# Question for Ripsaw users



## flht01 (Jun 15, 2006)

Are the factory blades the best choice for hardwood? I''ve talked to both Suffolk and Hakansson and there is enough difference in prices to make a difference. The Suffolk blades are a little higher than the factory but there's not a lot of difference between them. The Hakansson blades are quite a bit less. Anyone used the Hakansson blades enough to comment on them (I've got a sample on the way)? I do know a fresh factory blade makes a world of difference, so it looks like I'll be changing them as soon as I see any change in cutting speed and/or waves.

Are any of the available blades able to be resharpened? I tried hand sharpening one of the factory blades and it didn't cut any better afterwards :bang:. Both Suffolk and Hakansson stated they don't recommend resharpening their blades. Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks, Kevin


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## woodshop (Jun 15, 2006)

Kevin I've always wanted to try some of the other brands of blades for my Ripsaw, but still have a good 6 months or more of blades left I got from Ripsaw. I have succesfully sharpened them, takes some time, and yes they don't last as long as a new blade, but they do cut nice for a while after resharpening. I use a piece of 3/4 plywood layed flat with my blade on it teeth up, wedged between two pieces of hardwood I attached to the plywood. I sharpen 3-4 teeth at a time with the stone on the Dremel, then move another section into the hardwood "holding" section. Trick is to just quickly touch up the teeth with that stone, only a second or so or it'll burn and you get trashed teeth.


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## flht01 (Jun 15, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Kevin I've always wanted to try some of the other brands of blades for my Ripsaw, but still have a good 6 months or more of blades left I got from Ripsaw. I have succesfully sharpened them, takes some time, and yes they don't last as long as a new blade, but they do cut nice for a while after resharpening. I use a piece of 3/4 plywood layed flat with my blade on it teeth up, wedged between two pieces of hardwood I attached to the plywood. I sharpen 3-4 teeth at a time with the stone on the Dremel, then move another section into the hardwood "holding" section. Trick is to just quickly touch up the teeth with that stone, only a second or so or it'll burn and you get trashed teeth.



Thanks for the reply, Dave. When you resharpen, do you dress the gullet only or do you dress the gullet with the dremel and file the top of the tooth with a flat file/dressing stone? I tried using an air powered die grinder at a very slow speed to dress the gullet only. The wood I tried it on may have been the problem. I'm going to try it on a pecan thats been down a few months, will report back in a day or two. I'll also report back after using the Hakansson blade. If the results are as good as a factory blade, I probably won't do much sharpening.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jun 16, 2006)

For what it's worth, I've found slightly less aggressive blades do better in Pecan. I tried brand new Timberwolf blades (10 deg. hook tooth) on an Woodmizer LT25 in Pecan and they chattered throughout the entire cut. I switched back to a Woodmizer blade (4 deg. hook tooth, I believe) and it cut very well. However, the Timberwolf blasts through softer woods such as pine and cedar. You should be able to apply this to the Ripsaw as well.


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## flht01 (Jun 16, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> ... chattered throughout the entire cut...



What effect did the chattering have on the cut?
Also, when the blade on the woodmizer starts getting dull, do the cuts start to wander and create waves?

I'm still in the early stages with the Ripsaw but so far so good. I figure as long as I stay away from a "real" sawmill, I'll like it ok. Kinda like running a csm at warp speed with very little sawdust.


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## woodshop (Jun 16, 2006)

flht01 said:


> Thanks for the reply, Dave. When you resharpen, do you dress the gullet only or do you dress the gullet with the dremel and file the top of the tooth with a flat file/dressing stone? .



Gullet only, and very little time in each, only a second or so. It does leave a little burr on the end of the tooth, but that comes right off as soon as you start cutting. Havn't been convinced that using a flat file on the top is worth the time it takes.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jun 17, 2006)

flht01 said:


> What effect did the chattering have on the cut?
> Also, when the blade on the woodmizer starts getting dull, do the cuts start to wander and create waves?



The cut quality was only slightly rougher but it shook the mill and sounded bad. The only way to prevent it was to cut slow. The woodmizer cut perfect through several logs then would wander slightly in knots and hard grain.


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## flht01 (Jun 17, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Gullet only, and very little time in each, only a second or so. It does leave a little burr on the end of the tooth, but that comes right off as soon as you start cutting. Havn't been convinced that using a flat file on the top is worth the time it takes.



