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Sydney Blue Gum - Best Blades?

Started by JohnnytheFish, June 22, 2020, 05:17:58 PM

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JohnnytheFish

Hi Everyone

I have just gotten my bandsaw mill which I built up and running again. It has a 15 HP diesel. And 19 inch wheels. I've added the Cooksaw bearing guides and I have it cutting Blue Gum nice and straight but pretty slowly - like 60 board feet an hour - using the Woodmiser SilverTip blades in 158inch...

Any thoughts on how I can speed things up a bit?

A better blade for this sort of timber? Or a better tooth set?

Bruno of NH

Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

dgdrls

Like Bruno asked what tooth angle?
What set
& How wide are the cuts your making?

D


woodyone.john

Why are you going that slow ?
Check blade sharpness,set and alignment,3 simple checks.
A new blade should fix the first 2 the next may be a bit more onerous but important
Saw millers are just carpenters with bigger bits of wood

JohnnytheFish

Ok ... so here is what I have...

My engine is a 15 HP diesel that says it does 3600 RPM.

The small pulley wheel at the shaft is 4" and the big one is 9".

The band wheels are 20".

The blades are from woodmizer and this is the serial number on the box!
 BS27351H1030-401-F10

Any and all advice greatly accepted!!

Like I said it doesn't mind softer woods like pine but Blue Gum or acacia it really has to go slow...


ladylake



  I think you are spinning your blade WAY too fast, your big pulley should be around 14 to 15 inch.   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

JohnnytheFish

Ok wow interesting - so you think it would cut faster if it was going slower?

ladylake

 

  Faster and straighter.   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

Ianab

Quote from: JohnnytheFish on June 25, 2020, 07:16:26 AMThe blades are from woodmizer and this is the serial number on the box!  BS27351H1030-401-F10


I think the 10 in the number refers to the hook angle?  10 deg is a "general purpose" blade, and will do fine with pine and regular hardwoods. But getting into the harder Aussie woods you might want a 7 or 4 deg band.  
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

JohnnytheFish

Quote from: ladylake on June 25, 2020, 03:12:55 PM
Quote from: ladylake on June 25, 2020, 01:29:08 PM


 I think you are spinning your blade WAY too fast, your big pulley should be around 14 to 15 inch.   Steve
Wow interesting - been thinking about this. Before I bought the Cooksaw blade guides I made my own guides with high speed bearings which I believe many people have done - but they never lasted more than a few hours before seizing. This does make sense now... as no one could understand why this was happening... 

ladylake

 According to my calculations which could be wrong your blade is traveling at 8284 fpm,  I'd shoot for around 4200 fpm with a 15 hp diesel .    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

dgdrls

I agree with @ladylake .  Blade is going too fast.

FF sponsor Cooks has a good write-up here.
How Fast Should a Bandsaw Turn and Does That Change for Frozen Logs? - Cook's Saw Store

Blade speed calculator is in the toolbox to the left on the screen under the sponsors
https://forestryforum.com/members/donp/bandspeedcalc.htm

D



longtime lurker

I'm no bandsaw expert but even 4200 fpm is too fast for what you're cutting.

Steel you cut at 600 fpm.
Spotted Gum around 2500 fpm but spotty is notoriously tough on bands.
I'd be thinking more like 3000-3500.

Just keep swapping pulleys out until you find the high side of the sweet spot. Maybe crack an email off to Henry Bros  or CSK about band speeds suit Sydney blue gum.. They'd know who would know if they couldn't answer themselves.

Henry Bros Saws - Bandsaw blades & circular saw blades

Saw Sharpening | Tool Sharpening | Combined Saw and Knife


The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

JohnnytheFish

Thanks everyone for the replies. That blade speed calculator is useful. Will try and slow the speed down and also give Henry Bros a call.

customsawyer

Also get a box of 4° blades. They will cut hardwood better than the 10° you're running now.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

JohnnytheFish



Thanks everyone - I am lucky the pulley coming off my shaft is a double pulley and can be flipped and I think that will drop my speed to 4500 fpm. If that's still not enough I will go and change the big pulley wheel. It's even smaller than I thought! 8" - so blade going way way too fast!!

I don't think they sell 4 degree blades where I live - but there is a good wood shop that has a very good sharpener - so will regrind some blunt blades and see what difference it makes.

Any suggestions on the tooth set?

Thought I would post a few pics of the mill...









 

ladylake

 I think your going to have to get a bigger driven pulley as 4" on the drive pulley is about the smallest you can go without the belt slipping.  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

JohnnytheFish


JohnnytheFish

Quote from: dgdrls on June 26, 2020, 01:58:40 PM
Blade speed calculator is in the toolbox to the left on the screen under the sponsors
https://forestryforum.com/members/donp/bandspeedcalc.htm

D
Anyone know where I should measure the pulley wheels from for this calculator?
Outside Diameter? Bottom of the Groove? Or is there an amount one subtracts for the type of belt? Mine are A type.
Thanks again for all the help. 

dgdrls

Quote from: JohnnytheFish on June 29, 2020, 10:02:50 AM
Quote from: dgdrls on June 26, 2020, 01:58:40 PM
Blade speed calculator is in the toolbox to the left on the screen under the sponsors
https://forestryforum.com/members/donp/bandspeedcalc.htm

D
Anyone know where I should measure the pulley wheels from for this calculator?
Outside Diameter? Bottom of the Groove? Or is there an amount one subtracts for the type of belt? Mine are A type.
Thanks again for all the help.
I would measure to where the band rides.

JohnnytheFish

As in where the v belt contacts the pulley first? 

JoshNZ

It's hard to measure where exactly. If you wrap your belt around the pulley, measure the diameter between the top of the belt in its grove, minus maybe 1/8-1/4". That'll be close enough.

A belt going around a pulley is a pretty dynamic thing on a closeup level. Only one point on the belt profile is in perfect sync with the pulley, the very outside is expanding and slipping slightly and the inside is shrinking and slipping slightly.

When buying pulleys they'll usually specify a pitch diameter, which will be different to OD.

ladylake

Quote from: JohnnytheFish on June 29, 2020, 10:02:50 AM
Quote from: dgdrls on June 26, 2020, 01:58:40 PM
Blade speed calculator is in the toolbox to the left on the screen under the sponsors
https://forestryforum.com/members/donp/bandspeedcalc.htm

D
Anyone know where I should measure the pulley wheels from for this calculator?
Outside Diameter? Bottom of the Groove? Or is there an amount one subtracts for the type of belt? Mine are A type.
Thanks again for all the help.
Measure the outside of the pulleys.   You really should switch over to B belts,  I think A belts will slip to easy.   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

JohnnytheFish

Thanks Steve - will do. Seems to be cutting pretty well at the moment on cypress with the small pulley but when I go back to the gum I will get an 18 inch pully wheel with the 4 inch in B belt 

JohnnytheFish

Hi Everyone - so I think the advice about blade speed was spot on. We have put a 16 inch pulley wheel and the saw is cutting blue gum beautifully. We have also found that the silver tip blades need to have the tooth set done every time we sharpen them. But the blade speed really was the key difference. Many thanks for all your help.

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