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Resaw large logs on your bandsaw?

27K views 37 replies 8 participants last post by  Mark Jones Ozark 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a special setup for resawing large and heavy logs into planks and boards. I have done something similar, but this set up is slick. However, I would prefer a fence to the left of the blade to establish the thickness of each plank and for repeatability.

 
#2 ·
My resaw or small log milling set up

the resaw sled...
Sorta:
__________________
 
#5 · (Edited)
small logs in my case



What is akward is the weight transfer, whether it's a small log or not. The sled is necessary to carry the weight, the rollers support the load and aid in the movement. My dream "setup" is this one by bugman:

 
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#7 · (Edited)
that's a sweet setup Bret

Very simple and clean looking. If I did more of the small log milling it's a rig I would certainly entertain making for myself. Thanks for the photos.
Bugman's setup is best shown here:



 
#8 ·
I don't have a very large band saw but I have thought about doing something like this with some Black Elm logs I have just to see what the wood looks like and if it would be worth working into something. Thanks for the post..really gets my mind churning. :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
right you are

Here's one way to get started:
Power Planer uses
Not everyone would use their power planer for this operation but on a green Box Elder log it created a flat on the bottom (along with a spud) in less than a minute. A quick way to get the log ready for the bandsaw for a safe pass with a flat on the bottom rather than round. 3 more passes and I have a square cant. Can't quite figure why they call them "cants"?:blink:
They should be "cans" because you can't use them when they're are round unless you're building a log cabin or rustic furniture. :thumbsup:
BTW I can't wait to see what's inside this log, Flame I hope!
Attached Thumbnails
 
#11 · (Edited)
#13 ·
I've recently been cutting some small logs into lumber. I'm no expert at this but here is what I've learned lately.

The set-up I had shown earlier in this thread was not working well so I made a new one which is much simpler in design. The whole set-up slips into place with a friction fit which is important because you have to remove it to change the saw blades. The logs are not perfectly clean and if I hit a pebble or something I need a new blade. This operation does not work well without a sharp blade.

Machine Table Wood shaper Tool Toolroom


My set-up is very simple and easy to put up and take down which is important because I use the band saw for many different things. It's basically and in feed and out feed support table that is install dead level with a space down the middle for a traveler to slide in the miter gauge slot. The traveler is just a long piece of 1/4" plywood with a strip of hardwood screwed to the bottom which fits into the MG slot. All the surfaces are coated with ample J wax and slide easily.

Wood Table Tool Plywood Hardwood


I thought the ramp and winch shown in the video was a nice way to go but there again the set up time would be significant and I don't have enough room to set it up the way he had it. I have to roll the log into place with a hand truck then lift one end at a time onto a series of platforms the last of which is the same height as the band saw table and I can then slide it into position. If the log is too big I size it or square it up using an Alaska Mill but it is far easier to cut with the band saw.

At one point The blade hit something about halfway down the cut and dulled immediately and I had to force it through. The blade got hot and started melting the urethane tire on the lower bull wheel and some of the melted goop began collecting on the lower guide assembly. I had to dismantle the lower roller guide and clean it all up and I discovered two of the bearings had failed. I had replacements on hand fortunately. If this happens again I'll wedge the saw kerf open and back the blade out instead of forcing it through.

No doubt, this is hard work but the days work turned logs into a nice little stack of lumber and I learned a lot.

Bret
 

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#14 ·
Ok. So. I have resawn Oak, Cedar and Walnut logs on a 12" bandsaw after ripping them down to 5.75" so they would fit under the guard. Ok. bought the 17" Grizzly. Installed the 1" 3 tpi blade. Saws fast and furious with the 2 hp motor. PROBLEM. Walnut log 4' long by 12" around is all I can do to just lift it end for end into the truck like the logs shows above. My wife and I resawed one 2 nights ago...she is tough but pulled something. SO....no more of that nonsense.

Ok. I have two Grizzly pump action 300 pound tables on wheels that pump up to about tail gait height. I bought them to help me lift big plastic totes into and from my pickup bed as I work in a Royal Ranger group (Church Boyscouts ish) and wanted to save my back.

