What is it called?

[FirlandsFarmer]

Hi, first post ... found you out of frustration! What do they call it when the wood is clamped stationary and the saw slides overhead mounted on a plate/cradle/trolley? For example ... say I have a 10ft length of 12" x 4" oak and I want to take a 4" x 4" cross-section off it to make 2 x 5ft posts. I picture it as laying the 10ft slab on a bench table in the barn and having the circular saw on a slide/trolley arrangement that rides over the top. I can't find what I want in my internet searches and am running out of guesses to search! Is there a technical name for such an arrangement. If I search "sledge" or anything "sliding" I get a cradle arrangement for holding the wood that slides along the stationary saw. In my case the saw will be lighter to move than a long length of 12" x 4" oak (and maybe larger!).

My reason is that I own some woodlands and I want to plank some fallen trees with the chainsaw and then finish the planks to size as required.

 

[SPSlick]

bandsaw mill

 

[tomlt]

It sounds like you're talking about a beam saw, not very common these days. A modern take are the lucas and petersen swing mills, used to create dimensional timber from a log on the ground. Even more common these days are bandsaw mills the most well known being woodmizer.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

 

[RobinBHM]

I would suggest trying the arbtalk forum, they have a milling section that may ve useful.

You may find somebody who can come and cut it for you. Maybe the experience of having somebody do it may give more information if you decide to buy your own gear

 

[MickCheese]

Do you mean a 'Radial Arm Saw'?

 

[Bodgers]

Hi, first post ... found you out of frustration! What do they call it when the wood is clamped stationary and the saw slides overhead mounted on a plate/cradle/trolley? For example ... say I have a 10ft length of 12" x 4" oak and I want to take a 4" x 4" cross-section off it to make 2 x 5ft posts. I picture it as laying the 10ft slab on a bench table in the barn and having the circular saw on a slide/trolley arrangement that rides over the top. I can't find what I want in my internet searches and am running out of guesses to search! Is there a technical name for such an arrangement. If I search "sledge" or anything "sliding" I get a cradle arrangement for holding the wood that slides along the stationary saw. In my case the saw will be lighter to move than a long length of 12" x 4" oak (and maybe larger!).

My reason is that I own some woodlands and I want to plank some fallen trees with the chainsaw and then finish the planks to size as required.

What you are describing I've never seen or heard, but this is what you want I think:

http://www.logosol.co.uk/bandsaw-mills/

DIY one:

https://www.woodgears.ca/bandmill/plans/index.html

A beam saw has been mentioned, which I always thought was a gigantic power tool hand circular saw:

https://www.amazon.com/Makita-5402NA-16 ... B0000614UR

Although, according to Google there is also an industrial machine called a Beam saw, but to me that looks like it is processing sheet materials.

 

[hanser]

As previously posted the milling forum on Arbtalk is the place to have a look at. DIY milling sounds great but a lot of the 'value' from your own grown timber depends on the expertise of the operator. Some of the guys operate as mobile millers - perhaps an option for you to consider?

 

[Bm101]

Off topic but you might want to change your profile location to something less specific.

 

[oakfield]

Hi,

I think I am not far from you and I know there are at least a couple of local woodmizer types around here. Let me know if you want more details.

 

[Eric The Viking]

It's an easy job in a mill - they do it every day.

Hanser's comment is important, especially as "randomly" felled wood or fallen trees (i.e. downed of necessity or accident rather than to a cropping plan) is likely to have grown with twisty grain rather than straight, and there will be lots of tension in the fibres in trees like Oak, with big boughs that come out sideways (or nearly) from the trunk. You may cut your pieces, then find you can't use them as you have bananas or corkscrews.

The man who knows is most likely to be the man who has a mill, either mobile or static.

IIRC, Festool and others do make chainsaws that will run on rails, like their (circular) tracksaws, but it's an expensive solution for odd jobs - they're intended for constructional joinery in wooden framed buildings, I think.

If it's going to be a regular thing, make friends with someone with a bandsaw mill of some sort...

 

[dickm]

Think theres some confusion here (or it coul be my addled brain) . The OP was asking about ripping off a (big) strip from an already milled board, not actually abou the initial milling, which is another can of worms entirely. The thing described is just a TRACKSAW, although one bigger than the usual ones. Don't know if one with 4" depth of cut actually exists, but might be worth a look.

 

[Eric The Viking]

This is the product from Festool I was thinking about:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/festool-ssu-200-eb-sword-saw-ax924857

Not cheap, but has the depth of cut you need. From what you're saying you'll also need at least a 3m rail and probably an extra one to extend it (or the 5m one, which they also make).

And an assistant, or some sort of support whilst ripping.