Cutting Hardest Hardwoods

[YellowHammer]

Yes, it should look like a light motor oil or vegetable oil.  It very readily mixes with the water in the jug.  

[Pepe_Silvia]

This stuff is really gloopy.  I'll try to find the cleaner locally.

[PAmizerman]

Does anyone know where I can order the jesco on line? I googled it but didn't find any suppliers. I found the JD stuff for over $100 a bucket plus shipping 

[Magicman]

I get mine from here:  Spindle Lube

[Pepe_Silvia]

I was able to get the John Deere stuff from a local dealer.

Cut my buddy's ~2'-3' diameter x 12' long Live Oak yesterday.  Still was not really please with the results.  Using brand new 4 degree blades the sapwood cuts were fine, but the heartwood still caused wave, as bad as probably 1" in some places.  2.5" thick were unmanageable weight-wise, so we were cutting 2".  They're going to take some work after they dry, but hopefully he'll get some use out of them.

The logs came from Central Texas where they grow them slow and hard.  I'm not sure there was anything I could have done to get a better product. 



 

[LeeB]

It only gets harder as it dries. I have a lot of it that I milled 14 years ago. Still weighs like a block of iron and pretty close to the hardness.

[doc henderson]

I got the same brand per @Magicman & @YellowHammer  recommendations.  50 bucks and free shipping on amazon, if you are not near a store.  the ag store at the link shows it for 27 bucks.  

[bwstout]

i order mine from MM recommendation they shipped it quickly 

[Magicman]

Pepe, Live Oak is as bad as it gets.  Thankfully it is a species that I am seldom asked to saw. 


 
But it is incredibly beautiful with the wavy wood grain.

[dgdrls]

What were the teeth at?   Waves are often caused by under-set teeth

The bark is also pretty tough on teeth

it sure is dandy looking lumber!!

D

[tule peak timber]

We cut a lot of live oak, coastal and canyon. Canyon live oak was used as wagon axles and splitting wedges to fell other trees in days past . Very hard stuff. We use purple power detergent and water and not too much of it. The bigger logs are cut with a Lucas chain saw and lots of lube. Few people mess with it so we sell a lot of it as a niche product.
  Your blade/chain geometry needs to be spot on or there is a lot of smoke ! Very pretty wood......

 

 

[YellowHammer]

1" waves?!  That's not a band lube issue, thats something else. 

You might switch to carbides.  Get one or two and save them for the hard  logs.