Mineral Content In Wood ???? :confused:

[deezulsmoke]

Just wondering what you alls opinion is on this. I was talking to one of the guys here that is a stihl dealer and he was telling me a lot of the loggers around here were using different chains now because the trees had a lot more minerals in the wood that were dulling the full chisels a lot quicker. These guys are cutting in the old strip mine areas. I had never really thought about that before until he mentioned it, but it does make sense. Anyone else ever heard of this before ??

 

[Canyon Angler]

Yep, all wood (and for that matter, all vegetable matter, I think) has *some* silica in it...the more there is, the faster they dull cutting tools.

And some trees (like iroko for example) even get rocks embedded in the wood...h@ll on saw blades and eyeballs!

 

[Turner]

deezulsmoke,

Sure. Hard deposits in wood cells, such as calcium carbonate and silica, have a notable effect on cutting tools, chainsaw chains included. Calcium carbonate is found in the majority of rock and shells in the world. It's what causes hard water. It's only natural that because strip mining excavates underlying layers of rock and mixes and deposits it closer to the surface, that high concentration of calcium carbonate (and other minerals) would be more prevalent in the mined areas groundwater to be consumed by trees and plants. Silica (usually quartz) content is typically high in species like Mesquite which grow in drought prone areas (ie. sandy), like here in south Texas. Silica also occurs naturally in the cell walls of many plants to strengthen it's structure. I do alot of work with Mesquite and it's a fact, it will dull cutting tools much quicker than other domestic species.

 

[bama]

Went to a cub scout camp in lakes country(by Bemidji) and learned about a type of tree(ans saw a few) that has so much iron content that it sparks when you cut it. Slow growing and doesn't get very big. I don't remember what he called it, though. I would figure that it would dull a chain in a hurry.