Ordered 2 woodmizer 4 degree bands to try on my mill today .
I'm hope they work better for me on the spruce I have been sawing .
If I like them I will buy a box and use the re-sharp service .
Jim/Bruno
I have not sawn spruce. I do like the 4 degree bands, especially for harder woods.
I think you will like them Bruno. I now use them for every species.
Keep in mine, the 4° degree is not a license to speed, :D.....every degree blade has there limitations.
But you will learn them and love them. :)
What Spruce are you sawing?
I have sawed Adirondack Red spruce with no problems on 10 degree blades.
The plantation grown Norway here in central NYS is another story.
10 degree blades didnt cut it.
It is difficult to saw to say the least, vary wavy boards..
I was suggested by WM to use .055 7 degree blades at very high tension and still had some problems as above.
I now stick to Hemlock and occasionally White pine.
Pete
The spruce is local to my home in NH
I like building with it better than hemlock it splits less and I think it's stronger .
I would like to learn to saw it better .
Jim /Bruno
Bruno,
How big are the spruce you are cutting?
I cut my first Norwegian spruce this week from a stand of overaged Christmas trees I am thinning on my place. All were small and I got about 125 bf of 1X6s 8' long out of 7 small logs. I was using a 10 degree WM blade which had already cut several hundred bf of tulip poplar. I had read the horror stories of cutting spruce but these were the easiest I think I have cut so far. I have a few larger spruce trees to cut when I get an order for them but I was surprised how easy these cut.
I cut another 700 bf or so of poplar and basswood for my next door neighbor yesterday with the same blade before any indications it was getting tired. I finally changed it but only cut one more log with the next blade before we finished. That was probably about the best results I have got out of a blade to date with well over 1,000 bf before changing.
Good luck on the new blades.
WV
The spruce I'm cutting are 24 inch to 22 inch on the big end .
Jim/Bruno
It's a lot easier to saw good lumber out of an older (bigger) Spruce.
If you don't really believe that, find a log that's around 10" on the butt end, and try it. :o ::)
Chuck,
I hope you are right because the little spruces I cut this week were in the 8-10" diameter range and they were the easiest wood I have cut to date. Not much production but pretty boards and my mill just raced through them. It acted like my horse at feeding time. I'm anxious to go cut some of the 16-20" trees I still have standing.
I have cut a lot of larger white spruce with 10 degree blades with no big problems
Got my 2 new 4 degree bands today from woodmizer .
Ordered last Friday at 3:00 pm they just got here at 6:00 pm that's good service .
Have to wait until Saturday to try them out repairing siding at the condos I take care of .
The pine I'm going to saw has lots of knots hope they work out for me .
Jim/Bruno
What they set up back for the two blades? I need to try other blades on hard wood.
FF
$74.00 with the shipping
They had to make them my mills not a woodmizer .
The shipping is what gets ya
Jim/Bruno
Thanks, I might give them a call. I don't have a Woodmizer too.
Tried some 4 degree blades today on some standing dead White Oak. I was impressed. Tried them on some Yellow Poplar a couple of days back and the travel speed just was not there as with the 10 degree.
Bruno-
You will like the 4°blades.I have a lot of the dreaded,knotty ,black spruce here.10°blades gave me very wavy cuts.I was ashamed of my work,gave them to my nephew for pig pens,pig's didn't notice.Changed over to the 4° blades and what a difference.I still have an occasional minor wave,but not like before.
My experience with our local white spruce has been that the smaller stuff saws easy, the wider stuff with knots can give you fits.
If you still get waves with the spruce, increase the ste radically compared to hardwood. I set .035 with Sitka spruce. Wide cuts of course.