Building a re-sawing jig for my bandsaw.
So far, I have an eight foot bed of plywood, and I’m playing with ideas to hold the log.
I’m planning on infeed and outfeed support, of course, because anything over about twenty inches gets way too heavy to balance.
What I’m interested in is mechanisms to grip the wood. Ideally, it would adjust in both X and Y– length from about three feet out to maximum, and an easy adjustment to move the log over after each cut without re-setting the log in the jig.
The problem I see is this– if the jig grips the log tight enough to hold it firmly through the cut, the force on the “holder” will be too great to move easily.
I don’t want to use a pipe clamp, the loaded jig is going to be plenty heavy as it is.
I see several ways to make an X adjustment for length, but then any Y adjustment I add is going to be loaded when the time comes to adjust it.
Any thoughts?
Replies
>mechanisms to grip the wood
I am surprised you haven't gotten any bites. I don't saw logs, except when I fall asleep on the couch, but I figured I could say howdy.
Thoughts:
Try searching the back isssues on the home page of this FWW site. I am sure there are a few articles for home made sleds.
See this bandsaw accessory
http://www.lagunatools.com/accessories/TimberMaster/bandsaw-timbermaster
There is a video to watch as well. Looks like there are a couple of versions. I watched this years ago. I can't comment other than that.
Good luck
roc
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln ( 54° shaves )
Edited 7/6/2009 10:36 pm by roc
yee gods.I forgot I wrote this, but I went with a jig a couple notches down from the Laguna.If i can figure out how to one, take pictures, two, get the pitchers outa the lil' box, and three, gettum up on this site, I'll post some pitchers when I make a cut.
Several years ago there was a brief article in American Woodworker that was a jig for resawing lumber from small logs. Unfortunately I can't locate it now but I'll give you my memory for what it is worth. Basically you build a plywood carriage from a 4' x 6" or so piece of ply, cut a slot down the middle and make up two end pieces that hold lag bolts that you screw into the ends of the log. It has a runner on the bottom to fit the miter gauge slot. The two end pieces are fitted with bases that are bolted through the carriage slot and adjust for the log length. It did not include a way of permitting one to make continuing cuts without moving the log over on the carriage but that is easily done with a set of pins and holes running longitudingly across the carriage to allow the carriage to be moved over whatever thickness on the runner. I'm not sure how you plan to move an 8' log even with infeed and outfeed support. Any worthwhile log 8' long is going to weight several hundred pounds so lifting it onto the table and managing the cut is going to be difficult unless you have some strong assistants or some mechanical leverage. I built one and use it occasionally for 3 or 4' logs up to about 8" in diameter. Beyond that the weight and dimensions of the log are difficult to manage but then I'm 65+. A young person could probably manage something larger.
" . . . but then I'm 65+. A young person could probably manage something larger."And, become "old" before their time. ;-)Things we did "easily" in our youth often come back to bite us decades later.
What I did was build a plywood sled, eight feet long by eleven inches wide.It has two ends built out of MDF, set on T-tracks.One track is only eight inches long, and is set across the sled. That end only adjusts to move the log for another slice.The other end is set in a track that is four feet long, and is secured through two slots in the endpiece that run at ninety degrees to the track, allowing that endpiece to move for both length and slice.The endpieces are simply MDF, and for simplicity's sake, I drill each log and put a screw through the endpiece into the log at each end.It works very well, I cut the first board last night.The infeed and outfeed are 2x material, on edge, to make it easier to slide.The limit is about eleven inches under the blade, so a reasonable limit is 10 inch logs, or flitches cut down to ten inches.The length it can take is six feet one inch.I'll try to post pictures.
Pictures.Here are the promised pictures.
I've made a handful of experimental boards, now.So far, my "logs" have all been at about five feet long, and about seven inches in diameter.The jig works well, I've cut 12 quarter and 1 quarter thick, then I replaced the heads with simple tie downs, lined up the edges, and cut one straight edge. Then I took them to the table saw to finish up.Things I would (and may yet) do differently:Gotta have better dust collection. Must have some above the table.The guide needs to be tighter-- I left it slightly loose, and I'm starting to think that was a mistake.A large maple is waiting for me out at Mom's-- so my "sawmill" is about to get battle tested thoroughly.
Man I wish I had more space. I have to move everything around to use a machine!
But I do have a fridge!TT
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