So I am going to make a stackable table that fits over the top of these two pump tables so I can get my logs in and out of the truck and up to the height of the 17" grizzly. Then on top of those I plan a 10' removable table that can friction fit ontop the bandsaw table and be supported by the two grizzly pump tables.
Processing..... I will have a 4' table on top of each of the pump stands. So the 8' sled will roll over these tables. Do I want to put wheels in this or use the roller balls 6 for 23.00 that grizzly sells.
Or go the 300.00 bucks for the adjustable roller tables that grizzly has. Shop room is a premium. So I am opting out for no more floor space waste with seldom used tools.

One of the pictures I have seen is a table that fit over both sides of the bandsaw table that extended 10 feet. then it had a guide in the plywood and a guide on the side that ran it straight and parallel with the blade.

Cooking up some plans here. 5 4' long walnut logs sitting in my shop...saying..I dare you! I am picking up 2 more tonight. Just junk logs that people were cutting up for firewood. Nice walnut!
 
#15 ·
2 separate issues .....

The issues are:
(1) lifting the logs
(2) supporting them as they are run through the bandsaw


You can combine the 2 or not. A motor lift/cherry picker will work to lift them and move them, but the wheels are a bit small. A pump lift table will work also and has the added advantage of adjustable height.

For the resaw setup I made, I use adjustable height roller supports.
These worker OK, but the rollers weren't really in use so ...

I then I made a jointer extension support by removing the rollers (easily done) with a 2 x 12" plank.

Get 4 elcheapo roller stands.
Remove the rollers and replace them with a 2" x 12" plank on either side of the table, assuming you have 4 stands. Under the plank you can "tack" additional support struts to support the plank if it sags. To remove the rollers from the stands just push in on the pin, it's springloaded, and the roller will pop out.
If you don't have 2 - 2 x12" planks just buy some at HD, use them, and return them the next day, "Sorry, I didn't need these...... any more" :blink: bill
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https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/resaw-large-logs-your-bandsaw-58708/
 
#16 ·
I had one cheapo roller stand on the infeed side under a piece of plywood that I used as a sled (wasted it (plywood)) It worked but it wasn't stout enough for that weight after I was done it had settled down a inch or so.

Main thing is as you said. The weight of the logs getting them up on the table and managing them. I will take some pictures as the project comes to life in the week. Busy racing (pinewood derby cars this weekend) may get to it sunday. Installed the dusty deputy 4" on the bandsaw and it's working like a charm..no dust in the filter!

Will get some video of the process. Not a lot out on the web on 4' long logs...it's work that is for sure. My other resawing on the bandsaw was 3' long logs and most of those were cedar much lighter than the walnut. Used a bandsaw mill this past summer and milled a bunch of 10x10x 18' long beams from trees. That was about 5 days of fun up in Alaska.

4' is my length limit. I may have to back off from that and go 3' if I don't get a good solution. Walnut is HEAVY!

Thanks for posting.
 
#17 ·
I got the aux table built this last sunday. Here is some pictures of my shop update. I will be making the 10' long 28" wide resaw table with roller bearings in it that these two tables will support and allow me to lift the logs up. The resaw fence is already built from a few years ago it has a sliding fence that allows me to keep the log secured while I cut off the lumber.
This link is a ongoing ling so the pictures could be nested down in this report.

http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2019ShopUpdate/shopupdate2019.htm
 
#18 ·
You may want to 1/4 your logs ......

When I sawed my Spalted Maple it was way too heavy to manage, so I quartered it with a chainsaw. Ripping down the length of a log as opposed to cross cutting takes forever! There are special ground chains for ripping, if you are doing much of that.


This also gives you 2 flat surfaces to rest on the table for less setup hassle and it's more safe. I haven't done anymore of this since I posted the roller setup, but aside from ripping the log, it's easy to do.
:vs_cool:
 
#19 ·
In years past we did rip the logs with the chain saw to get them down to a smaller size. Here is a video from 6 years ago with my first resaw.



Here is me using a chainsaw. it works.




With the 4' long logs it can still be done. With the sled on the 17' with roller sled I should be able to get a extra board out of these logs.

