Cook's Super Sharp Woes

[golddredger]

I have had one blade out of my box of ten of Cook's super sharps that must have had a bad set from the start because it was diving and making wavy cuts. After a few passes and not seeing anything different from before I changed the blade and all was well again. So, although the day started out frustrating it ended on a great note as I was able to cut a couple of large pine logs (24"-26") in diameter with no problems. This is the only band I have had an issue with since buying the mill last spring from Cooks.

This was my issue. I was not concerned with the stray tooth causing the lines in the finish but the fact that the blades cut up down and cupped cuts brand new. Out of the 10 pack only 2 cut straight and flat. After setting the bad cutting blades without even sharpening them they went back on the saw and cut straight no problem. This is how I sorted out they set was all over the place and way less on one side than the other. Hence the diving or climbing cuts. I to am cutting pine. After a nice consiistant set to .28 they are slicing pine wonderfully.

[drobertson]

 I do believe they will work with us folks, it just takes time and shipping. 

[golddredger]

I am very sure they will! It is just the shipping time turn around time that is the killer. It was faster for me to set the blades and get to cutting. I willl talk to them more before I order the next batch. I am willing to stick with cooks and try them again just due to the help I got with questions when I ordered the first box. They where very good about helping.

[Robert Owens]

Yes, I agree that Cooks will take care of things. I'm not upset with Cooks. Billy and all the people there have been great to work with and I called numerous times over a year before ordering my mill. I'll call when I'm ready to send the blades in for resharpening and have two more boxes on hand so no worries here.

[LeeB]

You might want to preflight the other two boxes. If it is a consistant isssue they need to go back before you have to use them.

[FarmingSawyer]

[quote author=slider link=topic=78785.msg1196723#msg1196723 date

Farming sawyer dressing the stone is about the most critical part of sharpening.Also taking light passes.What are you getting for a setter?
[/quote]

I'm going with the single tooth setter for now. Can barely afford the system as it is. And.now we've had 10" of wet snow and my sawing jobs are pushed  off all
Over the place the chances of me
Getting the money together before the sale is over are sliding by......

[slider]

Don't hold me to this Farmingsawyer but cooks puts that stuff on sale more than once a year.

[FarmingSawyer]

Don't hold me to this Farmingsawyer but cooks puts that stuff on sale more than once a year.

The catalog claims its the last time at a price so low. In fact the quote I got for the cats claw and setter is lower than the catalog price for the sharpener alone.

Not sure if I should spring for the extra TW cam or just convert everything I have over to cooks tho. I might get the cam if there are other Sawyers in the area wanting sharpening. The mill manufacturer sells TW and Lennox. They're over an hour away with a 2 week lag time and rigid rules about drop off day. And there are at least 5 mills within 10 miles that I know of.

[ely]

if it helps you any... I went to the cooks SS 8 degree bands some time ago....I also quit changing the cams out for all my different bands that I had. eventually they all got ground to the same cam.
I sometimes sharpen bands for other folks so I do have several different cams available. but now I only run the cooks ss 8 degree on everything.

[delvis]

Today's customers don't know what rough cut lumber used to look like and have gotten spoiled by the smooth finishes modern mills leave most of the time.  I don't like it when I have a tooth out of sorts and it leaves marks on the wood like this either, but most customers say they couldn't care less because they are just going to use the boards for boarding something in or they plan on planning the lumber down anyway.

[FarmingSawyer]

I am used to working with circular sawn lumber and actually like the sawmarks..... I even don't mind the over set tooth marks on these pieces....if I was going to use the lumber rough. However, as a wood worker that extra depth of set is a PITA.....it means one or two more passes through  a single surface planer and it can mean a thinner than standard board. I'm working through a pile of clear cherry I sawed years ago when I was first learning on my band mill. The lumber I've been milling in the past couple of years is miles ahead and what I've been milling since I've gone on the road is light years ahead of where I was at before. I can still use the cherry and I'm glad I sawed it heavy because some of the 5/4 pieces, now that their dried, are going right down to 3/4 to clean up, which is a shame on a 12" wide clear cherry piece with figure.....

Having experienced all this myself, it helps to know what the intended use for the lumber is when I'm milling my customers logs so I can advise them as best I can. I'm still kicking myself for allowing a customer to talk me into sawing his clear oak 3/4". The trees were highly reactive and he ended up with a thick and thin board from every log at least....he liked the smooth finish the band was giving the oak and figured he wouldn't have to plane the finished, dried wood when he put it down for flooring.....even after we discussed shrinkage. In a year or more he won't remember my discussion, only that I "made his boards too thin".......

All this makes me think I should take my old sawyers' advise and name my business Thick n'Thin Lumber Co.

[backwoods sawyer]

In the production mill running thin kerf saws, a saw marking was always checked before changing.

The rule of thumb was 1/8 grove and tearing wood.

If it was just leaving a ridge and the saw was running good, no saw change.

I explain to the customer that the extra 1/4" in 4/4 (1 1/4) is not so much for for cleaning up saw marks as it is for cleaning up issues that develop in the drying process, like bow, twist, humps and bumps ect and that they are better off a little thick then thin and let them make the final decision on size.

[drobertson]

ran close to 700 bdft on a  re-sharpened one today, had just a bit of the hitch we all hate,  put 5 more through the sharpener, and all is good again.  Pretty sure most blades will go good, but if a lil rock or hard debris hits the edge, a miss hit will occur. No need to mention the back stop,  it does happen on edging 2x4's

[Banjo picker]

OK folks  this is post number 38 on a post that should have been sent to the forum sponsor right off the bat. 
So lets just let it die.  Banjo