Steps when milling wood

[hopeful]

Hi Mates

 

Here are some photos indicating how I mill wood. Used a band saw, JB table saw, and a JB thickness sander.

 

Shows progression of lumber sizes starting with a milling blank through finished planks. Wood is Sugar Maple (soft maple).

 

Photo 1

 

Photo 2

 

Step 1 was to run my maple blank through the thicness sander to make it perfectly flat on both sides. The blank is 1 3/4" thick and approximately 14" long.

 

 

Photo 3

 

Ran the material through  bandsaw to desired thichness. Note that blanks are cut from face grain, not edge grain.

 

 

Photo 4

 

Plank blank is rough on one side. Saw marks will be removed by running blank though the the thicknes sander.

 

 

Photo 5

 

Wodd splitter placed on table just behind blade. The splitter avoids chatter as the wood is passed away from the blade.

 

 

Photo 6

 

Feed the plank blank through the saw.

 

 

Photo 7

 

Finished plank.

 

 

 

Photo 8

 

Shows finished planks and the micrometer adjustment at the lower right edge of the photo. Microadjust helps to get all [lanks the same width each and every time.

 

 

In closing, Brynes tools deserve the high praise received from its owners. His tools are amazingly accurate, easy to use, and great fun. 

 

BFN

Hopeful aka David

 

 “there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed:      Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present

On the bench:  Sultana (MSW)   Reposting the log and keeping on with the build

 

Next:  Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Edited March 23, 2013 by hopeful

[Geoff Matson]

Thanks for the post. It is very informative and will help me when I go to mill some wood.

[overdale]

Most informative.

 

I hadn't realised the thicknesser was a sander. One of the reasons I haven't bought a thicknesser was because of the maintenence that blade thicknessers require (sharpening). I shall look into getting one. (and I'll try to pay more attention to what's going on!) 

Thanks.!

 

Dan.

Edited March 23, 2013 by overdale

[hopeful]

Hi mates,

 

Living in Canada one has little access to boat building materials in country and, anything bought from the USA is expensive in terms of duty and freight charges. That's the reason I went to the Brynes machines......self sufficiency in terms or sizing wood material in my species of choice.  

 

Geoff: Thanks for your post.

 

Dan: The Jim Brynes thickness sander used sandpaper attached to a drum. Easy to use and works like a charm. I took wood down   to .05mm in thickness with no problem.

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

 “there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed:      Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present

On the bench:  Sultana (MSW)   Reposting the log and keeping on with the build

 

Next:  Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Edited March 23, 2013 by hopeful

[trippwj]

Thank you for posting this, David!  I am a complete neophyte when it comes to powertools so this is really helpful for me.

[hopeful]

Hi Wayne,

 

Thanks for your post. Let me know if I can help out in any way.

 

BFN

Hopeful aka David

 

“there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present

On the bench: Sultana (MSW) Reposting the log and keeping on with the build

 

Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

[Boatsinc2000]

David –

 

Great job of milling your wood and thank you for a very informative post.

 

You mentioned a couple of subtle points that from my experience that I would like to emphasize.

 

Your first step of squaring the wood prior to going to the bandsaw really makes that task easier and it significantly improves the quality of your sheets.

 

The other comment about the orientation of your stock prior to bandsawing is another important point.  When creating sheet stock that will be used for planking, such as in your example, you will want your cuts oriented just as you showed to minimize figure in your final planks.  If the sheet will be used to cut pieces from a scroll saw then sometimes rotating the wood 90 degrees prior to running through the bandsaw will produce a better looking sheet.

 

I have a very similar setup and use Jim’s table saw to produce my stripwood.  I started out using a very similar setup on my Byrnes saw, but over time I’ve made a couple changes that may be of interest.

 

I’ve found that using the slitting blades that Jim sells on his website, .030” and .040” kerf, produce planks, at least for me, that have a more consistent size.  Mostly I use those two blades, but for cutting thin stock I will stay with a 3” blade about .030” kerf and go to finer pitches.  This will avoid chipout and the blade is always in contact with the wood, which avoids interrupted cuts and hence chatter as well.

 

When I first started milling I used my extended fence, but later found that if I remove it, I can see better if the sheet stock is wandering away from the fence.  I was surprised but I can cut stock up to 3/8” thick into planks just using the standard fence.