I think the biggest mistake I made was not cleaning the blade before sharpening. It still has "build-up" that could be keeping it from getting a clean cut. I'm going to pick up a brass brush and soak the blade in either mineral spirits or kerosene and give it another try.



aggiewoodbutchr said:


> The cut quality was only slightly rougher but it shook the mill and sounded bad. The only way to prevent it was to cut slow. The woodmizer cut perfect through several logs then would wander slightly in knots and hard grain.



The size and thickness of the Ripsaw blade must magnify the problems when it starts acting up. Since the Hakensson blades are welded to length when ordered, I'll check on different hook angles that are available. Thanks for the tip.

I finally got a chance to cut a little SYP today (with a sharp blade) and I couldn't get over the speed and accuracy of the cuts. I've still got a few storm damaged SYP around, some standing but broke off stumps (12 feet plus) and some whole trees that are leaning way over. All will probably have a little blue staining, but I don't think that'll be a problem. After today's experience, I might even try to cut a little dimensional pine for a air-dry woodrack.

A long slippery slope is an extreme understatement. :help: 

Kevin


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## flht01 (Jul 21, 2006)

flht01 said:


> ... After today's experience, I might even try to cut a little dimensional pine for a air-dry woodrack...
> 
> Kevin



Never did get that trial Hankanson blade to try but did get an opportunity to cut some of that dimensional pine. So far I've managed to cut four full 2x10's sixteen foot, thirty full 2x8's 10 foot and still have a twelve foot cant waiting on the bunks (might cut 5/4's out of it, tight grained with a few knots). All of this was using resharpened factory blades and the results were far better than I expected.

The only problem I'm faced with now is treating this pine to kill/keep the borers/bugs out while it dries. I've already tried a solution of chlorox bleach and water ( about 25% mix) but I still see the little sawdust piles in a few places. Any suggestions?

Kevin


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 21, 2006)

flht01 said:


> Never did get that trial Hankanson blade to try but did get an opportunity to cut some of that dimensional pine. So far I've managed to cut four full 2x10's sixteen foot, thirty full 2x8's 10 foot and still have a twelve foot cant waiting on the bunks (might cut 5/4's out of it, tight grained with a few knots). All of this was using resharpened factory blades and the results were far better than I expected.
> 
> The only problem I'm faced with now is treating this pine to kill/keep the borers/bugs out while it dries. I've already tried a solution of chlorox bleach and water ( about 25% mix) but I still see the little sawdust piles in a few places. Any suggestions?
> 
> Kevin


 
I have the same problem with bugs. I even started a thread about it once. I've learned about the only practical way to kill them once they're in the wood is to cook 'em in a kiln. It's best to keep them out in the first place (obviously) but in order to do so the logs must be milled green and dried immediately. Some folks have had luck with with keeping them out by dusting a stack of green milled lumber with poison (Seven or similar) while air drying but then you have some issues when it comes time to use it. What I will be building from my lumber won't be hurt by bug holes so we've signed a treaty. If they don't evacuate before I'm ready to build with it, they will be nuked! (not literally- just kiln baked)


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## flht01 (Jul 21, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> ... If they don't evacuate before I'm ready to build with it, they will be nuked! (not literally- just kiln baked)



Have you looked at the options for building a kiln? Sounds like that might be my next project.


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## scottr (Jul 21, 2006)

*Bugs*

Kevin , I remember Dave saying that he used chlorox full strength to keep the bugs off his hardwood lumber while air drying . If you have a few piles of dust coming out of your air drying pine then I'd inject about ten drops of lacquer thinner in each hole to kill the bug . It works on black walnut . I'd give Hakansson sawblades another call .


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 21, 2006)

flht01 said:


> Have you looked at the options for building a kiln? Sounds like that might be my next project.



Funny you should ask! Why, yes I have.

There are WAY more options than I was prepared for. I'm still trying to sort them out. It all boils down to cash. There's a kiln in Houston I plan to use initially until I can justify the investment.

Since you are on the edge of the big thicket I'd bet you can find a kiln that would help you.


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## woodshop (Jul 21, 2006)

Yes, I regularly put clorox full strength (its cheap) as I sticker my boards. Theory is (assuming you are bug free right after milling) that the insect lands on the board, tastes the hypoclorate when it goes to lay its eggs, and then doesn't. If it does lay the eggs, when they hatch and start boring into the wood they get the hypoclorate then and get sick and die. As I have said before, I am not positive this works, other than ever since I started it, I have not had a single infestation of borers AFTER I milled and stickered to dry. I use a paint roller and paint tray, and it goes quick, running down the board. One thing I have found though, is that on lumber that has been sitting a while and already has beetles in it, it is often only the sapwood that is infected at first. That area right under the bark and close to the inner bark seems to be irresistible to some bugs, and thus I have stopped stickering any wood with bark or sapwood still on the board. I take the time to trim away bark, or mill to where there is none on my finished boards. 

