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Rebuilding my cordwood saw

Started by DeerMeadowFarm, April 29, 2021, 02:57:30 PM

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DeerMeadowFarm

I am finding myself using this saw more often to cut up the smaller wood used in my maple evaporator. It is like every other cordwood (or "buzz") saw you've seen. Originally designed to be flat-belt driven with a tractor PTO, It's been powered with a (now broken down) 8HP Tecumseh snow blower engine with a 2-groove v-belt pulley and v-belts for years.

First up is to replace the engine with a HF Predator 8HP engine and upgrade the blade to a carbide tipped one. Engine specs state a 3600 max RPM. The 2-groove pulley is 2.5" in diameter and the flat belt pulley is 7" which (if I calculated right) gives me a blade speed of 1285 RPM at full throttle.

The current blade has 68 teeth and a blade diameter of 28". ") I'm not sure what the optimum speed or number of teeth should be; I am hoping the forum's expertise will help. The engine speed, blade diameter, and driven pulley are fixed but I can change the driving pulley if need be and I am willing to use a tooth count that you may suggest. The wood that is cut is typically 2" to 10" in diameter and mostly hard wood (oak, ash, cherry, birch, maple, etc.)



 



Tacotodd

Whatever you do with it, please be careful. It MIGHT leave a mark 🤨
Trying harder everyday.

PoginyHill

Quote from: Tacotodd on April 29, 2021, 03:20:11 PM
Whatever you do with it, please be careful. It MIGHT leave a mark 🤨
Agree. A guard around the saw would be nice. I tailed a saw rig like this as a kid. Looking back I shake at how dangerous it was.
Kubota M7060 & B2401, Metavic log trailer, Cat E70B, Cat D5C, 750 Grizzly ATV, Wallenstein FX110, 84" Landpride rotary hog, Classic Edge 750, Stihl 170, 261, 462

DeerMeadowFarm

Thanks for the concern. My chainsaw doesn't have a guard either...  ;)

I will consider putting some kind of guard, but when my father-in-law first put this together for me, he insisted to not have a guard. At first I thought he just wanted to off me somehow, but he mentioned something about having a chunk of wood hit you or something and I never questioned it.

About 2 years ago my brother-in-law bought a more modern version that runs off a tractor PTO shaft. It has a retractable blade guard. His father recommended to take it off which he didn't. About a month ago he was cutting wood with it and somehow some chunk of wood fell between the blade and the guard and it came whipping out at him and hit him him square in the face shield and partially took off his helmet. Apparently, that was what my father-in-law was warning us about. 

DeerMeadowFarm

You will all be happy to know that I found an old belt guard in a local scrap place that I am re-purposing to be a guard for my saw. Is been a big pain to get it re-worked and mounted. I have two mounting points now and I need to add at least two more to the bottom of the guard.


 



 



 

PoginyHill

I agree that sometimes guards can create more problems than they solve. I'm thinking it might depend on how you intend to use it. If it's just dropping on the ground or a conveyor, a simple guard for the saw operator would be fine. If you have a tailer close to the saw, then what you have is probably better than no guard at all.
Kubota M7060 & B2401, Metavic log trailer, Cat E70B, Cat D5C, 750 Grizzly ATV, Wallenstein FX110, 84" Landpride rotary hog, Classic Edge 750, Stihl 170, 261, 462

mike_belben

theres probably few things as horrifying as seeing your childs coat get caught from behind by a buzzsaw.  i dont love guards but i like funerals less. 


to anyone needing to build a blade guard, pie cuts from a piece of C channel is about the easiest way to make a stout tooth catcher. 
Praise The Lord

DeerMeadowFarm

Quote from: mike_belben on May 18, 2021, 11:32:11 AM
theres probably few things as horrifying as seeing your childs coat get caught from behind by a buzzsaw.  i dont love guards but i like funerals less.


to anyone needing to build a blade guard, pie cuts from a piece of C channel is about the easiest way to make a stout tooth catcher.
Yah, no one is around when I use this. I can't imagine anyone having their child near it when being used; guard or no guard. 
It's a saw... Again, there's no guard on a chainsaw and I would guess everyone on this forum uses one all the time. I would also guess that no one uses one with their kid(s) nearby and certainly not anywhere near the bar end!
Everyone freaks out over these cordwood saws but they are very useful and just as dangerous as other tools we all use and operate without a second thought. Guard or not, you need to always be careful when running any potentially dangerous piece of equipment.

mike_belben

well since you asked...  ;D

im raising a farm boy.  he is around everything dangerous i do, with me yelling for him to pay attention the whole time.  


who else is gonna run and tell mom im bleeding out fast?
Praise The Lord

DeerMeadowFarm

Quote from: mike_belben on May 18, 2021, 11:42:43 AM
well since you asked...  ;D

im raising a farm boy.  he is around everything dangerous i do, with me yelling for him to pay attention the whole time.  


who else is gonna run and tell mom im bleeding out fast?
I could use someone to tell mom I'm bleeding as well for sure! My daughter, a farm girl, although willing to help with most anything else, hates everything to do with firewood except the warmth it gives her and the maple syrup it helps to make so she avoids being around when that sort of work is taking place!
But since you mentioned it....
Since your boy is around everything dangerous that you do, what have you come up with for a chainsaw bar guard?  ;)

mike_belben

I installed it right between his ears.  But hes responsible for the maintenance.  

;D
Praise The Lord

barbender

DMF, I'm not trying to diminish the dangerousness of a chainsaw, but it would only be comparable to a buzz saw if you locked the throttle open the whole time you're using it.
Too many irons in the fire

DeerMeadowFarm

Quote from: barbender on May 18, 2021, 03:34:31 PM
DMF, I'm not trying to diminish the dangerousness of a chainsaw, but it would only be comparable to a buzz saw if you locked the throttle open the whole time you're using it.
I get what you're trying to say, but a chainsaw is operated at two throttle positions, idle and wide open. When it's idling, you aren't actively cutting, but when you are cutting, it's wide open. The difference is, with the buzz saw, it's still wide open when you move the log to the next cut and/or you pick up the next length to begin cutting. The only thing a guard does on a buzz saw is to protect someone not using the saw, which, is a very valid reason to have one. 
The way I have my guard coming down as low as it is will help me with the problem I used to have with the cut wood piling up and getting close to the spinning saw blade. If I can combine my guard with a table/chute to discharge the wood further away from the blade, it'll be even better. 

Ed_K

 I remember cold winters when I  9-10 yrs old standing next to the saw catching the cut piece and throwing it into the cellar hole window  :o >:( . 2 bil one hauling sticks to the saw and the other sawing them.
Ed K

mike_belben

Quote from: DeerMeadowFarm on May 18, 2021, 11:48:35 AMMy daughter, a farm girl, although willing to help with most anything else, hates everything to do with firewood except the warmth it gives her and the maple syrup it helps to make so she avoids being around when that sort of work is taking place!

Now that you bring it up i realize my daughters fashion model/seamstress dream sours right in front of the washing machine!  Hmmm
;D
Praise The Lord

DeerMeadowFarm

Made a few more upgrades. I added bracing to the original table section as it was very wobbly and would sometime cause the wood to bind (sorry for the lousy picture):


 

I also added an extension to the table:



 

And I made a new engine mount and dry-fitted the new engine:



 

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