Water cooled chainsaw chain exelent

[BobL]

I'm using a flow rate of about 250 mL/minute but even as little as 125 mL/min can be useful but that maybe because I have the spray targetted directly at the chain. I've found too much water bogs the chain.

 

[Matildasmate]

Hi Guy's ... I just run water flat out , only gravity feed pressure though , my guess about 2-4 litre's a minute , the chain stay's clean as . As you say though , you can adjust the flow to suit yourself . I generally adjust the tube to where I want it , when I start cutting , usually , on the return side of bar to kill some of the dust , with the amount of water I have running on the bar , it's not real important where the water is directed , as Woodshop said mine being basically a stationary mill , the amount of water I use is no problem , both side's of the chain remain clean , the kerf act's as a chain scrubber with the water . I will measure the flow tommorrow

 

[BobL]

. . . . .I generally adjust the tube to where I want it , when I start cutting , usually , on the return side of bar to kill some of the dust , . . . .

If you spray the water onto the chain most of it is going to be bounced of the bar and chain. Having the water on the inboard return side of the bar means the water gets a chance to be thrown off the chain in the sprocket area. Does that keep the sprocket area clean?

Mine is on the non-cutting side of the nose. I only strike a problem if the flow rate gets too high and water pools on the bar. This results in a stream of water entering the cutting side of the kerf and making sawdust mud!

 

[MJR]

Asemaster, I like the Hemlock pictures. The few times I played with Hemlock I got splitters in my hands.

I should try water on my band mill blade – no wait….

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Asemaster, I like the Hemlock pictures. The few times I played with Hemlock I got splitters in my hands.

I should try water on my band mill blade – no wait….

I run water with dish soap on my bandsaw when cutting resinous woods such as pine, oak and a few others. If I don't pitch will build up on the band and bog the saw down.

You have to be careful what soap you use though. Some have ammonia in them that will corrode metal badly. I use spic-n-span with no phosphates or ammonia.

 

[MJR]

I was just making a little fun. I always run water on my band blade. Cool clean blades are important. I am not sure why I never though of it for the CSM???

I don’t like the way soap/water cakes in my guards. (Maybe too much of a good thing?) I just use a steady drip of water.

I wonder how stale beer would work (bar tops?) or diesel/bar oil or…

Sorry - just playing around.

 

[aquan8tor]

I run water with dish soap on my bandsaw when cutting resinous woods such as pine, oak and a few others. If I don't pitch will build up on the band and bog the saw down.

You have to be careful what soap you use though. Some have ammonia in them that will corrode metal badly. I use spic-n-span with no phosphates or ammonia.

what do you use for cleaning dirty bands that, say, someone didn't use any water/soap lube with?...... I have a couple bands from the ripsaw that are coated with some oak sap buildup; was cut in the spring & is a little gummy. I also have some that are really nasty from cutting some mulberry shorts on the shop bandsaw that I'm going to use for cutting boards; If you haven't seen it freshly cut, its like osage orange; it gets that ring of dense, thick, almost frothy looking white sap right after you cut it in the sapwood. The water cooling would have helped with that for sure.

EDIT: don't laugh too much at the hack job on the stump cutting it flush. You can't do too good a job with a full wrap handle on. I thought it would be easier on the arms to switch left/right hand use (i'm pretty ambidextrous), but it just gets in the way. I took it off and put the other one back on. I guess there's a place for everything.


Damn, I'm thread hijacking. So anyway, I know that water lube/cooling is a common thing among bandsaws; its a little hard for me to imagine rigging something up for the ripsaw, as it in my mind would be a little ungainly with even a little water tank on top. If I ever get around to (finishing a bunch of other projects first) making some sort of stationary carriage for the ripsaw, I'll set it up.
I want to try this with the big bar when I quarter a couple of big oak logs with the CSM soon. I have to fix the lewis winch that I F:LK'D up this summer before I can move the logs around. Gotta watch them or they wind up the line in the little space between the spool and the case.......Even with the 60" logrite, I can't budge it.

even though it might get a little messy, this is great, as we have an open fire ban right now, and the little plate on the muffler that holds my spark arrester screen came off last week milling some spalted sycamore.(damn that stuff smells weird) The sparks were flying when I got close to the ground.

 

[Matildasmate]

Water flow rate

If you spray the water onto the chain most of it is going to be bounced of the bar and chain. Having the water on the inboard return side of the bar means the water gets a chance to be thrown off the chain in the sprocket area. Does that keep the sprocket area clean?

Mine is on the non-cutting side of the nose. I only strike a problem if the flow rate gets too high and water pools on the bar. This results in a stream of water entering the cutting side of the kerf and making sawdust mud!

