Things to look for in shopping for a wm lt 40 hdd???????

fishpharmer · December 22, 2009, 08:27:14 PM

Arky, growing up I heard...."count your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." You just splaned it really well.

boman1 · December 23, 2009, 07:33:31 PM

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on December 22, 2009, 11:10:30 AM

Extra stuff with the mill is another good reason to buy used.

As for not sharpening the blades it is just money thrown over the hill. This is a business of millions where the pennies count the most. An edger man or a poor sawyer can cost you just pennies per board. But if you do 8,000 bdft a week that is and you loose just $0.01 bdft that is $80 a week or about $4,000 a year. If you buy a blade and it cost $21.50 each and saw 1,000 bdft and toss it you have a blade cost of $0.0215 bdft. If you ship it to resharp and it cost you $11.50 each and you saw another 1,000 bdft with it now your blade cost is $0.0165 bdft. Send that blade in two more times and you will have blade cost of $0.014 bdft. Pain I know to put them in a box and wait for UPS to come by. But every week they bring me 3or 4 boxes and pick up 3 or 4 boxes. So if you saw just 8,000 bdft a week and saw 50 weeks a year then you will have a blade savings of just $0.0075 bdft which is a measly $3,000 a year. That is chump change and coin not worth the worry.
Trim a board a bit narrow or to wide and drop a grade. Might make the differance of a $1 for that board. Soon it too will add up.

Arky .....having said all that....Why dont you invest in a sharpener and a setter ? That looks like a real savings in the end .I have thought about that too...but at this point I havent found "the deal" on one.I also run a Helle Scragg mill with double vertical edgers,I sharpen 8 saw blades every day!That lots of carbide teeth!Anyway... I'm actually paying about $15.00 per blade and no shipping.I may send a box in and see how it works out.

Magicman · December 23, 2009, 09:07:24 PM

You have to either have time or pay labor to sharpen blades. I'd rather spend my time sawing or fishing..... :D I let Re Sharp do my sharpening.

Chuck White · December 23, 2009, 10:19:13 PM

15 minutes and I have a WM LT40 blade done and recoiled!
I just can't see where it is profitable to send the blades out for sharpening, albeit a good service!

Magicman · December 23, 2009, 10:50:00 PM

Quote from: Chuck White on December 23, 2009, 10:19:13 PM
15 minutes and I have a WM LT40 blade done and recoiled!
I just can't see where it is profitable to send the blades out for sharpening, albeit a good service!

Plus the cost of the resharpener. There are arguments both ways. Both valid. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla..... :D

zopi · December 23, 2009, 11:55:16 PM

I sharpen as I saw...set it up behind the mill and let the blades cycle as I work..little stripe of paint on the blade so I can watch the progress..I work through all my blades, and sharpen them all at once...

Jeff, The sharpener still works great!

ladylake · December 24, 2009, 07:42:43 AM

You wouldn't get my sharpener away from me, cost $1600 new and I've sharpened at least a couple thousand blades at $7 to $9 each with shipping plus time to box them up and mail them. My sharpener takes 7 minutes to run a 7/8 12' 6" blade through it and I set blades if needed or sharpen chainsaw chains and saw maintenance when the sharpener is running. Steve

Papa1stuff · December 24, 2009, 09:00:31 AM

Magic ,check the set on your resharpened blades ;D

ARKANSAWYER · December 24, 2009, 10:54:55 AM

Time and Money. When I have the time I do not have the money. When running as we normaly do we go through 3 or 4 blades on the LT70 a day and 2 most of the time on the LT40. That is two boxes of LT 70 blades and one LT40 a week. The UPS truck picks up and drops off so life is simple. I have 80 to 100 blades for each mill and keep the system flowing. ReSharp does a great job and it is one thing less I have to worry about.
If I get any larger and production picks up I will put in a sharpener and setter and hire one man to do it. I now sharpen my plainer blades and do the scragg mill blades myself. Then I would have a filer on staff. Might could get an older gentleman to come in a few days a week to handle it.
Sharp blades is one of them penny things you have to watch. Some times a blade will be getting dull and it is 30 min to break. Do I drop production from 800 bdft an hour to 700bdft and keep cutting till break? Or do I stop sawing and change the blade and loose 5 to 10 min of production time? It cost me $110 an hour to run the mill. The mill earns $200 an hour of production. Mess up your rhythm or break the hands stride and some times it takes longer to get the flow going again. Edger blades are bad to be neglected but can cost you money as well. So many pennies trickeling down and every one important.

ladylake · December 24, 2009, 11:55:26 AM

When I'm sharpening blades I'm making $60 to $70 a hour with very little expense plus I get other work done at the same time. Steve

Papa1stuff · December 24, 2009, 11:57:52 AM

Ladylake,do you set before sharpening?

ladylake · December 24, 2009, 12:41:48 PM

Quote from: Papa1stuff on December 24, 2009, 11:57:52 AM
Ladylake,do you set before sharpening?

