How I EXTEND the Life of My Sawmill Blades

[@objektivone3209]

educational uploads are always appreciated

[@berniemorin1567]

All good points...into my first season of milling my own lumber...videos such as these have prepared me for the irregularities and how to remedy the issues...building up a stock of blades so as to ALWAYS have a sharp and true blade on the mill...my first product on mill is making 1 x 6 inch softwood boards to be used for siding...very easy to recognize the blade getting dull and the need to swap it out...presently researching sharpening techniques with minimal investment so keep posting sawyers...info is appreciated

[@bobwollard9105]

Thank you so much for your advice. Your recommendations are spot on. Really enjoy your plain spoken advice for simple minded guys like me.

[@chriss6078]

Thanks for the info and the visual of the roken tooth.

[@2WheelsSometimes1]

Hey brother, thanks for the info. In relation to your question of finding fractures in the blade. You may want to try getting a non destructive dye penetrant that we use for welding. It has a cleaner, dye, and developer. Really easy to use, and stands out like a sore thumb.

[@babeleebabelee2278]

i have a sawmill too. its actually bigger and has bigger Blades (11cm wide, 6m long, also carbide). what i do to enhance the lifespan of the plade: after scharpening the blade with the stone, i go ofer the teeth-grounds (not the part that cuts) with a 30.000rpm 5mm drill to get rid of the stone-groves. this helps the blades to not get kracks.

[@jbbrown7907]

Goodnjob of covering a subject. We never got as much out of our LT15 blades. We didn't have a sharpener. In New England we had much metal in our trees.

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

Thanks for the video. The advice you give is good.

[@zygmuntkuzminski8312]

very good video ,I learn something, even having that machine many years-Thank You

[@JohnSmith-tv5ep]

TROY, ain't got a mill, but I always like your informative videos! Thanks!

[@thegriffiths]

Great topic Troy. Thanks!

[@russellbelliveau1694]

Spot on ! We’ll done ✔️ where did you get that sharpener? Is it home made ? Thanks and great work

[@nltalbottgmail]

I kept hitting my metal stakes so I no longer use them. I replaced them with wood 2 x 2's.

[@PeaceIntheValley]

Troy have you seen the wheeless trailer mats? You could move logs on the ground without getting dirt, mud, stones, etc on the logs you want to cut. Pretty slick and might save blades.

[@thedavesofourlives1]

i was going to say - "keep the log off the ground" is the first thing I was taught.

[@olddodger7178]

I was running my mill at a high school demonstration day last June and was approached by a blacksmith who was also demonstrating for the students. He asked if I had any broken blades. I gave him two on the following day. He makes knives out of them.

[@thebradleysoncatbirdhill6849]

Excellent advice for a rarely discussed topic! 👍

[@camperjack2620]

Well, Dont drag your log in the dirt, OR clean the dirt off before you cut. Another point is that a huge percentage of the steel will be in the but log. So, if there is enough clear wood higher in the tree, in a log that was in a developed area, use the first six feet for firewood or a log project. Mike Morgan has an attachment from Woodmizer that grinds a groove right where the blade cuts.

[@torstenjoergensen]

Your suggestions are exactly the same as mine. Change the blade at first sign of dullness, sharpen often - and as little as possible, let blades rest and run with proper tension. Better cuts and and longer blade life.

[@jimhilton1023]

Telling when a blade is about to fail: My Timber King blades have the most use. At end of life the blade will tend to tear or form a crack either in the gullet or at the back side of the blade. TK has good blades, but I also had a learning curve matching the points you bring up for longer blade life. As the blade begins to crack, the blade will be slightly longer on the tear side. That will make the blade cut unevenly because it either is bowed toward the cut direction or to the back side of the blade. You can see that as a "jump" in the direction of the cut or toward the back. Watch while the blade is running before advancing it into the log. You also may hear a change in cutting sound while the blade is in the log matching the time it takes the blade to go around.

[@henryworkswoodandmetal]

Great information 👍

[@elderfarms]

Great information!!! I also figure you don’t wanna run your blades too dull because of how much more effort it takes, it creates more heat which heat is the enemy of blade life in any tool.

[@larrybourne8430]

Troy, I thought I heard you say a couple of times that your blades were carbide but they appear to be steel. Also, you mentioned they are about $25 each and I think carbide blades are around $150. Would you please clarify? Thanks

[@RedToolHouse]

I misspoke. They are bi-metal not carbide.

[@larrybourne8430]

Thanks for the explanation Troy. Never tried bimetal so I will try one.

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

@@larrybourne8430 Bimetal blades are great except if you hit metal, then they are just expensive.

[@dannysulyma6273]

Carbide wouldn't have missed a beat on most of those strikes, might have gotten slowed up by that backstop though.

[@claytonhillier9496]

We’ve had blades break usually they’ll get a crack at the back when it’s turning it will start jumping ahead just a bit that will tell you better check because the next cut it’ll break

[@victormcox]

Thank you in advance. We've got a lot of trees down due to helene. Can I cut my trees into cants, stack and saw later? Swamped with trees but don't want to lose them!

[@RedToolHouse]

I would just anchor seal the ends, stack them up off the ground and they should last for a while.

[@victormcox]

@@RedToolHouse thank you for the response!

