Handy things around the mill

[pineywoods]

 Breathes there a bandmiller who has never needed to back the blade out of a cut?? Like when you hit nails, or heaven forbid, the backstop or log clamp? Cutting the slab or flitch off with a chainsaw sorta works but can get messy. For sumpthing so simple, this handy tool makes it fairly easy to back the blade out of the cut. Just a piece of an old blade with a handle attached. Shove it through the kerf behind the blade and rake the sawdust out of the kerf. Using a wedge to open the kerf a little helps. Note the direction of the teeth. it cuts on the pull stroke.

[zopi]

Neat...could do the same thing..old section of blade in a homemade bowsaw frame...

[Dan_Shade]

yep, I carry one of them around with me, they are handy when the kerf is full of dust and you need to back out

[Chuck White]

Wouldn't that tool also work as a hookaroon?  Maybe it would work better to move small stuff, with most of the teeth removed.
Use it with small stuff, for the big stuff, use the real thing!

How did you make the holes through it to attach the handle, carbide bit?

[Tom]

I used to keep pieces of broken blade on my truck for just such purposes.  I didn't take the time to put a handle on them, just had a place where I threw pieces 8" to 10".  They don't take much room that way.

I did put holes in old pieces of bands when makeing  knives.  They weren't pretty knives, just used for filleting, boning, skinning and such.  The preferred tool was a side grinder.  I would grind a spot until it was mostly through and turned blue on the other side.  Then I would turn it over and grind the blue spot.  Even if the hole never made it all the way through, the metal would become soft enough that I could drive a nail through it or drill it.  My handles were just nails driven through the wood and the metal and bradded on the other side of the handle like a rivet.  A small ball peen hammer makes them look pretty good.

I also got tired of ruining my pocket knife to clean a running blade.  I know it isn't the safest thing to do, but I did it.   I started making little knives (scrapers) with long handles so that I could reach the running band from the back side, away from the teeth, and scrape off pine resin that had built up.  Sometimes the running water lube needed some help.  It makes it a safer procedure when the blade is in a log and you are scraping the short side of the band, and you are accessing it from the operators side of the head.

[pineywoods]

How did you make the holes through it to attach the handle, carbide bit?

I drilled the holes using a drill press and one of them super-duper bad dog bits..Cut a bandsaw blade like butter. The handle is a chunk of ash I turned on the lathe. Got tired of tearing up my hands trying to use just a hunk of broken blade.

[logwalker]

You could chuck up a 20 penny nail in a drill press and use friction to anneal the metal in that spot. Spin it fast enough and it will go right through. Joe

[Dan_Shade]

I think I just drilled it  ???  I may have clamped it between two peices of wood, I dont'remember

[LeeB]

I've made a coule of knives from broken blades. I just drilled them on a drill press. no special bit to my recollect.

[backwoods sawyer]

What length is that? 24'
To long and it can be awkward to get in around the head. To short and you would have to try to come in from the backside and it could be too tight to get right up behind the saw.

Tom. Glad to hear I am not the only one that has worn out knives cleaning the blade from the backside. Just keep the tip out of the gullet and it works better then any other way I have found to get the pitch build up off the saw. For cleaning the wheels, it is best to do it with the band removed.

[Chuck White]

I wouldn't be surprised that most of us have cleaned a blade with a knife while the mill is running!
Myself, once in a while I'll clean one with a putty knife.
You do have to stay on your toes while doing this, because disaster "could" strike in an instant!
I think I may make myself a longer "blade scraper" out of a broken band!

I thought that the blades were "high carbon" and would require a special hard bit to drill through them.
But, now I know, thanks!

[Papa1stuff]

I never clean a blade when its running !
My Father-In-Law lost an arm on a circle mill because someone started the mill without sounding the alarm, so never clean a moving blade ,it is not worth the time saved ,You can't grow another hand or arm >:(

[Bibbyman]

I never clean a blade when its running !
My Father-In-Law lost an arm on a circle mill because someone started the mill without sounding the alarm, so never clean a moving blade ,it is not worth the time saved ,You can't grow another hand or arm >:(

As Buckwheat said, "Me too neither!" 

