New mill and bands

[charles mann]

I placed an order for a WM LT15wide with the 27hp kohler gas and power feed. Now the wait begins, currently 47 weeks, but hopefully sooner. 

I will primarily cut hardwoods, mostly oak (red, live, post and some white) and pecan. I know pecan is HARD, esp seasoning and knots.

 I will order a box (15ct.) of the double hard 4° for the hardwoods. But for softwoods (mostly pine and very little cedar), which ° would be recommended, 7° or 10° or would for the sake of keeping it simple, just keep using the 4° for everything? 

Some of the pines i will cutting, will be at or larger than the 36" capacity, as are a bulk of the hardwoods, at capacity or slightly under, so id be in the cut, near full capacity more times than not. 

Any insight amd recommendations  with asked about blades, esp on an LT15 series or mill with same or similar engine and wood species is much appreciated. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I am standardizing my bands on the DH 4* blades and phasing out the 7 & 10 degree blades I bought when I bought the mill. I can cut oak or ash with it or poplar or pine with the 4 degree. When cutting pine or spruce or such it is soft woods but the knots are super hard so I still need the smaller chip size. 

   Good luck.

[bigblockyeti]

I bought a box of 15 DH in 9° with my mill and I'd like more life out of them, I don't need more speed.  I don't know if switching to 4° would do that but I'm all ears to those with more experience than I.

[John S]

I have never milled pecan but did mill some live oak in January.  I am not looking forward to milling any in the future.  I was using 7° Turbos.

[Patrick NC]

I've switched to 7° ripper 37s for everything  with 23hp on my Norwood.  Tried several different bands and this is what works best for me. You may find that something different works better for you.  The only thing you can do is experiment a little.  Last time I bought a box, I got then in 1.5"x 0.050. They take a little extra power, but cut dead flat. If you can run 1.5" bands on your mill, I highly recommend it. 

[Southside]

My 35 has a 25 HP Kohler and for oak and pine I use turbos. I chased bands for that mill when I first got it and after trying the turbos I stopped the chase. 

[charles mann]

@WV Sawmiller 
What are you getting for life out the DH 4s as far as log/s per band and times they can be re-sharpened and tooth set? 

For all readers/posters. 
Who is set up with the wm resharp program? If so, how often do they find bad bands per box you send in esp after being resharpened several times?  

@Patrick NC 

The 15 wide runs 1 1/4" and probably wont run a 1 1/2" properly, if at all, and id hate to shred the wheel belts or a drive belt, esp on a mill that will still be under warranty. Id hate it even more if it caused additional damage beyond just destroying belts. 
Also, you said 7° 37s. Did you mean the wm 747s? 

[Patrick NC]

Not woodmizer bands. Ripper 37 blades from Jerry's resharp. Made by Dakin flathers in England 

[SawyerTed]

I cut mostly white oak with the LT35.  I used 4° Double Hard blades mostly.  Turbo 7° worked in the white oak as well.  Both blades did fine in pine, poplar, cherry ash and walnut. Knowing what I know now, when the LT 50 arrives I will stick with one or the other.  

[WV Sawmiller]

Charles,

  I don't resharpen my own blades or track individual blades so I can't answer the number of re-sharpenings questions.

  I used WM Resharp program for many years now use a local guy who does them for me with a better turn around. Both do/did a good job. They can certainly be resharpened and re-set.

  The number of bad blades found by resharp or my current and varied from 1-2 to several based on the age and abuse the blades had suffered.

  As I use a 7 or 10 degree blade now I have my sharpening service re-profile them to 4 degree. WM was not able to do that for me I assume because of the volume of blades they were doing.

   I did like the WM auto-refill and auto-replace option so I got the same number of blades back each time and kept the same number in rotation new bands were billed at the bulk rate. For a while I could get small mill parts I ordered shipped back with my returned blades and saved some shipping costs then that stopped working. Now when I get low I just order another box of 4 degree blades.

[Southside]

I would look at the Silver Tips over the Double Hard.  A number of us have gone that route and found that total band life is better with fewer surprise breaks.  They are cheaper too.  Maybe the DH runs longer on the original sharpening, but if you change your band when you should I don't think it's much of difference at all even that first time.  

[charles mann]

I'll stick with my 2 boxes of 4° then, knowing how hard pecan/hickory is, esp when becoming seasoned and from what iv heard about live oak being extremely hard when dried/seasoned. The smaller bites using a 4 might be slower, but hopefully work great.