[@brendaseverns9704]

Thanks! Do you have ideas on how to upcycle them when they are beyond repair? 😊

[@RedToolHouse]

Blacksmiths love them for forge work due to the nature of the steel

[@chrisogilvie8133]

As a chainsaw blade dulls, instead of cutting a chip as it moves along, it tends to skid along the surface. And that skidding serves to dull it further, very quickly. Moral; (As you say!) as soon as it stops cutting freely, sharpen it! Just enough to create a new sharp edge with no sliding ramp. I use a 20 times magnifying glass, and plenty of light to check it out. No doubt the same scenario applies to band saw blades as well. My guess is that 90% of the damage done to a badly worn chainsaw chain was done in the last 10% of it's use. And then you have to remove a huge amount of tooth to get it back to sharp again. As they say; Just do it!

[@brucemcmillan8750]

looks like we do pretty much the same thing, because my saw head is covered in it's little house, I spray my blades before I cut and at the end of my cutting with WD-4,0 then take the tension off.the only blade I broke was right after I sharpened it ,used a hand file ,not sure why it broke or where maybe I'll go check it out.I also take my blades off when I release they are getting dull, hang them in the dull racket be sharpened when it's -40 when there's nothing else to do.Always nice to have at least 5 new blades on hand for a tears cutting or in my case 6 months ,nice video thanks

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

Blades break because of micro-cracks in the gullet. If you don't want it to crack, remove as much metal from the base of the gullet as you take off the tooth to remove the mico-cracks and the blade will rarely break unless it's worn out from flexing.

[@weavertip]

As Yoda Would Say Sharpen Them Bend Them Feeeel The Force

[@thomasschmitthomesteadproj6025]

Hi Troy, I just received the last of the parts for my mill after 7 months and still don't have all the correct parts but I will fab the rest. This is the only reason my blades last so long is I haven't been able to use it...So very soon I will be milling.

[@RedToolHouse]

Man, that is a real drag. I hate that it has been an issue for you. Very frustrating I am sure!

[@MrBoo1963]

I have this same mill, but not on the trailer. What type and size of blade.

[@grandpaslakehouse-homestea6113]

In your experience is it worth it to remove the bark first. I notice you don't remove the bark first on most of your logs. Or is that going to be dependent on type of wood

[@RedToolHouse]

If I had a debarker or an efficient way of removing it, yes it would extend the amount of time I would need between sharpenings. If they are really dirty, then I pressure spray them

[@babeleebabelee2278]

jes, debarking the log would give you a huge amount of more sawtime per Blade. i even would estimate 40percent longer. i work for a canadian loghome builder and saw very much debarkes (per pressure spraying) wood and it is almost crazy how long the Blades last.

[@Casey6996]

I love you're videos but I never have seen you folding your blades into a nice bundle like you have on your dull and sharp rack, how the hack do you do that?

[@workingclasshero7239]

My Dad hit the same log support on his Woodmizer ruined the blade he was using at that point.

[@denniscampbell8240]

I have a woodmizer lt 15 ,,,,I hand sharpen all my blades ,,,,I use my mill for my personal self ,,,,but for me the key to milling is a sharp blade ,,,,period ,,,,,

[@wilmamcdermott3065]

Log stops on the other side so u make on cut in dirty bark

[@vernonvest9927]

Any way to sharpen the blade while on the saw .

[@mikemuniak4711]

What do you have for a sharpener set up

[@RedToolHouse]

I use Norwood's sharpener. There is a video on our channel detailing it.

[@thomasbacon]

If you don't have a debarker, doesn't milling larger diameter trees the number one way to extend blade life per bf of lumber milled?

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

Number one is stay away from mud and dirt wit the blade. Two is use at least induction hardened blades. Three is use lots of lube when sawing bark and mud.

[@thomasbacon]

@@jasonneugebauer5310 gee using that thinking wouldn't number one be don't cut through metal? Maybe number 2 would be use carbide tipped blades?

[@jasonneugebauer5310]

@@thomasbacon I am not sure how you jumped to those conclusions. You can take my advice or you can disregard it. I took the time to type it out on my phone because I wanted to be helpful and share my experience, mostly gained by trying everything I can think of and choosing what works best for me. Metal is somewhat unavoidable. So no, avoiding metal is not number one. I did not recommend using carbide at all. In my experience using carbide toothed blades to cut logs is not at good idea. They are way to expensive and the teath are brittle and can be destroyed or broken off by metal, sand, or normal use. Also, carbide teath are wider and take a lot more power to cut through the wood, so unless you have a lot of extra power to cut you are going to cut slowly. Then if you increase the power, the carbide teeth break off. Carbide is great for resawing. Thanks for the video, I appreciate the time, thought, and effort you put into it and it is great to see your sawmill operation.

[@wizardind3203]

there is a lo percentage of viewers that can hand sharpen blade's may not be a good recommendation. and i still dont know how much wood you can cut with a boade

[@Cjnchef]

Sharpener is now 1150. So expensive

[@Comp670]

At 1.48 you say they are carbide blades... Sure does not look like a carbide blade to me..

[@RedToolHouse]

I misspoke. They are bi-metal

[@paularthurwebb7212]

you said, "carbide teeth" a couple of times, and then said they cost about $25. per blade, I think you might have misspoken.

[@wizardind3203]

if you hang the blade on the wall for 5 years you just extended its life that is a little confusing Maby miss leading

[@jeffbasham3248]

Carbide? I think not.

[@RedToolHouse]

Yes, I misspoke. They are bi-metal not carbide

[@thedavesofourlives1]

sand. avoid skidding logs.

[@richardabernathy6242]

Do you set the teeth yourself

[@ivanbiza4117]

Too much sheet