Smaller trees and blade life

[Kingcha]

Seems like my blades dull faster then I thought they would.   Not counting my mess ups and hitting metal I still think I am going through them fast.   That all being said my logs are smallish.  7 to 12 inches.   Am I assuming right that smaller trees would go through blades faster. (I am mainly cutting red pine).   The logs are not mud covered but I do not spend a lot of time wire brushing unless I see something.

Thanks
Matt

[WDH]

Your blade is in the bark versus the volume of wood sawn much more proportionally on small logs versus large logs, and the bark can (does) have grit in it, and that is probably why your blades are dulling faster. 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Matt, are you experiencing this on a brand new blade out of the box or on re-sharp blades.....or both?

[Nomad]

Your blade is in the bark versus the volume of wood sawn much more proportionally on small logs versus large logs, and the bark can (does) have grit in it, and that is probably why your blades are dulling faster.

    Could well be.  But how many board feet are you sawing before your blades are dull?  Is it possible your expectations are unrealistic?

[GDinMaine]

I think the drier wood might also dull blades a bit quicker.  At least I find that relatively dry spruce does that. 

[WDH]

My reasoning is that % bark is much higher on small stems than on large stems.  If bark is gritty, and if the % gritty bark is higher on small logs, it stands to reason that blade life would suffer.  However, it could be something else, too. 

[hackberry jake]

I hates small logs. Seems like they make as many slabs as they do boards.

[Kingcha]

Thanks WDH that is what I was assuming.

Poston they are brand new blades.

As far as what i was expecting........I was thinking Id get at least 4 hours(about 400 bf) before needing to resharpen.

I have cut some dryer pine(beetle kill)

I have not been real good at keeping track of every thing, something I have learned I really do need to.   Tomorrow I will count the blades I have gone through.   I only have about 20 hours on the motor, but early on I was shutting it off more often.    My BF tally is only at just under 2000 but I know I missed some and a lot of it was 4x4's used for drying and logging.

I am guessing I have be getting about 3(or less) hours a blade.   My present blade has sawn just about 300bf and is still cutting good, but has left some  cutting marks.   Maybe cutting to fast or to slow.

I have been cleaning off my belts.......maybe I should clean them more often.....how much does that effect the Cut???? with sappy wood.

Thanks again
Matt

[beenthere]

What is the symptom of "the blade dulling" ?

Are the teeth wearing evenly ?

Anything that might be taking the set out on one side?

[tyb525]

On my 10hp LT10, I've had to change blades after one white ash log (no metal hit or anything, just hard) and I've gone through 3 or 4 16-18" yellow poplar logs on one blade. Obviously the harder the wood, the shorter the blade life. Dry logs dull faster than green logs (IMO).

Also on a low hp mill you will have to change blades sooner, they can't power through a log with a less-than-sharp blade like a powerful mill can. You should be cutting as fast as your engine will allow, as long as it is cutting straight. Cutting too slow wastes blade life.

[WDH]

Good point about the low HP not being able to push a dull blade through the cut like a 62 HP caterpillar. 

[Kingcha]

I will use today as an example.   First I should say I am a real newbie at all this.....NO experience before buying my mill.

I put on a new blade the other day and had only cut about 7 logs into 4x4's before cutting 1x's today.   Today I cut about 240 bf of 1x's out of 7 10' logs.
I NEVER felt like the blade was dulling, only that the I did notice some blade marks in the boards latter on.   Could it be my speed not being even or going to fast?

How much does caked sawdust on the bands affect cutting?

Matt

[Kingcha]

That all being said, if I get 300+ bf out of a blade I am not to bummed.   Originally I figured about $3 an hour for blade cost. 

Matt

[LeeB]

Caked up sawdust on the blade will effect cutting quite a bit. Are you running any kind of lube on the blade? What do the saw marks you mention look like?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

How much does caked sawdust on the bands affect cutting?

Matt

You have just opened a can of worms. 

[dgdrls]

Caked sawdust is linked to tooth set as I understand. 
Too little set leaves packed hot dust
Too much leaves cooler loose dust,

Worms on the floor :D

DGD

[WH_Conley]

If not using a debarker and the logs have been cable skidded, I wouldn't be a bit surprised at 400 ft to the blade. There is a whole list of variables that makes a difference on yield. I have seen a blade be dull after one log, all it takes is a rock or two that you didn't see.

[Deese]

This is very interesting---conversations like these really help out the new guys like myself...I was already aware of wanting clean logs before initial cutting, but this makes me want to debark my logs to prolong blade life.

What if you pressure washed them first?
Just so you know---I am completely new to this...
Why not pressure wash those bad boys before slapping them on the'ole mill? Just a thought...

[beenthere]

The mess from the water after pressure washing is something to consider. If on a concrete pad, not so bad. But if dirt, then just end up with mud. So take the lesser of the evils...
Cleaning a path through the bark on the cut line where the saw blade enters the bark will help, but does take some time. Weigh that against just changing out the blade when dull from embedded dirt.
And having the debarker blade plowing out a path through the bark ahead of the blade is another option that some sawmillers have incorporated.

[LeeB]

Pressure washing may not be an answer due to more than the mud it creates. It can also drive the grit further in without removing it.

[losttheplot]

I NEVER felt like the blade was dulling, only that the I did notice some blade marks in the boards latter on.   Could it be my speed not being even or going to fast?
Matt

Hi,

When you say "blade marks" do you mean the little lines perpendicular to the length of the log?

If you have lots of knots in your logs it will take the edge off a band sooner also.

I try to pay attention to how hard I am pushing the mill head, I find this a good indication of how sharp the band is.

LTP.

[WDH]

I take care to keep the logs out of the dirt to begin with.  Then, it there is dirt, I wash it off with a hose and a jet spray.  More time consuming, but worth it in my little operation.  I do not use a pressure washer. 

[Kingcha]

Thanks all....... I will take a pic of a board today.

First off I am using wm 10 degree blades with lube in the water.  Using liquid cascade 8+ oz per 4+ gallons of water.

My logs are only getting dragged a little ways in the woods(with one end in the air) and then they get carried by my tractor.   I do not wash them.   Once out of the woods they either go directly to my log rake or are placed on 4x4's. 

The knots are very hard and you can see/hear the difference.   Not sure how many....3-6 per cut maybe.

The marks where just slight but since I plan on using these boards for siding i was concerned.   I will look at them today so I can describe better.   I will start the day with the same blade as I only have 3 small logs left to finish.   I will clean out the sawdust more often.   

How often do you all clean your belts??  I will also do that before I start today though they did not seem that bad.

thanks again Matt

[WDH]

I only clean off the belts when I change blades.  I have not had any issues with sawdust on/under the belts on my LT15. 

[nk14zp]

Get a spud and get to work.