Cooks sharpener

[Peter Drouin]

Most impressive customsawyer.
I also make a full time living with my mill.
Find the logs, saw the logs, set up the trucking, talk to loggers, landowners ,sell the lumber, take care of the waste, maintain everything.
Only cut a truckload or five of customer logs for a fee.
Are you still cutting crane mats, 40' 12x12 for the big mill?

[4x4American]

Customsawyer, please tell us more about the flatness and the rolling, is it really important.?? Frank C.

Only if you want to cut flat lumber lol

[caveman]

Dug, we prefers to cut flattery lumber but it sometimes is a challenge, even with 4° Kascos.

  

 
Add a week of ridiculously high humidity (summertime in central Florida) and pine lumber turns green, even with a 36" fan blowing continuously through the stack since an hour after it was sticker stacked and sawn.

Hi ho, hi ho, off to work I go.

[Deese]

Caveman, it's 53° here in AL this morning. Quite strange...but I'm loving it!
By the way, I taught Customsawyer everything I know about blade flatness.  :D He's got it going on.

[drobertson]

Many of you folks saw all kinds of timber I've never seen,,from the northern stuff, to western,,but I can testify that the SOG of SYP will suck a blade quick as any,,

[bandmiller2]

I have been doing some reading about band rolling. From what I read its not what you would expect its not a concave/convex deal where you bend the width of the band to flatten it. It actually expands the steel like a stretch roller used to tension circular saws. the bottom roller is flat and the top curved to spread the metal. Probably to build one the curved roller could be a replacement bearing for a pillow block bearing their OD is curved and a regular flat ball bearing for the bottom. HF sells a geared roller with interchangeable rollers may check that out, could probably be repurposed to flatten bands. Frank C.

[Kbeitz]

English Wheel.... Finger pincher...

[drobertson]

flattening is flattening,, yes it may stretch,, albeit minor, very minor amounts,,its not tensioning as mentioned like circular blades, its just taking the curve out of the band that's caused by a manufacturing process.  Stretching the steel would in fact result in a change in thickness, which is not the case at all from this process.  It simply is taking out the crown, which comes from the original process as well as running on band wheels with a crown.  These blades we run, run under tension, thus imparting forces on the body of the band which impart a forming of the body,, which can and usually affects the sawing efficiency.  Once one runs with a flattened band, they may find that all the minor issues with production and quality kinda just goes away,, neat stuff,, ain't it,?

[4x4American]

Cook's calls it, iirc, anti-clastic curvature the way the blade bends when going around the band wheel

[Banjo picker]

Here is a roller. Made by Cooks. There are a few other pictures in my gallery of it. Banjo

 

[bandmiller2]

Picker, is that bottom roller flat or concaved.?? Frank C.

[Banjo picker]

Concave.  I think you can see that from some of the other pictures in the gallery.  I will see if i can get a close up of it when i get home.  Banjo

[bandmiller2]

Thanks Picker, I stand corrected if the bottom roller is concave its strictly a bending operation. I read on a different forum the bottom roller was flat. Frank C.

[Deese]

I reckon I want one of them thar rollin' contraptions.

[Banjo picker]

I guess I got to eat crow.  I answered from memory this morning, and that was defective.  The bottom roller is flat as you said bandmiller2.  Here is a picture I just took of it.

   Sorry for giving you the wrong answer earlier.  Banjo

[customsawyer]

Most impressive customsawyer.
I also make a full time living with my mill.
Find the logs, saw the logs, set up the trucking, talk to loggers, landowners ,sell the lumber, take care of the waste, maintain everything.
Only cut a truckload or five of customer logs for a fee.
Are you still cutting crane mats, 40' 12x12 for the big mill?

Yes I'm still cutting the long timbers at the big mill. When they can get the logs in.
You said a mouthful when you mentioned what all you are doing at your place. At the big mill I cut for that is one of the reasons I'm able to saw like I am. I don't have to do all of those other things you mentioned. All I have to do is saw and my maintenance. That makes a huge difference in production numbers.  Sawing at my house I have to do all that you listed and some more as I have to take care of the kiln and run the planer also. I actually have been filling a larger order for flooring and paneling so have barely even run the sawmill at the house. Still sawing  the nail logs at the big mill. I get emails and phone calls on a regular basis of someone that has found my website and want to know how they can get set up like me. I never know how they expect me to answer. All I know is that it takes a lot of work to get it set up and a heck of a lot of work to keep it rolling. One of the things that most don't realize that it takes is the contacts to get the logs in when you need them. I've always said that the sawing is the easy part of this business.

Bandmiller2, the rolling of the blades makes life easier. You can saw with out rolling your blades but you can saw better lumber faster with flat blades. If your blades aren't flat then they are going to be rocking on your rollers. When you go to the trouble to buy quality blade guide rollers and then put a blade on it that isn't flat you are going to get a rocking motion of your blade. When your blade is flat you are making contact on the entire surface of your roller. It makes a huge difference in the stability of your blade. Some blade manufactures don't offer any way to roll your blades flat so they have a tendency to say that it isn't necessary. Like I said before I will use what ever the best product is out there to help me produce the best lumber I can. Many times I will have to roll some blades several times to get them flat.

[kelLOGg]

I have been doing some reading about band rolling. From what I read its not what you would expect its not a concave/convex deal where you bend the width of the band to flatten it. It actually expands the steel like a stretch roller used to tension circular saws. the bottom roller is flat and the top curved to spread the metal. Probably to build one the curved roller could be a replacement bearing for a pillow block bearing their OD is curved and a regular flat ball bearing for the bottom. HF sells a geared roller with interchangeable rollers may check that out, could probably be repurposed to flatten bands. Frank C.

I'm following this with interest. If you make your own roller, please post your results.
Bob

[Peter Drouin]

It is a lot of work. customsawyer. But, you're right on getting logs in at the mill. Sometimes just money won't get you logs.
Trust and friendship will. And pay what the big mills pay too.  :D :D :D
What you have going at the big mill looks to be a good deal.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I would like to know where I could actually buy one of these rollers.

[Bruno of NH]

I think Cooks sells the roller

[Bruno of NH]

Peter and Custom
I'm just getting started in this business (2014)
I want to saw today because its the fun part but i will be moving,bundling and dealing with customers all day
The selling part is nice
That not counting clean up around the yard.
My point is its alot more work than most folks think but good hard work make you feel good at the end of the day :D
Bruno

[kelLOGg]

I think Cooks sells the roller

Cooks does sell the roller. They are the biggest advocate of rolling. I just can't justify the expense or I would have one. I can't find it on their web site so you may have to call them.
bob

[Kbeitz]

I think Cooks sells the roller

Cooks does sell the roller. They are the biggest advocate of rolling. I just can't justify the expense or I would have one. I can't find it on their web site so you may have to call them.
bob

It would be so easy to build one...

[Peter Drouin]

Just use 1¼ blades no rolling.
1½ just give me grief,  :D :D

[Chuck White]

To my knowledge, I've never had a blade that needed to be rolled!    :P