Question for circle saw owners

[longtime lurker]

How do circle mills handle iron strikes?  Id expect those carbide insert teeth to mow nails without notice, but does it tend to chip the tooth?

Yup.
Even a decent piece of sand lodged in the bark can chip a tooth - TCT is hard as all get out but quite brittle although there are a few different grades around with differing amounts of hardness/malleability. Theres also stellite which is softer so blunts faster but less inclined to chip and has higher abrasion resistance.
But thats okay... you just put the next one in. If you were cutting say tree service logs where iron is going to be common you just set a saw up with less teeth.
Circles are less expensive to run per unit of production then bands.

[jemmy]

I haven't milled anything off of my circle mill yet but I fear the day I hit a rail road spike, or a porcelain lag screw, heard they stop blades cold, and when you have a pto/diesel motor powering something and it hits an "immovable object" somethings gonna give somewhere and its happening reallll fast. Circle mill mishapps can be expensive to fix if something happens to blade. Haven't cut yet, but thankfully I have a 48" blade to practice and run through some yard trees with, and a 56" blade for when I trust myself, mill, and trees to cut appropriately. Also got a few boxes of teeth haha. Things can go wrong and be expensive, but when things run smooth these can be quite awesome machines. 

[jemmy]

I also have another blade that the previous owner sold me that has an entire tooth missing from hitting a rr spike and either needs re-hammered, or turned into a sign out front for the mill

[Ianab]

I haven't milled anything off of my circle mill yet but I fear the day I hit a rail road spike, or a porcelain lag screw, heard they stop blades cold, and when you have a pto/diesel motor powering something and it hits an "immovable object" somethings gonna give somewhere and its happening reallll fast.

You would want a "shear pin" or bolt in your drive some place. Usually a small high tensile bolt or pin that's expendable. Hay balers etc usually have them in the drive, used to be built into the flywheel on out old IH baler. If baler ate something it's couldn't digest, there would be a BANG, and you would be left with the flywheel on the front of the baler spinning away merrily, but no action past that point. But the PTO / tractor / flywheel weren't subject to that sudden stop. You carried a box of spare bolts and a couple of spanners in the tractor toolbox.

On a circle mill you are going to do something bad to the blade, and possibly a lot more expensive than a band saw, where you can throw the whole band, or a small circle where you only have 4 to 8 teeth to replace. But you don't want to rip up your PTO shaft or damage your tractor as well. 

[backwoodsdave]

I work alone and have a bellsaw.. For the money invested, you can't beat it..I ran mine off a tractor pto for the past 3 years... I'm currently switching to a stationary engine so as not to tie up a tractor...One thing i did learn that I never realized, is that the pro spins opposite direction of an engine crank....So if you want to do the same, you'll need a reverser or to decide how you'll mount your drivetrain....I have a band mill that I haven't even started this year while the bellsaw has been working overtime

I work alone for the most part and always have so that's the reason for the interest in mostly the Belsaw, and I can run it wit a pto off the tractor in till I can come up with an engine and pto setup, I have a pretty good old scrap yard not too far from me that has a good selection of old pulleys, Jack shafts, flat belt stuff etc. so reversing drive direction would just take a little engineering, I think my biggest obstacle is going to be actually finding a mill, I talked to a couple of the older heads around town who know who has what and where locally and they didn't know of any other than a couple that had went for scrap a few years ago when the iron prices got so high across the scales, I may have to broaden my search and take a road trip.

[jimparamedic]

I found my last mill om facebook it was in good shape no power but i only paid $250 for it and had to drive about 2 hrs to get it. hope you find one

[jemmy]

Payed 3500$ for mine, (two blades, Detroit diesel for power, and 18ft guaranteed capabilities) found it on craigslist after consistently looking for months, 2 hour drive, 2 days of grueling work to get it home, and two years off and on effort. But once its finished I know I will be happy. Saws are out there, just gotta get lucky I guess, or look on multiple websites and be willing to travel.