# log dog ideas



## brown down (Apr 15, 2013)

I need some log dog ideas and or a good source to order them so i can get milling :lolol:


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## Mandolin (May 5, 2013)

The dogs on my Hud-Son mill are manual. When you raise the front dog, the back dog comes up with it. The front dog slides back and forth on a square tubing. You push the dog into the log them push a lever down to set the spike into the log. Simple and easy. I don't know what kind of mill you have, but these dogs are about 90 dollars apiece. Sometimes I have to tap the bottom of the front dog lightly with a hammer before I set it with the lever. This makes the spike bite into the log and hold tightly. To me, if you have a manual mill, this is the best system to have. Go to Hud-Son Forest Products on the web.


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## sprucegum (May 6, 2013)

I also have a Hudson mill and the dogs are the most disappointing feature of the mill so far. I find them cumbersome to us and unreliable . There is too much slop in them if you have a tall narrow cant they will not hold the cant down on the log deck allowing it to tip in the direction of the blade travel. I have sawed on a older WM mill years ago it used a simple vertical rod with a cam and handle on top. You simply dropped the rod into the appropriate hole in the log bed raised the cam to a height that you wanted and rotate the cam into the cant or log. I have gathered most of the materials I need to make a WM type cam dog and will replace the first two hudson dogs with 1 cam dog centered between the first two squaring stops, I will leave the third hudson dog as is in case I need it on long wood. My Hudson 236 is a good little mill for the money but my opinion of the dogs is they are a real dog.


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## Mandolin (May 6, 2013)

Sprucegum, I routinely cut narrow cants on my Hud-Son 228 and I never have had any trouble with the dogs on my mill. Maybe it gets so cold in Vermont that your dogs would rather stay on the porch.


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## brown down (May 6, 2013)

Mandolin said:


> Sprucegum, I routinely cut narrow cants on my Hud-Son 228 and I never have had any trouble with the dogs on my mill. Maybe it gets so cold in Vermont that your dogs would rather stay on the porch.



i came up with something, i tried for the life of me to get something to work reliable. since i am slabbing these out, i have two stationary teeth if you will, and another two that i kinda hammer in and they really hold that log tight!!! I am uploading some video of my mill in action as we speak.. i still need to figure out something once i start milling square cants but for the time being, as far as slabbing this is my best bet so far

they are kinda on the lines of these

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=55878.0


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## sprucegum (May 7, 2013)

Mandolin said:


> Sprucegum, I routinely cut narrow cants on my Hud-Son 228 and I never have had any trouble with the dogs on my mill. Maybe it gets so cold in Vermont that your dogs would rather stay on the porch.



If for instance I wanted a bunch of 4" boards and had a 4 x 12 cant stood on edge it would tip even if I leave the squaring stops half way or more up the cant on the first few boards. I have tried feeding very slow , more water , one dog up one down, nothing I have tried works well. I usually end up pushing the mill with one hand and balancing the cant with the other. If I have 2 such cants and saw them together I have very little problem. Tell you one thing for sure when I get my cam dog built them dogs is gonna stay on the porch


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## Mandolin (May 7, 2013)

Sprucegum, I don't know what to tell you. I bought my mill new in 2008. The only problem I've ever had is I broke one of the back dogs off turning a log. My brother welded it back on for me. But, a cam type dog would probably work real good. Good luck with it.


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