Whatcha Sawin' 2022 ??

[firefighter ontheside]

I have a weekend with nothing to do, so I think it will be a milling weekend.  There's lots of logs around here that need to be milled.  Might mill up some white oak and post it for sale right away.  Might mill some walnut and stack it to dry.  Theres a little sweet gum log that needs to be made into lumber or firewood.

[Daburner87]

@Daburner87 , that last picture looks like you have band chatter in every board.  Some teeth got overset.  This usually occurs from hitting metal, or not re-setting teeth when sharpening the band.  As Soon as I saw that chatter, I would have finished that cut, and then changed bands.  It looks like your can't has smooth cuts, but as soon as that chatter started, I would have looked for possible metal that you cut through.  It could happen from a stone in the bark too. That it why I try to debark the cut line before I cut.  

Also Do you have someone to sharpen bands for you?
You can resharpen bands until they get weak from fatigue (getting bent around the wheels), and develop cracks or break.  I find it's better to put on another sharp band than try to keep going with one that isn't cutting nicely.  And that band was not cutting nicely.

That log was sitting frozen in the dirt before I got it on the mill that morning.  It took quite a few tries to unstick it with my 60" Logrite and some dirty was definitely frozen on it when I got it up on the mill. I'm not surprised if I hit a rock.  I wanted to power wash the log, but being my first log I didn't want to delay any longer knowing the wife could come out any moment and put me back on daddy duty.   I will check over the band when this blizzard ends and see if I can spot anything.


I don't have anyone to resharpen for me in my area yet, I will have to do some research and make some calls.  I do have a 10 pack of Kasco bands I got from Cutting Edge that look much better than the one band Woodland Mills supplied.   I'll have to look at a debarking these dirty logs in the future.  

[beenthere]

Dayburner
You can knock the bark off ahead of the blade path with an axe or a spud. Even a shovel, spade, or steel brush will also work. Anything to make a cleaner path for the saw to enter the log.

[TimW]

Dayburner
You can knock the bark off ahead of the blade path with an axe or a spud. Even a shovel, spade, or steel brush will also work. Anything to make a cleaner path for the saw to enter the log.

I have a debarker and real dirty logs the excavator operator used as a land drag get the water hose treatment.  Especially large, thick barked SYP.
hugs,  Brandi

[Daburner87]

I have a floor scraper tool that I think will take bark off just fine.

[Walnut Beast]

I have a floor scraper tool that I think will take bark off just fine.

This works great 

[Walnut Beast]

I have a floor scraper tool that I think will take bark off just fine.

This works great

 

[Brad_bb]

@Daburner87 , Many times you can't see anything, but if you do, spray orange paint on the affected teeth so the resharpening guy will see and address those teeth.  When I hit metal I set those bands aside(hang them on a hook on the wall in the shop because I mill inside).  When I get 15 bands like that, I'll inspect and mark them.  With nail hits, you can often find those teeth as they will have a curl of steel hanging off the tip of the tooth from the nail.  I take a small file and flick those curls off and mark the teeth to that the set gets checked.  If you've hit metal bad enough, it will round off teeth, in which case it's usually not salvageable in my experience.  If you get those resharpened, those teeth still don't cut and then you're cut is usually not smooth. 

10 blades won't last very long.  I'll easily use 5 in 6 hours of cutting.  I own 60 bands.  When I have used 15, I send them to get sharpened.  With 60 bands in rotation I've not run out.  Resharp gets those back to me typically before I've used 30 bands.  You may not need that many in rotation, but I suspect you may need more than 10 if you do 6 big logs in one week.

[Magicman]

The lesson here is to STOP sawing when you have a blade failure and see that kind of unsatisfactory performance.

[kelLOGg]

I will be sawing this when I get it to the mill. It was leaning in the direction of my well head, had damage from a large limb that fell years ago and had been struck by lightning. It is 68 feet to the crotch minus 10 to 12 feet of damaged area from which I hope I get more than light wood. 34" at the butt so I will shave bark off with a chainsaw so it will fit the mill. The plan is for 3/4" x 10' for barn door siding and 2 x 4s for a friend building her house.



 

 

 

[trimguy]

This is a hickory crotch that I picked up a little while ago.

 

 
This was a new 4* blade , but you can tell from the saw marks I had a little issue with my clamping. Now I know what you mean by how bad hickory gums up a blade! I had to turn it wide open and still had issues.

[trimguy]

And this is some blue pine I cut up this weekend.

 

 

[WDH]

Nice, clear blue pine.  

[Daburner87]

Nice wood.  It really never gets old looking inside these logs.

[Walnut Beast]

Just starting to get into some well seasoned black gold

 

 

   

[WDH]

The is superlative.  

[Magicman]

My present customer is suffering from the "labor crunch".  :-\

He has trees to skid out and skidded logs to saw but his laborers (2) have been 'no shows' since this past Thursday.  It's no problem for me because I am enjoying the time off, but he is needing the timbers for his new home build and the carpenters are working.

He was in a total 'rip" last night when we talked. 

[WV Sawmiller]

The is superlative.  

They's purdy too. ;)

Lynn,

   I mostly work alone and I have the same problem as your customer. ???

[Brad_bb]

@WV Sawmiller , that's called procrastination.  I be guilty of that one too.

[SawyerTed]

Things go real smoothly here at the commercial site during the day.  We have good workers, they are here on time and do a man's day of work.  It is an excellent crew and they take care of business!
On the other hand, all the crew at the house wants to do is go out to eat a couple evenings a week, do the required chores and sit by the fire!  The woman in charge there is awfully sweet, she's pretty too but that guy that thinks he runs the place is a real hard one to work for.   :D ;D :D :D

[WV Sawmiller]

@WV Sawmiller , that's called procrastination.  I be guilty of that one too.

Brad,

   I was going to procrastinate one time but I never got around to it. :D

[WV Sawmiller]

   Not really sawing. With weather conditions so far I have not sawed all year. I did collect a few logs today from my next door neighbor. He had a couple of Norway spruce and one walnut cut by the tree trimmers clearing the power lines a couple months ago. He did not want them so I went over and de-limbed and bucked them and brought them home today. I put a gate in our line fence many years ago and I get free pasture and he gets free lawnmowing so it has worked well for both of us.


Walnut in front and spruce to the rear  

 10' butt log and one clear 5' section will become walnut lumber. The short pieces and crotches will become 8/4 LE slabs  and 9/4 square stock for benches.

The spruce is mostly 6-7 ft long and I'll cut into 2X4 & 2X6 framing and 3/4" siding to make sheds and my signature composting toilets. ;)

  I went ahead and dragged most of the limbs to a brushpile I was burning and cleaned them up for my neighbor while I was at it. No major effort to do so and much easier on me than my neighbor. Good neighbors are worth their weight in gold and I want to stay in this one's good graces.

  While I was at it I had a long time customer come over and buy some ash boards for a pie safe he is building. He buys a few boards at a time as his budget allows. He and his wife are real nice and it always good to see them. He bought $32 worth of lumber and only had $33 in his wallet. I told him I needed to re-figure as I hate to see a customer leave with money left in his wallet. :D

[Magicman]

Quite often something very nice will come off of the sawmill and I will comment that obviously I am now not charging enough to saw.  :D

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

 "Now" or "not" charging enough?

[Magicman]

I edited/corrected it.