As for kiln... wish I had space, I'd have one in a heartbeat. I would build one of the many solar kilns you can get plans for on the net. Many options. But you need the space for one or it's academic.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 21, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Yes, I regularly put clorox full strength (its cheap) as I sticker my boards. Theory is (assuming you are bug free right after milling) that the insect lands on the board, tastes the hypoclorate when it goes to lay its eggs, and then doesn't. If it does lay the eggs, when they hatch and start boring into the wood they get the hypoclorate then and get sick and die. As I have said before, I am not positive this works, other than ever since I started it, I have not had a single infestation of borers AFTER I milled and stickered to dry. I use a paint roller and paint tray, and it goes quick, running down the board. One thing I have found though, is that on lumber that has been sitting a while and already has beetles in it, it is often only the sapwood that is infected at first. That area right under the bark and close to the inner bark seems to be irresistible to some bugs, and thus I have stopped stickering any wood with bark or sapwood still on the board. I take the time to trim away bark, or mill to where there is none on my finished boards.
> 
> As for kiln... wish I had space, I'd have one in a heartbeat. I would build one of the many solar kilns you can get plans for on the net. Many options. But you need the space for one or it's academic.




So your practice of bleaching is similar in theory to the use of poison dust. Based on your success, it seems to me that bleach would be the better option.

I've used bleach on pine to remove mold stains with no problems. Do you know of any other wood that bleach would effect negatively?


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## flht01 (Jul 21, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Yes, I regularly put clorox full strength (its cheap) as I sticker my boards. Theory is (assuming you are bug free right after milling) that the insect lands on the board, tastes the hypoclorate when it goes to lay its eggs, and then doesn't. If it does lay the eggs, when they hatch and start boring into the wood they get the hypoclorate then and get sick and die. As I have said before, I am not positive this works, other than ever since I started it, I have not had a single infestation of borers AFTER I milled and stickered to dry. I use a paint roller and paint tray, and it goes quick, running down the board. One thing I have found though, is that on lumber that has been sitting a while and already has beetles in it, it is often only the sapwood that is infected at first. That area right under the bark and close to the inner bark seems to be irresistible to some bugs, and thus I have stopped stickering any wood with bark or sapwood still on the board. I take the time to trim away bark, or mill to where there is none on my finished boards.
> 
> As for kiln... wish I had space, I'd have one in a heartbeat. I would build one of the many solar kilns you can get plans for on the net. Many options. But you need the space for one or it's academic.



I'll give the full strength bath a try, mine was weak in comparison. These logs had the borers right under the bark, looked like the flat heads in the pictures aggie... posted in his thread. What's left in the milled lumber looks like a very small grub, with the hole in the wood about the size if a 5mm pencil lead. The bleach/water solution I used the first time killed most of them but some are still hanging on.

Aggie, if you come up with an optimum kiln design for our area, I'd sure like to know about it. I've looked at some of them, but just haven't set down long enough to hash it out. We've got several bandmills in the area running and one of the best commercial kilns around about 30 minutes up the road. I'm just too hung up on trying to do everything myself. That, and I'm just getting where I thing the lumber I'm cutting with the ripsaw would be worth the efforts to kiln dry.

Time to go "un"sticker that stack,
Kevin


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## woodshop (Jul 21, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> So your practice of bleaching is similar in theory to the use of poison dust. Based on your success, it seems to me that bleach would be the better option.
> 
> I've used bleach on pine to remove mold stains with no problems. Do you know of any other wood that bleach would effect negatively?



Again Aggie... I am not a toxicologist nor an expert on insects. I only know that I have never had a problem with borers after I started to run a roller of bleach down my boards before I stickered them. (btw, I use a small 4 inch roller and tray, much less awkward that using a full 9 inch roller). I'm not even fully convinced that once you have borers a coating of bleach on the outside of the board will kill them, I kinda think it wouldn't since they are already under the wood surface. As for negatively affecting the wood itself, it DOES give the surface of the wood a bleached bland look indeed. Black walnut with a coating of bleach for example looks like butternut, very light brown. But one pass through the planer or jointer and that's gone, the bleaching of the wood does not go deep at all, just the very surface. 

