New set of unistrut rails

[betterbuilt]

Finally found time to put together a new set of rails. I doubled up the unistrut and used all-thread. I was surprised at how strong they are. They barely flex under my weight. The only thing was the weight. I guess it is what it is. I only made them 10 feet long because I had four pieces that size.

The rails performed exactly like you guys said they would. I did however use them on the second cut like you guys said to and was really impressed at how accurate they kept the cuts. I normally have some place where the saw rises or falls a little and that compounds through the following cuts. I'm a believer in the rails now. I plan on using them for all my cuts now. sure keeps everything straight.


All was going well then I tried them on a Crotch log and ran into some problems. I need to add some brackets for odd ball logs. Any Ideas? I forgot to take pictures. the heat was staring to take its toll on me by then.
I started out the day running ripping chain. In the third cut I hit a electrical staple. The funny thing was I got the log from a electrician. Any how, it gave me the opportunity to try a chain I modified to be like granbergs chain. I found the tread on here a while back. Thanks every one. I really like the modded chain. My saw was happy also. the rpms seemed to stay at a good level also.

this guy laid down about 40 feet from me and didn't seem to mind the noise I was making.

All was going well then I tried them on a Crotch log and ran into some problems. I need to add some brackets for odd ball logs. Any Ideas? I forgot to take pictures. the heat was staring to take its toll on me by then.

 

[mtngun]

Funny how deer don't seem to mind chainsaws. I've had them stroll through the area while I was milling.

Those rails ought to be plenty sturdy. Glad it's your back lifting them and not mine.

 

[betterbuilt]

Glad it's your back lifting them and not mine.

Can't say I moved them to far. The logs are in my yard, about 2 feet off the drive way.

 

[BobL]

Rails look good BB but I agree with mtngun - they must be very heavy - I dread having to move my rails when the full 40 ft of rail is being used.

I presume the object marked with an X in teh picture is a piece of wood screwed into the ends of the log and the rails sit on these?

If so a more reusable alternative is a piece of angle iron that bolts onto the bottom of the unistrut channel.
Like this;

The angle has a number fo threaded holes in it that enable me to used pointy ended 5/16" bolts that bite into the ends of the logs. The top side of the angle is slotted so that it cane adjust to different rail widths.

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I would also suggest bringing the two rails closer together so that A gets moved close to B so that the rail get more support from the log.

All was going well then I tried them on a Crotch log and ran into some problems. I need to add some brackets for odd ball logs. Any Ideas? I forgot to take pictures. the heat was staring to take its toll on me by then.

I use what I call an adjustable standoff for uneven or wierd shaped logs.

I have two of these standoffs so I can use them on both ends if I have to.
Using one standoff required backing out the mill through the cut.
Using two standoffs is trick and requires help to get the mill onto the rails.

 

[betterbuilt]

Okay here is the log I had questions about. I made the first cut without any problems But I know there is a better way to start it. I ended up adding a shim to one side and drilling a hole in my rail to screw it down.

Any help would be great.

 

[huskyhank]

You might re-cut the end of the log a bit and use a 2x8 or 10 or 12 instead of a 2x4 for your cross/end piece. Make several end boards in different "rises" for doing this.

 

[BobL]

Okay here is the log I had questions about. I made the first cut without any problems But I know there is a better way to start it. I ended up adding a shim to one side and drilling a hole in my rail to screw it down.

I rarely bother to mill uneven crotches - the chances of later using an uneven piece are small so I usually approximately even up the two branches and then use a standoff. It does not have to be dead square as the angle iron cross pieces can easily handle up to a 45º angle

 

[betterbuilt]

I presume the object marked with an X in the picture is a piece of wood screwed into the ends of the log and the rails sit on these?

The object you marked X is actually a short piece of unistrut. used a piece of steel to make a washer so I could slide the strut in and out. The angle sounds better, I'll have work on that. How did you cut the slot in the in your angle?


I like the stand off bracket. That would have worked for one side, but the shorter side would have been tricky.

 

[betterbuilt]

I rarely bother to mill uneven crotches - the chances of later using an uneven piece are small so I usually approximately even up the two branches and then use a standoff. It does not have to be dead square as the angle iron cross pieces can easily handle up to a 45º angle

I build furniture with them like they are. I call it urban renewal. I let the tree guys make the choices and I mill them like I get them. I try not to cut anything till its in the shop. Not cutting things give me more options if a crack forms. Speaking of cracks, let me tell you that first log exploded over night. I think they cracked it when they felled it.

You might re-cut the end of the log a bit and use a 2x8 or 10 or 12 instead of a 2x4 for your cross/end piece. Make several end boards in different "rises" for doing this.

That would have worked also. I should add a few pieces to my field kit. You guys are an endless wealth of knowledge. Thanks

 

[betterbuilt]

Rails look good BB but I agree with mtngun - they must be very heavy - I dread having to move my rails when the full 40 ft of rail is being used.

I was looking at your picture and your strut looks a lot heavier than the stuff I have. Mine is labeled Galv-Krom and grainger has it weighing 16lbs per ten feet. That seems high. I'm gonna weigh it later today. I picked up some angle today and gonna start drilling it later today.

