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When ordering blades~Fir soft or hard?

Started by valley ranch, March 19, 2015, 03:57:35 PM

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valley ranch

Greetings, When ordering blades we are asked if we're cutting hard or soft wood

I have Fir and Pine here. Is Fir a hard wood Blade wise?

Thanks Richard

drobertson

not sure about fir, I will say I saw hard and soft with the same band. Not sure what mill you have, hp, mainly
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

redprospector

What kind of Fir? Is it green, or has it been down a while?
I know that around here We have Douglas Fir that will get about as hard as iron after it sets a while. You actually have to predrill before nailing. I try to saw it when it's green to avoid all of that, but if it is hard when you get it, it will saw better with a little less set. I generally just saw all of our Pine and Fir with the same set in the blades.
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

valley ranch

I'm building a mill,  I have an 18hp kohler to install. We have several types of fir and some pine. Not sure if there is Dug Fir.

Richard

drobertson

wish I could help,,, no knowledge on your timber, but am thinking a generic band would work,  maybe a 9° with your range of hp,, keep the factory sets until you get into it,
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

fishfighter

Heck, all the fir I used to build boats has been a soft wood. I never milled any.

redprospector

Quote from: fishfighter on March 19, 2015, 09:35:28 PM
Heck, all the fir I used to build boats has been a soft wood. I never milled any.
Fir is definitely classed as a softwood, just like Aspen is classed as a hardwood.  :D Has very little to do with the density of the wood.  ;)
I think a lot depends on the growing conditions, and growth rate as to how hard a wood is or isn't. I've used Doug Fir that came from the PNW that was just a really nice framing lumber. They have quite a bit more moisture up there, and I've seen pictures of 50 year old trees that were 100' tall, and 36" diameter. Here in New Mexico, The Good Lord saw fit to stick the southern most end of the Rocky's in the middle of 2 deserts, with more desert across the Texas line to the south. A 100' Doug fir tree that's 36" in diameter around here will probably be over 100 years old.
The Doug Fir around here will also turn into cork screws if you don't treat it right while it's drying.
I don't know...But that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.  :D
1996 Timber King B-20 with 14' extension, Morgan Mini Scragg Mill, Fastline Band Scragg Mill (project), 1973 JD 440-b skidder, 2008 Bobcat T-320 with buckets, grapple, auger, Tushogg mulching head, etc., 2006 Fecon FTX-90L with Bull Hog 74SS head, 1994 Vermeer 1250 BC Chipper. A bunch of chainsaws.

Chuck White

I believe that Balsam is a type of Fir, and I've sawn Balsam with 10° Wood-Mizer bands set at .028-.030 with good results.

Fresh cut Balsam seems to saw about the same as White Pine.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Brucer

Technically, Gymnosperms (don't have true flowers, seeds are bare) are called softwoods and Angiosperms (true flower, seeds are coated or encased) are called hardwoods. Which can be pretty confusing since Aspen (a hardwood) is a whole lot softer than Western Larch (a softwood).

Then to add to the confusion, we have "Fir" trees.

There are several species of Fir trees - Subalpine Fir (Abies Lasiocarpa), Pacific Silver Fir (Abies Amabalis), Grand Fir (Abies Grandis), and a whole bunch of other firs that don't grow in BC so I can't tell you their names (in common use or Latin ;D). These are all relatively soft woods. Note the prefix Abies -- that includes all the "true Firs."

Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga Menziesii) isn't a Fir. It's a harder wood, and much stronger. You can tell the difference by looking at the end of a log that hasn't been too weathered. The true Firs are a pale, almost white colour throughout. Douglas-Fir has a pale sapwood and a fairly dark, reddish brown heartwood.

On older trees, Douglas-Fir has a much thicker bark with deep, wide fissures in it. The bark has an almost cork-like appearance. On younger trees the bark may appear similar so it's not the best indicator. The colour difference between the sapwood and heartwood is a very reliable indicator.

Having said that, I use a 10° blade for Douglas-Fir and it cuts just fine.

PS: I had to learn all those Latin names because there are dozens of local names for woods, and a lot of folks don't even know what they're selling. Some of them do know what they're selling, but hope you don't >:(.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

valley ranch

Thanks guys, I ordered a Timber Wolf Part# 158-1143490SS

I have to find Daddies setting tool, I know it's here

Father made a saw. His saw used an old time transmission I think out of a washing machine, on the output shaft was a connection rod from an auto engine. Oh, there was a disk on the output shaft, the engine rod was to the outside of the disk so the blade would be drawn back and forth.
It sawed very slowly, he would set the saw, which had an electric motor, and come back later to set for another cut. I didn't have enough sense to bring it when I moved to the mountains. But I do have the tooth setter.
I miss him more than anything.


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