Having said all that, I will say that I don't necessarily bleach EVERY board I sticker. Depends on how much time I have, the value of the wood etc. I have stickered hundreds of ft with no bleaching, and they didn't get boreres. But the good stuff I bleach. Example, tomorrow I will be slicing up a huge elm log with a 36 inch wide 4 foot long crotch at its end. Potentially some really nice figured lumber. THAT stuff will be bleached before it gets stickered and stacked for sure. As for cost, when I see bleach on sale I grab a bunch and throw it in the garage, knowing I will eventually use it. Thus we are only talking a few pennies per board. Cheap insurance, even just cheap peace of mind for the guy milling and stickering the wood.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 21, 2006)

flht01 said:


> I'll give the full strength bath a try, mine was weak in comparison. These logs had the borers right under the bark, looked like the flat heads in the pictures aggie... posted in his thread. What's left in the milled lumber looks like a very small grub, with the hole in the wood about the size if a 5mm pencil lead. The bleach/water solution I used the first time killed most of them but some are still hanging on.
> 
> Aggie, if you come up with an optimum kiln design for our area, I'd sure like to know about it. I've looked at some of them, but just haven't set down long enough to hash it out. We've got several bandmills in the area running and one of the best commercial kilns around about 30 minutes up the road. I'm just too hung up on trying to do everything myself. That, and I'm just getting where I thing the lumber I'm cutting with the ripsaw would be worth the efforts to kiln dry.
> 
> ...



I've noticed the flatheads have left the pecan I milled in Jan. but the small holes you described have appeared. The flatheads are still active in the green pine and water oak. I guess as the MC drops the wood appeals to a different set of critters.


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## flht01 (Jul 23, 2006)

scottr said:


> ... If you have a few piles of dust coming out of your air drying pine then I'd inject about ten drops of lacquer thinner in each hole to kill the bug . It works on black walnut . I'd give Hakansson sawblades another call .



The full strength clorox seems to have done the trick but I'll keep an eye out for the dust piles, it's a little too soon to be sure. Thanks for the tip on the lacquer thinner, I'll keep that in mind.

As for the Hakansson blades, I've made two calls to the local distributor and still no blade. I think I'll give Nancy (US rep) a quick call Monday and ask about it, sure wanted them to work, especially at $11 each.

Had a local woodmizer mill owner stop by and look at some of the pine I've been stacking. He seemed impressed that a csm and ripsaw could make dimensional lumber that good. Had me feeling real good about it until he said "That's a good hours work on the mizer and I don't think it would have looked any better." I didn't tell him it was a good 2 days work with my set-up. 

Kevin


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## woodshop (Jul 23, 2006)

flht01 said:


> Had a local woodmizer mill owner stop by and look at some of the pine I've been stacking. He seemed impressed that a csm and ripsaw could make dimensional lumber that good. Had me feeling real good about it until he said "That's a good hours work on the mizer and I don't think it would have looked any better." I didn't tell him it was a good 2 days work with my set-up.
> Kevin



 hey don't let 'em fool ya... the big mills are definitely faster than the little csm/ripsaw combo, MUCH faster, but one hours work vs 2 days is pushin' things. Just so happens I milled about 900 bd ft of ash this weekend with my csm/ripsaw, took an 8 hour day and a 9 hour day yes, but I want to see somebody mill that much on a woodmizer in an hour.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 23, 2006)

woodshop said:


> hey don't let 'em fool ya... the big mills are definitely faster than the little csm/ripsaw combo, MUCH faster, but one hours work vs 2 days is pushin' things. Just so happens I milled about 900 bd ft of ash this weekend with my csm/ripsaw, took an 8 hour day and a 9 hour day yes, but I want to see somebody mill that much on a woodmizer in an hour.


 

He was trying to sell a full auto LT40.


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## flht01 (Jul 24, 2006)

woodshop said:


> hey don't let 'em fool ya... the big mills are definitely faster than the little csm/ripsaw combo, MUCH faster, but one hours work vs 2 days is pushin' things. Just so happens I milled about 900 bd ft of ash this weekend with my csm/ripsaw, took an 8 hour day and a 9 hour day yes, but I want to see somebody mill that much on a woodmizer in an hour.



I'm glad to hear that, the thought of a bandmill being that much faster might push me over the top.  I have noticed my "production rate" is getting better, most of my time is getting the 3 sided cant using the csm. That, and cutting the stickers. Any secrets on an east way to accumulate stickers?





aggiewoodbutchr said:


> He was trying to sell a full auto LT40.