For any reading posting, how does one find an individual that can sharper and set bands? Central tx is not known for timber/lumber production, and cant find anything on wm's site with a list of sawyers that sharpen or stand alone personnel that sharpen bands.
I did see resharp locations, but as mentioned numerous times, turn around times are long (10-14 days), not counting shipping times.

Additionally, from what iv read, it seems i'll eat through bands quite fast, so even 30 bands may not last me long, esp in seasoned woods. Iv got a large pile of logs that need to be milled and the pile will only increase in size over the next 10 months of waiting.

My 35 has a 25 HP Kohler and for oak and pine I use turbos. I chased bands for that mill when I first got it and after trying the turbos I stopped the chase.

It seems the 4s could possibly be good overall band. But i will order a 5ct. box of silver tip 7s and give them a try, maybe while waiting on a box of bands to get sharpened.
Im glad i waited to order my mill now. I dont think i could sit around with a log pile and mill, while recouping from this back surgery.
Seeing that you've had 5, im guessing the surgeries were worth in the end. I hope that is the case with me. The pain is more than when i broke first broke it. Im limiting myself to 2 pain candies a day out of the 8 prescribed.


With all the different band profiles and user views/opinions, i view them like pew pew rounds and try to only buy bang sticks and rounds that are of common use and plentiful.

[Southside]

There is a difference between the 7 and the turbo 7, the later having a deeper gullet which makes a big difference in performance.  I think the 4 is a good choice given the live oak option.  You may get more fiber pull in pine, but nothing that can't be lived with.  

Didn't have a choice with two of the surgeries, they were to stabilize breaks and prevent more injury, I did put off one for several years and honestly that was a mistake as the constant pain impacted a lot of life, but they kept telling me they were scared to go back in and create more scar tissue.  Well when I could not walk one day suddenly I knew there was no more waiting, a chunk of bone had broken free that time and wedged into a nerve root.  

For me the hardest part was the post surgery plateau.  I would get to a certain point strength wise and just sit there, no improvement, no matter what I did I could not get stronger, then suddenly I would jump up a level, never knew when the last level would be the last one but not giving up made it worth it.  

I can remember after one of the surgeries on Friday I would sit down with my Physical Therapist and she would evaluate my progress.  I was sitting there having myself a pity party telling her how I had to use a wheel barrow to move two square bales of hay that week when I used to just grab two bales in each hand and just walk off.  Without looking up from her paperwork she says to me "How many bales did you put in the wheel barrow the week before?"  To which my answer was "None, I could not lift them" and she replied "Well that's progress".  That was over 20 years ago and I can still taste the humble  pie.  The problem was I wanted more progress and I wanted it now, I had to learn to wait.  

Be real careful with them danG pills.  I knew and still know good folks who developed a problem with those and they were not the type at all, the stuff is dangerous.  If you haven't, find a quality facility that will do PT and deep muscle massage, it really works.  It's not a frilly place with scented oil and soft music, it's a 300 lb guy named Aiden who is a tall as he is wide and drives his elbow into you saying "this will hurt me more than it hurts you", but the improvements you will see make it worth it.  VA didn't offer it but I found it in the civilian world.  

[charles mann]

There is a difference between the 7 and the turbo 7, the later having a deeper gullet which makes a big difference in performance.  I think the 4 is a good choice given the live oak option.  You may get more fiber pull in pine, but nothing that can't be lived with.  

Didn't have a choice with two of the surgeries, they were to stabilize breaks and prevent more injury, I did put off one for several years and honestly that was a mistake as the constant pain impacted a lot of life, but they kept telling me they were scared to go back in and create more scar tissue.  Well when I could not walk one day suddenly I knew there was no more waiting, a chunk of bone had broken free that time and wedged into a nerve root.  

For me the hardest part was the post surgery plateau.  I would get to a certain point strength wise and just sit there, no improvement, no matter what I did I could not get stronger, then suddenly I would jump up a level, never knew when the last level would be the last one but not giving up made it worth it.  

I can remember after one of the surgeries on Friday I would sit down with my Physical Therapist and she would evaluate my progress.  I was sitting there having myself a pity party telling her how I had to use a wheel barrow to move two square bales of hay that week when I used to just grab two bales in each hand and just walk off.  Without looking up from her paperwork she says to me "How many bales did you put in the wheel barrow the week before?"  To which my answer was "None, I could not lift them" and she replied "Well that's progress".  That was over 20 years ago and I can still taste the humble  pie.  The problem was I wanted more progress and I wanted it now, I had to learn to wait.  

