too hard to cut?

[yukon cornelius]

ever had a log too hardened to cut? spent over half the day with my wonderful wife bringing back a huge red oak that had been laying in the woods for years. we cut into it with the chainsaw and it was like cutting steel. dulled the chain in no time. it was a solid 24" red oak. we brought it down our mountainside and fought it onto the mill by hand (with the backhoe a mere 20 feet away). I never claimed to be smart.... well it cut about 6 feet of a 14 foot log and the blade went for the surface!! I had to cut the blade loose with the chainsaw. we had already checked it with the metal detector. I didn't see that we had hit anything. we decided to cut our losses and move on! its hard as a rock!

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Now don't you holler at me  ........are you sure it was a Red Oak?

What degree blade were you using?

Usually if you hit metal, you don't have to look long....you will find it by the lines on the log.

[beenthere]

Sounds like dull teeth, in chainsaw and log saw.

[yukon cornelius]

well.....its an oak...not a white oak. im not a treeoligist or even great at tree identification but im certain its of oak the variety.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

What mill and engine horse Power you running?

[yukon cornelius]

I don't know the pitch. new blade had only cut one small log prior to this log. freshly sharpened chainsaws 2 different saws cutting the log and one more cutting off knots. all 3 of my freshly sharpened saws dulled on this log.

[yukon cornelius]

ez boardwalk jr with 13 hp  think...I was running full throttle and I always baby it through.

[Gasawyer]

So far nock on wood I haven't had a log that has been too hard. Now a dirty log would cause your issue - grit, small rock in the decayed sap wood etc.. Try a different band and possibly a different degree hook angle 4 or 7 deg should work well. Good luck!

[yukon cornelius]

maybe grit! it wasn't too far from the gravel road.

[mikeb1079]

i was thinking silica embedded in the bark....?

[dboyt]

Hi, neighbor!  Red oak that has been sitting a while can be pretty hard, for sure.  If the same blade would cut another log straight and easy, it wasn't the blade or grit in the log, but I think that's the most likely.  Sometimes, that's just the way it goes.  I wouldn't give up on the log, though, because a red oak that size can have some nice wood in it.  Throw on a fresh blade and remove the bark where the blade enters the log and give it another go.  Worst case is a little wasted time and another blade to sharpen.

[mesquite buckeye]

Maybe a dry bur or post oak. They will smoke your blades in a hurry if they are not sharp. Grit for sure will take the edge off in a hurry. Clean off the log where the blade enters with an ax. Don't worry too much about the exit side, doesn't seem to matter too much there. If you are not using lube (water) on the blade, that will make a difference too. ;D

[backwoods sawyer]

I had a big black Oak that had tipped over out in a cow pasture. The branches and roots held it off the ground. Sat out there about five  years,the bark slipped easy. It had both butt swell and crotch swell in a twelve foot log. The new out of the box 055 saws would make a few good cuts but making so wide of cuts was taking a toll on the saws, smoked three saws but it made some really nice lumber and counter tops.
Those saws were noticeably duller when they came off the mill.

[Solomon]

I'd say try a hammered tooth blade if you can fins one to fit your mill. You should be able to order one.  They are commonly used on  indutrial resaws.  Made for cutting dried hard wood.

[yukon cornelius]

im too scared to saw it anymore. I have 6 more new blades and I still have my second story of my house to mill out. im on a pretty tight budget. I may revisit that log after the house is done. the bark seems to have been gone for a while. it wasnt even laying around the log so I thought it would be safe.

[sigidi]

haven't found anything too hard to cut on my Lucas  :D ;D 8) ;)

But seriously, sniggin/draggin logs gets all sorts of crud in the bark. with yours the bark had decayed off, little furrows and or holes in the surface of the log? any play the log could have picked up dirt it will have. You'll find the outside of the log may be well seasoned, but the further in you go the better the cutting will be.

Like ya said, maybe saw out your house and revisit it later - those tough logs are often the ones that give the best looking lumber...I still have dreams about one log I never took the time to saw...

[customsawyer]

With the fact that you have a lower hp mill I would go with the 4° before the 7° blades.

[yukon cornelius]

update on the rock log.... put a new band on and loaded it up again. you guys were right it cut up pretty good! the blade was toast by the last board but it got me 12-14ft 2x6s so I guess it was worth it. if nothing else it was a learning experience.