Good afternoon all. I am a member of this forum and have read much stuff about blades. I did a search for my question but did not get specifics on what I would like to know OR I searched the wrong phrase/words. Your assistance/advice will be appreciated.
First; thank all of you for being so educational and helpful to us neophytes.
I have had my 14 HP Woodland mills 126 a bit over a year. Health issues slowed me down getting it up and running. I have now had it up and running for about 4 months. I have been using the blades that came with my initial order from Woodland mills (Lenox blades , 7 *(?) I think). These blades have been sawing southern yellow pine very nicely. I have not as yet sawed any hardwoods but that is about to change. I have some red oak on the stack ready to saw. I am going to see how my original blades work on the oak.
I have gone through 4 blades of the original 10 and I want to acquire more blades in preparation for more sawing. I will be sawing SYP, oak. Eastern Red-cedar, some sweetgum and other species in the near future.
You guessed it....My questions are:
What brands or manufacture of blades are preferred by folks on the 14 HP 126 woodland mills saw? Vendors with good pricing?
What degree (7* or 10*) blades are better for:
-SYP &/or E. Red-Cedar?
-Oak?
-Hickory?
-Sweetgum or other hardwoods?
Thanks and all other advice is welcome as well!
Still learning, Dan
In East Alabama
14 HP Woodland mills 126 (2020)
P.S. My mill has already paid for itself in the lumber I have sawn and used.
P.P.S. I am only a hobby sawyer just building sheds and pole barns around the property.
My suggestion is to use 7 degree for everything. Woodmizer is one good source to buy from as well as sharpening.
There are three - 7 degree blades available. The Turbo 7 has a 39.5 back cut and is the middle of the road and good all around. The 747 (47 backcut) has the most gullet volume and in theory is well suited for low HP mills.
Good luck.
I use Cook's blades but you should be able to source blades from them or Joe Mane in Georgia easily. Either one should be able to suggest where to start for your mill. I don't know Joe Mane's cell number, but it can be found on any of "Out of the Woods" youtube videos as Nathan uses them exclusively. Also, Woodmizer of Georgia is in Newnan not far from Carrollton. I'd imagine they have crossed your bridge before as well.
I use Wood-Mizer blades (10°) exclusively, even before I sold my woodland mills mill, I used Wood-Mizer blades. Their website lets you select from a list of common makes and models of sawmills, and then shows the blade size available.
I don't know about the Woodland Mills or that HP but I'd suggest you at least try a 4 degree blade or two. When I started I bought lots of 10's and a few 7's and 4's. The 10s and 7s worked well in soft poplar which is a lot of what I saw but when I started sawing hardwoods like oak and ash and hickory I found the 4's worked much better. I also found when sawing real soft wood like pine, spruce or hemlock with really hard knots they cut through the knots much truer. I am phasing out everything but 4 degree blades for all of my sawing. They will cut everything while the others only work better on the softer woods.
I have the same mill and have been buying blades from Woodmizer. 10 degree double hard run around $300 per 15.May have gone up as haven't bought any for awhile.I'm no expert but have cut hickory,oak,poplar and pine and have been happy with results.So many types out there it's confusing so I'll probably just keep getting these.
Yes 10° cut, 4° cut straight longer. Steve
Thanks for the suggestions and advice. I will get on the innerweb and look around at the different manufacturers and blades mentioned by y'all.
Always open for other suggestions and advice so please continue.
Thank you,
Dan
Remember - free advice is worth what you paid for it. :D
Good luck and keep us posted.