 

I added a splitter, just as you have done, and also made some custom finger boards.  Over time I started using a block of wood that fits into the palm of my hand to add light side pressure to the sheet.  This holds it into the fence and also helps a lot to hold the sheet down on the table.  A block about 2” thick x 4” wide x 6” long works well for me.  I just rounded the edges against the palm.  Of course I keep it ahead of the blade on the table to avoid pushing the sheet sideways into the blade.  Using the block I  eliminated the splitter and finger boards.

 

To avoid burning or binding, which is more common with the slitting blades because they do not have any back taper, I will add some back taper to the fence.  Jim’s fence has .008” back taper built into it, but sometimes that just isn’t enough.  When I set the fence, I will set it at .005” oversize and lock in both front and back.  Then I come back and loosen the front and move it back in .005”, which is back to your original desired dimension.  This normally eliminates any binding or burning.

 

A final issue that I found, and then I’ll shut-up, is that as I was feeding sheets to be cut they would start out wide enough to extend beyond the groove for the miter in the table top.  As you cut more and more planks the left edge would eventually be over that miter groove and with thin stock my handheld block would drop down into the groove.  Just adding a piece of scrap wood that press fits into the groove eliminated that frustration.

 

Jim’s tools are certainly a work of art and very durable.  I’ve used my saw to cut all of my stipwood and that is over 500,000 pieces using the same saw.

 

Didn’t mean to hijack your thread, but this is one of the few areas where I can make a contribution on this board.  I’m in this business to promote and help shipbuilders rather than make money, so if anyone has a question on milling I am very willing to lend my thoughts, even if you aren’t buying anything from me.

 

Again, great job on your milling and your post.

 

Jeff Hayes

HobbyMill

[hopeful]

Hi Jeff,

 

Thanks for responding and adding additional important milling info to my post. The knowledge you shared is valuable to anyone who wants to mill their own materials.

 

I too use slit cutters but only on soft woods.e.g. polar and below on the hardness scale. When cutting hard woods I use carbide blades. I was cutting wood sheet material from a limb of boxwood the other day. As you know Jeff  that stuff is hard as a brick. Had to use care even with my carbide blade.

 

If I lived in the USA I would save the equipment money and buy milled lumber from Hobby Mill!

 

Take care Jeff.

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

 “there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed:      Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present

On the bench:  Sultana (MSW)   Reposting the log and keeping on with the build

 

Next:  Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

[dvm27]

Thank you for the very useful tips gentlemen. I will certainly try Jeff's tip about creating a bit more back clearance on the fence as I often do get binding. Jeff, do you set the .005 gap with a feeler gage? I'll also try using a splitter.

[Boatsinc2000]

David -

 

I hear that a lot about staying away from slitting blades on hardwoods.  Almost everything that I mill is a hardwood such as box or pear.  The other reason that I use the slitting blades is selfish in that with the smaller kerf there is less waste.  The extra .010" or .020" over time adds up.  I only use my carbide blade a couple times a year for specialty cutting where my full size shop tools are too large.  Usually it is for slitting larger sheets into 1" or 2" widths.

 

 

Greg -

 

I preset my calipers to +.005, plus kerf of my blade, plus desired width of plank.  Lay the calipers on the table with the end against the blade and the measuring end that protrudes from the calipers going beyond the blade.  Move the fence over to just touching the calipers.  Lock both front and back of fence.  Then unlock both my calipers and the lock on the front of the fence and move the fence towards the left towards the blade the extra .005 that you initially added in.  I watch my calipers to do this.  In my case I do not have Jim's mic head on the front of my saw.  Woods with more sugar in them will burn more.  Pear is the worst, followed by cherry, and holly.  Boxwood hardly ever burns.  If you start to have burning, it doesn't take much before your saw blade is gummed up.  A blade with tar or gum on it will always leave marks.  Use Awesome Cleaner with a toothbrush and it does a great job of cleaning blades.  It is water based and comes in spray bottles from the Dollar Store...$1 bottle lasts me over a year.  Your wife may already use it as a pretreatment when doing laundry.

 

I've told several people about the back taper and they have had positive results.  If I am cutting wider planks, I will increase it to .010.  If a sheet is warped or if there are a lot of hidden stresses where the wood moves as you are cutting, then there isn't much that you can do.  Jim once told me that starting with good sheet stock is essential for success of his saw and I agree.  I've had sheets where I cut the first 10 planks perfectly, the next 5 bend at right angles as I'm milling the planks, and then the remainder of the sheet resumes producing good planks.  Its just internal stress that you are releasing in the milling process and there isn't anything that you can do about it.

