Im having a little grief

[lyle niemi]

I had some fresh green frozen spruce hauled in. I'm not having much luck sawing it up... the sawdust is sticking to the log and throwing the cut out. Im gonna try putting a new set of bits on and see if that will make a difference.???

[mad murdock]

I don't have any hands on as a "millwright" around a handset circle mill, though I have done my share of duty on the "green chain"!  A question Lyle; would some sort of lube diesel,soap, or glycol mix help reduce the problem?

[drobertson]

I spoke with a 20+ circle sawyer today, he dropped off some pine for me to saw, due to kerf, he wanted max yield. Anyway we got to talking about pine, frozen logs and the such, as it turns out everyone at some point will encounter pain in the rear logs, gonna happen, get through it and be done with it,    david

[Ron Wenrich]

Are the logs frozen solid?  The only time I've had major problems is with uneven freezing.  You're sawing some that are half frozen would mean that you are sawing through 2 different types of wood.  The frozen outer wood freezes to the unfrozen inner wood.  When they start to thaw out, it works the same way.  Sitting in the sun may do that. 

What is your shank and tooth pattern?  Are you using a standall bit and a summer shank, or a summer bit and a winter shank, If you're not using that type of a combination, your sawdust has too much velocity in the gullet and is spilling out. 

You don't necessarily need new bits.  Short bits usually work better in frozen wood, as does less lead. 

[Coon]

Lyle, try sawing at half your normal speed with these spruce logs and ALWAYS saw from the small end first with these frozen logs.  We have always had issues with frozen spruce and these things seem to help.  Try using a combination of longer and shorter bits if that does not work.  Ron is correct about the sawdust filling the gullet too full and causing just enough binding that its giving you fits.  You may have to take out a bit of your lead too but it really don't take much adjustment.  Remember spruce is a complete different animal even compared to pine......

[bandmiller2]

Lyle, perhaps if the logs were just cut you could leave them out for a wile to freeze through and then handle as Ron says. Frank C.

[Coon]

 :D  :D  Frank I am sure that these logs are frozen completely through he lives in the frozen north so unless you have been sitting beside these logs with your bic lighter for days on end we definitely know they are frozen.   :D   :D

[lyle niemi]

I have things under control again, I had sharpened my bits just the other day and I can usually go a looonnnggg time before I have to resharpen. I decided to hit the bits again with the grinder and that did the trick. I had looked at the bits and felt the bits and I thought they were sharp enough, they were for the dryer logs but not the green frozen ones. You would think I should know by now!! SHEESH!!!! Do I ever feel tupid...lol

[Billbob]

unless you have been sitting beside these logs with your bic lighter for days on end we definitely know they are frozen.   :D   :D

                                                 :D :D :D :D :D

[Ohio_Bill]

Glad you got it figured out 

[bandmiller2]

I don't recall ever having any problems with frozen logs on the circular mill in fact they seem to cut cleaner and it kinda depitches them not so messy to handle the pine. Like you said Lyle and I have found sharp seems to conquer all. Frank C.