I’m always looking out for interesting hardwood scraps, split firewood and small logs for turning blocks. But hand-feeding the irregular shapes through the bandsaw to cut them into usable pieces isn’t safe. I developed a solution based on my recollections of a rolling log carriage used in sawmills. I used the same basic idea, but scaled down the carriage.

I mounted a 3-ft.-long pipe clamp to a 2-ft.-long U-shaped maple bracket. To allow lateral adjustment, I slotted the bracket’s bottom and fastened it to the base with bolts and wing nuts. A maple track glued to the bottom of the base slides in the saw’s miter-gauge slot. When making the carriage, be sure the clamp jaws clear the bandsaw blade with the bracket at its closest setting. To use the carriage, tighten the log in the clamp, adjust the bracket for the width of cut and feed the log past the blade.

From Fine Woodworking #84

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