Buzz saw repurpose?

[JDP]

Hi all, I'm in the process of setting up an Alaskian sawmill (mostly in the saving up process). I'm planning on buying a Granberg 30" and running my Stihl 041av with a 24" bar. That said, I have an old buzz saw/cord wood saw that I'm trying to decide what to do with. It runs off my tractor's PTO, and of course has a crosscut blade in it. My father and I ran a ton of 4 foot "log length" logs through it to buck them down to 16". It's a scary machine, but with a bit of creative welding it could be repurposed. I'm thinking maybe an edger for my slabs...thoughts people? If nothing else it's a cool old machine (that I wouldn't dare sell to anyone due to liability!!) :****you:

 

[JDP]

Ok, I'm not sure how the ****you: got on that post, it was supposed to be an emoji.

 

[Cedar Eater]

I really don't think you need to worry about liability from selling it, since you didn't manufacture it. But I can understand wanting to keep it because it is kind of cool. I wouldn't modify it, except to make it safer, unless you can save and preserve any parts that you take off to change its function. It might be an okay edger if you can change the blade to a ripping blade. It might be okay without doing that, but they make rippers for a reason.

 

[JDP]

I may still get some use out of it as it is. I have some trees to take down, and the buzz saw is great for bucking up small limbs. After that I'm not sure. I'm not sentimental about it, and they don't sell used for much anyway. A large (and heavily guarded) PTO driven table saw would be awesome.

 

[rarefish383]

The thing you have to watch out for is how you push a log into the blade. You can't hold it with your fingers wrapped around the log. Sometimes if you slide the log in just right the teeth will spin the log, not cut it. The blade spins toward you, the log spins away from you, and wraps you up like a string on a bobbin. My Dad worked in a pulp yard when he was a kid, in the 1930's. A guy got caught in one and it dragged him across the blade. Dad said his guts spilled out like gutting a deer. They piled them in a big galvanized bucket and took him to the hospital, the guy lived. But, Dad would never let a buzz saw on the property, Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

I know the log sits in the cradle and you rock it forward into the blade. Just as the log touches the blade is when they take off spinning, Joe.

 

[JDP]

I know the log sits in the cradle and you rock it forward into the blade. Just as the log touches the blade is when they take off spinning, Joe.

Yup, I grew up with this saw and I'm familiar with its tendencies. I believe the rolling issue is usually caused by a dull saw and/or excessive feed rate. Thanks for the warning anyway.

 

[blades]

Dull, too fast a feed, too much set, teeth at different heights to each other, too much hook in the tooth. and likely missed a couple.

 

[Czech_Made]

In my country buzzsaws were much more common than chainsaws, friend of mine has a sawmill made - it is like a trolley with huge circular blade on it. You secure the log and push the trolley along to rip. I helped him mill some larch years ago, it worked fairly well.

 

[blades]

In my country buzzsaws were much more common than chainsaws, friend of mine has a sawmill made - it is like a trolley with huge circular blade on it. You secure the log and push the trolley along to rip. I helped him mill some larch years ago, it worked fairly well.

A mill like that is easier to push as the blade will pull in to the cut some if properly sharpened and set. When correct it will just glide along ( relatively speaking) was a time when I would get one two a month in the shop to be redone.

 

[JDP]

In my country buzzsaws were much more common than chainsaws, friend of mine has a sawmill made - it is like a trolley with huge circular blade on it. You secure the log and push the trolley along to rip. I helped him mill some larch years ago, it worked fairly well.

So the SAW was on the trolley? Not the log? That's interesting. The only problem for me would be that I'd have to get an engine to drive it, it's presently PTO driven.

 

[Czech_Made]

yes, here is a similar one:

 

[JDP]

yes, here is a similar one:

Nice! Thanks for the pics. I saw a couple sawmill blades for sale on Craigslist, it might be worth just selling the buzz saw and using to proceeds to build one of those, it's certainly much simpler than building a bandsaw mill.

 

[blades]

Combination, or hollow ground planer blade on that one. Yes, much simpler to build circular saw mill in the stye of the band mills, but say a 30" diameter blade would only have a cut depth /width of apx 12". ( 1/2 blade dia. + less 1/2 arbour dia. ) Kerf is around .175"-.25" . Biggest blade I have ever worked on was 48" diameter- what a beast weighed in at apx 100lbs.

 

[Mike Van]

Just looking at that pic, that blade is neither inserted tooth or swaged, probably very little set either. Sawmill blades need to be dished for the side against the cant and hammered to run at a specific rpm. When the blade in the pic binds in a cut, and the belts can't slip or the motor stall, that whole rig is coming up out of the cut, over you, away from you, whatever. If you have your heart set on a circular mill, forget about the buzz saw frame & blade, they're made to crosscut not rip. Try to find an old Belsaw, they were made by the thousands to saw logs using tractor pto. I bet your family likes you better in one piece.

 

[JDP]

Wasn't planning on keep the blade or frame, just the arbor and gearbox. As I mentioned, I have a lead on some sawmill blades. Thanks for the warning anyway.