Be real careful with them danG pills.  I knew and still know good folks who developed a problem with those and they were not the type at all, the stuff is dangerous.  If you haven't, find a quality facility that will do PT and deep muscle massage, it really works.  It's not a frilly place with scented oil and soft music, it's a 300 lb guy named Aiden who is a tall as he is wide and drives his elbow into you saying "this will hurt me more than it hurts you", but the improvements you will see make it worth it.  VA didn't offer it but I found it in the civilian world.  

After the initial break, i went down a dark path with them pills and alcohol. I nvr want to go back to that, which is why no matter the pain, im limiting my usage. 
Unbeknown to me until my most recent xrays snd images, i didnt know i had bone on bone vertebrate grinding, but i did know that 4 vertebrate "ears" were broken and putting pressure on the nerve bundles, to the point of full numbness from my buttock to my toenails for days upon days for the past 14 yrs. 
Me sitting still and wallowing in pain sympathy is not for me. I found out i exceeded my 10# wt. limitation by about 75-80# the other day. I didnt think it was heavy, not till it was bed time. I regretted doing that and im like a 5 yr old. If im told i cant do something, i try to do it when no adult (wife) supervision is around. 
Im glad its working out for ya and hopefully you it continues to go well for you. 
Back to bands. When i said the 7s, i guess i should have said the T 7s. As for tear out on the pine, i can live with it. I plan on building my long over due 14x25 porch out of the freshly milled pine. Only wood i hope to have to buy the pressure treated 4x4 supports and the rest of the 2x6 framing and walk way will be directly off the mill the following day. 

[Southside]

It has its days, it's been flaring up for a month or so now, pain down the front of my right leg which is new, was always down the back of the legs and yup - numbness in the feet too.  The wings were what I broke on the L5, the L4 just fractured the main part.  

Easy to exceed the weight limit - did that one time when I picked up a stool so I could sit down, knew instantly I had screwed up.  Was in Sams Club one time and picked up a two pack of A1 sauce - all of two pounds.  Could not hold it and dropped it on the floor, instant clean up on isle 4 moment.  Here I am hanging onto the cart while my wife is trying to contain the ooze and the manager is coming over with a bucket.  Felt like a you know what standing there as I could not do a thing and sure wanted to run out of the store.  

It will get better, just keep fighting, one second at at time. 

[charles mann]

A google search has yielded nothing for my inquiry. How does one go about finding folks that offer band sharpening services?
 I know there is the WM re-sharp program, but as some have said, turn around times are lengthy and there are not many locations for the program. 
If other mill or band manufacturers offer sharpening services, do they take in other manufacturers bands? If so, does anyone know current turn around times? 
I know iv got about a 10 month wait before my mill is delivered, but id rather have made contacts now, than waiting till i need a sharpening svc or have to buy new blades. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I would suggest checking for other mills in the area and ask them who they use. They may sharpen their own, use WM Re-sharp or know someone local. If they sharpen their own they might be interested is sharpening for others if they have the right equipment/use the same blades as you. Good luck.

[charles mann]

  I would suggest checking for other mills in the area and ask them who they use. They may sharpen their own, use WM Re-sharp or know someone local. If they sharpen their own they might be interested is sharpening for others if they have the right equipment/use the same blades as you. Good luck.

That is my plan for tomorrow once my google search turned up nothing.  There is one mill/kiln that i used his kiln svc, and a mill only somewhat close to me, and was going to take a drive and ask them.
There is also a guy near austin with a wm1000 that i used his svc to mill some pecan. I had planned to visit him on my next post surgery follow up next month since i have to go to austin. 
There just arent to many sawyers in my area to ask. We arent in a marketable timber region. 

[SawyerTed]

Look for other sharpening services.  We have a sharpening service in our area that does many other things besides sawmill blades like knives, scissors, industrial bits and blades.  Often these guys can sharpen band sawmill blades too. 

[charles mann]

Look for other sharpening services.  We have a sharpening service in our area that does many other things besides sawmill blades like knives, scissors, industrial bits and blades.  Often these guys can sharpen band sawmill blades too.

That is one of the services i searched for. I did find a place that sharpened circle (chop saw, both dry and wet), core drills n such and or replaced the carbide inserts. I talked to them and they didnt know of any places in my area. They did say maybe houston or dallas or areas within the timber industry.