show, or a 16 hp bandmill.
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That's what I was just thinking picturing in me head what you were describing and it made me pucker a bit. If that damn crotch got away from being held it'll make all hell break loose somewhere I would imagine. I'd much rather finesse through with a band mill. I guess that's something Leeroy will have to make damn sure about - that it's clamped good and tight.
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I should mention there are two types of head blocks. Up here in the northeast mills (Chase&Lane) attach the head blocks to a set beam that advances them together, they are easy to move. Most other mills use separate head blocks bolted to the carriage with a shaft and gears connecting them in the rear. Those gears rust on the shaft and are best left alone. Frank C.
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Thanks everyone. I'll try to get pictures of the carriage up so you can school me on it.
For now I can rip the pieces freehand, the shipwright cleans them up with a belt sander.
Now if I can come up with a price, any ideas? These are crotches of red and black oak 3" think not edged, around 3' long
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Being they're for boat building I think it should fetch a better price than for barn building. I have no idea what to suggest for prices. Maybe you could call another shipwright and see what they would expect to pay for what you have.