Had a guy call me from Valdese, N.C. today. He has a 30" x 70 ' Black Locust tree that blew over in the last 3 days. He's gonna get it sawed and loaded and said he was looking for a mill to take it to.
I gave him a price of 30 cents, International to saw it. Whether he brings it, I don't know. If he does, I'll take some pics to show.
I have never sawn Black Locust or any Locust. I run 10° blades. Would my blades do the job? It's still green.
My price of 30 cents.....to low, to high....just right?
He said he would call me back, if he does, I'm hoping to go to work or try to save him some time and money and put him on a mill closer to him. He's a pretty good clip from my mill and got my number off C.C.
Thanks!
If he brings it to you, sounds like you are stuck for doing it for 30 cents. But he won't likely refuse if you decide that is too high and want to come down from that price. ;)
Let us know if you will book another one for that amount. :)
look forward to the pics.
Brother Been, I regularly saw hardwood for .30 and softwood for .25. I just don't know what to expect sawing B.L. say_what
Black Locust is hard.
The tree could be hollow, and most of it around here can be pretty gnarly, it's tough to get a good cant due to bark inclusions.
I would try to saw it as soon as I could, the longer it sits, the harder it will be. I use 4 degree bands to saw locust.
Black Locust is hard.
Dave; I've sawn Black Locust with the 10° Double-Hard Wood-Mizer blades.
It saws pretty good when it's fresh cut, just have to slow the feed a little bit after sawing Pine & Hemlock.
If you have some blades with less hook handy, you might want to give them a try.
I just don't think I'd go out and buy blades special to cut a few logs.
I've milled a little locust, not sure if it was black or honey. It came from standing dead trees that came down in a storm. The largest logs were 18-20", I used 9deg bands and didn't have any issues....other than that the logs were gnarly...
Sure don't claim to know much, my experience with BL here in WI is most everything over twelve inches is hollow. The larger the greater chance of it being so.
Some good info guys.
It would be nice if ya could buy a box of mixed degree blades for emergencies. :)
Post,
If it's like yellow Locust cut it soon as you can and get some 7 deg or 4's
I cut yellow that was dried for maybe 2 months on my LT10 with 9deg blades and she was shaking like a Hawaiian hula girl :o
DGDrls
Around here 30" would def be hollow. They start getting a soft spot in the middle around 12"
David,
If you end up with the job and need help let me know. I'd be glad to run down and offbear for ya.
-lee
Quote from: SPD748 on September 25, 2012, 08:11:43 PM
David,
If you end up with the job and need help let me know. I'd be glad to run down and offbear for ya.
-lee
Black Locust? :D I may let you do the sawing. I'll off-bear! smiley_thumbsup
I heard that black locust is hard :D.
I have only cut one large tree worth of logs of black locust. If you have a band that doesn't have much set, I might throw it on and use it as long as its sharp. My experience with black locust wasn't bad at all.
Quote from: WDH on September 25, 2012, 08:25:33 PM
I heard that black locust is hard :D.
Arn't you the guy that puts kids in bins? smiley_kid
I've sawn a lot of black locust. I use 4s, but 10s work also. Trouble is finding sound and straight logs around here. The dust makes me sick. Glad I have the wireless remote so I can get away from the dust. I've also set up a 42" barn fan to blow towards the mill. :D
i've only sawn a few black locust logs. all but one behaved fine. it was the butt log and it was hollow in the middle. eventually i just gave up on it and turned it into firewood. i was running 4 degree doublehards from wm. if the logs are in decent shape and green i bet they wont be too bad to saw.
good luck :)
I've used only 10 degree blades in locust (honey and black) with good results, but no 30" logs. I only recently used both 10 and 7 degree blades on a job with hickory and silver maple and believe there was a noticeable improvement in quality of cut/feed rate with the 7's. Not telling you what to do, but I'm looking forward to trying the 7's in some locust.
Just watch for stress more than you normally do. Turn often.... ;) I think locust is worth the little bit of extra work it can take sometimes. As a side note, I don't wear a mask when I mill, but I might next time I mill any quantity of locust. It leaves me with cold-like symptoms for part of the day after milling. Not bad, but noticeable.
