"flatsaw" completely uterly barking mad idea?

Satamax · July 24, 2012, 03:17:26 PM

Hi everybody.

I see a lot of people making and trying to use chainsaw mills.

Has anybody tried to make a better chain?

I mean, i see that broken sawmill blade i have in the workshop, with big teeth, it's about 3 inch wide, with 3/4 gullets. And i'm thinking, why not cut the blade perpendicular, before every tooth, drill holes and rivet that. I mean, this wouldn't be used on a chainsaw. But could a chain like this be made and hold?

Or am i completely bonkers?

beenthere · July 24, 2012, 04:31:53 PM

Satamax
Can you put up a pic or drawing? I'm not able to interpret the description very well. Maybe others will do much better.

Mark Wentzell · July 24, 2012, 05:06:21 PM

Do you mean cutting the teeth off of a bandsaw mill blade and riveting them to a chainsaw chain?

Jeff · July 24, 2012, 05:32:29 PM

yes

Satamax · July 24, 2012, 05:35:00 PM

Well, i'm thinking about something like this.

No guide, two guiding sprockets, one at each end. Tensioned by a C frame. Electricaly powered. Like a chainsaw, but much bigger. Of course, there's simpler solutions. But, this would be fantastic for a small portable (ish) sawmill. Like the chainsaw sawmills you can see. I'm thinking it a bit wide, like 3 inch, so it would be somewhat self guiding, for a thickness of around 3/16th.

Completely mad?

Satamax · July 24, 2012, 05:37:07 PM

Quote from: Jeff on July 24, 2012, 05:32:29 PM
yes

Huh, yes what? say_what

Jeff · July 24, 2012, 05:42:21 PM

Yes to the question.

Satamax · July 24, 2012, 05:47:02 PM

Then comes the which part of the question?

Tree Feller · July 24, 2012, 05:49:33 PM

Quote from: Satamax on July 24, 2012, 03:17:26 PM

Or am i completely bonkers?

I agree with Jeff. yes. :D

Satamax · July 24, 2012, 05:52:12 PM

Well, i won't comment. But sometimes i feel not very welcome here.

mad murdock · July 24, 2012, 06:02:36 PM

Quote from: Satamax on July 24, 2012, 03:17:26 PM
Hi everybody.

I see a lot of people making and trying to use chainsaw mills.

Has anybody tried to make a better chain?

I mean, i see that broken sawmill blade i have in the workshop, with big teeth, it's about 3 inch wide, with 3/4 gullets. And i'm thinking, why not cut the blade perpendicular, before every tooth, drill holes and rivet that. I mean, this wouldn't be used on a chainsaw. But could a chain like this be made and hold?

Or am i completely bonkers?

sounds a bit crazy, but if you could figure out a way to make a better, stronger thinner kerf chain style cutting saw, you would not have to worry about retirement. I would think that if it were possible it'd have been done by now, but then again- you guys in france have a reputation for following after your own ideas. I hope that you can figure some new fangled thina-a-majig out, i would be interested in knowing how it worked out.

Jeff · July 24, 2012, 06:15:19 PM

Quote from: Satamax on July 24, 2012, 05:52:12 PM
Well, i won't comment. But sometimes i feel not very welcome here.

You need to shelf that French sense of humor and embrace the Forestry Forum's.

Back to the question at hand, I agree with Tree Feller.

wormy · July 24, 2012, 06:55:07 PM

looks interesting who knows that could be a million dollar ideal. but from the looks of that blade it sure would be a nightmare to sharpen!

Ron Wenrich · July 24, 2012, 09:22:41 PM

Seems like you're trying to reinvent the wheel. What advantage does this design have over other blades?

shelbycharger400 · July 24, 2012, 09:42:10 PM

just happen to be jammin to the 80's... on pandora..
Quiet Riot, Metal Health.

well...that might be fitting for this project. with that kinda hook, and thin construction. Just might be inevetable .

Ill put in a few cents when I get a better understanding what method of powering you have, but I say recipricating might work. with a tooth at / of more or less

If you seen what my home made rippin chain looked like the other day, no wonder i have had issues in the past, but it still cut, until dirt entered the picture and it decided to ride up.
Lots of thinking for this picture page idea.
Thin kerf might be nice, but how will it hold up. then alloys , ect . . .

Ironwood · July 24, 2012, 10:00:13 PM

Looks like the big brother to the "scrapper chains" on chainsaws hee in the US from 1947.

Ironwood

Kcwoodbutcher · July 24, 2012, 11:27:11 PM

If it would have to ride in some sort of guide bar, which I think it would, I see no advantage over chainsaw chain. The kerf would have to be a least as wide as the bar negating any advantage. That amount of kerf would put a tremendous strain on the blade.

Satamax · July 25, 2012, 01:20:46 AM

Quote from: shelbycharger400 on July 24, 2012, 09:42:10 PM
just happen to be jammin to the 80's... on pandora..
Quiet Riot, Metal Health.

well...that might be fitting for this project. with that kinda hook, and thin construction. Just might be inevetable .

Ill put in a few cents when I get a better understanding what method of powering you have, but I say recipricating might work. with a tooth at / of more or less

If you seen what my home made rippin chain looked like the other day, no wonder i have had issues in the past, but it still cut, until dirt entered the picture and it decided to ride up.
Lots of thinking for this picture page idea.
Thin kerf might be nice, but how will it hold up. then alloys , ect . . .

Quote from: Kcwoodbutcher on July 24, 2012, 11:27:11 PM
If it would have to ride in some sort of guide bar, which I think it would, I see no advantage over chainsaw chain. The kerf would have to be a least as wide as the bar negating any advantage. That amount of kerf would put a tremendous strain on the blade.

Guys. I was thinking, the blade set up like on a chainsaw. One flanged pinion at one end, the pinion part would act as any other one, transmiting power to the chain; may be it would be clever to do this on the pull side. The two flanges act as a guide. Then you imagine, instead of a guide, you have a frame, tubular or whatnot. Which holds this pinion, goes into a C shape. perpendicular to the plane of cutting, and goes to the other flanged pinion, which acts only as a guide and tensioner. Check the protool timberframing bandsaw to see better what i have in mind.

The only advandage this has over a chainsaw, is greater gullet area, and over a bandsaw, it might be more portable. Blades could be stellite tipped too.

Well, to the nay or doomsayers. Yes it might be dangerous, as any other piece of equipement. It might serve no purpose, then again, a man wasn't meant to travel faster than a horse two hundred years ago! Etc.

Old Hilly · July 25, 2012, 03:52:25 AM

Hang on folks, let's think about this for a bit. :P
A chainsaw chain is shaped like it is so that it will cut a groove wider than the links that hold the chain together. If we made the links the cutting teeth on a band saw with a bit of set on them to give clearance and then had another tooth to clean out the center of the cut and also act as the drive tooth (like in a chainsaw chain) we might get somewhere.
Add to these teeth some Tungsten tips and we might get some decent life out of the chain, especially in our Australian hardwoods.
This bloke could be onto something here......

Ron Wenrich · July 25, 2012, 05:28:41 AM

I come back to what advantage do you get over a band or chain. The cost to manufacture would be more, sharpening couldn't be done in the field, and you would only get a little less kerf than a circle or chain saw.

Migal · July 31, 2012, 02:18:46 AM

Dang I Knew someone would figure the curf of it out! but I liked his Idea now make those chain's for a price of a Circular blade and fast as a Band that fit's on 36" wheels :P