We've got several woodmizers working in the area and one lucas swinger. I WILL NOT even drive by and watch any of them working (I tell myself this every day) for fear of having a weak moment (I really want a peterson 10" wpf with the siding attachment)


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 24, 2006)

flht01 said:


> I'm glad to hear that, the thought of a bandmill being that much faster might push me over the top.  I have noticed my "production rate" is getting better, most of my time is getting the 3 sided cant using the csm. That, and cutting the stickers. Any secrets on an east way to accumulate stickers?



I started saving 3/4" plywood scraps and rip stickers from them. Cheap, easy and they work when I run out of 1x1's from the bandmill.


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## woodshop (Jul 24, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> I started saving 3/4" plywood scraps and rip stickers from them. Cheap, easy and they work when I run out of 1x1's from the bandmill.



I've used 3/4 plywood ripped to size too... problem was over time the glue tended to separate and they didn't stay solid, even CDX stuff. Almost all my stickers now are made from 1by stuff I pick up at big box stores in the cull lumber dept. Often the cull box has cracked boards with plenty of meat for ripping into stickers, but even a little warp is no problem since I rip them to 1 inch and crosscut on the radial arm to 14 inches. That gives me my 3/4 x 1 sticker for my 12-14 inch wide boards.


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## woodshop (Jul 24, 2006)

flht01 said:


> I have noticed my "production rate" is getting better, most of my time is getting the 3 sided cant using the csm.



I too find that working the log down to a 3 sided cant takes the most time, especially if it's a big log. Once it's there though, its goes pretty quick knocking out the boards with the Ripsaw. I had to slow down and rest every other board, was getting tired pushing that thing down that 9 ft cant. You are right though, my production rate now is twice what it was when I started doing this. Just having the right tools and everything organized is half the battle.


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## flht01 (Jul 24, 2006)

woodshop said:


> I've used 3/4 plywood ripped to size too... problem was over time the glue tended to separate and they didn't stay solid, even CDX stuff. Almost all my stickers now are made from 1by stuff I pick up at big box stores in the cull lumber dept. Often the cull box has cracked boards with plenty of meat for ripping into stickers, but even a little warp is no problem since I rip them to 1 inch and crosscut on the radial arm to 14 inches. That gives me my 3/4 x 1 sticker for my 12-14 inch wide boards.



I was considering a custom set of dogs similiar to the ones peterson sells that would fit the top plate of a sawhorse. That would allow at least one 4/4 live cut from each of the three flitches (hope I got that right).

I'll have a look at the cull boards in the big box store, never thought about that.

Speaking of the ripsaw, I made a few sheetmetal "Z" shaped brackets to keep the guide beams from sliding around. So far, I think they are going to do just fine. Nothing to attach to the log, they just sit there. 3 bends - 3/4" up, 9" right, 3/4" up again. The first bend catches on the left (or right) side of the cant, the second (9") bend sits on the top of the cant and the third 3/4" bend up keeps the guide beam from sliding around. This will allow the guide arm to run up against the guide beam. I'll post a pict or two when I get back from vacation.

I'm fixing to leave on a two week motorcycle trip (Rocky Mnt Nat'l park, Mt Zion, Grand Canyon, etc...) and all I can think about is getting back early to build a couple of milling sawhorses, finish cutting up the pine logs and get started on a couple of pecan logs. This is a bad, bad addiction.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Jul 24, 2006)

woodshop said:


> I too find that working the log down to a 3 sided cant takes the most time, especially if it's a big log. Once it's there though, its goes pretty quick knocking out the boards with the Ripsaw. I had to slow down and rest every other board, was getting tired pushing that thing down that 9 ft cant. You are right though, my production rate now is twice what it was when I started doing this. Just having the right tools and everything organized is half the battle.



Have you considered a winch system? It should be easy to adapt one similar to the one in Will Malloff's book, "Chainsaw Lumbermaking", to your ripsaw.


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## woodshop (Jul 24, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> Have you considered a winch system? It should be easy to adapt one similar to the one in Will Malloff's book, "Chainsaw Lumbermaking", to your ripsaw.


I actually did look into that among other things. If I had a permanent setup, a little yard, a place where I brought the logs to mill, then maybe I would do something like that. No... actually if I had a place to bring logs, I'd somehow beg borrow and steal the cash for a Woodmizer. But the Ripsaw has a nice little niche, its claim to fame is you take it to the log, and setup is quick. In 10-15 minutes of pulling op to the log, you're slicing lumber off of it. If I had to mess with winches and cables, setup the frame for something like that... it would defeat the purpose of the Ripsaw.


