new guy question# 2 circular saw blades,

[robotguy]

for sawing a 8" to 12"  log,  (pine) using a circular saw , what type / brand works best & what is the *(lilfespan) before you have to sharpen( & then replace)the blade,   second question;  what horsepower would be needed to turn the blades ( 2 to 4 @ a time)  & what r.p.m. would be optimum . ( assume you would be using a gang saw set-up & you are turning two (2)  or  four (4) blades @ once thru this diam wood thru green wood  third question ;  i am looking into milling small diam fresh cut same day ( 8" to 12")  softwood into  4 x 4 and or  6 x 6 posts , information i have to this point is that warpage will be a large factor in *usable  posts*  due to split & twist. is there something you veteran millers have found to *minimize* this to reduce defective  posts,,  and in general how long would be needed to dry & or what water content level reached,  by the way  F.Y.I / i talked to a lumber yard saleseman yesterday , seams the price of lumber here in the west coast ( souther oregon) has gone thru the roof,,,,   5/8 c.d shop grade was 8.48. a sheet  14 days ago,, today its 18.89 @ sheet,,,,,,,,,,, / guy said the government was buying it up & sending it to iraqi for the *re-building of it* ,, dont know if thats true or not ,, he also said the  O.S.B. (orientated strand board ) product was red hot & *quote* the O.S.B milles are making a ton of money ,,,,  as i am brand new to  this industry i dont know what to make of this  just wanted to pass what i heard along  to the vetrans out there as they know  a whole lot more than this new guy, thanks for your help !!!!!
robotguy  

[Ron Wenrich]

The hp rating you are looking at is 5 hp per 1" of stock per blade.  Some guys look at even higher, just so yuo don't stall it out.  Remember to have enough V belts.  Each V belt can only carry so many hp.

For the type of saw, I would be looking at an insterted tooth saw.  A 2 1/2 pattern is often used in pine, but you may also opt for an F pattern.  You could use either standard or chrome teeth.  

What I have seen is where they use a scragg saw to take off 2 or 4 side.  Then run that over to a gang edger and whack everything into 2".  It works good, but you must have a healthy log supply and good markets.  You're looking at production levels up around 20-30 Mbf/day.  I've seen advertised rates even higher.  

The problem with small trees is that they are mainly composed of juvenille wood.  The growth rings tend to be wider apart and the lumber not nearly as stable.  You may be able to get away with it, but someone usually eats it further down the line.  You'll also probably need some sort of kiln.

I've heard the same story about the OSB.  If that's the case, they will be driving up housing costs and putting potential buyers out of the market.  Bad economic move.  Sometimes capitalism taxes you in different ways.  These taxes are retrieved by business instead of the government.