First run milling

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Not trying to pick on you just trying to help so hopefully you won't take this the wrong way. From the pictures you have posted the slabs seem a little on the rough side? If you post some closer up pics of the boards I might be able to help diagnose what might be causing this.
 
Not trying to pick on you just trying to help so hopefully you won't take this the wrong way. From the pictures you have posted the slabs seem a little on the rough side? If you post some closer up pics of the boards I might be able to help diagnose what might be causing this.

See what I can do they where brand new woodland pro ripping chains never sharpen before.......they are really smooth just as smooth as the sawmills around here...BUT If it can get


smoother I am all for it.... "milling resize3 picture" my first pic. I really dont think I could shoot a better pic then that one with my camera
 
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See what I can do they where brand new woodland pro ripping chains never sharpen before.......they are really smooth just as smooth as the sawmills around here...BUT If it can get smoother I am all for it.... "milling resize3 picture" my first pic. I really dont think I could shoot a better pic then that one with my camera

OK - Lets use that one as an example. I magnified it up and here it is
attachment.php

"R" means rough and "S" for smooth and "J" for jump or jaggies.

Actually now that I see it magnified that finish is very acceptable, especially for a first go, and I'd still accept that now as being OK for most of what I do. It also irrelevant if the lumber is going to be re-sawn or reprocessed. However, it is possible to get the finish smoother if you want to.

Here are a few tips.
1) The difference between R and S is usually the cutting speed. With a big saw it's tempting to push the saw a bit harder so that it cuts faster but then it bites more making a rougher surface, eventually it bogs down a little and so the operator backs off and this repeats over and over again. So maintaining a more constant pressure will assist in maintaining a more constant cutting speed which will maintain a smoother finish. In practice it also adds very little more time to the cutting speed.

2) Avoid rotating/twisting the mill back and forth as it moves down the log. This will reduce the slight rocking that inevitably happens because no mill is completely rigid or coplanar to the bar. I know this is inevitable to some extent when negotiating around lumps and bumps on the side of the log but moving the mill down the log at as close as possible to a constant angle will get rid of most of these jaggies.

3) Milling on top of an already rougher surface may produce an even rougher cut surface as the mill rides over the existing lumps and bumps. Using widely spaced rails on top of the log for every cut will reduce this effect and it also makes it possible to correct any twist that may have occurred from previous cuts.

Like I said your finish is already very good and the above are just suggestions.
 
OK - Lets use that one as an example. I magnified it up and here it is
attachment.php

"R" means rough and "S" for smooth and "J" for jump or jaggies.

Actually now that I see it magnified that finish is very acceptable, especially for a first go, and I'd still accept that now as being OK for most of what I do. It also irrelevant if the lumber is going to be re-sawn or reprocessed. However, it is possible to get the finish smoother if you want to.

Here are a few tips.
1) The difference between R and S is usually the cutting speed. With a big saw it's tempting to push the saw a bit harder so that it cuts faster but then it bites more making a rougher surface, eventually it bogs down a little and so the operator backs off and this repeats over and over again. So maintaining a more constant pressure will assist in maintaining a more constant cutting speed which will maintain a smoother finish. In practice it also adds very little more time to the cutting speed.

2) Avoid rotating/twisting the mill back and forth as it moves down the log. This will reduce the slight rocking that inevitably happens because no mill is completely rigid or coplanar to the bar. I know this is inevitable to some extent when negotiating around lumps and bumps on the side of the log but moving the mill down the log at as close as possible to a constant angle will get rid of most of these jaggies.

3) Milling on top of an already rougher surface may produce an even rougher cut surface as the mill rides over the existing lumps and bumps. Using widely spaced rails on top of the log for every cut will reduce this effect and it also makes it possible to correct any twist that may have occurred from previous cuts.

Like I said your finish is already very good and the above are just suggestions.

Always looking to get better at anything I do and you pic up on somethings I know was going on.....Going to make another run this weedend at a much slower pace to pick up on the details and not going to worry about the board foot count ...................Thanks Bob I can take it......only makes me better.....
 
I will start a new thread on my next log and you can take a look to see how best to start to finish I am a good student....lol Thanks Bob!
 

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