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## trax (Jul 27, 2006)

woodshop said:


> hey don't let 'em fool ya... the big mills are definitely faster than the little csm/ripsaw combo, MUCH faster, but one hours work vs 2 days is pushin' things. Just so happens I milled about 900 bd ft of ash this weekend with my csm/ripsaw, took an 8 hour day and a 9 hour day yes, but I want to see somebody mill that much on a woodmizer in an hour.



I have a Woodmizer LT-15 Manual mill. How many BF you can cut in an hour depends on a lot of things. If I flat saw 4" thick flitches from 24" straight ash log's I could probably do 900 bdf in 3-4 hours by my self. If I'm cutting 4/4 with 4 square edges and edging all my flitches that slows things down a bit. The thicker the board the the more bdf per pass. I have helped a freind on his fully Hyd. Timber King and believe me that thing makes boards in a hurry. It lifts the logs, turns them, dogs them, sets the depth and sends the saw down through the log all from a controll panel at the end of the mill. The only thing you do manually is roll the logs onto the arms and take off the boards.I will try to take a pic of my set up this weekend and post it.


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## woodshop (Jul 27, 2006)

trax said:


> I have a Woodmizer LT-15 Manual mill. How many BF you can cut in an hour depends on a lot of things. If I flat saw 4" thick flitches from 24" straight ash log's I could probably do 900 bdf in 3-4 hours by my self. If I'm cutting 4/4 with 4 square edges and edging all my flitches that slows things down a bit. The thicker the board the the more bdf per pass. I have helped a freind on his fully Hyd. Timber King and believe me that thing makes boards in a hurry. It lifts the logs, turns them, dogs them, sets the depth and sends the saw down through the log all from a controll panel at the end of the mill. The only thing you do manually is roll the logs onto the arms and take off the boards.I will try to take a pic of my set up this weekend and post it.



I have seen some of the mills working at shows, and believe me, if I could afford one or more to the point, if I had the room to store one, I would own one. Hey I'm only 53... and I may very well own a big mill some day. I agree, you can't just talk about how many bd ft you milled in a day. Slicing 100 ft of 4/4 out of a cant takes twice as long as slicing 100 ft of 8/4 out of that same cant. Twice the runs down the cant, twice the boards to handle and stack. I too saw a fully hyd Timber King at a Penn State Ag show last year, and watched it mill, then dog and edge a whole stack at once like you said... it was beauty in motion. I could watch it for hours. 

My little Ripsaw and csm do fill a niche though, and I think they do it well. They were never designed to compete with larger mills. Comparing the two is kinda academic.


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## poleframer (Jul 27, 2006)

Funny how things change, I buildt my unit to flatten one side of a pole for my polework, and maybe turn an occasional chunk of firewood into boards. Now I got about 4000 bf of logs I'm tackling.
All things considered, since I have well less than a grand invested and have come up with several grand worth of wood I think I'm doing OK.Dont think I'd chase this milling bug into debt, I'm wanting to fit it into a bigger woodworking picture. I appriciate the context that Woodshop fits his milling into. Context is everything, I've worked for Roseburg lumber. .


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## flht01 (Aug 13, 2006)

*Hakanson Blade came in*



flht01 said:


> ...
> As for the Hakansson blades, I've made two calls to the local distributor and still no blade. I think I'll give Nancy (US rep) a quick call Monday and ask about it, sure wanted them to work, especially at $11 each....



The sample Hakanson blade was sitting on the doorstep when I rolled in from vacation Thursday. I had a syp cant that needed cutting up so I gave it a try. I ended up with 10 ~ 13" wide 5/4 boards 12ft long it's still cutting ok. I had the usual dip/wave if I didn't do my part on the knots but so far, so good. I've got a pecan log thats been down about a year I'll start on next. I'll use the csm to cut the cant then finish up with the ripsaw. It'll be interesting to see how long the blade holds up. I'll keep you posted...

