I have an old M-14 with a 36" fixed swage tooth blade - PTO drive. It's in good shape and everything works great except the blade - it needs some work. It cuts true but something is wrong and the blade needs something. The blade tries to overheat and you just have to creep through the logs. and it will try to hang up every once and a while.
We don't have anyone around here who has a clue about how to work on the blades. I guess I need to know how to sharpen them or where would be the cheapest place to buy a new blade. I would be in the market for an insert tooth with carbide tips. I really can't even find but a couple of places on the net that sell blades.
Any help would be appreciated.
P.S. I am so glad I found this forum - already helped me a lot
first let me say welcome to the forestry forum.
it would help a little to know where you are located. i am guessing in oklahoma but thats a big area.
is there anyone in your area running a cicrle blade mill? they will know who works on their blade. i know of a place in springfield mo that sells teeth for blades that might help you out. menominee saw is a sponsor of the forum and can help you out. sawdoc is a good website as well.
there are a few circle saw doctors here that may have some input.
pc
I am located in central Oklahoma. Not many sawmills around though. Good idea however and I will see what I can find.
We have an abundance of Eastern Red Cedar here and in and around the canyons they grow pretty big and tall. I have cut about 300 nice logs for the log home we plan to build. Our logs are nice up to around 12' - 15' so I will use short log or piece on piece type construction. Will need quite a bit of lumber for upstairs, subfloors and etc, and that's where the sawmill comes in..
One of our sponsors, on the left, is a blade manufacturer and has saw doctor's. The man in the know is called Peach and he has been recommended by many here as the "go-to" man for circle saw information. Click on the Icon sign for Menominee Saw and you will find that they have an 800 number. Ask for Peach. :)
We also have several knowledgeable circle sawyers aboard who will be anxious to offer their opinions as well. Be sure to stay tuned with them through this thread.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum!
Gday
Another log home builder you should start a thread on that also Mate as we all like to see people building things and what they are upto in general Mate ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8)
The spring setts have had their time and I would just hang it on the mill shed wall or make a sign outa it Mate ;) :D ;D ;D Okla www.arsaw.com is a good place for new Isert saws a a 40 or 44" will let you saw upto 2" dia log easy you can get for about $1185 with the number of teeth you need in it and bits and shanks to suit ;) a 40" is only about $1020 dollars I would go with a new saw over a second hand one also whichever saw shop you buy from too mate
Regards Chris
Chris - thanks so much for the info - I will call them ASAP
Tom and Paul - also thanks to you - I emailed Monominee as soon as I read your posts.
Go fer the insert blade and with chrome teeth it will cut anything you throw at it. I run a 46" on mine with 40 hp tractor fer power
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/19561/100_1433_%28Custom%29%7E0.JPG)
Log in pic is 30" in dia. Had to finish with P_S but will blind cut without issues
No problem How many Hp dase the tractor your tractor have as that will dictate the number of teeth and your pto speed will set the rpm of the saw about 540rpm is standard ??
Tractor is 45 horse - 540 PTO at 2100 rpm. I would like to run it about 1800 RPM.
Captain Crunch - Chrome teeth - haven't heard of that one. Is that anything like hard surfacing for plow shares and etc? It's chrome colored. Wears forever too.
Chrome teeth are just chromed on the outside to help stiffen them up. They still get dull. I've been told by an engineer that you're no better than the metal underneath it. He used to make drill bits for mining.
If you do go with the chrome teeth, you'll need something to sharpen them with, at least on the first sharpening. I use a grinder on them. After the chrome has been taken off the front face, you'll be able to hand file them, but it will be rough on files. I figure I get about 20% better production on my chrome teeth than on the regular steel ones. Cutting hardwoods.
Is there a difference between chrome tips and carbide tipped teeth?
Yes. Carbide is much harder and will last a lot longer. But, if you hit a nail, carbide is history. I've never have run carbide due to the expense and the amount of metal I hit. Carbide teeth run about $3.25/tooth as compared to chrome at $1.25. Steel is about $1.10. You need a grinder on carbide teeth.
Gday
Chrome tips go alot better overthere than they do here as they start to delam pretty bloody quick :o :( >:( My Grandfather and Dad where the Simmonds Saw dealers here for years then swapped over to the arsaw TCT bits when they first started making them in the late 80s ;) Ron was spot on with his info ;) the difference between Tct and Chrome is like caulk n cheese Tct is a harder wearing tooth compound that gives very long run times between sharpening ;) ;D 8) It dosnt like hitting hard things as it is brittle though ;) :D :D
I think if you are going to the trouble of buying and setting up a new saw you would be better to set up to run tct bits but then you need the sharpening gear to go with it which runs at $300 to $700 ;) if the money puts you off for a start just whack std steel bits in that you can hand file with a good Flat Mill File from the get go as a box of 100 teeth is only going to set you back the $100 to $120 mark then upgrade to Tct down the track ;)
Regards Chris
Thanks everybody for the good info. I will probably go carbide - what I am cutting has no nails so longer lasting teeth sounds pretty good to me.
Okla,none of us plan to hit nails and tramp metal it just kinda happens.Carbides are fine for special uses but I believe you'd be better served with regular bits starting out.The Dexter file guide takes the guesswork out of filing the bits and its reasonally priced.A diamond grit file is available for harder bits.Frank C.
The old gentleman that I worked with on a circular mill for many years used nothing but chrome teeth. If you are using anything but standard teeth, you will need a power sharpener. I have bought two Jockey brand grinders in recent years. One cost $380 and the other was $200. The $200 unit was a bargain. There are some hand cranked sharpening systems, but there are no stones available for use on chrome, or carbide teeth that I am aware of. They are meant for standard teeth only.
Sparky
Sparky is correct my hand crank grinder uses file sections and about all it does is polish cutting edge ::) ::) I dont saw outside logs so I dont have metal worries Beings I was born and raised on the old ranch I know where all the old fences were ;D and avoid trees on line fences :D But in 1 1/2 years I can't see much wear on the chrome teeth guess I have sawn well over 40,000 feet in that time
what you are cutting has something to do with it, right?
i would imagine oklalogdog will be cutting a fair amount of hard woods and wont they be harder on teeth?
cc,
do you mean you havent sharpened your teeth in about 40000bdft? that would be some awesome mileage out of those teeth. pc
Jeff said he got some really high volumes on a set of teeth, but he was cutting aspen. Don't know if he was running chrome.
Several factors need to be considered. One is the cut order. If you're cutting 2" stock, you'll get twice the amount of footage as cutting 1" stock. Another is hardness. I run chrome and can't get much more than a weeks worth of work - 50-60 Mbf. Dirt, frozen logs, hickory and a bunch of other nasty things dull teeth.
The only reason I currently run chrome is that Simonds had some standard steel teeth that simply would not stay sharp. The steel was too soft and would not hold an edge. I went to chrome to get a tooth that would maintain an edge. I haven't gone back to the standards to see if the problem has been solved.
Have you checked your mill? Does the carriage travel in a straight line with a log on it? If there is a sag or weak spot in the track the log will drop and bind on the saw. I think there are more problems with a mill than the blade.
Also look at the sawdust, it should be kernels not fine dust. Fine dust spills out of the gullets and causes heating, chips stay in and exit the cut. The chip size is related to feed, speed and power. See the book by Stanford Lunstrom, Forest Products Lab.
Plan on a few years to learn how to saw good lumber. Bob
We did use the diamond wheel on them once and I do " polish" them weekly but file sure don't remove any metal to speak of