Monkey blade away

[dail_h]

   I called Cook's Saw today to order some Simmons blades to try,and found out that they sell monkeys too,sooooo ordered some of them too.I have always had good luck with simmons,bits shanks and veneer knives so i thought I would do a comparison on this churchyard hickory.Maybe I'll try a box of Lennox also as well too.
   Shoot,time to go the gulag :'( :'( :'( >:( >:( :(

[RMay]

dail_h is the monkey blades the same price as Simmons blades at Cook's Saw  ;D

[Kirk_Allen]

OK, I need some input on these Monkey Blades.

I got my free sample and made it through about 350 BF of Hickory before it was dull.

The hickory logs, according to the farmer that dropped them off, were about 2-3 years old.  They were very dry on the inside and although the new blade seemed to start out good I cant say that I noticed that much of a difference.

Since the blade is a .041 with a .020 set (Kerf of .081) wouldnt it makes sense that it would cut faster or easier than the .045 WM blade with a .025 set (Kerf of .095)?

I know one blade is not enought to tell me anything significant but I would be curious if anyone is using the .042 WM blade and how it compares since its closer in size.  

I suspect the fact that I was cutting Hickory that was quite dry may have been part of the problem but not sure.

I did try a 9 degree WM blade on one of Hickory logs and it seemed to cut about the same as the Monkey blade.

I will re-set and sharpen the Monkey blade this week and try it again.

Thanks

[shopteacher]

Kirk, I imagine cutting 2 year old hickory would be about the same as cutting iron.  I just cut up about 5 large black locust that had been down a year and the monkey blade did surprisingly well.  The locust was still somewhat moist in the inside which I'm sure helped. Let us know how the blade is after sharpening. Another thread seemed to indicate a little trouble after resharpening.

[DextorDee]

Free monkey blade. Got it , tried it, like it.  8)Almost fell on my face didn't have to push near as hard to get to the other end of the log. ;D
Ordered me 12 more.

[Haytrader]

Same here on the push.
I looked over to see if someone had showed up unexpectantly and was helping push.

[AtLast]

I have nothing but GREAT things to say bout the monkey blades!!!...FANTASTIC!!!!...I called and they sent me a trial blade. Used it to cut some red oak logs...in the middle of the log was a lag bolt..I cut through it 3 times!!!...NEVER skipped a beat...no broken teeth and finished 2 other red oak logs with the same blade!!!...ordered me a case today.....I'm totally sold  8)

[Fla._Deadheader]

C'mon now, I KNOW that ya heard the blade slicin that lag bolt

  Why'd ya cut it 3 times : : ??? ??? ???

  TOLD Y'all them was good blades ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Kirk_Allen]

OK AtLast, post some pics of the lag bolt and blade.

I don't know what kind of blade material the monkey blade you got was but I know that the blade I used to cut the Hickory got quite a workout.

Not to sound skeptical, but I would have to claim Missouri as my home state on this one..........you know...........the Show Me state ;D

[EZ]

I'm a true beleiver on the monkey blade myself. I have'nt order any cause I want to use up all my old blades. The Monkey blades are about 1/8 wider than my old blades so this is why I want to get them use up. Last weekend I hit a railroad spike and broke another one, nothing sounded better. ;D
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Kirk, we have been lucky in that we have only sawn a few nails since switching blades. Usually, you can use a pocket knife and scrape the metal bits from the few teeth that hit the nail, and keep on sawing. We did booger up 1 tooth and it left a mark on every board. Wasn't too bad, though.

  Lag bolts are softer than nails. 3 hits sounds a little much, but, I can still believe it.

  I would compare the Munks blades to the WM Double hard. Big difference is, the WM didn't seem as sharp as the Munks. Them things are DanG sharp.

  We saw a lot of crap in the river logs, including clam shells and snails. It does dull the blade, but, takes a good while.

  The Hickory you sawed, would definitely dull the blade quicker than what everyone has posted. Did the blade cut straight and not wavy until you were done??? Did you try a WM blade in the same logs???  Have you tried the Munks blade in a fresh log, before cutting the Hickory???  You might give the blade a fresh log and see what happens.

[Kirk_Allen]

The blade did cut straight throughout the cutting.  I did try a WM blade but did not have the same BF of Hickory left so not sure how long it would have lasted as a proper comparison.  I will try them tomarrow on a fress log after I resharpen them.  

Im still evaluating.  Its just tough to do with only one blade.  Correction: its inpossible to do properly with only one blade.  

I do think though that they did cut easier initialy on the HIckory compared to the WM.  

I have some Maple, Ash and Walnut to cut Thursday so I will get a better feel for how it does after resharp.

