local sawsmith?

BalsamBandit · October 27, 2016, 07:00:26 PM

hi i am looking to have the blade on my mill tensioned, does anyone know of a saw smith in the southern NH area? i was also curios what rpm it should be hammered to. it is on a M14 powered by the pto on an AC d17 gas. i have read on this forum that some use 540 and others run 600. thanks for any advice I'm new to milling

bandmiller2 · October 27, 2016, 08:24:09 PM

BB, best way is to ask local saw mills who hammers their saws. Frank C.

dgdrls · October 27, 2016, 10:10:13 PM

Welcome to the FF

Tell us a little more about your mill and what you plan to saw,

What is pointing you toward having the blade hammered?

Best
D

Chuck White · October 28, 2016, 11:18:22 AM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, BalsamBandit!

BalsamBandit · October 28, 2016, 02:48:45 PM

The mill is a bell m14 so far i have just sawn white pine with it. It does well (When i keep the teeth sharp) but it leaves a wave pattern in the lumber, about every inch there is a deeper saw mark. if i look at the top edge of the blade when its upto speed it has a slight side to side movement.
what do you guys use to sharpen your mills? mine came with a rotary file but i haven't used it much. i mostly hand file but need to find a guide, because its easy to file at the wrong angle.

Bradm · October 28, 2016, 05:41:57 PM

This almost sounds like an oversized tooth if the mark is consistent. It could very well be that the blade needs hammering, but I would recommend checking the actual cutting width of each tooth in relation to a fixed point (like the guide).

When determining the RPM for hammering, look at what speed your mill runs at. If your mill runs at 540 rpm than hammer for 540 rpm (if 600 than hammer for 600).

Gearbox · October 28, 2016, 08:14:28 PM

Sounds like your saw guides are too loose . Cant side guide needs to almost touch the saw at rest . Board side needs 1/16 at saw speed . Jeff feel free to jump in here and help out . My old brain isn't what it used to be .

Ron Wenrich · October 29, 2016, 06:22:17 AM

Hammering wouldn't hurt, but I agree with the saw guides. If you're getting a mark that is consistent, then you may have a bit of an angle filed into your saw, or you have a wild tooth. If you have swaged your saw, you may have one tooth to wide, causing the mark. A bit of a wobble may also be in the collars. That involves having them turned down in a machine shop.

I had a spider gauge to check side clearance. You should be able to get them from a saw doc or a mill supply like Menominee (see the sponsors on the sidebar). If you don't have one, I have take a file and laid it across the tips of 3 teeth. If the middle tooth causes the file to rock, it is higher than the other 2 teeth. Side dress the tooth to make it level with the other ones. Not as good as a spider gauge, but it works.

I used a hand file to sharpen most of the time. I also had a Jockey grinder to keep me honest in the angle on the teeth. I used the Jockey every other day. I sharpened only a couple a times a day, but I had a debarker. The problem with hand filing is that you tend to get the angle off on the teeth. That makes it harder on the saw, and performance will be a problem. The other problem is you don't get it to be straight across. That will pull your saw to the long side. If you put a mirror on the tooth, you should see the reflection line up with the other teeth.

Here's a book you should have in your collection. Lunstrum's Circular Sawmills and Their Efficient Operation. Covers a bunch of stuff that you should find interesting and should know. Free download: http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/misc/circsaw.pdf

Kbeitz · October 29, 2016, 08:53:07 AM

My neighbor has a large Frick mill and he told me all blades wobble until
you get the rpm up and he said the blade will stand right up and stop wobbling.

bandmiller2 · October 30, 2016, 06:59:58 AM

Don't be too upset if a saw has a little wobble, many do and will run true when in the log. Frank C.

4x4American · October 30, 2016, 08:03:22 AM

Don't know how far you wanna travel but there's a good saw doc down the road from me, he's over in Gansevoort NY. I'm not sure how far into NH you are. I would be willing to bet there is someone closer, but if you want you can pm me for his contact info

BalsamBandit · October 31, 2016, 06:59:13 PM

hey guys i haven't had a chance to work on the mill, but hopefully i can work on it this week. thanks for all the advice. that book has a ton of good info in it thanks for the link. The teeth are pretty fresh, on the blade i have not had to swedge the teeth yet. when i took the mill apart, the building it was housed in had the same pattern in the lumber, so i guess its been going on for awhile. its not a huge problem because the lumber is still straight but it does make more work when i do finish work, and have to plane the lumber. thanks again lot of info on this forum.