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Cold Weather Slabbing

Started by logboy, December 06, 2013, 03:52:52 AM

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logboy

I ran into a unique problem while doing some cold weather slabbing, so I thought I would document it.  When I say cold weather slabbing, I mean the temperature in my part of Northern Wisconsin today was a balmy 12°F, sinking down to about 1° by the time I finished.

Tonight I kept running into issues with a sizable Elm that I was slabbing up.  Every so often my Lucas slabber would completely stop in the cut, like I hit rocks or some other impenetrable object in the wood.  If I pushed really hard or jostled the slabber around a bit, eventually it would start cutting again, but not before the bar and chain started to steam from the heat (not hot-hot, more like seeing-your-breath steam). It did this a few times, and I noticed the chains were getting dull rather quickly. In addition to the chain I dulled by sawing through seven nails that were 12 feet up the tree,  I went through three more. This was a log that should have taken a single chain.



Eventually I flipped over one of the cut slabs, and used my headlamp to take a good hard look where the chain stopped cutting.  Every place where it hung up there was a strip of dirt impregnated in the bark.  Normally this would not be much of an issue, and the grains of dirt would be easily pulled away from the log with the sawdust.  Unfortunately in the low temperatures that I'm operating in, the dirt actually freezes together and becomes more like concrete in the bark.  Anyone who has ever tried to dig a hole in frozen ground will know what I'm talking about. It is literally like concrete. Running a sharp chain against these frozen patches of dirt is equivalent to putting them to a grindstone, not a great recipe for success.

A couple solutions are to either debark the log, or take greater care in keeping the logs off the ground and not impregnate them with mud and dirt. The latter solution is a lot easier when you're dealing with smaller saw logs.  But when you're dealing with the size of slabbing logs that I do that are typically far heavier than my equipment can lift, it is simply not feasible. I also don't have control over what customers do with their logs before they bring them to me. The other option is to just wait until temperatures warm up, which would mean waiting about four months here in Northern Wisconsin, which is not exactly an economically feasible solution.  Maybe I should take a lesson from the birds and fly south for the winter.



As long as I am talking cold-weather slabbing, I might as well pass on a couple other tips.  In colder temperatures, you need to thin your bar oil. Lucas recommends using straight motor oil, because bar oil is too thick. I use a mixture of transmission fluid and bar oil that I alter based on the temperatures.  When it's really cold out, I use a lot more transmission fluid in the mix than bar oil. Remember, if it's coming out of the bottle in globs, it's not going to do much lubricating.

If you are using the dedicated slabber like I am, there's a chance your carburetor will need adjusting. I keep a small flat screwdriver handy to give it a quick adjustment.  When it's really cold out like today, I sometimes run with the choke on just a little so it's not constantly starved for fuel.

If you are in an area where temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing, you can get condensation in your gas tank and cans. It is good practice to add a little isopropyl alcohol periodically to get rid of any water so it doesn't end up frozen in a fuel line.

Remove sawdust from the slabs before it freezes. If you dont it will be there until spring, and can make stickering a bit more difficult, and can induce drying defects.

At cold temperatures like mine, equipment tends to break a lot more easily.  Plastic and rubber become brittle, hydraulics tend to be stubborn, and metals lose some of their strength. Take your time and do not push your equipment to its maximum limit. Breaking an expensive piece of equipment could mean the difference between making money and losing money. When it's below zero, I typically just hide out in my house or in my wood shop and live to fight another day.
I like Lucas Mills and big wood.  www.logboy.com

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Logboy.....this is rough! It has got that cold before in the South but not for just a day or two and I stay in the house.
This is some good info you gave.
In your story, I don't know what gave me the chills worse.....the weather or the nails.  running-doggy
Hang in there....or come on down. We'll find a place for ya.  :)

.....Very nice Elm Slab!.....
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Seaman

Logboy,
Great info as always! Like Poston said, bring your mill and logs South for the winter, I have plenty of shed space! ;)

I was wondering if it would be good to post all the Lucas stuff on Sidgis helpfull hints thread, instead of spreading them out. It might be harder to search for a particular topic in a long thread.

I have another question for you. My bar is cutting perfect now, but sawdust packs up on the tip, building up around the drip tube and clogging the oil hole in the bar. It seems to be bouncing back off of the tip protector. Ever seen this? I am trying different guards to block the dust, and am thinking of a larger tube to go from the nut to the bar, but then I will not be able to see the drip, which is crucial I think.  What think you?

I added this to your thread assuming all the slabber guys would be reading , rather than starting a new one.
Thanks, Frank

Lucas dedicated slabber
Woodmizer LT40HD
John Deere 5310 W/ FEL
Semper Fi

ellmoe

Thanks for the info! I'll keep it in mind.  ;D

Today's high, 82 degrees, F.
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

Seaman

Lucas dedicated slabber
Woodmizer LT40HD
John Deere 5310 W/ FEL
Semper Fi

drobertson

Nice work! beautiful slab too!  There won't be much sawing here today, 6" of snow and 18 for the temp,
david
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

bandmiller2

Other than fence insulators theirs nothing much worse than frozen mud.When your about to make a cut with any mill check the path of the cut and remove any dirt or mud,its time well spent.Even double check those fancy swinging debarkers. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

sigidi


Good job mate, nice to see ya pics here ;)

Quote from: Seaman on December 06, 2013, 07:11:33 AM
Logboy,
Great info as always! Like Poston said, bring your mill and logs South for the winter, I have plenty of shed space! ;)

I was wondering if it would be good to post all the Lucas stuff on Sidgis helpfull hints thread, instead of spreading them out. It might be harder to search for a particular topic in a long thread.