Hope you get the job.
Good advice taken. smiley_thumbsup
I need to wear a dust mask with locust, it makes me sneeze
David,
I swear that I have never had any dealings with goats.
Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on September 25, 2012, 07:21:21 PM
Some good info guys.
It would be nice if ya could buy a box of mixed degree blades for emergencies. :)
That's "knot" a bad idea. So......who's idea was it? :D :D
(The Resharp guys might not be so keen on it though......... One box with 3 each of 5 different bands....... :-\)
Quote from: Delawhere Jack on September 25, 2012, 09:22:53 PM
Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on September 25, 2012, 07:21:21 PM
Some good info guys.
It would be nice if ya could buy a box of mixed degree blades for emergencies. :)
That's "knot" a bad idea. So......who's idea was it? :D :D
It was my idea.....it wood be nice if we could though. :)
Quote from: WDH on September 25, 2012, 09:18:45 PM
David,
I swear that I have never had any dealings with goats.
That you can remember. :D
Exactly. :D
Quote from: WDH on September 25, 2012, 09:30:40 PM
Exactly. :D
I can see you going to your shop, making a Cherry "tongue and groove" feed trough for a pretty Nanny. :D
That is what you end up doing if you mess with goats :).
:) send me a few sticks I would love a chance for those black babies' green is a key word it will cut fine just start out slow and get the feel keep your blade clean you will love the wood it last forever! untreated!
I think you could get a box of "assorted hook" blades from Wood-Mizer!
Doesn't cost to call and ask!
Of course, if you send them in for resharp, they would have to be marked as to what hook they are.
Ive cut a bunch on my BELSAW and didn't break a single blade!! :D :D all joking aside its hard and heavy,i was cutting 7"x 9" x8' timbers and 5"x9"x10' for skis for some logging sleds, it is hard ,and has a real fine sawdust,but worst of all is its Heavy!!!!!! The stuff takes forever to rot which is a reason i was making sleds out of it , the stuff dont like skilsaws, holesaws or most drills. ;D Don
I have a custom job coming up to saw some that has been down for a few years. Think it will be hard? :D :D The TK can handle it. :)
I have been cutting bodark today. It kinda reminds me of locust.
Once it's off the root ball it starts to get harder alot of mineral grow up in the tree and I have found rocks 3 to 4 feet off the ground with the tree growing around the rock. My circular mill screems when cutting log that are 2-3 weeks old. Now it is a pretty wood and wears well for moving part. It will wear harden just like steel.
I've milled a little locust, but not yet with the LT-40.
David, if somebody volunteered to off-bear, you need to say yes, and invite a chiropractor to come watch and sip lemonade between adjustments. :o
The key thing, I think, is to start the day with a whole box of sharp blades.
In the mountains of South Carolina, the locust trees can grow up to 30" or so and are typically not hollow. Make sure your debarker is in good working order, especially if there's any reason to think the bark may have gotten dirty. (oh let's see, it fell down on the ground, right?) The bark is rather thick, kind of like walnut bark.
In fact, along with a box of sharp blades, you might want a box full of fresh off-bearers. And I'm not kidding about the chiropractor. Tell him to bring his treatment bed and all.
The locust I've cut looks like beautiful chocolaty walnut at first, but it fades (or oxidizes) very quickly into this zinc chromium color, kind of like lime gatorade.
Black locust makes good fence posts because it is very rot resistant.
He who tries to pound fence staples into black locust posts shall hurt himself trying. Don't ask me how I know that. ;D
:D He who tries to pound fence staples into black locust posts shall hurt himself trying. Don't ask me how I know that.
LOL thats why its important to do it while green and bleeding so you don't bleed and look green lol
I think I would rather mill locust or bodark than hickory or even pine. It seems less springy and if I run a band with little set like 15 thou or so. It cuts straight as an arrow even through knots. Sometimes with hickory or pine, no matter what I do I get slight variation around knots.