Thread: Log cradle for bandsaw cutting please.

Have a look at TTIT's rig in this thread, should be exactly what you're looking for I reckon.

Thanks DJ thats kind of what i'm thinking tho i'll need to build my cradle from timber to start as i'm pretty useless with steel.
Also i had been thinking along the lines of making the first cut down the center of the logs splitting them in half then cut the 2 halves into quarters. From there i thought i'd lay a quarter on 1 flat (hopefully) face & cut a slice off the other face then rotate the quarter onto its other flat face & take a nother slice off etc if u know what i mean.
I know i'll get alot of waste that way but thats no problem as it will go to the firewood pile. I'm guessing that i'm only going to get a couple boards per quarter before they get too narrow but thats ok too as i do a lot of box work & narrow boards will be no problem.
what i am envisioning is 2 L shaped cradles that can be screwed into either side of the log with the left L riding against my fence as a reference, the horizontal section of the L's facing outwards from the log. Once that first cut is made i can lay the half on its flat face. hope that makes some sort of sence

10" 2m long log will weigh about 100 kg
14" 3 m long will be 288 kg! - "fortunately" this wont fit thru a standard 12" throat bandsaw (The 17" carbatec can take a max of 12")

Unless you have, like you say "a block and tackle", 2 very strong people, a very good system of infeed and out feed rollers and a very good bandsaw cradle I would suggest putting whole logs thru a standard bandsaw is bordering on lunacy.

I would use a CS mill to split the logs in half or quarters, then the max cutting width is 7" and with quarters you can run the 1/4 cut surface up against the standard fence (or preferably make a taller fence).

Lighter, easier, less stress and reduced danger.

Thanks bob, yer weight of the log was a concern to me, alot more of a concern now that you've quoted me some actual weight figures! I've moved lengths of 2 -3m myself before tho it was one end at a time & with a hell of a lot of cursing & sweating so i thought that i'd be able to manage it on the bandsaw but now i see that might not be the case & my infeed/outfeed tables will need to be much stronger than i had anticipated.
I don't have a CS mill & didn't really want to get someone in to do it for me as the hireing costs would i imagine negate any value i might get from milling my own trees. Bit more thinking is required for me i think!

Originally Posted by Rattrap

Thanks bob, yer weight of the log was a concern to me, alot more of a concern now that you've quoted me some actual weight figures! I've moved lengths of 2 -3m myself before tho it was one end at a time & with a hell of a lot of cursing & sweating so i thought that i'd be able to manage it on the bandsaw but now i see that might not be the case & my infeed/outfeed tables will need to be much stronger than i had anticipated.
I don't have a CS mill & didn't really want to get someone in to do it for me as the hireing costs would i imagine negate any value i might get from milling my own trees. Bit more thinking is required for me i think!

I know what you mean. It's also one thing to just lift such heavy weights but finessing them into a piece of machinery is another. The logs have to be held dead firm when going thru a bandsaw, if they roll even 1/2 mm the blade may grab and snap.

Rattrap, I'm just down the road a bit from you, about a half hour from Deloraine, so if you want I can run down some weekend and halve your logs for you, no charge. I have a Stihl 084 saw and 30" bar on a basic GB mill. Should do the job.
I won't be able to do it for a couple of weeks though, as I have to make a set of new guide rails. Mine walked out of my yard one night recently. They probably thought it was a ladder. I'd better do it soon as I have some Blackwood logs to pull out and cut up near Parkham before the windrows get lit up.

Originally Posted by Ravvin71

Rattrap, I'm just down the road a bit from you, about a half hour from Deloraine, so if you want I can run down some weekend and halve your logs for you, no charge. I have a Stihl 084 saw and 30" bar on a basic GB mill. Should do the job.

That will definitely do it! And your a top bloke to boot for offering to do it for nothing.

I won't be able to do it for a couple of weeks though, as I have to make a set of new guide rails. Mine walked out of my yard one night recently.
They probably thought it was a ladder. I'd better do it soon as I have some Blackwood logs to pull out and cut up near Parkham before the windrows get lit up.