I have another question for you. My bar is cutting perfect now, but sawdust packs up on the tip, building up around the drip tube and clogging the oil hole in the bar. It seems to be bouncing back off of the tip protector. Ever seen this? I am trying different guards to block the dust, and am thinking of a larger tube to go from the nut to the bar, but then I will not be able to see the drip, which is crucial I think.  What think you?

I added this to your thread assuming all the slabber guys would be reading , rather than starting a new one.
Thanks, Frank

Frank, I have my oil feed line skimmed to fit exactly flat on the bar and this way the build up of sawdust doesn't bother it, I also have added a little steel tongue to hold the tubing as it tends to 'curl' away from the oil feed groove, plus have made my oil groove a touch wider and as long as it can go without chewing the sprocket ( I think I did a thread way back when it turned up on the stuff I did to it) Just yesterday dressed and had to re-aligned my bar, so will be adding that to the "lucas mill Q's" thread https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,60602.msg1057255.html#msg1057255
Always willing to help - Allan

logboy

I'd like to see a photo when you get a chance. I moved my lube line from the left side to the right after doing the nose roller conversion. I welded on a washer and ground a new notch in the bar. Unfortunately it keeps plugging up with sawdust on the end. I need to come up with a better solution. Perhaps a short length of pipe resting flat against the bar will do the trick? Or relocating it to the back side of the bar instead of the front?
I like Lucas Mills and big wood.  www.logboy.com

ET

Logboy, your one tough fella!  Ive been sawing here in the 20's but not below that. My slabber does not get used that often but thanks for the heads up as ive got a 20 log slab order coming up in January so thank you.  Ill be watching for the dirty bark. Ernie
Lucas 1030, Slabber attachment, Husky 550XP, Ford 555B hoe, Blaze King Ultra, Vermeer chipper, 70 acres with 40 acres Woods.

Seaman

Sigidi, thanks. I talked to Casey at LCS today and he said the same thing about the tube being right against the bar. I like to be able to see how much oil is dripping, but oh well.

Logboy, I did the same with the bar and roller tip, I kept a brush handy to wipe the bar at the oiler.

ET, yo gonna be a busy fella soon!
Lucas dedicated slabber
Woodmizer LT40HD
John Deere 5310 W/ FEL
Semper Fi

ellmoe

Quote from: Seaman on December 06, 2013, 07:30:53 AM
ellmoe, that's just WRONG!

Your right, I was wrong. Today's high, 87 degrees.
My wife was complaining that it's too hot for December/Christmas.
You Yanks have my sympathy.
Mark
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

thecfarm

Don't have to feel sorry for us.  :D  We are use to the cold and the snow. It's not a big deal. We are prepared for it.Life goes on around here all winter just about the way it does on the 4th of July. People still go out to work and go vist people. I really don't like it,just because I can't dig rocks and improve my land.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

WIwoodworker

Nice Elm logboy. You have me beat. I was loading white oak logs on to my trailer Saturday morning and it was 7 degrees. They were still on the trailer this morning when it started to snow so they'll stay there for a few days.  Where in Wisconsin are you located?
Peterson 9" WPF

shelbycharger400

I here ya on the hanging up, I've tried debarkin it didn't work.    I've had a few cut well then just stalled out pull it out and slammed it forward a few times  the cut well  . That red elm is stringy, soon as it starts changing direction the chain didn't like it. I've edged two at the same time and it followed the grain . I wasn't happy as they were 15 in plus wide .one I  did this summer was two that grew together.    Imbedded dirt killed the corners of the cutters even thou the edge was still partially their.   Last January I slabbed some erc and the locations that mainly hung up as well were squirrly grain or knots that were 2 in plus and  seen the bounce.  After november I hung it up til spring as im logging big cedars in my spare time.        Wanna slab a 5 foot cottonwood ?    It's on the list as the last tree to come down.

oakiemac

I know this is an old tread but it fit perfectly with what I was experiencing today.

Havent used the slabber in about 4 weeks due to 24+" of snow on the ground. Well most of it melted over the weekend so I have been trying to slab some red and white oak. Temperature is 28 degrees so fairly mild but logs are frozen along with any dirt. I noticed the sawing rate is much slower then what I am used to and I have the same problem that logboy talked about with the steam/smoke coming from chain then suddenly it will cut again for a while then stop. I have had to change the chain at the rate of about 2 per slab.
After reading above post, I'm pretty sure that the issue is dirt frozen in the log bark.
I tried changing by sharpening angle from 10 to 15 degrees thinking this might help. It did some what but cutting is slow. I think the best thing to do is use clean logs but this is hard as a lot of the big boys were dragged in the mud at some point.
I'll try again tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for posting your experiences.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

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