Just yesterday I did a stupid thing.  We broke a blade and started to change it.  Like often happens, the idle wheel was still spinning.  It had run down quite a bit but I was in a hurry to get it to stop so I put the palm of my hand on the hub to break it.  For some dumb reason,  I let my fingers pull in a little and they caught the spokes of the wheel.  They didn't' get tangled in but it bumped them up pretty hard.  Gave me a "hurts donut", don't you know.

[DR Buck]

I also got tired of ruining my pocket knife to clean a running blade.  I know it isn't the safest thing to do, but I did it.   I started making little knives (scrapers) with long handles so that I could reach the running band from the back side, away from the teeth, and scrape off pine resin that had built up.  Sometimes the running water lube needed some help.  It makes it a safer procedure when the blade is in a log and you are scraping the short side of the band, and you are accessing it from the operators side of the head.

I don't clean nothin nowhere nohow when anything is running, turning or moving!   I've always been 'scared' of power tools and I have lots of them.  Being scared keeps me  on my toes.   I almost lost a finger a little over a year ago on a hydraulic winch by not paying attention for just 1/2 a second.  smiley_carpenter_hit_thumb Seven stitches to sew it back on and a long recovery.   It still hurts like H#$#  when it's cold.     If any body parts come off on the sawmill blade they're most likely not going to be put back on.

Not to signal out any one person, but it's the few that do unsafe (read that as stupid) things around moving equipment are the one that give sawmills the bad rap with the insurance companies.

[okmulch]

When we shut down for the day we clean the dust from our rotochopper, and we have to get in the belly or hopper and clean all the mulch out from there also. I do not attempt to start cleaning until the rotor is completely stopped. On estick that could be left in between the screen and the rotor could cause major damage to one of us.


Just like spinning blades, I always told the hired help and any newbies to not reach in unless they can count individual teeth one a blade or rotor.

[pigman]

....to not reach in unless they can count individual teeth one a blade or rotor.

That would be difficult for some of us slow people. ;)

[zopi]

PM...I think that's the point...

[Magicman]

This is not really a modification, but a tip which will make life easier.    ;)

Maybe there are enough portable WM owners on here who experience the problem with the "fender holders" filling with sawdust, etc. which must be removed before the fender will slide into the slot.

I just stick a plastic wedge into the slot after removing the fender. Now your fender slot doesn't fill up, and you have a wedge handy when you need to lift a slab/board before backing a band out of a cut.

[captain_crunch]

Handiest thing around my mill is HELP :D :D :D Unless the Boys want some lumber they can become real Scarce Fast

[Bibbyman]

I'm bringing this topic just in case there are some new members that have not seen it.  Got lots of handy things around the mill.  Maybe we can get some more.

[redbeard]

 

  I picked up this handy hook at the local husky saw shop awhile back and have given it a good field test. It is very helpful sliding off the slabs especially the heavy tappered end.

[beenthere]

The Logrite hookaroon does that job well too. Just gives a bit more reach.

[Delawhere Jack]

Handy things?

Chains, nylon tow strap, come-along(s), crowbars, handsaw, wood "shims" of various thicknesses, Gatorade, socket set, hatchet, C-clamps, band-aids............a swear-jar (to drop coins in everytime you say DANG!!!!)  :D

[Magicman]

Other than the normal tools, my "end tongs" are probably the handiest.  They work quite well helping to adjust stubborn logs.


 
Made from broken logging tongs.


 
Unloading logs.


 
Adjusting logs on the sawmill using the side support hydraulics.


 
Moving logs using the sawmill log clamp hydraulics.     

[redbeard]

This clamp on spreader bar with a eyelet is handy for attatching log tongs and or chains and straps helpful unloading customers trucks and trailers.