Sawing Logs on Band Saw

[Dan Gill]

I saw an online article a few months back about sawing logs on a bandsaw with pics of the jig the guy used and the extended tables he made. I searched for this but couldn't find it. Can anyone remember this article and where you saw it?

Thanks,
Dan Gill

[Mark Rios]

I had this one from quite awhile ago:

http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/sl/aw_bandsaw_resaw_main.htm?1009130201181825

I made a version of the sled. This was my table:

I cut ALOT of black walnut up on this. I can't seem to find a pic of my sled. I ended up just using the fence without the sled. Me and the sled didn't work out so well, BUT, me and the table got along wonderfully.

[Jamie Buxton]

http://www.lagunatools.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=47

[Dev Emch]

After looking at these and this approach, I must caution you. The key to making this system useable is speed, consistancy and reliability. You need to set up each successive cut quickly if you dont want to spend 8 hours cutting up some firewood.

Not sure how the wooden sled moves but I could not see any movement support. The Laguna system does have plenty of storage in those really nice powder coated steel cabinets but its missing a minor detail....... THE SET WORKS!

The key to this approach to make it fun, fast and consistant is some form of set works. This includes most likely two head blocks, dual ways for the head blocks to move in and a control linkage to allow the headblocks to consistantly and accurately move as a pair to within at least 1/16 in or better accuracy. You dont need to be machinist accurate but you do need to be accurate.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I've been doing some of this recently on my Band Saw, Big Blue......

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/bb_slicing_with_endge_guide.jpg

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/jackpot/bb_slicing2.jpg

The key is to not try to cut too large a log, I know, as I did this a few times. Keep the blocks to a reasonable size (I could BARELY lift the one logs) The support has to be there, I need to make up some real infeed and outfeed tables of some sort, what I have works, but it is not easy to use.

My old Hitachi resaw bandsaw just rips through this stuff, so the saw is not the problem, the ease of use is.

Cheers!

[Tom Sontag]

Stu is right. I have tried this several times and the limiting factor is handling the log. If it rolls while in the cut, itsa no good.:( If it breaks something in your lower abdomen while loading, itsa no good.

I made a sled that held a pipe clamp to hold the log and it worked best with a buddy to hoist things into place. Fact is, a shop bandsaw is not really the best tool for this job, so you are always making do. If that is what has to happen to harvest some of your own, have at it.

[john mclane]

Stu
That is one big BS (band saw, to be clearer)!:eek: I saw your earlier posts about the logs you had obtained and the transport into your small shop. I'm impressed. I think you would need a good size like that to cut logs

I have some log oak planks about 10 ft long and 3-4 in thick that had been set aside by my Dad when he had an old tree taken down about 10 years ago. the wood is pretty dry and a fair amount of checks but I want to reaw and see what I get and then can do with it.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Go for it John, what have you to lose?

You might want to cut the ends off first, and then think about what you want to do with the wood. How often are you going to need 10' long pieces of wood? Not often, so maybe you want to cut that 10 footer down to 4' and 6' or something, it would make it a LOT easier to handle.

Goog luck, take pictures, and share them please :D

[Mark Rios]

No, No, No.....to be a REAL woodworker one must be able to wrestle a 12" diameter, 10' log through his bandsaw. Anything less would be just wimping out.



Wait,...I'm having nightmares while typing. I must be dreaming of the stupid stuff I tried to do a couple of years ago. Then, about halfway through cutting up a felled tree, a thought hit me.......like a log......I'm never going to make a 10 foot table. So I cut it up and all was better.