holdign small logs (slabing)

[weisyboy]

how do u guys hold down small logs to slab them?

i this 200mm dia cadagi log this arvo and had trouble holding it down (used my hand and foot) its light me and john lifter it into the mill easily.

i had each end in my log groves adn the middle held up by big wedges. it lifted outof teh groves on each cut:((. i tried screwign peces of wood against the log but it didnt help.

[timbertalk]

Carl, you may need a basic chainsaw mill for the really small logs. They need far less 'hold down' than a lucus mill etc. I am milling macadamia at the moment, each log about 11-12 inches. No problem with basic wedges underneath.:2tsup:

[weisyboy]

yer i got oen of tehm but its jsut plain hard work when u have been using teh lucas for a wile:D i used to use it all the time.

i think id chop the small stuff into fire wood before id muck around cuttign tehm with the alaskan.

[BobL]

How small are you talking?

I've seen a bloke milling small (15" diam x 4 ft long) logs with a lucas and he was holding the log on a wooden frame/box he had built on top of a hardwood pallet.

here is what I made for my CS mill.
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=42633&d=1174806789

Full thread here (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=46980).

[weisyboy]

it was 200-300mm diamiter by 1.8m long.

i have no trouble holdign smal ones hen cutting with the balde but the slabber puts a heap of sideways force on the log.

[derekh]

Bob, I can see it's an older post but I've never seen that thread and setup of yours before. You repeatedly astound me with your ingenuity in design and fabrication. Well done, again.

cheers
Derek

[metricky]

Carl, i use my bearers with the Lucas dogs to hold the log but have had trouble with the bearers sliding across inside the mill so have started driving spikes like the ones that stabilize the mill at the end of the bearers this has stopped them from sliding.

[BobL]

Bob, I can see it's an older post but I've never seen that thread and setup of yours before. You repeatedly astound me with your ingenuity in design and fabrication. Well done, again.

Thanks derek. That little mill is still working although it's gone a bit wonky from overuse and it needs a bit of a tune up. The log gripper still works a treat though.

BTW all I can show you is stuff I can fabricate myself (or get some help with from BIL) - what I would really like is fabrication skills to match my imagination - OTOH that could be dangerous!:D

[weisyboy]

ahhh... that would be nice.

even to draw exactly what i want to build.

[Juffy]

BTW all I can show you is stuff I can fabricate myself (or get some help with from BIL) - what I would really like is fabrication skills to match my imagination - OTOH that could be dangerous!:D

I predict functional time travel within two years if this were to happen. :)

[BobL]

I predict functional time travel within two years if this were to happen. :)

Now, Now, - it's one thing to fabricate a fully automated carbon fibre and titanium mill (anyone seen any CF and Ti scrap around?) and another thing to redefine physics as we know it!

[echnidna]

Now, Now, - it's one thing to fabricate a fully automated carbon fibre and titanium mill (anyone seen any CF and Ti scrap around?) and another thing to redefine physics as we know it!

you've obviously forgotten Murphy's lost law of physics Bob.

The impossible is done by people who don't realise it's impossible:cool:

[Juffy]

The impossible is done by people who have access to carbon fibre.

Fixed. :;

[BobL]

you've obviously forgotten Murphy's lost law of physics Bob.

The impossible is done by people who don't realise it's impossible:cool:

I dunno if that holds that much water anymore although I very occasionally see this with students. Anyway, I spend WAY too long every week trying to tell people, like Giacomo (not his real name) the 83 year old Italian tomato grower from Waneroo, that their home made string and sealing wax experiment does not prove there really is an ether and Einstein was wrong. Of course you cannot dismiss these guys out of hand (Einstein himself was patent examiner when he came up with some earth shattering stuff) but if I was to carefully scrutinise all these people's claims I would do nothing else.

[weisyboy]

hey i havea set of them i made someware.:2tsup:

[Arthur Dyason]

it was 200-300mm diamiter by 1.8m long.

i have no trouble holdign smal ones hen cutting with the balde but the slabber puts a heap of sideways force on the log.

