The Carter Accuright Log Mill is a heavy-duty, userfriendly sled that works with any bandsaw to turn firewood logs into lumber.

An adjustable steel guide bar rides in the bandsaw’s miter slot, and Mylar strips on the bottom of the base smooth out the sliding action.

But the heart of the jig is its steel fence, which holds the log with two adjustable clamp heads. The fence is also nicely adjustable side to side, and heavy-gauge, which makes the sled very stable in action.

To use it, you position the rear jaw to suit the length of the log, and then tighten the front one. The clamps hold logs securely, even if the ends are crooked. After adjusting the fence to set up the path of the first cut, you saw one flat face, and then put that face down to cut an adjacent face square. Now you’re ready to cut off perfect slices with a normal resaw setup.

The jig can handle logs up to 21 in. long with the diameter depending on your saw’s resaw capacity. That makes it great for box makers and turners, who work with short lengths and chunky sections, but it can yield beautiful drawer fronts and other furniture parts too.

If you run across beautiful log sections from time to time like I do, and you don’t mind waiting for green boards to dry, this jig is your ticket to a steady source of free lumber.

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