Should have the roller table built this weekend...hopefully.
 
#20 ·
I like this sled ......




Lola Ranch made this sled and support system. It's two separate issues in my opinion. The support system including the center guide makes the sled a "no brainer", in that it can only ride within the guide, parallel to the edges. Once the log/cant is attached to the face of the sled.... off you go. Then, the next issue is making the "thickness" adjustments, and making the face of the sled parallel each time you change it. I won't engineer it here, but that's as critical as any other part of the system.



So, we have the support, the parallel guide and the thickness adjustments to make the ideal Resaw Sled System. :vs_cool:
 
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#21 ·
The sliding fence that sits on top of the resaw 10' ball bearing table allows for adjusting the thickness of cut and if blade drift is a issue it allows for that as well. The 17" saw with the 1" blade doesn't drift like the smaller blades will do

Here is a picture of the resaw fence. The 10 foot ball bearing table is not built yet. Last night I took the factory bolts on the Bandsaw table and made attachments for the 10' table. The blue T track and knob allows for easy thickness adjustment with out having to reposition the log on the sled. Of course first 2 cuts I will straight line 2 edges first then saw off the lumber slabs. In the past I just ran the boards through the planner as my jointer is only 6" wide.

I really enjoy this stuff the pictures shown in this topic are great ideas. Enjoy seeing what other ideas are out there. I learn so much from asking questions and doing these things.
http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2019ShopUpdate/2019shopupdateg021.jpg
 
#22 ·
Roughed in the Bandsaw Sled table support this weekend. Trying to keep all the functions of the factory saw still available even with the 10' 28" table attached. I have a 1" spot the original fence won't lock down (I would have to use a clamp to lock it down there) but the rest of it will work and can be adjusted.

I am just adding pictures to this link. So this weekends work is nested down on this page a bit
http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2019ShopUpdate/shopupdate2019.htm


I am getting excited to put down the deck on the resaw table and get the miter gauge line up and roller bearings installed. This table will be removed when no logs are on property. The 17" bandsaw is handy for cutting stuff.
 
#23 ·
Installed the top deck with the 5/8 bearings. Now to tweak it and install adjustable table legs to hold the table up until I get a hydraulic support table under them. Between the two pump tables I should be able to get the 200 pound logs up there and roll them onto the sled with out lifting them with my back so much...that is the plan.

Since this is all a portable setup the clamps maybe the best option as minor adjustment may need to be done as I go.

Used this long 10' long table and wheeled in my drill press into the slot where the bandsaw is supposed to go and drilled forstner bit holes with the drill press on this 8' long piece of plywood. The table being made out of 1/4 is easily lifted up and shifted off of the hydraulic wooden tables. I can turn the carts around and move the table around in the shop with not to much work.
 

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#24 ·
Resawed 3 12"x 48" logs yesterday. About wore me out. Going to install a winch tonight and give the last log a little push with a button. Didn't think I would need it but those 200 pounders were heavy even with the roller bearings and the lube on the bandsaw table. It was all I could do to push the sled across the table. It did get easier as I cut off 1" x 10" x 48" long walnut boards.


Was very pleased. This was my best results withmy total resawing experience some 50 logs. 8 of them Walnut and about 4 of them red Oak and the rest Cedar. (this doesn't count the bandsaw mill I ran for about 5 days up in Alaska but that was a horse of a different color. It was made for that)


The sled will get a temp winch install and will see how it goes. I have a video segment of this process. If I can get the 3 cameras to play at the same time. HA!
 
#25 ·
The winch pulled it to fast and having only one log to saw up I only cut one board using the winch. If I pressed the winch button for a 1/10 of a second the saw would not get over loaded. I could slow the feed rate down using a 3 to one pulley and that might work but for now I just pushed it on through.


