.045 blade vs .055 blade?

[Waterford Woodworks]

Okay, so I went from a 2006 lt40 manual mill with 28 hp to a 2006 lt 40 super with 51 hp. My old mill I bought new and was using 1&1/4 .045 blades. My method for cut speed was to enter the log slowly then speed up the cut until the motor just started to bog down(listening to the engine sound). Besides dealing with reaction wood, boards were all consistent and dead flat. I also made it a point to slow down around known knots in the log. On my new to me mill the motor DOES NOT bog down. So I have some cuts that are a little wavy. Not beyond usable but my OCD cannot allow this to continue😄. All tests are done with brand new blades and I now run 1&1/2 .045 blades. I can get good flat boards if I slow down but I think this mill is capable of so much more than my other mill. My question lies in do any of you have the same experience and have you switched to the 1&1/2 .055 blades and get better results. I know alignment can play a factor but just to let you know I went through the complete alignment procedure and got everything JUST right when I bought the mill 3-4 weeks ago. The mill was set up for the .055 blades but I only received junk blades when I bought the mill. Not thinking about it when I made the new blade purchase I bought a box of .045 blades and then adjusted to the blade guide blocks(under the blade) to its correct adjustment(.008 to .010).
Also I can't tell you enough how much I love this new mill and my wife is sick of talking about it also.😄. Silly woman!!! Got to love how she helps keep my feet on the ground.

[just_sawing]

I do not recommend the 055 for the 40. When you put them on your going to love how they cut but the smaller wheels on the forty takes the flex life out of the 40 to fast for my taste. I can run a good 045 on the 40 and sharpen up to 6 times. The 55 probably won't last 3.

[slider]

The 055's can be pushed harder but I think Just sawing is correct about the blade life.It seems like I got more sharpenings out of the 045's.I went through the same thing you did when I traded up from a 24 hp onan to a 62 hp cat.You can't listen to the motor and tell where your at with the bigger power.

[YellowHammer]

I use both thickness blades with my diesel and run the 045 about 90% of the time.  The real trick to sawing fast or knowing when you are getting wavy cuts with an engine that won't bog, (or getting poor cuts sawing too slow), or any other time the band is not performing well for that matter, is to closely watch the sawdust rooster tail as it immediately exits the log.  It acts similar to a needle on a meter; if the sawdust trail is perfectly aligned with the blade as it exits, the blade is sawing perfectly straight, if the rooster tail deflects, separates, or ticks upwards or downwards from the band, then the sawdust and band aren't exactly straight or in line and the band is therefore wandering up or down. This takes a little practice, but once you learn to spot the rooster tail jumping up or down, it becomes second nature for feed control, and gives a real time indicator of when the band isn't straight while you are sawing, which is much better than after the board has been stacked.  The rooster tail thickness also gives an indication of band performance, if the band set is too wide, too narrow, and if it is getting dull.  The perfect band will produce a laser fine sawdust trail that is almost completely enclosed in the gullet of the teeth and indicates the band is straight, sharp, and most of the sawdust is contained in the gullet and pulled out of the cut, as it should be.  It helps if you have good lighting on that specific area of the saw, and it's not in a shadow. 
YH

[Dave Shepard]

I run 1.25"x.055" on my 51 hp Super. I get 4-5 sharpenings. I don't think I'll be switching back to .045" like we ran on the 24 hp manual mill. Cut quality is paramount, I don't worry about band life.

[red oaks lumber]

we run .055 and i would never go back. you have to think of blade life in b.f.sawed not how many times its sharpened.i go by motor noise also, when it starts to grunt alittle i increase the speed. :)time is money

[backwoods sawyer]

I am running a 42 hp with 24" wheels and 1 1/2" saws.

Tryed the 045 once and been running 055 for several years now, tryed some 050 this summer but prefer the 055, with the larger motor they cut fast and straight with good band life.

[customsawyer]

X2 what ROL said.

[terrifictimbersllc]

How does the WM Shop Series CBN sharpener do on 055 bands?   It seems to be just able to do 045 ones.

[Ivey]

What YH described is what I look for also, sawdust exiting the cut tells the tale.
ROL makes a very good point also.

Ivey

[terrifictimbersllc]

What YH described is what I look for also, sawdust exiting the cut tells the tale.
ROL makes a very good point also.

Ivey

Are you guys talking about the sawdust exit pattern in the 3-4 inches between the log or cant,  and the drive side roller?

[red oaks lumber]

the only thing i watch is quality of cut, i also listen to the engine.i like a fair amount of engine pull, if there is a fair amount of sawdust left on the cant increase the feed speed.you can't be afraid to push it.