Bugga! Mine are so heavy they wouldn't be carrying them too far but I occasionally lock them down to something solid like the slab seatainer.

Hey Ravvin71, you mate are a 24 carrot legend! Thanks so much for the offer, much appreceated. A couple of weeks or more will be no problem as i'm in the middle of building a garden shed & hothouse at the moment plus i'll need to clear thinkgs a bit around the fallen tree before hand to make the job easier. I'd be more than happy to help you with that blackwood in return just give me a yell a couple of days in advance, my time is pretty flexable. .

Hi everyone,

Below r some pics of my infeed/outfeed sled setup on my bandsaw, a little bit different to TTITs setup in that my sled/s (2) have wheels that run along the roller-track sides that hold the rollers like we see in TTs setup, length of log is then limited to the length of track, I can do about 5m with sleds at each end of the log, I have done 6.6m by bringing the sleds towards the middle of the log but it gets a little unwieldy with the log basically hanging out over the ends of sleds.

The other big difference is my log is on the otherside of the blade to TTs which means I can start with a larger diameter log than what will fit under the throat, about 400mm diameter does me, besides, like Bobl says logs get a bit heavy! I have 2 3/4 tonne lever blocks that I lift the logs up onto the sleds. 1 hangs over the track and the other hangs outside of track where log is rolled into position to be lifted up, I hook both of them up to an endless 1 tonne sling wrapped round the log at the balance point, operate lever block till log level with track then operate lever block hanging over track to move log sideways while at the same time letting first one off allowing log to move sideways nice and gently and eventually onto sleds. A word of caution! I dont know how much lifting u have done and while I have explained roughly what I do, it is not without risks to life and limb. If u had a mate who was a rigger or even a sail boat sort of person maybe get him/her to give assistance if u had doubts, there r a few other ways u could do it as well, another post later if u like.

What u could do is have 2 L shaped sleds like u where thinking say 500mm long positioned at each end of log, the sleds would need to be screwed/fixed/clamped to log, roller track as long as log x2 for both infeed and outfeed, a suitable fence the complete length of track and a means of keeping sleds against fence, a man at each end of log maybe. The positioning of track is important, I would set it up paralell to the blade, I don't adjust for drift, as far as drift goes from my experience blade sharpness and set of teeth is dead important, if I am getting any sort of tapering either narrowing or widening work pieces I know my teeth sharpness has dulled and or most likely on one side more than the other, the work will be pushed away from the blunt side and toward the sharp side, that's my take on it anyway!

This setup should allow u to cut 1 face, rotate 90, cut another and then use oem fence to cut boards, What do u think?

If u want to ask questions and have me explain anything further feel free, I'll help where I can, don't like to see timber go to waste due to lack of a setup specially where someone is willing.

And that is a great offer by ravvin

Peter.

it's great how the forum gets folkes helping others - good on ya fella's

Fantastic setup Pete. I hope to setup something similar in the milling yard where I mill my stuff as I have no room at home for this. Would you be able to post pics of the roller stands etc Thanks
Bob

Great looking setup there peter,really sturdy. Looks like you have the same bandsaw as myself. I particularly like the L shaped brackets that also clamp down on the top of the log. I think for now i'll just go with Ravvin's offer till i see how the timber comes up first but i'll defenately give you a yell when i'm ready to build myself something like that.

My outfeed table used to be a black and decker workmate with a pallet on top packed up to right hieght by some blocks...dodgy as... kept falling over... arrrgh
the current set up much better and thanx everyone for the compliments.
Most of it is recycled reclaimed or reused in some way, the aluminium track was heavy duty industrial electrical ladder tray, rollers I grabbed out of the bin, timber from the tip, steel from out of scrap bin, what some people throw away constantly amazes me.
I'll do some in depth pics of the whole set up shortly so stay tuned.
I might even be down your way shortly Rat, but I have to organize a truck and a licience first tho.