When they need it, most times every 2nd or 3rd sharpening. It take about 3 to 4 minutes on the Dino setter, plenty of time when I have one on the sharpener. Steve

backwoods sawyer · December 24, 2009, 12:58:48 PM

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on December 24, 2009, 10:54:55 AM
Time and Money. When I have the time I do not have the money. When running as we normaly do we go through 3 or 4 blades on the LT70 a day and 2 most of the time on the LT40. That is two boxes of LT 70 blades and one LT40 a week. The UPS truck picks up and drops off so life is simple. I have 80 to 100 blades for each mill and keep the system flowing. ReSharp does a great job and it is one thing less I have to worry about.
If I get any larger and production picks up I will put in a sharpener and setter and hire one man to do it. I now sharpen my plainer blades and do the scragg mill blades myself. Then I would have a filer on staff. Might could get an older gentleman to come in a few days a week to handle it.
Sharp blades is one of them penny things you have to watch. Some times a blade will be getting dull and it is 30 min to break. Do I drop production from 800 bdft an hour to 700bdft and keep cutting till break? Or do I stop sawing and change the blade and loose 5 to 10 min of production time? It cost me $110 an hour to run the mill. The mill earns $200 an hour of production. Mess up your rhythm or break the hands stride and some times it takes longer to get the flow going again. Edger blades are bad to be neglected but can cost you money as well. So many pennies trickeling down and every one important.

Now if that just aint the truth!!!
You can add to the operation to increase production, but will the bottom line justify it.
Having an in house sawfiler, a good one that is, will allow you a level of quality control that you is hard to obtain is a outside service. After all you can see how your saws are performing and make changes as needed.

boman1 · December 24, 2009, 03:52:35 PM

Quote from: ARKANSAWYER on December 24, 2009, 10:54:55 AMIf I get any larger and production picks up I will put in a sharpener and setter and hire one man to do it. I now sharpen my plainer blades and do the scragg mill blades myself. Then I would have a filer on staff. Might could get an older gentleman to come in a few days a week to handle it.

We have a retired friend that comes in and grinds chipper knives, sharpens chain saw chains, slasher chains, trim saws and chop saw blades. We keep him pretty busy! Theres no way we could run the mills and keep everything sharp without him. Money well spent!

Brucer · December 27, 2009, 07:58:30 PM

Quote from: ladylake on December 24, 2009, 11:55:26 AM
When I'm sharpening blades I'm making $60 to $70 a hour with very little expense ...

That being the case, shouldn't you give up sawing and just sharpen blades? ;D ;D

ladylake · December 28, 2009, 05:10:48 AM

Quote from: Brucer on December 27, 2009, 07:58:30 PM
Quote from: ladylake on December 24, 2009, 11:55:26 AM
When I'm sharpening blades I'm making $60 to $70 a hour with very little expense ...

That being the case, shouldn't you give up sawing and just sharpen blades? ;D ;D

Give up sawing???? So far I've only been sharpening my own, sure could make good money at 8 blades a hour x 6,7 or 8 dollars a blade. I figured in the cost of shipping in $60 to $70 a hour which I would have to pay if I sent them out. Steve

Brucer · December 29, 2009, 01:10:06 AM

Quote from: ladylake on December 28, 2009, 05:10:48 AM
Give up sawing???? So far I've only been sharpening my own, sure could make good money at 8 blades a hour x 6,7 or 8 dollars a blade. I figured in the cost of shipping in $60 to $70 a hour which I would have to pay if I sent them out. Steve

I was funnin' you, but I was also making a point. There's an important difference between earning money (generating income) and not spending money (reducing expenses).

Many of us who are ~~unlucky~~ fortunate enough to be sawing full time find that we can earn more money sending our blades out. But you gotta do the math for your particular operation.