 

Also just remembered that you need to watch the grain in the sheet.  Most times it is not perfectly straight.  If you cut a plank that is right on dimension when you start the cut but it tapers or widens at the other end of the plank (assuming the sheet stays against the fence), then the blade is tending to follow the grain.  Most times you can just flip the sheet end over end and you will start to produce perfect planks.

 

Hope the ideas help a little!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff Hayes

HobbyMill

[dvm27]

Thanks, Jeff, Good stuff.  I've also experienced ten perfect planks the the next few bending. Thanks for the explanation.

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Jeff, these are exceptionally helpful comments. Would you mind posting a photo of the block you use for holding the wood down? I have discovered that keeping the leading edge of the wood flat on the table really helps stabilize things. Your block sounds like just the thing.

 

It also helps, I have discovered, to cut off the strips on the side of the blade opposite the fence. But the trick is how to make a repeatable cut when the fence has to be moved in every time. I use a basic jig shown here, which clamps a stop in the right spot. Then just move the fence and wood up to the stop and cut again. It works, but it is fiddly for mounting and adjusting. I am thinking about better jig that can clamp onto the table, and have a sliding arm to accommodate different wides of cutoffs. And a little micro-adjuster in the end would allow perfect sneaking up the exact right dimension. Has anyone built something like this?

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

 

 

[BANYAN]

Some great ideas and tips here folks; many thanks to all contributers.  Pity Jim doesn't have a riving blade as an option - can we tempt you?   The taped wood looks the best option I have seen yet - thanks David.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Mahuna]

Great information - just what I've been looking for.  Thanks to all!!

 

Frank

[Mcdood]

Thank you David, Jeff and Mark, I have learnt a lot more from you guys on a better way to use my Byrnes saw,

Regards 

Martin.

[hopeful]

Hey,

 

To: Jeff (Hobbby Mill), Greg, Mark, Martin, Frank., Pat, and Greg. Thanks for looking in on this post. Good ideas and technique makes tools a pleasure to use. What I like about milling my own wood is that I am self sufficient and can mill the material to any size.

 

Special thanks to Jeff for lending his expertise.  After milling 500,000 planks he knows what he is talking about and we appreciate him for sharing his knowledge.

 

BFN

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

“there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted on kit build log.

Current: Sultana (MSW) Updating the build log and continuing on with the build

 

Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Edited March 25, 2013 by hopeful

[mtaylor]

I appeciate all the input even though I don't have the saw in question (it's on my Christmas wish list).  Very useful information.

[Boatsinc2000]

Hi Mark -

 

I took some pictures today and rather than posting them here I sent you an e-mail.  I am in the process of doing some changes to my website and it came to me today that I should have a separate page on my website with this information rather than hijacking this post.  I'll make a subsequent post here once those changes are on the website.

 

I had your e-mail address from a few years ago, so if you do not receive the e-mail, just drop me a note.

 

Jeff

[Dan Vadas]

I took some pictures today and rather than posting them here I sent you an e-mail.

 

Oi Jeff - what about the rest of us that want to know too ???    Maybe a Post in the "Modelling Tools and Workshop Equipment" forum?

 

EDIT -

 

I'll make a subsequent post here once those changes are on the website.

 

Oops, just read that    .

 

Some really useful information here - thanks for starting the Topic Dave.

 

  Danny

[Boatsinc2000]

Hi Danny & Anyone Else with an interest

 

I've update my website with some information and pictures.

 

Here is the direct link:  http://www.hobbymillusa.com/byrnes-saw-operation.php

 

You can also access it by going directly to my website from the sponsors link and then pull up the Byrnes Saw Operation page.

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff Hayes

www.hobbymillusa.com

[BANYAN]

Jeff, that is an excellent Tutorial / Info Sheet.  Many thanks for taking the time to post it on your site. 

 

The only further questiopn I have is with reuse of the blades.  Do you use them until dull and discard or do you have them resharpened.  The end decision I suppose will be the cost effectiveness.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Geoff Matson]

Jeff

 

Just checked out sight and tips page. What great information to have. Thanks for doing that.

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Jeff,

 

Great article  .

 

I've posted a link to it in a Pinned Topic in the "Wooden Tips and Tricks" forum in case this topic goes down a few pages in the future.