[YellowHammer]

What YH described is what I look for also, sawdust exiting the cut tells the tale.
ROL makes a very good point also.

Ivey

Are you guys talking about the sawdust exit pattern in the 3-4 inches between the log or cant,  and the drive side roller?

Yes, look at the sawdust pattern just as it exits the drive side of the log.  One of the Woodmizer competition sawyers showed me this technique, and it allows me to saw max speed with the thinner, longer lasting bands and still have a high quality, straight cut.  It tells me when I am feeding too fast and need to back off a little.  It's primary advantage is that it lets me know when I'm starting to loose cut quality while still in the log, so I can adjust instantly and not ruin a board. 
YH

[Ivey]

Sawdust leaving the cut is just one of the things I look at. I also listen to the sound of the engine. These are things that you can do while the board is being sawn. As the boards are coming back past me to be stacked or go to the edger pile I'm busy getting the blade back in the log, and don't have
time to look at every one. My help lets me know most times if he sees a wave, then it's time to change the blade.
Lots of things to look at while sawing,other things like (blade pressure, movable guide arm, cant bowing up or down, your help around the corner texting on cell phone >:(, and the clamp it will make you change the blade for shoure. ;D

[terrifictimbersllc]

What YH described is what I look for also, sawdust exiting the cut tells the tale.
ROL makes a very good point also.

Ivey

Are you guys talking about the sawdust exit pattern in the 3-4 inches between the log or cant,  and the drive side roller?

Yes, look at the sawdust pattern just as it exits the drive side of the log.  One of the Woodmizer competition sawyers showed me this technique, and it allows me to saw max speed with the thinner, longer lasting bands and still have a high quality, straight cut.  It tells me when I am feeding too fast and need to back off a little.  It's primary advantage is that it lets me know when I'm starting to loose cut quality while still in the log, so I can adjust instantly and not ruin a board. 
YH

Knots will make the pattern fluctuate too, won't they?  If so how to distinguish from declining cut quality?

[drobertson]

I've never ran the .055 bands, thought about it, just have so many .045 and 042's that I'm just sticking with them. This said, in regards to the speed of the cut, and my mill being the command control, most of the time my hands are on the control box, with this I can feel the cut, sounds kinda hookie spookie maybe, but with the sound of the engine and the feel of the cut, and watching the rooster tail, I can tell when things are going good and not so good.  I've heard and read that blades should go though knots without deflection, and sometimes they do, while other times they deflect some,

[Dave Shepard]

How's this for a rooster tail? :D

http://youtu.be/TlMTxUwF-YY

[drobertson]

 :D :D :D  Looks like a fine Rooster Tail!  No wonder you don't want anyone near :D

[Dave Shepard]

If the weeds weren't there, it would have blown the dust about 25 feet. Saves on having to shovel next to the mill.

[Magicman]

I've heard and read that blades should go though knots without deflection, and sometimes they do, while other times they deflect some,

Blade reaction to knots is seldom the exact same.  Knots are all different with different hardness, and the angle of entry and departure is always different.  That plus the sharpness of the blade is always different.

Since blades are flat, when they are pushed backwards there is either a stretching action or a ripple action. (think potato chip)  This backwards push remains stable when sawing, but it could be upset when it encounters either the blade guide flange or different hardness of wood or knots.  Thicker/wider blades resist the backwards push more so they are less susceptible to being deflected by knots, etc.

So wider/thicker blades are the answer?  Yes....But.  We deal with compromises due to engine HP, bandwheel diameters, actual sawmill size, portability, cost, etc.

[terrifictimbersllc]

That's a fine rooster tail almost bordering on peacock. 
But it's been run through a comb (blade guard fingers), no?   I'm thinking the one to start looking at closer (for me) is where it exits the log not the mill.   :P

[Dave Shepard]

No fingers. I torched them out the first time I cut black locust.

[drobertson]

This is why Dave wants no one near the mill when sawing ;D  can't blame him with a rooster tail like that,  it almost looks like he ground down the rakers on his blade! while running jet fuel :D :D  plowing through that cant for sure,, I like it!

[YellowHammer]

That's a fine rooster tail almost bordering on peacock. 
But it's been run through a comb (blade guard fingers), no?   I'm thinking the one to start looking at closer (for me) is where it exits the log not the mill.   :P

Yes, the tale of the tail is told as the blade exits the bark, not the dust chute.  ;D
YH

[Ivey]

That's gitin-r-done Dave ;D