Huge Pine Knots! How Does a Woodmizer LT15 Handle them? Wavy Cuts?

I have had problems with my Woodmizer LT 15 Sawmill when it comes to large pine knots. I get wavy cuts when it hits the knots, especially on wide cuts.
Someone told me make sure I use a very sharp blade. Make sure there’s no dirt in the bark or hidden anywhere such as in cracks or knots. Use plenty of lubricant. Make sure the blade tension is set tight enough.
Other people to say that’s just the nature of bandsaw,s, that’s why you should use circular saws.
In this video I cut into a large Ponderosa pine log with large knots. The intention is to diagnose the problem and try to get it to cut straight through the knots. The video doesn’t quite turn out the way I planned.

[@ericcartrette6118]

I sharpened industrial bandsaw blades for a mill. We call the wavy cuts "snaking." Also, I've seen frozen southern yellow pine knots damage saw teeth so badly that I had to change blades.

[@pettere8429]

Would like to have had that log cut into 3inch slabs stickered somewhere for some woodworking projects in a couple of years.

[@ThisThatLittleFarm]

I feel your pain. Bring someone over to see and its perfect!!! LOL

[@WilsonForestLands]

A little like taking a car to the mechanic and it doesn’t do the thing.

[@robertpowell2735]

Look like you got everything adjusted before you started milling, fine job 👍

[@johnfahey7215]

deer around here act like I’m trespassing whenever I’m leaving in my car! They look slightly peeved!😀 Great video. Thanks

[@thekiltedsawyer]

😁😁😁😁😁😁 watch your band leaving the log, it will tell you everything you need to know about your band life

[@MarkM-ke6cn]

Those branch swells would make interesting bowls.

[@MsdMakingSawDust]

Don’t you just love it when you try to demo a problem and and the demo works faultlessly.. lol I found out if I cut my pine logs as soon as I get them real fresh and green green I don’t have much problems with the knots but if I let them dry out on me I will often get wavy cuts. Hey it’s nice to share with your neighbors… good video, but the next time you want to do a problem demo video . Don’t plan on it…. lol take care

[@WilsonForestLands]

Maybe whenever I have a problem I will just do a video about it and the problem will just mysteriously go away like it did this time.

[@zookeeper94558]

Its Okay that you didn't screw up 🤣🤣

[@WilsonForestLands]

Whew, thank you. 😂

[@retiringrenegade9874]

Well done Brother! Nathan at Out Of The Woods says speed has a lot to do with it, in addition to tension and blade quality that You mentioned! He has to slow down even on his Super 70!

[@WilsonForestLands]

Good point about speed. It took me a while to learn just how much speed does influence the cut.

[@andysmith8544]

We've had good luck with 4 degree blades on our Lt15 for knotty pine and/or hardwoods (work well on frozen logs too).

[@WilsonForestLands]

I have only used 7° and 10°. If I run into the problem again it’s definitely something to try. Thanks for the tip.

[@toddhutchins8877]

Are you cutting those knotty pines from small end first heard might help with knotty wood definitely sharp blade

[@thekiltedsawyer]

I love the full wraps!!nice broom lol cuts look good 👍 Have them on almost all my bigger saws

[@lpeterman]

You're not a liar, the mill just decided to play head games with you. (Now you know why I curse and cajole my tools and machines as I work...) I too experience wavy cuts on my Timbery M100 (220v 5hp) mill, and it's nearly always due to age of blade/sharpness and/or blade tension. Rarely, it has been due to 'gummy-blade' from the buildup of Ponderosa pine pitch on the blades. It took me most of the video, but I finally figured out what your angle was around the 9:00 minute mark; you're using reverse psychology on the LT15 to make it think you wanted wavy cuts... So, like a teenager, (or every officer I dealt within the Army) it does the opposite. Very clever, well done! Your workmates who want the damp/cool sawdust are getting used to your presence; I have one doe who enacts a casual grazing pattern as I work in my forest; I call her Jane, (as in "Jane-doe") she has even brought her newest fawn for a walk past/viewing; waaay cool. Just some random musings from your neighbor to the North, in Linn County.

[@WilsonForestLands]

When a machine starts playing head games with you, I think cursing and cajoling is definitely not an unreasonable response. I wonder how far I can go with the reverse psychology. No need for mechanical adjustments when you can just use psychology. I have had deer come running when they hear the chainsaw. They learn it means a bunch of good things to eat that used to be way up in the trees are now on the ground.

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

Even though you're a liar, I hit the "Like" button anyway. Speaking of wavy cuts, what I recently found out from Wood-Mizer to reduce wavy cuts are these suggestions; 1. Mill a log from the small end. Apparently the angle of the limb growth rings can cause blade deflection. 2. Make sure that your drive belt is correctly tensioned. A loose belt can also cause deflection due to slipping. 3. Use a sharp blade. Obviously. 4. Blade hook angle can be 10 degree (for all-around milling) or 7 degree (for hardwoods but they say it'll work just fine on softwoods). I use Turbo-7s (7 degree hook and 39 degree back angles) and find that they are very aggressive and tend to leave chatter marks on the lumber. WM also recommends something like 25HP as the minimum HP for these blades. I recently used a 10 degree blade on some pine and the finish was very smooth with very little sawdust left on the board. 5. This is the surprising part; on my LT40 they recommended I increase the blade tension from 2800PSI to 3400PSI. They say that the newer blades are stronger and can take the extra tension. I don't know how to translate the numbers to the LT15 but I recommend you check with your local WB tech support person to confirm that this is correct. Good luck, Dave

[@WilsonForestLands]

Thanks Dave. Those are a some good tips there. I took a screenshot so I can keep those tips handy if I run into the problem again. And thanks for giving me mercy on being a liar, I appreciate the like.

[@BillHale-bh7fh]

Does knot seam to be a problem.😊

[@woodworker3122]

Do you feed those deer or do they just hang around for the bedding, your company, or the good smells? Cool.

[@WilsonForestLands]

They like laying in the sawdust. Especially in hot weather. They circle around waiting for me to finish.

[@hobbyfarmer62]

Maybe these knots just arent as dense as past trouble knots were?

[@thekiltedsawyer]

What does your manual say about log size vers you koler horse power??

[@WilsonForestLands]

Manual? Do you mean there’s a manual? Maybe I should read it. Actually, I don’t remember there being anything in the manual about log size vs engine. The only thing I know of is it says the throat is 26 inches or whatever it is.

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

I just realized why YOU get wavy cuts. It's because you pull a "Dave".

[@WilsonForestLands]

Oh, that. I see you may have been over on MSD Making Saw Dust’s channel. You must have noticed.

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

@@WilsonForestLands Yeah. I caught you. MSD is a good channel.