Hi Guy's ...... my guess on the water flow rate , was mile's out , 2 litre's in 3min's 50sec's , close enough to 500ml a minute . As to your question about the sprocket area , na it doesnt keep it clean , I havnt found that to be any problem though . As to mud , the main thing is to have enough water running to wash away the mud and also keep the consistency of the mud as low as possible , basicly the same thing we do at work with wood pulp . When im milling , most of the crap end's up on my forklift , at the non power head end . One thing I did find out though , at the end of my milling day , I have to remove the bar and chain , to give it a good clean and spray with lube to stop any rust . I left it once for a couple of day's , not a good idea , started rusting fast , had I have left it for a week , I think the chain would have been stuffed . Cheer's MM

 

[BobL]

Hi Guy's ...... my guess on the water flow rate , was mile's out , 2 litre's in 3min's 50sec's , close enough to 500ml a minute .

Even though it does not seem close that's still relatively close to my 125 - 250 mLs a minute. @ 250 mL/minute, a 20 L container gives you 80 minutes of milling time while @ 125 mL/min thats 160 minutes of milling time - as long as you remember to turn it off in between cuts.

Cheers

 

[Matildasmate]

Close

Even though it does not seem close that's still relatively close to my 125 - 250 mLs a minute. @ 250 mL/minute, a 20 L container gives you 80 minutes of milling time while @ 125 mL/min thats 160 minutes of milling time - as long as you remember to turn it off in between cuts.

Cheers

Close ya reckon ..... so ya wont mind selling me a couple thousand litre's of diesel then .:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[BobL]

Close ya reckon ..... so ya wont mind selling me a couple thousand litre's of diesel then .:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:

Yeah OK - you order and pay for 500 and I'll provide 125?

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

what do you use for cleaning dirty bands that, say, someone didn't use any water/soap lube with?...... .

I usually just put them back on the saw and make a few cuts with the soap/water and they clean right up. If they are too dull to cut with I'll soak them in WD-40 or mineral spirits to release the pitch.

 

[woodshop]

what do you use for cleaning dirty bands that, say, someone didn't use any water/soap lube with?...... I have a couple bands from the ripsaw that are coated with some oak sap buildup; was cut in the spring & is a little gummy. I also have some that are really nasty from cutting some mulberry shorts on the shop bandsaw that I'm going to use for cutting boards...

I've been coiling mine up and dropping them in a 5 gal bucket of kerosene. I have so many that need sharpening now that I can let them sit there for 6 months or longer, which does soften up that pitch. Also keeps them from rusting while storing of course. A brass brush finishes off anything still left on the blade before I sharpen. You can fit more than 20 blades in a full 5 gal bucket. I put one of those plastic seat tops made to fit a bucket to keep the kero from evaporating.

 

[BobL]

Thought you might like to see my water cooling setup on site.

37oc or 100F today on the milling site so having water around at least gave the impression of cooling something.

Hose from tap runs to a second tap (perched on top of the sack trolley).

Second hose runs under log an connects to outboard side of mill.
This shows the typical water dribble rate and amount of sawdust made.

Just some purdy grain shots - log is Box Brush.

 

[Matildasmate]

HI guys , just thought I would add a bit while I remembered , anyway my conclusion on water cooling , is that it cools the chain well , stops chain stretch , but seems to cause extra wear and tear on the bar , still worth useing over summer , but not needed during winter. It is cold enough here during winter , just wish the bloody rain would stop. Cheers MM

 

[slabmaster]

HI guys , just thought I would add a bit while I remembered , anyway my conclusion on water cooling , is that it cools the chain well , stops chain stretch , but seems to cause extra wear and tear on the bar , still worth useing over summer , but not needed during winter. It is cold enough here during winter , just wish the bloody rain would stop. Cheers MM

I usually only mill in the late fall or winter,as i mill in the woods where i fell the trees.Can't stand the bugs any other time of the year not to mention the heat,which isn't good for the saw when milling anyway.Mark

 

[Matildasmate]

I usually only mill in the late fall or winter,as i mill in the woods where i fell the trees.Can't stand the bugs any other time of the year not to mention the heat,which isn't good for the saw when milling anyway.Mark

Hi Mark yeah I would like to mill in winter , I do when I get a chance , not very often now though , I am normally getting firewood this time of year , I normally get about 15 - 28 loads a year , depending on available time and energy , I am trying to stock pile enough green wood to dry out and keep in front , for thoughs times I cant get any , or cant go out . So that just leaves me with the warmer months to mill , besides getting me forklift bogged aint that great , gunna have to put more rubble down around the area , no problem in summer , ground is like cement then . Cheers MM