Getting a first cut on a log?

[Alie Barnes]

Ive got a piece of hawthorn that I want to cut up on the bandsaw for spindle work. Howeer if I place the log into the saw its going to spin and probably break the blade or me.
Its too small to run a chainsaw down it and too big to do by hand with a handsaw so how to you all go about getting a flat surface on a log to feed it into the bandsaw?

I was thinking some wedges in at the side just to stop it rolling, i have a rip fence but would that be good enough to stop it moving in the saw?

Thanks all.

Alie

 

[loz]

Hi Alie,
if you have material/time build a simple jig to drop the log into

http://woodcentral.com/cgi-bin/readarticle.pl?dir=jigs&file=articles_757.shtml

Hope this helps

Loz

edit - if you dont have the clamps required, you could simply push a few screws into the end of the log thru the uprights in this - that would keep the log upright.

If you are meaning cross cutting the log ( not ripping as per above ) then just use a clamp to stop the rotation as per,

http://roundopinions.blogspot.com/2008/11/bandsaw-cut.html

 

[John. B]

Hello Alie,
If the log is not longer than maybe a couple of feet,
I run it across my planer a few times to put a flat on it then across again to make two flats at right angles to each other.
It then runs through the bandsaw against the fence without the need of fancy sleds
As for cutting across the log, I just clamp it to the cross slide so to prevent it rolling, then holding both sides run it through carefully.

John. B

 

[Wanlock Dod]

Hi Alie,

I do similar to John, only I use a cheap hand held power planer (cost me about 15 notes) to plane a flat(ish) surface on the log. It doesn't usually take all that long to get a surface wide enough to slice the log down the middle, although if you want to cut away from the middle then a wider surface is needed.

I have also heard that wedges (or possibly even the offcuts from rounding off square blanks?) could be stuck to the log with hot melt glue to keep it stable whilst on the saw. I expect that quite a few would be needed, but if you have a glue gun it might be worth a try.

Enjoy the hawthorn, it really is a nice wood.

Cheers,

Dod