Kevin


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## 314epw (Aug 15, 2006)

*education again.*

*Ok, you got the logs,you got the equipment.and now you know how to use it.I'm in hawley PA area.what can you sell red or white oak for per board foot.And who will buy it.Do you have to be a full time salesman too?Answer these questions and I'm ready to get my feet wet!!
Ed *


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## flht01 (Aug 15, 2006)

314epw said:


> *Ok, you got the logs,you got the equipment.and now you know how to use it.I'm in hawley PA area.what can you sell red or white oak for per board foot.And who will buy it.Do you have to be a full time salesman too?Answer these questions and I'm ready to get my feet wet!!
> Ed *



I'm not sure which post this was directed at but I'll give you my 2 cents worth based on the equipment I'm using. After reading a lot of the posts on this site and the "other" forestry site I decided on the system "woodshop" was using, a csm and ripsaw and couldn't be happier with the results. I'm cutting for myself for small woodworking projects only, no way I'd ever try to use my setup to cut lumber for resale. (Way too labor intensive in my opinion.) I'd say if your looking for a return on your investment, look at the commercial bandmills or swingblades.

Kevin


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## woodshop (Aug 15, 2006)

flht01 said:


> I'm not sure which post this was directed at but I'll give you my 2 cents worth based on the equipment I'm using. After reading a lot of the posts on this site and the "other" forestry site I decided on the system "woodshop" was using, a csm and ripsaw and couldn't be happier with the results. I'm cutting for myself for small woodworking projects only, no way I'd ever try to use my setup to cut lumber for resale. (Way too labor intensive in my opinion.) I'd say if your looking for a return on your investment, look at the commercial bandmills or swingblades.
> 
> Kevin


I agree with Kevin 100%. If you are looking to cut lumber and sell it in any volume, a csm and or Ripsaw is too slow and labor intensive. It was never designed for that kind of volume per day. I slice up several thousand bd ft of mostly hardwood a year. I have sold some, but to people I know only, and very little. I worked too hard for it to part with it. Most of my stash is custom sawn, specifically for certain things I make in my woodshop which I then sell at shows in this area. On a good day with no major problems, you can slice up about 400 ft of 4/4 or 5/4. A larger bandsaw mill in the $10-15K range will do that in couple or three hours. (of course it goes without saying that there are LOTS of variables that effect that figure up AND down). As for price... here in SE Pennsylvania, depending on how far out from the Philadelphia area you are willing to travel, you can get oak for $2+ a ft. Even less if you drive couple hours to central PA where the sawmills are, and grab it right off the mill wet and are willing to dry it yourself. OR, you can drive 10 minutes to a high end lumber retailer and pay $5+ a foot  Up in the NE part of the state where you are, I have no idea what oak goes for, but probably less than down here in the SE. Jump on google, find a few sawmills in your area and pick up the phone, easy as that.


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## 379hammerdown (Aug 16, 2006)

Hey flht01, I noticed that you are in Southeast Texas, & was curious where you actually are. I'm from the area too, Buna. Just being nosy!

Keith


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## flht01 (Aug 16, 2006)

379hammerdown said:


> Hey flht01, I noticed that you are in Southeast Texas, & was curious where you actually are. I'm from the area too, Buna. Just being nosy!
> 
> Keith



You ever hear of Antioch cemetery


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## 379hammerdown (Aug 16, 2006)

LOL Small world! Down 1004 right?


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Aug 16, 2006)

Hey fellas- Do I smell a GTG?

I have some big water oaks I'll be milling soon.

:biggrinbounce2: 







And a few others not in the picture.


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## flht01 (Aug 16, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> Hey fellas- Do I smell a GTG?
> 
> I have some big water oaks I'll be milling soon.
> 
> ...



GTG would be fun. Sure hope that big yeller contraption in the background is the logmaster. There's not enough people on this site to csm all those logs


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## flht01 (Aug 16, 2006)

379hammerdown said:


> LOL Small world! Down 1004 right?



Right you are, stop by next time your out this way. I'll be doing a little millin' this weekend if the weather permits. I'll be the only idiot standing out in the edge of a hayfield choking to death on chainsaw fumes in 100 degree heat. :hmm3grin2orange:


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Aug 16, 2006)

flht01 said:


> GTG would be fun. Sure hope that big yeller contraption in the background is the logmaster. There's not enough people on this site to csm all those logs




Yep- that's the log master, but none of these logs will fit on it! I'll slab each log through the widest section then cut 8, 5 and 4 quarter stock from the outside cants. I'll have my 084 back in about a week.

Then it's (see below)!


