Thread: bandsawn vs chainsaw slabbed

I think it also makes a huge difference on the size of cut being made, how much kerf are we looking at for a band to cut 1.5m wide?

Absolutely no doubt, resawing large sections into smaller boards will prove very easy for a band mill, but no-one is gonna want 250mm 'slabs' I've heard of situations where standing mills have hired Lucas millers to break logs down into 8x8's or 6x6's so they can then re-saw them into high grade timber using bandsaws to minimise loss - this seems a very good use of a BS mill, but again not cutting sticks up to 1.5m wide.

Nice pics though Bob - thanks

For a 404" full chisel chain you lose 10 to 12mm in the kerf width loss, I had to slot 40 of my house posts for the 10mm thick "T" stirrups they sat on, the 3/8" chain was a little tight for the stirrup so the loss was about 8 to 9mm with a well worn chain.
I have been asked to breakdown large logs for a mill as they can only handle logs up to 1.2m, but they still have to straighten the flitches over the benchsaw not the breaking down bandsaw
regards inter

Burnsy-Sigidi.
Sorry i got my wires crossed.
I'll blame it on a brain snap Friday.

No worries Rob, easy enough to do

Yes, the width of cut is a constraint when using a narrow bandsaw blade, to make a wider cut u need either a wider blade or increase the tension in the blade, but there's a limit there...increased chance of premature band failure and a heavier machine structure.
Peter.

so are we still talking 1mm kerf for a band to cut 4' or 5' wide??

I pretty much agree with most of what has been said. If the question was just kerf then the bsm wins especially if the customer wants 40mm or even 30mm pieces. See pics below. However blade wandering is a significant problem in small bandsaws and needs to be considered if the user intends to tackle wide cuts in hard or cranky timber.

The answer is get the biggest most powerful bandsaw you can. Set it up permanently in your own space and slice away to your hearts content. That works for me.



cheers
Steve

PS. Hardwood 1.5m wide 6m long in 3.5 minutes dead straight. No bull. (3mm kerf)

Nice rig stopper, here comes a woodmizer owner to explain bansaw blade wander. If you own a bandsaw and you are getting wander then stop and take a real good look at how you are sharpening you blades. Depending on what you are cutting you have to set up your blades to suit. For example if the timber or log is hard you set them up with more pitch, less tooth face angle and plenty of set as this will ge knocked off pretty quick. The most important thing is to ensure that your tooth gullet is carrying all of the sawdust out and not letting it release out of the gullet early. this is the biggest cause of walking as I call it. And be patient with feed rate, a log will tell you how fast to travel. This all takes time to learn with a bandsaw as I believe it would with setting up a chainsaw to slab as well. When it comes to bandsaw operating, the most important part is sharpening so learn to do it yourself or get to know a real good saw doc. The best one I ever met lives in QLD and we spend alot of time on the phone as I only see him once a year but he helps me to keep the big girl singing. Iff anyone is game ill cut anyones timber all day into 2mm veneers with no wander As for seeing my mill in action Burnsy, this big minesite clearance starts in 2 weeks so there will be heaps of pics.

Originally Posted by nifty

As for seeing my mill in action Burnsy, this big minesite clearance starts in 2 weeks so there will be heaps of pics.

Look forward to the pics Nev, I have searched woodmizer a few times to have a look at what you have and would love to see it operating in person one day when I am in the area. They look plenty more complicated than the Lucas, lots of levers and moving parts

Originally Posted by Burnsy

Look forward to the pics Nev, I have searched woodmizer a few times to have a look at what you have and would love to see it operating in person one day when I am in the area. They look plenty more complicated than the Lucas, lots of levers and moving parts

Not as complex as they look Mike,be a pleasure to give you a drive one day. Ill even take photos and send them to Alan (Sigidi) LOL

Now, steady on Nev I did look into a band mill, but liked the bang for my buck with Lucas, I can't imagine how expensive a band mill would be that could handle a 54" dia log

Originally Posted by Sigidi

Now, steady on Nev I did look into a band mill, but liked the bang for my buck with Lucas, I can't imagine how expensive a band mill would be that could handle a 54" dia log

Touche my friend

Woohoo, a drive, I did like the way you sat in a seat and it went back and forth with the mill when I looked at the videos, now that would be worth sending Sigidi a picture, luck your number is in my phone Al

Hey Stopper, so a good big bandsaw will do the job best, but what does one cost? $20K? $50K? How much tension is on your band, and what width is the blade? Sounds like it would be worth paying for those special high-value logs to be milled by bandsaw.