customcutter
ArboristSite Operative
I bought a used Cook's AC-36 the week after Thanksgiving, but I've been sick with a bad cold/sinus infection. I finally felt up to getting some logs and trying the mill out yesterday and things didn't go so well. We were right at dark getting set up and it just didn't work out. I would start the cut about an inch deep and by the time I had cut 12-15" the blade had dived down to 3-4 inches. The log had tried to turn because the belt was loose on the hyd pump, and the log dog wasn't tight, etc, etc, etc. Any way we couldn't figure it out an hour after dark so we finally quit.
I went back today checked the level which wasn't exact but wasn't all that bad. So I decided to change the blade for a brand new one. It cut's like a dream, like a knife through butter. Cut up 3 logs, then had a bad ending.
We put on a log that had a much larger tapered section near the roots. I didn't raise the toe board, and started cutting about one inch into the log. By the time I realized I wasn't going to clear the cross bar with the larger end, I tried to back up. Bad, Bad, BAD mistake. It pulled the blade off the rollers, and also the draw back fingers jammed into the log and jacked the head into the air. I wound up breaking the blade but learned several valuable and costly lessons.
Use your toe boards.
Don't always start your cuts on the small end of the log. If you have a large taper, cut that end first and work your way down into the log.
If your not actually using your drag back fingers tie them up out of the way.
Don't try to back your blade out of a long cut, especially if you can't control the speed. Back up a little and cut it off with a chainsaw or whatever method is safe, to remove a trapped blade.
thanks,
Ken
I went back today checked the level which wasn't exact but wasn't all that bad. So I decided to change the blade for a brand new one. It cut's like a dream, like a knife through butter. Cut up 3 logs, then had a bad ending.
We put on a log that had a much larger tapered section near the roots. I didn't raise the toe board, and started cutting about one inch into the log. By the time I realized I wasn't going to clear the cross bar with the larger end, I tried to back up. Bad, Bad, BAD mistake. It pulled the blade off the rollers, and also the draw back fingers jammed into the log and jacked the head into the air. I wound up breaking the blade but learned several valuable and costly lessons.
Use your toe boards.
Don't always start your cuts on the small end of the log. If you have a large taper, cut that end first and work your way down into the log.
If your not actually using your drag back fingers tie them up out of the way.
Don't try to back your blade out of a long cut, especially if you can't control the speed. Back up a little and cut it off with a chainsaw or whatever method is safe, to remove a trapped blade.
thanks,
Ken