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## 379hammerdown (Aug 18, 2006)

Well cool deal, I'd love to see how yours runs, never seen a ripsaw before! If you see some lunatic puttin along the sholder along 1004 in a black chevy single cab pickup looking around, wave your arms at me!

aggiewoodbutchr I wouldnt know what to do with ONE log that big... let alone all those!!! What kind of Log Master is it that you have there in the background? THAT would be something to see run too! For years I've fantasized about a big bandmill, but the pocket book keeps it at a fantasy lol! My eye keeps pointed at the LM2 & LM3 & the Timberking B-20


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Aug 18, 2006)

379hammerdown said:


> Well cool deal, I'd love to see how yours runs, never seen a ripsaw before! If you see some lunatic puttin along the sholder along 1004 in a black chevy single cab pickup looking around, wave your arms at me!
> 
> aggiewoodbutchr I wouldnt know what to do with ONE log that big... let alone all those!!! What kind of Log Master is it that you have there in the background? THAT would be something to see run too! For years I've fantasized about a big bandmill, but the pocket book keeps it at a fantasy lol! My eye keeps pointed at the LM2 & LM3 & the Timberking B-20


The Log Mater is an LM3 that actually belongs to a friend of ours. It's one hell of a machine and were lucky to have access to it. I don't know what they cost now but I believe it's over 30K.


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## 379hammerdown (Aug 18, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr It sure DOES looks like one hell of a machine! I asked about the price of one of the LM2 yesterday & they said $23,500 & also quoted the price of the LM3 which is $29,820. I think that the only difference between the 2 & 3 is that the 2 has a 26hp water cooled Kohler gas & the 3 has a 34hp kitty cat diesel. I'll keep dreaming... Maybe pickup a lottery ticket today!

I'm now recovering after being outside for the last hour & a half in the sun doing the mods that I said I was going to do to my sawmill. In a little bit, I'll go outside & take some pictures. The cam design that you posted a drawing of in another thread for me is what I'm puttin on there. I still appreciate that BTW!!


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Aug 18, 2006)

379hammerdown said:


> aggiewoodbutchr It sure DOES looks like one hell of a machine! I asked about the price of one of the LM2 yesterday & they said $23,500 & also quoted the price of the LM3 which is $29,820. I think that the only difference between the 2 & 3 is that the 2 has a 26hp water cooled Kohler gas & the 3 has a 34hp kitty cat diesel. I'll keep dreaming... Maybe pickup a lottery ticket today!
> 
> I'm now recovering after being outside for the last hour & a half in the sun doing the mods that I said I was going to do to my sawmill. In a little bit, I'll go outside & take some pictures. The cam design that you posted a drawing of in another thread for me is what I'm puttin on there. I still appreciate that BTW!!




Cool- glad to help.

Ahhh the toys a winning lottery ticket could bring...


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## flht01 (Aug 31, 2006)

*Logmaster*



379hammerdown said:


> aggiewoodbutchr It sure DOES looks like one hell of a machine! ...



I've been swappin' emails with a new owner of a Logmaster LM-1 with the trailer kit. Herman's idea of a trailer kit is building a box beam frame to weld the bandmill's angle frame to, making it one solid permanent frame. I'm planning on making a ride to Nacogdoches next week and talk to Herman about the LM-1 and LM-15. If they are everything I'm thinking they are, I'll put an order in for one.  The biggest decision is whether to keep the Ripsaw setup (will probably list it and the csm on the Trading Post)


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Sep 1, 2006)

flht01 said:


> I've been swappin' emails with a new owner of a Logmaster LM-1 with the trailer kit. Herman's idea of a trailer kit is building a box beam frame to weld the bandmill's angle frame to, making it one solid permanent frame. I'm planning on making a ride to Nacogdoches next week and talk to Herman about the LM-1 and LM-15. If they are everything I'm thinking they are, I'll put an order in for one.  The biggest decision is whether to keep the Ripsaw setup (will probably list it and the csm on the Trading Post)



What size is you CSM? You might want to keep for a log that's too big for your (future) bandmill.


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## flht01 (Sep 1, 2006)

aggiewoodbutchr said:


> What size is you CSM? You might want to keep for a log that's too big for your (future) bandmill.



I'm planning on listing the Ripsaw fairly soon, went ahead and placed an order for the mill (12 week fab time). I'm thinking about listing the csm set-up I have now and looking for one a little bigger, probably after I get the bandmill in and have a chance to use it a little. I've got a 36" granberg with a stihl 066and can see where I might need to consider a little bigger combination, especially for some of the pin oaks we have. (Very similiar to the ones in your pictures.) On the other hand, a set of longer rails from granberg and a longer bar/skip chain might do just fine with the 066.

Kevin


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