 

  Danny

[Mahuna]

Thanks Jeff - the link is excellent and answers lots of questions.

 

Frank

[Boatsinc2000]

Hi Pat -

 

It is a cost consideration and I guess that I never really thought about resharpening them.  I was talking to Lloyd Warner a couple years ago, who used to be in my business but continues to sell his great blocks, and he resharpens all of his blades himself.  For a couple years his blade resharpening presentation was included in the annual NRG traveling workshops.  Don't believe that they ever came to Australia though!

 

Sometimes after a blade dulls I put it in with my "Ebony Only" pile.  Duller blades that run hotter actually do a little better job moving the oils around in ebony and the strips end up a very even color.

 

In my previous life I worked for an industrial tool distributor and that is how items like those blades were sold to industrial customers who used them in manufacturing.  Many of my customers would have their tools resharpened, but it would be in large quantities and more carbide than high speed steel.  So I guess with my relative low use on these blades I just never considered that, although I do get my tablesaw blade resharpened.  Looking at Thurston's website they mention on finer pitched blades, which would apply to at least the two finer pitched ones that I use, they remove the teeth and then mill new ones as their resharpening process.

 

Also I pick up my blades wholesale, so they are pretty reasonable.  Tried doing some searches in Australia for this type of blade and I couldn't really find where they are sold in your country on a wholesale basis.  Must be a different marketing channel.  If you can find something similar, even with a different arbor hole size, they might be worth a try.  If you find ones with a different arbor hole, you should be able to also pick up an adapter and I believe Jim would sell you one but the postage just for a couple "washers" would be a little high.  Of course if you add them to an order for another Byrnes Machine...ropewalk or sander then that might be cost effective.  Met both Jim and his wife Donna over the years at some of the conferences and they are great people.  I guess I feel a little reluctant to suggest other sources for blades because I consider them as friends.

 

Danny, Frank, Geoff thanks for the comments and pinning the post.

 

Jeff

[Jaxboat]

Excellent info. Great step by step. Byrnes Machines are industrial works of art.

MikeEllis

[BANYAN]

Thanks again Jeff, great feedback.  Yep, we are a bit of a backwater for these sorts of things down here unless you use some of that cheap and nasty Chinese rubbish!  I think your comment on bulk buying may be the best option (from a good source) and there are probably enough of us Byrne's saw users down here to pool resources   Then again, we would not go through blades anywhere near the rate you would.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited March 27, 2013 by BANYAN

[42rocker]

Wow lots of great info in this thread. Thanks for sharing all of the info everyone.

 

Later 42rocker

[SJSoane]

 

Hi Jeff,

 

Other than burning starting, which is always nice to avoid, how do you decide when a blade is dull and time to change? And how long does a sharp blade last you before changing?

 

Mark

[Boatsinc2000]

Mark -

 

That is a tough one and I don't have a definitive answer.

 

Some of the signs of a dulling blade are  1) Burning, as you had mentioned.  2)  Excessive chipout  3)  Blade deflecting and wandering is usually an easy one to tell.  4)  Additional pressure required on thicker cuts.

 

Of course milling different pieces of stock can have any one of these problems, but then other pieces with the same blade do not show any of these symptoms.  Sometimes when I suspect that a blade is dulling I will switch out to a new blade, but hold on to the old one in case the problem exists with the new blade.

 

With burning, species that have a higher sugar content such as pear and cherry are more susceptable to burning and this can just be the wood or saw setup.  If your blade tends to accumulate tar in the same areas each time, then I consider that a sign that the blade is ready to be replaced.

 

Some woods are more susceptable to chipout than others.  Box will have some hard spots where most strips are fine and then a couple with chipout followed by good strips again so this is a less effective gage of dullness.

 

I normally just use blades that are around .030 kerf or thicker.  Blades around .020 or thinner have always deflected on me with a Byrnes saw, so I avoid them.  If you have a blade that is .030 or thicker and it starts to wander, then it is probably dull, just like a bandsaw blade will start to wander as it becomes dull.

 

If you need more feed pressure that it also a sign, but most of the time we are milling thin stock and it is difficult tell with thinner pieces.

 

Anytime you are milling really hard wood these HSS blades will dull quickly.  I was milling some bloodwood a couple days ago and the blade went into the trash after use.  The blade had been used before.  I do the same with bandsaw blades.

 

Bottom line, if you think a blade is dulling then switch out to a new one and see if that helps resolve the issue.

 

Jeff