Answer to Scott Banbury and seek input (long)

[Steve Inniss]

Scott,

Thanks for the input on the Beam Machine. When I said I wanted to cut some 36" or so long beams from oaks and maples, you said: :"Why don't you just get your friendly neighborhood sawyer to cut your wood for you? It shouldn't cost anymore than 30 cents/boardfoot"

First, I have already suggested you move your operation to Ontario -quite a few trees here for you. As a woodworking hobbyist; both turning and furniture, what I have in mind is sort of a multi-use approach to the trees I fell around here. They grow(thankfully) too dense for their own good. I like to practice good woodlot management and choose trees to take out that will help others etc. What I would like to do would not warrant the trip for a Woodmizer or Norwood practitioner. These are all one-ofs and on my relatively spread-out timetable.
The plan for each tree is to take a portion to produce bowl blanks, a portion to produce a few beams - roughly 6" x 8" x 36" to resaw for small furniture projects, and then use the majority for firewood - I heat mostly with wood.
The thought of putting a few pieces away each time, not only for bowls, but for furniture projects has great appeal to me. Now in the case of the little table (below), I haven't cut anything long enough to mill up for the legs. It would be very helpful(read safer) to be able to resaw on the bandsaw from a nice square beam.

Pics are somewhat of an example, all from the same wormy oak I cut down Aug 04:
pic 1. - some of the turnings
pic 2. - furniture project in mind - I think this will suit wormy 1/4sawn wormy oak well
pic3. resawed from bandsaw
pic 4. grain

[Scott Banbury]

Sorry Steve, I thought you said 36' beams and I was picturing you with some crazy assortment of roller supports trying to get a beam that long across your bandsaw.

Before I bought my Woodmizer, I used to saw 4' rounds on a friend 36" bandsaw using a guide that was absically 2 pieces of 1" plywood screwed and gusseted together at a right angle. I'd run a couple of short lag bolts through the upright plywood into the "log" and run the guide against the fence to saw off boards.

I'd flatten 2 adjacent faces this way and then use them against the fence.

This guy in Ontario makes a jig for doing this http://www.nicks.ca/Lil.rp.html

Good luck!

[Steve Inniss]

Thanks for the reply and the link Scott. I can see why you would have thought I was nuts if they were 36 ft beams.

So, would you recommend the Beam Machine for the 36 inchers?

[Scott Banbury]

No, I'd use my 36" bar and free hand it.

If you're just sawing 36" pieces, I'd be inclined to do it all on the bandsaw with a jig like I described or the one I posted the link to.