Wood Mizer or Timber King blades

[Digger Don]

Pardon my ignorance again, but what is the difference between Wood Mizer and Timber King blades. My friend sent some blades off to be sharpened and was told, after about two weeks, that the guy only sharpens Wood Mizer blades. I'm not looking for all the technical details, just the simple answer. I'm guessing the teeth might be different and you would need a different sharpener, for each? 

Along the same line, can Wood Mizer blades be used on a Timber King? I'm assuming they are nearly the same length. I know what happens when you assume things!  :D I'm just wondering if one brand might cut better than the other.

[Southside]

I don't know TK bands specifically but the difference is likely in the tooth hook angle and possibly the tooth spacing. With the right wheel and cam anyone could sharpen either.

As far as using one on the other brand mill, band length, width, and thickness are the three factors that determine if a band will work on your mill.

What model do you have and what is it specd for? 

[barbender]

Woodmizer will make you a blade for any mill. I'm sure TK will too. You don't need to match manufacturer mills and blades. 

The guy sharpening likely isn't set up for the different blade profile. If he has a CBN sharpener, he would have to buy a wheel to sharpen the new profile. If he's just sharpening 10 blades at say $8 a piece, he gets $80 for the grinding wheel he just paid $200+ for. 

[Digger Don]

Southside, I'm not sure what specifications you are referring to, but the mill is a TK B20. A friend of mine owns it and pays the bills. I'm retired, so I have time to run it. What better partnership could you ask for?? I have the fun, while he pays the bills!

Barbender, The guy who couldn't do the sharpening, charges about double your estimate. Jackson (mill owner) said considering all the hassles involved, it's hardly worth his time to have blades sharpened, unless we do it ourselves. New ones are only two or three dollars more than sharpening.

We do have a sharpener and setter, but haven't had time to really figure out how to use it. We're hoping that comes this winter.

[Will_Johnson]

We always encourage our mill owners to try different blades from different manufacturers and use the one that best fits their specific situation. Most seem to end up back with our blades, but as long as they're happy with the way their machine's cutting, we're happy.

Most after-market blade suppliers will weld blades to any length you specify.

The B-20 takes a 12' 6" blade.  Because this is a legacy model of ours, we typically have 12' 6" blades in stock.

For the purposes of this conversation, the most relevant difference between TimberKing and Woodmizer blades is that they have different tooth profiles. So for sharpening shops they're not interchangeable.

[Digger Don]

That's what I had guessed. Thanks for the confirmation.

[barbender]

Will, I like your philosophy👍🏻

Digger Don, yes if he is charging that much I would probably just go with new blades too. You guys can just pile up new blades waiting for their first sharpening until you get the sharpener and setter figured out. Even with my own sharpening equipment, sometimes I get so busy I don't have time to sharpen. In those cases I just order new blades as well, when things slow down I have a nice pile of once dulled blades to sharpen.

[Digger Don]

We've probably got 50 or 60 blades, already. Most came with the mill when we bought it. The previous owner said they were sharp, but after years of sitting in a large plastic bucket, they have some rust on them. We tried one and only got about three feet into the log, before backing it out and putting on a new one.

I've heard that blades can only be sharpened three or four times. Is that correct? How do you keep track of which blades have been sharpened, and how many times? Some sort of branding?

[barbender]

The number of sharpenings you get depends on what size and thickness your blades are. Generally, the thicker the blade, the fewer sharpenings you'll get. I run .045" and get 6-8 sharpenings, .055" only get 2 or 3. I typically don't get too concerned about rust. I will usually take a group if blades, say 10 if them and then sharpen them. Use them, sharpen again and keep doing so until they are used up. That way your sharpener and setter settings stay consistent for that group.

[Digger Don]

That's a great idea! Once you get it set up, why change it for every blade?

So, you don't think the rust caused the problem? The sharp blade just wasn't sharp? That's good to know, too. Thanks, Barbender.

I've got to wonder if there is a story behind your name?

[barbender]

If they were extremely rusty the rust could have formed on the cutting edge as well, but I've never experienced that. If they were so dull you had to back out of the cut, I really doubt it was sharp in the first place. 
  Many years back, I mail ordered a 24" bar for my Jonsered chainsaw. I got it and the first thing I did is go out and get it pinched in a tree. I tried to move the tree with a skidder, it didn't go so well and my new bar got bent😑 I joined the Forum later that same day, and needed a handle😁 That was the only bar I ever bent, until I ran a harvester a few winters ago cutting lots of clumped hardwood. Then I was earning my handle😂
  

[Southside]

But as we know, not the only power saw bar you have pinched...  :D

[barbender]

Now no one asked about bar pinching,  Southside😊 As an aside, I hear a few old timers in this area refer to chain saws as "power saws" and it is more common farther north of here. Pretty common among the vintage cable skidder pulp loggers of the 60's, 70's and 80's. Is that a Maine expression for you?

[Digger Don]

At only 46, you don't have many years behind you! ;D

When I hear power saw, I tend to think more of an electric one, than a chain saw. But, since Southside and I are almost neighbors, I don't want to ruffle his feathers.

[Southside]

Naa, it's definately a local term.  Doubt I ever heard it back in Maine.  Of course around here if I said it we were going on a trip to go sledding folks would think that involves a hill and a Radio Flyer.  To me it meant reed valves, hand warmers,  two cycle oil, and a studded track.   :D  Brappp, Brappp....

[barbender]

Yeah we go sledding on snowmobiles too😊

[Southside]

What's even funnier is if you rode a genuine Ski Doo then you called every sled a Ski Doo, even would say "Bert went skidooing for the day". Boy that sure chapped the Yamaha owners.  :D

[barbender]

Haha I've heard of that expression being used other places as well, but never around here. I can just imagine- "aye, that's a nice skidoo you got there!" "It's a Yamaha!" "Oh sure yeah, a Yamaha...I bet you can't wait for snow so you can go Skidooing on it?!"😂

[Will_Johnson]

Worth noting that if blades are quite rusty, lots of sharpening shops will either refuse to sharpen them or charge a cleaning fee. The added friction caused by rust as the blade moves through the equipment causes numerous problems.