rack saw blade

[Timber terrier]

Morning all

I've recently gone into the world of sawmilling with a rack saw. It has a 4' blade with 3/8 inserted teeth which is fed with a hydraulic table powered by PTO off the tractor. Does anyone know where I can get new teeth, keys/shanks etc in the UK ? Does anyone offer a hammering service?? Thanks

[Busy Daddy]

Ernest Bennet in darlington

They did all of our blades until a couple of years ago , in fact I think I have a couple of old blades

They also make the blades so you could have a tct one made

[Timber terrier]

Cheers. Think it has a few issues so am keen to get it as near perfect as possible for an old saw. Have a lot to learn

[Mike Dempsey]

Atkinson Walker also make their own blades and offer a variety of services.

[Timber terrier]

Ernest Bennet in darlington

They did all of our blades until a couple of years ago , in fact I think I have a couple of old blades

They also make the blades so you could have a tct one made

 

What are the pros and cons of a tct to an inserted tooth?

[Busy Daddy]

Not used an insert before , but have spent hours and hours sharpening blades

A tct stays sharp for a lot longer but you have to send them away to resharpen

[Timber terrier]

Thankyou. Have spent a bit of time crosscutting logs with a tct in the past. I'll price the two up (considerable I'm guessing)

[Graham w]

What are the pros and cons of a tct to an inserted tooth?

 

insert tooth gives good flexibility you can change the teeth on the saw if one is damaged and sharpen them without special equipment on site. there are also special teeth for cutting ugly/dirty timber.

one of the main problems with them is that they take a huge kerf and cause loads of waste and sawdust.

 

the teeth cost a couple of quid each and the holders are around £8 each. hammering will cost £60 -80 dependent on size of blade and condition

 

you rarely need to hammer your blades unless they are abused

 

and i never lost a tooth. other mills had half dozen stuck in the roof, they do come out and never stand in line to the saw blade etc.

 

the holders can fall apart if they are really old so its worth checking

Edited May 3, 2015 by Graham w

[Timber terrier]

insert tooth gives good flexibility you can change the teeth on the saw if one is damaged and sharpen them without special equipment on site. there are also special teeth for cutting ugly/dirty timber.

one of the main problems with them is that they take a huge kerf and cause loads of waste and sawdust.

 

the teeth cost a couple of quid each and the holders are around £8 each. hammering will cost £60 -80 dependent on size of blade and condition

 

you rarely need to hammer your blades unless they are abused

 

and i never lost a tooth. other mills had half dozen stuck in the roof, they do come out and never stand in line to the saw blade etc.

 

the holders can fall apart if they are really old so its worth checking

 

Thanks. I've not long had the saw and it's quite obviously had a lot of work over the years. I have lost one holder and tooth and replaced 4 loose holders and teeth so far. I've mostly cut larch and a piece of oak and been quite impressed with what I've produced. The thing which concerns me is the blade wags a bit after a while. I've tried running it at different speeds to see if it stops it but it doesn't. It has quite a bit of flexion when stopped at that point too. Any suggestions where to start? I thought a new set of keys and teeth would be a start

[Graham w]

Thanks. I've not long had the saw and it's quite obviously had a lot of work over the years. I have lost one holder and tooth and replaced 4 loose holders and teeth so far. I've mostly cut larch and a piece of oak and been quite impressed with what I've produced. The thing which concerns me is the blade wags a bit after a while. I've tried running it at different speeds to see if it stops it but it doesn't. It has quite a bit of flexion when stopped at that point too. Any suggestions where to start? I thought a new set of keys and teeth would be a start

 

how are the teeth sharpened, if they are not perfectly straight or square to the blade they can pull the blade in the direction they are sharpened to, causing it to wag. if there is tension in the blade ie. it is dished means it needs hammering. you can get a slightly dished blade that will cut good for 4-6 hours then after that it wags and you have to stop.

if you cut the log too quickly the blade will wag, this is because the blade isnt getting the chance to fully cut a clean path for itself to travel through the log.

larch is not kind to large saw blades and its best to cut the logs slowly with wedges chapped in behind the blade to prevent the log closing and remember to remove the wedges if you need to pull the log back past the blade.

 

cutting out the tension in the log in your first cut reduces the stress in the log and every cut after this is much easier. this is the best way to protect the blade from buckling