Saw Filing

[inspectorwoody]

I was given the chance to learn how to file our saws at work. I've been helping our filer for the last few months. I'll be stepping aside to let someone else learn soon as I miss being in the mill grading lumber, sawing etc. The new guy is going from stacking to filing...He is pretty excited.  ;)

-Headrig Bands are 40'
-Resaws are 38'
-30 Degree Hook Angle
-We swage and shape every 3 runs give or take
-Bands are ran in 5 hr shifts give or take. They can be pulled early due to chipped corners, broken teeth, tension gone etc.
-We weld cracks and weld on new teeth.
-Teeth are ground between 24-28 teeth per minute
-We strain them up with air at 16000lbs.
-We run sliver backs on the headrig and have a few for the resaw
-Resaws are 238 teeth/250 teeth on the sliver back
-Headrigs are 260 teeth
-Grinding wheels are dressed after 3 rounds.




Automatic leveler. Touch screen computer. Reduces bench time by 40-50%.
More information:
http://www.armstrongblue.com/Band_Saw/band_saw_equipment_frames_page.htm




Headrig grinder. Touch screen computer. Dry grinder. We use a lube on the wheel after we dress it.
More information:
http://www.menomineesaw.com/app/inventoryapp/filing_room_equipment/inventory_view/9-16-13-1.html




Resaw Grinder. Wet grinder. You can see the tooth protectors we put on coiled up.




The Bench.

I can tell you from experience that when one of those bands comes off the wheels, you go to the bathroom just to check.  :D

We have a metal detector after our debarker so hardware isn't much of an issue. Still get some. Things have been hit hard enough to shred the teeth off. You find teeth far away from the saw when that happens. 

It has been another interesting thing to learn and I look forward to filing my own. 

[terrifictimbersllc]

....just pretend I didn't see this .....  back to my teeny tiny tools...... : : :

[laffs]

if i could have gotten in the filing room i would have stayed at the mill. it was the only warm place there was in the winter, good hours too. we hit tons of stuff the 15 yrs i was there.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Pretty interesting, thanks for the photographic walk through.

Jon

[backwoods sawyer]

Our filling room was set up on the forth floor, climate controlled, and a good hiding spot for the relief man who had to keep the sawfilers appraised of how all machine centers were measuring. We hammered all of our saws, for the first 15 years that I was there, we ran double cut swedge tooth. We spent five years trying new saws before settling on stellite. One of them used three different heights of teeth, it was a noisy saw to run and a real pain to sharpen as well. I always keep an eye out for one of those sharpeners when I at equipment auctions.

[inspectorwoody]

That is interesting that it was on the fourth floor.

What type of system did you have to get the bands to the saws?

Ours is climate controlled too, always nice in there no matter the time of year. 

[backwoods sawyer]

The first floor was the where all the hydraulic rooms were located along with the edger conveyor, the second floor was where the rest of the conveyors were located, the sawmill was located on the third floor with the log infeed and stacker located on the high corner. By having the saw filling room located on the forth floor all of the saws could be lifted off the saws with a yoke, put on carts and wheeled into the filing room. New saws were brought up with the bridge crane. The sawmill office, and computer rooms were located around the perimeter of the forth floor giving them all a good view of the flow of the wood thru the whole mill.