Thanks
Kirk

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Kirk, please post the results of what you find, both, BEFORE and AFTER you sharpen the Munks Blade. I'm referring to what the set WAS and if you added any and if the blade just "feels" differently to sharpen. There have been some reported concerns with re-sharpened Munks Blades.

  We just got a WM sharpener and Setter, but, haven't tried to use them yet. Still cleaning them up and adjusting them.

[Kirk_Allen]

No problem.  I ordered a ceramic sharpening wheel from Coleman supply for the WM sharpener system. $22.00.  

I have heard good things about the ceramic sharpening wheel versus the standard WM wheel.

I will wait to sharpen this blade with the ceramic.  It should be here tomarrow.  I plan on using the same .020 set that Monkey had new.

Kirk

[Larry]

Let us know what you think of the ceramic wheel after you use it for a while.

I have been trying different wheels and so far the best I have found is the Suffolk ruby wheel.  Sharper point, less burr, and less heat on the tip.  Downside is it is soft and has to dressed quite often.  I'll try the ceramic wheel if you think it has merit.

[AtLast]

honest indian Fla-...I pinky swear....I was AMAZED...and did 2 more logs ta boot.....

[Fla._Deadheader]

well, if'n ya was closer to us, I might let ya get away with it, BUT, seein as how yer waaayyyy up in Misheginder country, might hafta get the boss to eyeball them boards :

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[shopteacher]

They ain't worth a hooot for sawing through the log clamp, I know, I tried it today. Didn't even get all the way through the first side.

[Fla._Deadheader]

   Just because Atlast got away with it, what made ya figger you cood??? : : : :  Maybe they have a Bi-metal Blade : ;D :D :D :D

[gmmills]

Fla-,

    I thought it was time to try these blades. I ordered 3 blades from cooks 1 1/2 x .043's and decided to run these blades along with my Double Hard 1 1/2 x 0.45's.
    For the past two weeks been sawing nothing but cherry and thought this would be a good time to do a comparison.     The first Munks blade Just broke today ,after 10 sharpenings!!!!  I feel that the blade performed as well as as the Wm's . The original hook angle of 10 deg. was a little too agressive so I sharpened them at 9 deg. the same as my WM's.
     The second blade has 2 sharpenings  on it and is doig very well and the 3 blade has yet to be put into service.
      In comparing the Munks vs. the WM's in performance and longevity, I feel it's a dead heat.
       Out of the box sharpness is an issue that all suppliers need to address! The Munks from Cooks as well as the Wm's leave alot to be desired on this subject. From reading  your previous posts,blades from Kenne-Saw are alot better.  As a general rule, my blades cut better after they are sharpened the first time.

[Fla._Deadheader]

That's a good report, GM. Can't comment about Cooks blades. Thought a dealer got the blades straight from their supplier and made 'em to order. ???  There is no comparison to WM vs Munks, from Kenne-Saw. I only have 3 WM blades and one was dull with shiny teeth right out of the box ???

  Anything you do different to sharpen Munks vs WM blades??? How many sharpens before you had to set the Munks???

[Kirk_Allen]

If I can get the Monks to perfrom equal to the WM blade I will stick with the Monkey blades.  At 13.75 a peice I end up saving almost $6.00 per blade.  Thats a bunch!

I also like the fact that the blade is .041 instead of .045 and with a .005 less set (.020 versus .025) I end up with less wood being sawdust and less resistance from the blade.

Next question?  Which do you prefer and why. 1 1/4" blade or
1 1/2" blade

[Fla._Deadheader]

  We tried both sizes and have stayed with the 1¼". Had to adjust the guides for the wide blade and don't see any reason to use the wider blade.

  We cut up to 37" wide boards and have little trouble, unless we are trying to get the last 4 cuts with a dull blade???

  Wide boards, ya GOTTA go slow. Give the blade a chance to expell the dust. If yer blade has some use and ya want wide boards, change the blade, first  : ;D ;D

[EZ]

My little brother wanted to see my mill in action, so I touch up the Monkey blade with 3 teeth missing and put it on. Being all I have out here is pine to saw, I figured the Monkey would be a good choice. My mother-in-law was here too, so I definitly wanted to make a good impression, being she told me and my wife that we were to old to be in the sawing business. The Monkey blade put on a good show. Mother-in-law was really impressed, she told my wife, look at that saw dust fly. She told her you better order him some more of them. ;D One point for me.
EZ

[rvrdivr]

This is for Shop Teacher and Chet. They do make a mud "snowshoe". http://www.mudderboot.com/  These things really work. I bought a pair ($100.00) and can now walk across mud that I have sunk up to my waist in before. I use mine to collect old bottles along the intercoastal waterway here in St. Augustine. Fl.