The first step in
assembling the Hand Held Saw Mill was to read the instructions. They were terrible. The
parts diagram was so reduced that it was basically unusable. Thankfully, the device is
simple, and Sal and I were able to figure out the assembly without the aid of these
instructions. It shouldn't be that way though.
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With it assembled, I attached one log that I had and gave this device a
try. The clever part of this device is that it allows you to use a couple of screws to
hold the irregular log securely on the faceplate. The log goes through the blade with no
shifting. The re-sawing action was precise, comfortable and safe.
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With this irregular log,
the first slice was very smooth.
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This picture shows the "last cut". The jig will not slide any
closer to the blade than this.
In the inset, is the screw I used to hold the log firmly on the sled. It is a
1 1/4" screw.
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Here is a picture of the screw with about 1/4" margin of safety. You want to
have the screw hold the log steady, but you do NOT want to have the screw in the path of
the blade.
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In my slicing of the first log, I missed
not having some way to measure how much I was moving the sled — i.e. making the width
of cut.
The instructions point out that the slide is controlled by a 5/8" - 8
Acme thread and that each turn equals 1/8 inch. You can see that I have added a
measuring tape to the base. I think this will be more exact that keeping track of the
screw turns.
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I
installed the tape at the bandsaw so that the measurement would be from the blade rather
than just the edge of the device.
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Now
let me show you how the instructions describe the proper cutting of a log — it makes
a lot of sense to do it this way.
First, you lay the log on the device and use the two screws to fix the log on
the sled. There are quite a few holes to use so you find the two that allow the best hold
of the irregular surface.
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Next, with the bandsaw still off, you place the jig in the miter slot and use the screw to
position the log for the first cut.
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Making the cut is easy and
safe. I kept both hands on the fixture and fed the piece into the saw.
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