Thread: Log direction with a bandsaw mill?

Dean

From a practical point of view it is better to start milling from the butt. There is nothing worse than getting three quarters of the way down a log to find you have run out of clearance between the guides.

If you are going to have trouble with the width it is best to know right at the start. This of course will only apply to logs that are at the maximum width of you saw. It's an interesting question as to whether there is any difference/advantage sawing with the grain or against it.

I feel I should know the answer, but I don't.

Regards
Paul

So far I've only once been stuck half way down a log, ran out of fuel it was a p.i.t.a
Before starting the first few opening cuts on a new log I look down the log from directly behind the adjustable guide and make sure there's about 50mm clearance all the way, and check there's no small limb stumps protuding into the path of the fixed guide. Also I double check that the vertical stops are below the blade's path, I rekon it would be nasty to hit one of those.

I imagine that cutting with the grain, the blade could be inclined to rise when it encounters a hard knot, conversly if cutting against the grain, the knot may cause the blade to want to dive? so far I've only milled about 10 logs, 8 macrcarpa, 1 messmate, & 1 blackwood. I haven't made any observations about grain direction.

The blackwood had dry bark which dulled the blade and I got 2 wavy boards, put another blade on, checked alignment on everything & found the blade was out of parallel to the tracks, adjusted that a few thou and all was cutting straight again.

cheers,
Dean.

I like to mill with the small end near me ,i see the log better and what is possible out of the log .

dean
i have a mobile bandsaw and have cut a lot of different types of timber.

it does make a difference if you cut from the top to the but as the saw cuts with the grain better.if you cut the other way-but to the top , your blade will proberbly waver a little.always put your feed side blade guide as close to the log you are cutting as possible . this will stop the blade from rising up in your cut .
have fun
trevor

Tapered logs I prefer to cut head to tail to determin yield. Otherwise how ever they load.

Log direction should no difference at all to the cut. The bandsaw blade has 2 sides, and on any cut, one side will be "with" the grain, and the other side will be "against" it. The only difference is that in one direction the blade will tend to go up, and in the other it will go down.

So what you need is a blade which is sharp and true (well-set), and to drive it at a reasonable speed for the timber.

Am I wrong?

Paul.

Originally Posted by exyfeplin

Log direction should no difference at all to the cut. The bandsaw blade has 2 sides, and on any cut, one side will be "with" the grain, and the other side will be "against" it. The only difference is that in one direction the blade will tend to go up, and in the other it will go down.

So what you need is a blade which is sharp and true (well-set), and to drive it at a reasonable speed for the timber.

Am I wrong?

Paul.

paul,do you work a mobile bandsaw yourself or are you stating what you have heard .any one who has operated a mobile bandsaw for a long period of time will tell you that the direction of the log is very important. i do operate a portable bandsaw and have for some time and through experience i have learnt that cutting from the top to the butt does make a difference . we use bi- metal blades not cheap ones,if the set goes off one side of your blade , this will make it rise in the cut.we will always cut this way as it has been very successful for us in the past .
trevor

Originally Posted by tgcreations

paul,do you work a mobile bandsaw yourself or are you stating what you have heard .any one who has operated a mobile bandsaw for a long period of time will tell you that the direction of the log is very important. i do operate a portable bandsaw and have for some time and through experience i have learnt that cutting from the top to the butt does make a difference . we use bi- metal blades not cheap ones,if the set goes off one side of your blade , this will make it rise in the cut.we will always cut this way as it has been very successful for us in the past .
trevor

Yes, I have a woodmizer actually (LT40SH), though I can't say I've had it for a "long period of time". )

I'm not disagreeing with you, but i haven't ever noticed or been told of a difference, and there are already quite a few different opinions on this thread, where managing the log and the cut are clearly considered more important factors than the direction of the cut.

My point about grain "direction" is that with a mill (band or blade) it is not the same issue as when using a chisel or a plane, which are asymetrical by nature and where the direction of the grain does matter (ie for tearout and smoothness). Does that make sense?

So, what difference do you see in cutting from the butt? Is it speed, or stability, or quality of the cut?

Thanks.

i like to mill from the small end because i can see what i can get, because after all you can only get what you can from teh small end.

in reality i mill them whatever way they come into the mill.

Originally Posted by weisyboy

i like to mill from the small end because i can see what i can get, because after all you can only get what you can from teh small end.

In reality i mill them whatever way they come into the mill.

if you are milling from the small end to the large end , you are milling (as i do!) from the top to the butt. You should find that your blade stays on line by doing this. We have a woodmiser lt15 and a lt40 and find that both machines stay very stable and true milling this way. We have had on two incidents, the blade rise in the cut when the log was butt to head, by reversing the log, it corrected this mistake.
I feel the operator of the machine should be working the machine by ear! Listening for any deveation during the cut.
Happy milling!