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Started by riverswamp sawyer, September 01, 2010, 01:45:16 PM

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riverswamp sawyer

I met a fella the other day that resharpens band blades for a living. He sold me 10 sharp blades for $8.00 each. (that is his sharpning fee)

He said he has several customers that throw away their blades after 3 sharpnings.

Seemed like a good deal to me........

1st blade cut about 100 bd ft then broke. 2nd cut about the same then broke. 3rd was maybe 200 bd ft. then broke.

I am not blaming him for selling me the blades he is a sharpener.....not a sawyer.

The time spent getting the broken blades off the mill and out of the log added up to a lot of lost time. (not to mention all the bad words my wife accused me of saying)

Sometimes a good deal is NOT such a good deal.

riverswamp sawyer

Oh yeah.......remember I am still a"greenhorn" sawyer and learning something new  everytime I crank up the mill.  ???   :P

Chuck White

$8.00 for a blade that's been sharpened 3 times sounds like a fair deal to me.

Suggestion for the next time you go blade shopping:  Check them for cracks.  If there is a crack in the blade, it won't saw much lumber before it breaks.

I usually get 6-8 (or so) sharpenings on my blades, but I don't grind much metal off when I sharpen either.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

riverswamp sawyer

Chuck,
When the blade man and myself were discussing the blades I asked him how many times the blades could be resharpended his reply was several times.

I kinda suspect that I got some blades that have been rode hard. AFTER breaking 3 I put on a pair of reading glasses and looked at the rest of the blades real close and yep......found several with tiny  cracks in the gullet.

A friend of mine that has a Woodmizer LT 15 has bought blades from this fella several times said some of the blades he gets are pretty good blades but sometimes he gets junk.

I am wondering if the time involved with inspecting each blade for cracks and then the time it takes to get the broken ones off the mill makes this a good deal or not.

ladylake

How many sharpenings do you get out of new blades? It could be something out of whack on your mill or maybe the blades don't like going from one mill to the next. I've been getting 10+ sharpening out of my blades most times but if something gets out of whach they'll break in a hurry.  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

riverswamp sawyer

Steve,
When I first started sawing I was breaking blades pretty regular.....
Too much feed..... trying to back up in a log ran the blade off and damaged it then it broke... I even tried to saw the deck in half one time and broke a blade (not on purpose) but if I am careful, watch what I am doing and change blades when they get dull I can usually get 7 or 8 sharpnings out of a blade.
In this case it is the blades..... I am sure..... because after breaking 3 blades I went back to the blades I bought new and sharpend myself and the breaking stopped.

fishpharmer

riverswamp sawyer, glad you brought this up, a good lesson.  Do your blades break after seven or eight sharpenings?   

Everyone, what makes you decide to stop using a blade?  So many sharpenings or breakage?
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

ladylake

 It does sound like the blades, either they have more than 3 sharpening or were on a mill that caused them to crack early. I use to get 6 to 8 sharpenings also until I put on a good chip deflector to keep  chips and sawdust from getting between the wheels and blade, that really increased my blade life.    Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

Banjo picker

Quote from: fishpharmer on September 01, 2010, 05:07:45 PM
riverswamp sawyer, glad you brought this up, a good lesson.  Do your blades break after seven or eight sharpenings?   

Everyone, what makes you decide to stop using a blade?  So many sharpenings or breakage?

Maybe we won't get our legs strapped too hard for hyjacking, I check a band out for cracks in the gullett when it comes off the mill ...even a tiny one ..if it won't sharpen out calls for it to be canned...I don't like the setting if a band don't have much of a chance to live very long...If one don't break ,crack , or I wreck it I keep sharpening it down till it gets to the size that when it contacts the wood and gets pushed back to the stop on the roller it begins to push the set out of the teeth..( My Cooks has solid metal wheels)..I have several hanging on the wall like that...When things get really tough I may Tset the rollers up to accomadate those bands...But I won't reset my rollers for just one band that has been sharpened down too much...Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

bandmiller2

Riverswamper,I think you'd be better off ordering your own new bands marking them and having your guy sharpen them insted of buying someone elses problems with their life used up.Try several different brands you'll find one you like best.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

Meadows Miller

Gday

River sawmp id go with Tim and Franks way of doing things Mate  ;)which is what i did with my band and the other narrow bands i have run in the past ive been lucky to count on two hands the amount of bands i have broken prematurely over the years If i had a heavy crack coming up in the gullet id run it around a couple of times to grind it out the trick is to remove the crack then alittle more to remove the fatiuged metal  ;) the narrowst i have taken 1&1/2 bands was down to about 3/4 between the back of the band and the bottom of the gullet Mate  ;)

your doing well at the 7to8 sharpens per band mark too Mate  ;) ;D

and when grinding it always pays to grind lite as heavy grinding causes alot of heat which can also affect the makeup of the steel and how long it will last before getting realy heavy cracking in the gullet too  ;)

I use to run Lennox wood masters and Simmonds red streak  on my manual mill and on woodmizers  i have run and got a good run out of them as they are about the only two decent bands that are readly in stock in Australia Mate  ;)

Regards Chris

4TH Generation Timbergetter

paul case

i sharpen my own but only the face and i get 6  or more out of them . but with bands costing me $18 to $26 depending on brand , for a box of 10 delivered and if i only cut 300 ft per sharpening that works out to a $1 to $1.40/ hundred bd ft blade cost. not to shabby .  and most of the time i get more than 300 ft per sharpening. pc
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Coalsmoke

I would aim for about 20 sharpenings out of a good quality blade. Usually by that point the blade would start to lose noticeable cutting efficiency regardless of whether it was sharp or not. Sometimes the blade wouldn't make it to 20, usually when I was going through a lot of large knarly softwood. However, if I were getting less than 10 out of a blade I would be taking a close look at the quality of the blades being used and the way it is being used. If you are in tune with your saw your will be able to pick up on a felt oscillation 1 - 2 cuts before the blade lets go allowing you to change out the blade before it breaks and takes a belt or piece of sheet metal with it.
Visit Coalsmoke's website at www.coalsmoke.com

2008 Norwood Lumber Mate 2000 with Honda 20HP engine.
White 2-60 Field Boss > 65HP Tractor with loader.
Husky Chainsaws 353 and 395XPG heavily modified.
Loving wife who endorses all of the above :)

Chuck White

Quote from: fishpharmer on September 01, 2010, 05:07:45 PM
riverswamp sawyer, glad you brought this up, a good lesson.  Do your blades break after seven or eight sharpenings?   

Everyone, what makes you decide to stop using a blade?  So many sharpenings or breakage?


If I find a crack in one of my blades, the blade goes into the recycle bin.

I will continue sharpening a blade as long as it is not cracked.  Sometimes I have some pretty narrow blades!

I figured it out once-upon-a-time, just how much I sawed before the blade needed resharpening.
If I remember right it ranged from 500 - 800 board feet, depending on the species of logs and the condition of the logs.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

bandmiller2

Band life,the number of sharpenings, varies alot acording to the mill,sawyer and sharpener.When I was running the LT-70 would get 5 or 6 grindings before breakage.With my homebuilt bandmill they seem to last forever I quit using them when worn down from 1 1/2 to 1 1/4.Bands from the same lot will usally have the same life span thats why we seem to have runs of broken bands.Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

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