lucas milling

[youcallthatbig]

Are the woodmizer and Ripper blades the same tooth pitch and hook angle, as well as swage/set as each other? I know that small pitch and swage aligned with higher hook angle on softwood leads to loss of tension in the wide blades on the autotrek when cutting "fluffy" softwoods such as Sequoia/Wellingtonia due to lack of clearance and slow cutting causes heat generation with consequent loss of blade tension, and the difference in densities experienced between hard knots and the relatively soft timber c/w large growth rings from fast growth in the trees I have cut, only highlights the problem, I would suggest that if you sharpen your own blades to try a bigger skip/pitch and decrease the tooth hook angle ( I use 19on S/W and 25* for hardwood on a 2" & 13/4" pitch respectively which might be reduced to 1 1/2" pitch if a really gnarly hedgerow piece is proving to be snatching in the cut)...just what I have found.......

 

Tim

[delabodge]

cheers tim, Ive got a selection of timbers to mill waiting, cedar,yew,oak, so will swap the log (sequioa) over and see if this makes a difference,? and not sure if te ripper and woodmizer are the same,they look it,will check tomorrow,I`m sure big J can answer this one.

[gensetsteve]

You never know if another problem is the same as yours. But alot of my problems were tweaking the woodmizer to cope with the wood or the naff blade. I got a decent blade then set the blade up so it was level with the bed. I now find every cut is spot on if it starts to climb or fall its down to 3 things.

 

1. I have taken too much off one side of the truck and need to turn it over.

 

2. I am milling right near the bottom of the tree. I dont know the tech speak but where the tree start to turn into roots.

 

3. the blade is knackered. If the blade ever jumps off the machine its toast and needs to be sent away and reset.

[youcallthatbig]

always try to "cut to butt"..............

[delabodge]

always try to "cut to butt"..............

 

any reason?

[youcallthatbig]

I honestly cannot give you an answer that has a scientific background.....simply that after nearly 20 years milling( and I was advised to do so when I purchased the saw) I have found that cutting top to butt end is more forgiving when cutting across the fibres in any flare to be found on the butt, again the problem is more pronounced when blade is dull, I am so minded ,that if the I can, I will reduce length of log to remove any flare so it negates the effect so the log can go on the cutting deck either way.

 

Tim

[delabodge]

I honestly cannot give you an answer that has a scientific background.....simply that after nearly 20 years milling( and I was advised to do so when I purchased the saw) I have found that cutting top to butt end is more forgiving when cutting across the fibres in any flare to be found on the butt, again the problem is more pronounced when blade is dull, I am so minded ,that if the I can, I will reduce length of log to remove any flare so it negates the effect so the log can go on the cutting deck either way.

 

Tim

 

experience counts:thumbup: will keep it in mind tim:thumbup1:

[gensetsteve]

I honestly cannot give you an answer that has a scientific background.....simply that after nearly 20 years milling( and I was advised to do so when I purchased the saw) I have found that cutting top to butt end is more forgiving when cutting across the fibres in any flare to be found on the butt, again the problem is more pronounced when blade is dull, I am so minded ,that if the I can, I will reduce length of log to remove any flare so it negates the effect so the log can go on the cutting deck either way.

 

Tim

 

I have been using the chainsaw to cut about 2 ft of flare of the end. It was another reason for getting a lucas mill but I have a feeling it will then give problems on the kindlet.