A day cutting wood

[Bruno of NH]

How much for a carbide band ?

[burtle]

Peter,

that's some nice pine as you know!! Some of the nicest I've seen

[Peter Drouin]

How much for a carbide band ?

75.00 each

burtle
I do get in some nice pine from time to time, If a load is nice I buy all I can of that track. 
Then I have customers bring nice stuff too his #2 load has 4 or 5 more loads. With the road bans up he has to hall the logs himself, 


 

With the snow going the phone is ringing off the hook.

[Peter Drouin]

That trailer of logs are the customers all 2x6 with some boards.

I got to tell you Bandmill Bandit The way the carbides are cutting I'll never buy a double hard blade again.   :D :D :D 8)  I'm still on the same blade. 

[Jim_Rogers]

Who can or will sharpen those?

Jim Rogers

[terrifictimbersllc]

Who can or will sharpen those?

Jim Rogers

Probably just leave some money in your will to take care of sharpening them some day.  :D :D

[Peter Drouin]

Not bad, $$$$  I can use my sharpener just buy a diamond wheel from Wood Mizer, On sale now $ 149.00 
I have been busy the last few days and only cut 2400 bf, And the blade cuts like the way it came out of the box.
This is the hardest cutting time for me, Logs are frozen 1/2 frozen, If the new blades work well now, this summer will be a piece of cake. :D

I will say, If I push my 51 horse cat  [ to slow the blade down] I can get the blade to wave a little If I want. Just cutting at my regular speed It cuts as flat as an Iron.
 
I look at the pile of double hards blades I have even the new ones in a box. 
Want to throw them out. :D :D :D  I won't, maybe. ;D

[PAmizerman]

Peter what profile and thickness is the carbide bands you are running?

[Peter Drouin]

1 1/4 x42 x 7°  All they had in 1 1/4" blade.  I want 1 1/4 x turbo 7° x 55.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Peter if you are going to Bruno's bring the double hard blades and I gladly dispose of them for you.

[Peter Drouin]

Well I had 2400 bf Hemlock cut. Then one time when I was one with the mill I pulled the head back and cot the cant, Poped the blade off. 
Some tooth damage.


 

 

 
With a dubble hard I would throw it away. The lumber would be all wash board.. 
I put it back on the mill.  :D :
Have an order for 500 tree stakes, Hardwood. so with a bad blade, I cut some dry out W Oak
logs. : :
I cut another 800 bf with that blade, Had some lines, Tree stakes lines are ok. ;)


 
Run your hand over it and you could just barely feel it, Looks worse than it is,
I had to take it off because of heat on the blade loosen the tension. It was getting dull but did not wave.
When I get my Diamond wheel I'm going to sharpen it and back on the mill.  :D :D :D :D ;D
see how that works. : :D :D

If I give them away Pete I.ll let you know. ;)

[Bandmill Bandit]

Peter your experience is very much like mine.

Finished the job yesterday in 24 sawing hours and 4 hours of driving for the job.

Used 2 blades for the job with the first having about 4 thousand BF when I started the job. 

Cut a total of 11000 BF of 2x4, 2x6, 2x8,  and just over 4000BF (4 to 5 cords) of 1x Y? windslabs. Second band still on the mill and cutting BETTER than any other FRESH blade I have ever used. They are tough and the flex life in incredible.

I took the first blade from the job over to the machine shop and had it magna fluxed this morning. No gullet cracks that we could see so far. This blade will be over 16MBF total and wit get its second sharpen in the next day or so.

Blade cost with these blade is at least 50% lower NOT including the increased productivity AND the improved lumber quality.

[donbj]

Bandmill Bandit, again impressive numbers! Do you have a debarker on your mill? You clean/pressure wash them? I was told the carbides don't like dirty wood as they chip when hitting grit and such.

Very glad you are posting your experience, very informative! Thanks

[Bandmill Bandit]

Yes I do have a debarker, and i make sure it is working properly. 

No I dont pressure wash logs. If there is a bit of a mud cake on the log I will use my flat spade to peal the bark in the area.
 

[PAmizerman]

Now you guys got me rethinking dropping some coin on these carbides
Hmmm?
And the grinding wheel is only $150 like all the others?

[JRWoodchuck]

I don't mill very much but I think my next band order will have a carbide in it. Because of this thread.

[Peter Drouin]

A debarker working properly is very important with reg or carbides blades. 

[YellowHammer]

Me too, I'm thinking the dollars and cents of this is right.  Also, no setting after sharpening. 

[Lawg Dawg]

I got me one in yesterday to try...so far about 1500bf of KNOTTY, I MEAN KNOTTY pine and it's cut flatter than any other blade I've ever sawn with...I see the UPS man coming now with a full box!  :D  but I doubt you want to hit metal with it...kind of like gambling in Vegas running these bands



 

[Peter Drouin]

Me too, I'm thinking the dollars and cents of this is right.  Also, no setting after sharpening.

less time fooling with the blades is always a good thing.  

[Bandmill Bandit]

kind of like gambling in Vegas running these bands

<br

Not really Lawg Dawg - There is a bit of a learning curve for sure BUT, YOU have control of the situation ACCEPT for tramp metal and a good metal detector reduces this a lot. 

You have ZERO control of any thing but your wallet in Vegas! 
The most risk in using carbides is the side supports and other REQUIRED components on the mill that can be "momentarily" ignored! For just a BIT too long! 

Experience is hard and unforgiving master!    

[Darrel]

Most of the logs I cut for people are yard trees and as such I expect to hit metal on a regular basis. Customers are ok with paying $25/strike, I'm not sure if they'd still be ok if I upped it to $75. Something to think about.

[Bandmill Bandit]

I charge 100 bucks for any foreign object strike that damages a blade!

If the customer bucks at that they can find some else to mill their logs. I don't need the headache.    

[WV Sawmiller]

BB,

   I assume you are using all carbide if charging $100/blade metal strike. I'm with Darrell and charge $25. I have said before whatever you charge is fair as long as both you and the customer understand and agree before sawing starts. Sine I use doublehards I can replace the for the $25 and suspect my customers would balk at the $100 fee. But whatever blade I am using I would base my metal strike fee on what it would cost to replace it.

[Bandmill Bandit]

Yes WV I do use carbides when sawing for customers but when I was using the double hards, I did charge $50 for a blade damaged by foreign material.

Because I am in Canada my rates are always in Canadian dollars as well. The double hards were about 38 so 50 covered the swap time as well.    

And YES I make sure customer understands the damaged blade charge before we start the milling.