Carl

bring a couple of small logs upto Malaney next week (one for your Lucas and one for my EcoSaw) and you can have a play on both and maybe get some ideas on how to mod the Lucas or your dogging system.

The reason the Lucas and Peterson slabbing systems give a lot of side movement is the mill is not attached to the log like most CS mills are. If the mills is attached to the log then any side forces are uses in the cutting power of the CS mill. Where the side forces are open they waste a lot of cutting power by putting that force into moving the log or mill around.

The EcoSaw CS mill is also a suspended mill like Lucas and Peterson but due to its ability to move the CS upto the side of the log it almost attaches itself to the log and puts the side forces back into the cut similar to using the dogs on your CS when chainsawing. Just try using your chainsaw by only cutting with the centre of the bar and see how much side force is generated as to when you use the dogs. If you position the bar in the centre of the log so the CS is not up hard on the log you get the same movement problems of Lucas and Peterson.

Have a play with the EcoSaw CS and you might be able to come up with a stabilizer system (adjustable dogs) to attach to your Lucas which has the same end result as our CS milling system. The EcoSaw CS Mill has bearings CS side of the bar which act as rolling dogs on the log, I have never seen dogs on the Lucas and Peterson but then I havnt looked too hard.

[741Baus]

Carl you could perhaps use some thing like these Gripper Dawgs
103277

[BobL]

Carl you could perhaps use some thing like these Gripper Dawgs
103277

Ho Ho Ho! I'll be making some of those !!!

[weisyboy]

i got these lying around someware
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=92079&d=1229932627

[rude]

G'day Carl,

Thought i'd post a pic of the dogs i use for small logs,there also made from aluminium so are a lot softer than steel if you happen to cut too low:doh:.I just sat this small round on the bearers to show how well it holds when your bearers have notches also.I use the same system as metricky by tapping a spike in at each end of the bearer to hold it in place or you could go streight through it after pre drilling a couple of holes,at least that way there is a couple of less things to potentially trip over:2tsup:

Yet another project for you bob:U

[Sigidi]

Rude, they are very very similar to Petersons EZ dogs... hmmm (mind you Petersons are very expensive for what they are)

Carl, why don't you just hold the log on the exit side with your iron bar and move your bar up as you go, then put it behind the bar when you're close to the end, works fine for me?? This way you're still standing at the controls and you can see everything plus are in control of everything still.

[BobL]

G'day Carl,

Thought i'd post a pic of the dogs i use for small logs,there also made from aluminium so are a lot softer than steel if you happen to cut too low:doh:.I just sat this small round on the bearers to show how well it holds when your bearers have notches also.I use the same system as metricky by tapping a spike in at each end of the bearer to hold it in place or you could go streight through it after pre drilling a couple of holes,at least that way there is a couple of less things to potentially trip over:2tsup:

Yet another project for you bob:U

Bloody nice mate! I like em :2tsup: Another one to add to the project list!

The clamp part could also be made out of steel and the dog part out of brass (be a bit exy - have to scrounge around for some 6mm brass :oo:

[rude]

Yeah that would work bob,good luck finding the brass.Yes sigidi,they do look like peterson ez dogs and your right,there not cheap,but i can say that for ease of setup and the safety aspect they have already paid for themselves.I like the fact that there so simple and work just as good on large logs.

[Sigidi]

Rude, did you get a set of four or just a pair of dogs?
and if you don't mind me asking how much did they end up costing you?

[rude]

Hey Sigidi,

i ended up getting four of them(two pair) and after looking at the invoice they charge 50bucks each but luckily they only charged for two.I agree that 50bucks is a bit steep,25$ is closer to the money. they do supply a couple of spare dogs atleast.
Rude.

[Sigidi]

Geese really?

I looked at them when they first came out about 2 years ago and seem to recall it's cost me around $500 for a set of 4 including postage.

I'd contacted a fella about making some for me, but if they are only $200 for 4 then that's not so bad, but I can't see them costing that much to make???