Using water

[Bill.Moore]

I just bought a small band mill to use on the farm and maybe cut some things for some neighbors. My question is do I use water for all woods? I will mainly be cutting hardwood. Oak,ash,elm,and walnut and sassafras.
Thanks

[thecfarm]

Bill.Moore,welcome to the forum.
What kind of sawmill you got?
It depends on that.  ;D  I have a Thomas,they recommend half diesel and half bar and chain oil. Most run water. Some use a spray bottle to put on the blade when pitch builds up.

[Bill.Moore]

Thanks for the reply. It is a Harbor Freight model. Not a fancy mill but I think it will do what I need at a decent price.

[DPatton]

There's really no one size fits all answer to your question. Certain species and varying dryness will dictate if you need to use some type of lube or if you can get by running dry. You will be able to tell if you are getting buildup on the blade and your cut quality becomes poor even with a sharp band.

[Bill.Moore]

Thanks I will give it a try dry to see how it goes. I enjoy reading this forum. Lots of good info. Every forum I have ever been involved with has lots of good people that love to share their knowledge to help new folks like me here. It is good to know when i have an issue I can most likely find an answer here.

[Kbeitz]

One year ago I built my own mill from scratch.  I put a lube tank on it and never put
a drop of anything in it. I run my blade dry. Everyone does it different. What ever works
for you.

[WV Sawmiller]

   As mentioned try with and without for different woods. I saw a lot of tulip poplar and use no lube on it. I use some on ash and a lot when sawing white pine. It just varies. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Sixacresand]

My lube stopped flowing in a cut last week, the blade heated up to the point I could smell the rubber on band wheels.  The tension pressure dropped and I assume slipping on the wheels.  Found An inline screen in the lube system coated over and not allowing flow.

[Dieseltim]

I use a 5-10% mix of pinesol to water for a woodmizer lt40. It has a pressure gauge on the blade tensioner to tell you how tight you have the blade. I have noticed that as the blade gets hot in a cut that the gauge drops off, once I get thru the cut the gauge will go back up. I try to keep the water flow adjusted so that it doesn't drop much as I'm cutting. It does seem to drop more as the blade starts to get dull. So, I kinda use that to help me know when it is about time to change blades. That and the fact that red cedar seems to start smoking if I let the blade get too dull. :D

[Magicman]

If/when the blade gets hot enough to cause a pressure drop, it is usually past time to change the blade.  Yes, a good flow of lube/water will keep the blade cooler which in turn will help keep the pressure up but it is still "not sharp".  I prefer 10° blades for sawing ERC but ERC still dulls blades faster than any species that I regularly saw.

Any soap that you choose to use will act as a surfactant which breaks the surface tension and makes the water "setter".  I choose to use an automatic dishwasher liquid which does not create suds.

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Bill.

[drobertson]

I always was satisfied with the pinesol, windshield wash fluid, water mix,, but the lube mizer made the application so easy, it was like a no brainer,,, If you are getting hot blades, and they are some what new? little use that is,, you make do an alignment check of the blade,  while at it check the blade guides as well,, if they are showing an unusual wear pattern, or even sparking at times, you may need to find a way to square up the blade to the bed rails.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I cut mainly oak and do not use lube.
I stopped using it over a year ago.
I was concerned about the blade over heating but it hasn't happened.

If I get some pine to cut I would definitely use water with dish washing liquid in it.

Jon

[Kbeitz]

It would seem to me if your blade is overheating that you need more set.
More set would keep the sides of the blade from touching the wood.

[Chuck White]

The body of the blade isn't the only thing that would get warm!  The teeth can get warm too!

[drobertson]

AOE can affect many things,, to offset the teeth to over come bad alignment is like chasing alligators in a swamp, there is no end to it,

[Magicman]

When my blades start to get warm/hot (and loose tension) they did not loose set, they lost sharp.

[drobertson]

When my blades start to get warm/hot (and loose tension) they did not loose set, they lost sharp.

you good sir are for sure aligned,,, folks that get these after market mills, albeit for the right reasons,, economics and quite honestly a pretty good product, still have to face QC issues that so often are not addressed, New sawyers have the same curve as we all did,, it can be brutal,, but it just the same can be made much easier with following good advice and experience.

[plowboyswr]

I just bought a small band mill to use on the farm and maybe cut some things for some neighbors. My question is do I use water for all woods? I will mainly be cutting hardwood. Oak,ash,elm,and walnut and sassafras.
Thanks

I run the same mill. I'm using kasco 4 degree blades. On walnut that's been down for 3 years I haven't a problem running dry. Oak I find it needs a little water. Sassafras I got some pitch build-up on the blade with water and pinesol, so I was going to try Magicman's cascade blend next time. The elm and ash I can't help you with but cherry the water pinesol bend kept the blade clean. With any luck I'm going to start some hedge next week so I will see what works there. If you start seeing waves in the wood more than likely your blade is dull change it out. Happy sawing