Reasonable blade life???

[FJH]

Guys
I'm currently band milling red cedar!
Do any of you guys Have experiance with how log between sharps in board feet would be a good change out time?I did apox 320 bf 0n one blade yesterday its still cutting ok but getting slower in the wider cuts now!
Is 320 bf low, average or good for one blade. (1 1/2Lenox blade.)
That was 4 medium to small logs 15inch top and smaller @ 8 ft each ,2 - 8 ft logs short of a whole tree!

thanx
Fred

 

[woodshop]

I only have experience with smaller .025 x 3/4 x 90 blades in my little Ripsaw bandmill, but from that I can tell you redcedar happens to be one of the woods in which my blades last the longest. Ive gotten more than 500 bd ft of cedar before it started to wander a bit letting me know it was getting dull. So many other factors enter in here though, that it's hard to give numbers to blades. In my case for example, just keeping the blade out of bark almost doubles the life. That is no exaggeration. I do that by slabbing the log into cants with a csm first when I can. I also use a Log Wizard which debarks logs.

 

[EPA]

Hi FJH A short while ago I ran a fuel per board ft test on my Norwood 2000 mill. the results were 643 BF/gal at 215 BF per hour and 643 + about 200 BF on the same band w/o sharpening. Nice clean,16' Pine logs. This was exceptional and I normally expect 350-500 per. If you take care to clean the entry side you can up the blade time greatly///EPA

 

[MJR]

If memory is right this pile of Eastern White Cedar took two blades, Lenox Woodmaster on my LL24. I feel they are the best blade for the money.



http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u54/MJR007/IMG_1065.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u54/MJR007/IMG_1055.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u54/MJR007/IMG_1073.jpg
http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u54/MJR007/IMG_1068.jpg

 

[Mike Van]

Fred, with 300+ on a band, I think you're doing o.k. But, that said, pushing a band right to it's DULL limit, you're really taking the life out of it. I used to send mine to Cooks, I did the same thing, go right to the bitter end. I'd get 4 or 5 sharpenings, maybe, and the blade had cracks or broke. Finally bought my own Cooks sharpener & setter, I do some now more than a dozen times before they're shot. Something like locust, I might only get 150 bf. My mills all electric, you can really hear what it & the blade are doing. A fresh sharp blade makes no sound going into the log, it gradually gets louder as it dulls. At some point, we've all cut with a dull chain on a saw, you know how hard you and the saw have to work? It's just as bad on the bandmill, you just don't feel it.

 

[Backwoods]

Western red cedar is an abrasive wood when it is debarked, and the bark is even worse. The bark and wood are both soft enough that they tend to pick up rocks, and sand as the logs are moved around. I run Woodmizer double hard 184” bands, 1 ½ wide with a 13* hook when cutting Western red cedar.

If the logs were handled correctly, and I do not hit a rock, I can expect to cut between 750-1,000 bft with bark on using one saw. If the feed rate starts to slow, or the saw starts to act odd, I will stop and change saws even if it is in the first 100 bft.
Listen and feel how the saw is cutting and let that be your guide to when a saw needs changed rather then how many bft it has cut.

Use the bft that the saw cut as a way to track the life of the saw. I number all my saws and track if hit metal, excess saw dust left on the log, saws snaking, board footage cut, how many sharpenings, temperature and weather on the day the saw was used, and anything else that happens to the saw during it’s life. Then I can take the information from several saws over a period of time to make a decision about how well the saw performed, and to compare with other brands that I have tried.

 

[woodshop]

... At some point, we've all cut with a dull chain on a saw, you know how hard you and the saw have to work? It's just as bad on the bandmill, you just don't feel it.

You do on the Ripsaw... opcorn:

 

[deeker]

All good responses so far, and red cedar is tough on blades.

I sharpen the blade as soon as it takes a little more energy to push it through the cut.

Debarking helps, but you still will get dull with the red cedar. Always sharpen when it starts to get dull.

In over 2 and a half years of milling, I have not broken a single blade.

Good luck

Kevin

 

[FJH]

I agree all good reponses!
I have since done several more logs !One blade started slowing down shortly after install changed it out next blade got 500 ft with know slow down.
So I beleive the best idea is to go by what ya see and feel and not worry about the ft ,too many variables.I usually go by blade flicker meaning - (leaves the cut and drops or leaves the cut and rises) at the end of the cut if ,I see it flicker 3 times in a row the blade gets changed reguardless of how good feels or seems to cut!

Thanx for the
replies