Hello NH:
Please re-read up thread a bit... page 2. I was actually responding to Bob Spoerl's post. It was he who mentioned the 1/4 inch cant that he uses on his saw:
There were some mentions about the slight angle of the blade, I have this one set about a 1/4 inch forward at the top to lessen the drag on the blade as it goes up....however the 1/4 advance of the carriage only occurs on the down stroke.
At any rate, I finally spoke to a seasoned sawyer who actually worked at the sash mill I began this thread with. I asked him about blade angle. He says the sash was straight up and down, 90 degrees to the log/carriage.
I mentioned about another sash operator (Bob) using the 1/4 inch cant/ angle at the blade's top, to which he thought that was the operator's own particular situation. On most of the sash saws that he knew, the blade was always straight up and down.
This guy is a seasoned sawyer in his mid-seventies who has worked in the industry and has an amazing collection of old 19th century lumber making machinery. He knows his baloney, if you know what I mean. He's been thoroughly interviewed by some folks who are writing a book about the old mill.
That bit about the muley being set off to counter thrust is interesting. All this old saw stuff is pretty interesting... as far as telling between sash/muley and band sawn lumber goes, it looks like you just can't be sure.
I'd like to be present for an experiment where each type could be cut, inspected and then labled... maybe that way we could know how to tell between them. If anyone knows of such a facility (with all or two types: sash, muley and band, please let me know!)