 

[betterbuilt]

my rails are 57lbs with the all-thread and all the bolts.

 

[betterbuilt]

I picked up a few spring nuts similar to these to bolt the angle on.

 

[BobL]

Mine is labeled Galv-Krom and grainger it at weighing 16lbs per ten feet
.
.
.
my rails are 57lbs with the all-thread and all the bolts.

This does not add up = 40 ft x 16 lb per 10 feet = 64 lbs.

Mine are 76 lbs for 40 ft - not counting the all-thread, angle and all the bolts. so add at least 10 lbs for those making it ~85 Lbs all up. When I use 2 x 10 ft lengths they weigh about 45 lbs.

 

[betterbuilt]

This does not add up = 40 ft x 16 lb per 10 feet = 64 lbs.

I realize it didn't add up. The 16 lbs was a shipping weight I got from the internet. It was including packaging and whatever they ship it with. I put the rail on the scale and it was 57lbs total. I like it for its portability. I still plan on looking for an aluminum extrusion to make something longer with.

 

[betterbuilt]

I don't really want to start a thread just to ask a simple question.


I started milling a 45 inch Norway spruce and my chain isn't cutting like it does in hardwood. I've never done any softwood yet so any help would be great. I'm running a modified ripping chain like granberg sells. I know the chain was sharp because I stopped cutting the spruce and started cutting a dirty White Oak with out sharpening it about the same size and it flew through it. I have the teeth set to 10 degrees and the rakers were at .040.

 

[BobL]

I don't really want to start a thread just to ask a simple question.


I started milling a 45 inch Norway spruce and my chain isn't cutting like it does in hardwood. I've never done any softwood yet so any help would be great. I'm running a modified ripping chain like granberg sells. I know the chain was sharp because I stopped cutting the spruce and started cutting a dirty White Oak with out sharpening it about the same size and it flew through it. I have the teeth set to 10 degrees and the rakers were at .040.

Was it a 45" wide hardwood?

Granberg is slow period but especially in big logs - remember 2 out of 3 cutters can't clear chips like regular cutters.

 

[betterbuilt]

It was a 45 inch soft wood and it cut slower than one our hardest hardwoods.

So your saying just go back to ripping chain.
What would I set the rakers at? I thought .040 was pretty aggressive at least in hard woods.

 

[huskyhank]

I think its not clearing chips as Bob wrote. You might try regular cross cutting chain or even skip tooth chain to see if that helps.

Is there a lot of chips and dust in the kerf? Can you stop the saw and slide it back or in and out of the cut? If you feel it binding when you do that its caused by chips and dust that have not been carried out of the kerf. It just wads up slowing and binding the chain.

 

[betterbuilt]

I think its not clearing chips as Bob wrote. You might try regular cross cutting chain or even skip tooth chain to see if that helps.

Is there a lot of chips and dust in the kerf? Can you stop the saw and slide it back or in and out of the cut? If you feel it binding when you do that its caused by chips and dust that have not been carried out of the kerf. It just wads up slowing and binding the chain.

It seem to cut a little better if I rocked the saw. I bet it was clearing the saw dust when I was rocking it. It never really felt like it was binding. I think your right. I'll switch chain and see if that helps.

You would know I thought it was gonna be an easy log. I should know better. Thanks.

 

[BobL]

It was a 45 inch soft wood and it cut slower than one our hardest hardwoods.

My first question still stands - how wide was the hardwood you tried to cut?

Unless you are talking osage orange or similar, in terms of hardness, few of your hardwoods are that different to softwoods and so log width (rather than wood hardness) will determine chip clearance and overall cutting speed.

So your saying just go back to ripping chain.
What would I set the rakers at? I thought .040 was pretty aggressive at least in hard woods.

It could be you rakers are a touch too aggressive for softwoods, but OK in hardwoods. The depth the cutter penetrates is dependent on the raker depth and profile, and the hardness of the wood. In softwoods a pointy raker can push its way into the wood further than the hardwood and creates a higher cutting angle (not cutter angle - See FOP sticky in the CS forum for definition of "cutting angle") than in a hardwood. Generally this does not matter because a softwood is softer and the saw just tears the wood out of the bigger bite - but if your rakers are borderline too deep, and there are too many of them this could make a lot of difference.

Rakers should never be a fixed depth, they should be a certain proportion of the gullet width - this is called progressive raker setting.

Measure your gullet width and then use a raker depth that is a fixed proportion of that. Most new chain is set for a gullet / raker ratio of 10/1, eg gullet is 0.25" so raker should be 1/10th of that or 0.025".

There is nothing magic about 10/1, some find that 7/1 works, others find 12/1 works. If you read that FOP sticky you will see I don't even bother about the ratio but work in degrees of cutting angle, 10:1 is about a 6º cutting angle. I use a 6 to 7º ratio as measured with a Digital Angle finder.

You can achieve some of this using a progressive raker guide like a Carlton FileOplate (FOP). FOPs set a cutting angle of around 45º which is a touch too shallow for my liking.