Nice stack of 8" wide Walnut 1" thick and 42" to 48" long boards. I used some 1/2" plywood and ripped up some 1/2" x 1" x 26" long sticker sticks about 30 of them. Will dip the ends of the boards in paraffin wax tonight. There are a few more smaller boards to rip out of the logs. Won't need the resaw table for those. The table is easy to attach to the saw. Just pull it out one person can move it around shown behind the bandsaw. Place it on the two portable pump carts shown with the barked logs on them. Pump them up and roll into position. Then use 4 hand clamps and clamp into position. This was a fun project that took me about 2 weeks to complete over a few hours here and there. I will say the dust deputy 4" and the 2" were a blessing in this. I had max suction and clean up was a breeze. Shop vac filters are still clean after all this resawing and clean up.
 

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#27 ·
I dipped the ends of the 35 walnut boards into a banna bread pan that had hot parifin wax in it. I had two pots on hot plates keeping the wax hot and would pour it in the bannna bread pan as the wax was consumed by the ends of the boards. Restickerd them and they will be moved into a shed in the back yard for a year. This was a fun project. I learned a lot.

Here is a video on the sled.


Here is a 48 minute of a bunch of take outs of resawing 4 logs. One may need to use the slider to get past some of it.!


I didn't get the winch perfected it was too fast. Figured in the future a pulley 3 to 1 speed reducer would work. Maybe. It may take a hand crank to allow for fine tuning it.
 
#28 ·
I have never seen those ball bearings in action .....

They seem like they do not roll very smoothly...... I donno, but does the added weight of the log decrease or increase they pushing effort?
I started this thread to show my approach with a simple sled and the roller supports, so I have no other reference for the effort needed to push the log thru. I do know that without a sled, just pushing a 10" thick piece does require some effort.



A suggestion, if you make another version would be to use a HPL like Formica on one or both of the sliding surfaces and with a spray silicone or wax, I think it will slide very easily.



Another suggestion regarding the 2 camera Video which I found difficult to watch in either of the 2 views. A person who could video you while you operated the sled would, in my opinion, be much smoother and easier to watch. A head mounted camera is just too jumpy to follow because your head moves each time you look at something else.


You have given the whole concept of milling with a vertical bandsaw a lot of thought and that comes thru loud and clear. It is a complex operation in some ways, but simple in others. I like the idea of having a long removable rail which is not attached to the saw permanently. This frees up the saw for other operations. I do know that lifting heavy logs is dangerous and cumbersome and any means other than using brute strength is great! I appreciate all your efforts. :vs_cool:
 
#30 ·
My chesty camera was dead. Sorry about the video footage. Always can do better with that. It would be nice to have someone video but not a lot of support there. Ha! You should see the parts I cut out. I had almost 3 hours of footage and it took more time to trim most of that out.
I could stream line the whole process a bunch in many ways. Yet it is what it is. A one man shop in a 2 car garage. It was fun and I enjoyed it. If I built another one it would have some more changes to it. Yet it worked very well as it was. I need to get a remote for the dust collections and I spent as much time cleaning off the table removing debris and dust as I did resawing.


The weight of those logs at 4' long are the factor with friction. When they are 70 or so they feel like feathers! 200 pounds and things get factored up.


Thanks for your interest in this. I enjoyed it and gleaned a lot from the other videos and tips.

They seem like they do not roll very smoothly...... I donno, but does the added weight of the log decrease or increase they pushing effort?
I started this thread to show my approach with a simple sled and the roller supports, so I have no other reference for the effort needed to push the log thru. I do know that without a sled, just pushing a 10" thick piece does require some effort.



A suggestion, if you make another version would be to use a HPL like Formica on one or both of the sliding surfaces and with a spray silicone or wax, I think it will slide very easily.



Another suggestion regarding the 2 camera Video which I found difficult to watch in either of the 2 views. A person who could video you while you operated the sled would, in my opinion, be much smoother and easier to watch. A head mounted camera is just too jumpy to follow because your head moves each time you look at something else.


You have given the whole concept of milling with a vertical bandsaw a lot of thought and that comes thru loud and clear. It is a complex operation in some ways, but simple in others. I like the idea of having a long removable rail which is not attached to the saw permanently. This frees up the saw for other operations. I do know that lifting heavy logs is dangerous and cumbersome and any means other than using brute strength is great! I appreciate all your efforts. :vs_cool:
 
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