First log with Frick 0

[chopperdr47]

We don't get much frozen wood here in Alabama. It was 62 yesterday but a blast of your air frigid is invading us for the next week or more. Highs will be in the 30's and lows in the teens. Not something we are used to.

I got this rest of the teeth changed this morning and I'm going to look at a few other things before I try again. I took some pictures of a typical example that I will post this evening. I'm looking for any advice I can get.

Is there any rule as to the direction the log should be loaded, big end first, little end?

[Ron Wenrich]

There's no set rule for that, that I know of.  I've sawn from both ends.  I generally like to go with the butt end first.  You eliminate some of your travel time getting to where you're cutting wood on a tapered log.  The downside is if the log has been dragged out of the woods, the butt end may be dirty or have stones in them.  Its best to trim those logs before you saw them.  Also a good idea to trim off the flare. 

[chopperdr47]

Wow! What a difference new bits and clean shanks make. The sawdust is as coarse as I was expecting, it's quieter and cutting straight.



 
I sharpened the teeth previously but a lot looked like they were offset to the board side



 
The shanks were pretty hard to get out and this could be part of the reason



 
Cleaned and ready to go back with new bit



 
The first full board



 
I believe I have the lead set about right. The trailing edge occasionally touches the cant lightly on the gig back.
There is a little more space between the guide pins than I think there should be and that may take care of it.

I'll be changing the oil in the engine tomorrow. That will give me the oil and diesel mix for cleaning and lubricating the blade before I cut any more. I need to get the platform built and off-bearing rollers too but its great to know that it'll cut now.

[Ron Wenrich]

Before changing teeth, I spray the saw shanks with Blue Creeper.  I do this when the blade is slowing down close to a stop.  I let it sit over lunch, then change the teeth.  It makes it a lot easier.

Are you hand filing your teeth?  You have to watch that you don't get your bit angle to fat.  Its real easy to do when you hand file.  Same goes for being straight across.  I had a Jockey grinder that I would use once a day, just to keep my hand filing honest.  When I teach a young sawyer, I get them to use a grinder for most of their sawing.  It usually turns out better.  I then let them touch up the saw with a file.  Hand filing is an art you learn, and it takes quite a bit of experience to get good at it. 

The saw guides should be just far enough off to see light by the pins.  I always found I had to put my board side pin about tight against to get the results I wanted. 

The board looks good. 

[chopperdr47]

I used PB Blaster before removing the teeth and it helped some. I'll look for the Blue Creeper since there is another blade that needs the same thing. These blades that had been sitting out in the weather for several years before I rescued them. This one is 50" with 46 "3" style shanks. Nearly every one of them are 9 gauge 3rd oversize. When I was ordering more bits and a couple more shanks, Terry at B.H. Payne told me that was very unusual. These things were a bear to get out. The neglect was a factor I'm sure, but even cleaned and oiled they were still hard to get back in as well. On most of them, I had to use a dead blow to get them to seat properly, not a preferred method I know but I couldn't man 'em in. I got a 2nd oversize from Payne just for grins, It was pretty tight as well. Could someone have put oversized shanks in to intentionally mess with the tension or should they be gorilla tight?   

I hand filed the original teeth trying to keep close the original angles as I could. I'm no stranger to a file and machine work but far from a master. I was the closest thing to a machinist that we had in the last Chinook unit I was in. I made most of our special tools and "locally manufactured" parts. With that said, we never had the use for sharp sawmill teeth.

I could see that the original bits were rounded on the cant side. I was able to swag (swedge?) the corner back some but not enough. There was a considerable difference on the  smaller, softer test log but a full cut on the larger solid oak started to drift out. While I was changing them, I compared the old to the new and could see that I had not gotten a good corner on all of them. The new teeth cost less than $1.50 each with shipping. The piece of mind you get from replacing verses swagging (swedgeing?) seems to be worth the cost to me.

I am going to replace the red oak guide pins with some dogwood or hornbeam (ironwood). Now that the blade is tracking so much better, I'm thinking that will hold up better.

I'm getting a lot of great info here, keep it coming, I need all I can get.

[Ron Wenrich]

I put some oversized shanks in that were too tight.  The saw never ran quite right, and some of the shanks broke.  I've had some shanks that have been real loose, and never lost teeth.  If you change shanks, you need to get the saw hammered.  It changes the tension in the saw.  And, you shouldn't swap shanks in the sockets.  I have put used ones in when I lose a shank.  You'll do that sometimes when you hit metal.

The problem I have had with hand filing is that the tooth has a tendency to get fat.  I always have to start filing at the gullet and work my way out, or the tooth angle gets too fat. 

I've seen it written out as swage.  Everyone pronounces it as swedge.  Blue Creeper is sold by Logrite.  They're a sponsor here on the forum.  From what I've been told is that its a moly lube.  I also used it to lube the slides on the dogs.  Its non greasy, and won't stain lumber. 

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Blue Creeper is available from http://www.bluecreeper.com/ which is owned and operated by our friends at Logrite!

It is great stuff.

Herb

[chopperdr47]

Thanks for the link. I'll be ordering some soon.

I have another blade that's 48" and I believe it has 48 B or F double circle shanks with standall bits. I don't believe there will be an issue here with frozen logs so I've been told that the standalls are not necessary. They are in the same condition as the first blade so I'm going to change them later. The only markings I can make out on the shank say "1/32 LARGE". How do you tell the difference between a B and an F and what is it that I have on this other blade?

[Ron Wenrich]

There should be a letter on the shank, unless they're worn off.  The B pattern gullet is larger than the F pattern gullet.  A B pattern saw will also have less teeth in the saw than the F pattern.  A 48" B pattern saw would have 42 teeth, and the F pattern would have 46 teeth.  I never used Standall bits.  In our area, we run winter shanks and summer bits all year long. 

I don't know if you've seen this booklet.  Its an older one made by the Forest Service.  A lot of pertinent information in there. 
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/circsaw.pdf

[chopperdr47]

Awright... more great info and a good pub. I have 46 teeth on a 48" blase so that is going to be the F style.

I read a few other parts of that publication and got more good info on V belts and power transmission. The belt configuration I have will support about 100 hp. Thats a little more than half of my rated power available. I don't want to overtax my engine but there is a Corley edger waiting in the wings for its big brother to get up and running. That will be another thread in hopefully the not to distant future.

Incase there are any other novices reading this, I found another good page on Peterson's website. I was trying to find out how to tell what gauge saw plate I have when I ran across this http://petersonsawmills.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/press_articles_general33.pdf. A good remedial course on the blade, bits, shanks, terminology etc.

[SPD748]

Hey John,

A couple of things I picked up along the way...

Blue Creeper is a very good friend to have available. I have that stuff sitting all over the place in the small 'needle' applicator bottles. I hand file with a Dexter file guide. Believe me, it makes filing so much easier and more accurate. Use a sharp file and avoid the temptation to 'saw' on the bits. Always always always sharpen before the saw 'needs' it. I learned this principle from the master toolmaker who carried me through my apprenticeship.

-lee

[ddcuning]

Great article on blades thanks for sharing.

Dave C