Milling doug fir

[FJH]

HI GUYS FIRST POST! :rockn:
Is anyone here milling douglas fir?(Band saw)
If so how long do your blades last before sharpening?
I'm running wood miser blades mostly ,Water and liesol coolant I do have one blu streak blade which seems to hold its edge well but am not happy with there service. The woodmizer blades seem to run for about 2 hours with out fail then start to wander!
So for the most part now I have been canting the wood with the chain mill then chuck up on the band and slab my dimension with the band!
i have no sharpener for the band so I rely on a local saw guy to sharpen the blades .canting with the chain mill helps keep the wood clean and the main dinension true!
Any input most welcome!

 

[woodshop]

Hello fjh... welcome to the site. I see nobody has answered your question yet. Probably because like me, they have never milled doug fir with a bandsaw, so just don't know. I can tell you that doug fir, being a softwood, and not as hard as say SYP (southern yellow pine) would probably be fairly easy to mill since SYP even mills easier than most hardwoods on my little Ripsaw (small portable handheld bandsaw) here on east coast. As for your other questions, somebody with a bigger mill that knows how to answer will have to chime in.

 

[FJH]

Thanx wood shop !The wood is harder than one would think!
Thats why I am asking!I'll be pateint.

 

[artie__bc]

I've only milled Doug. Fir with a csm, but it milled pretty nice, definitely easier than maple! With a csm hitting the sap pockets that fir has is no big deal, but I don't know what it would do to your bandsaw blade?

cheers, artie

 

[FJH]

,

 

[treemendous]

D-fir

I built a barn, sheds and siding all out of D-fir. I have a woodmizer in Langley. Yeah, 2 hours sawing is about all you get before a sharpen. D-fir has a lot of sap, and that thick bark holds plenty of dirt. So much of it around though and so straight! Blades of course being what everyone talks about. Just have to accept the blade cost when milling. If you're in the lower mainland we should talk.

 

[FJH]

Blades

I built a barn, sheds and siding all out of D-fir. I have a woodmizer in Langley. Yeah, 2 hours sawing is about all you get before a sharpen. D-fir has a lot of sap, and that thick bark holds plenty of dirt. So much of it around though and so straight! Blades of course being what everyone talks about. Just have to accept the blade cost when milling. If you're in the lower mainland we should talk.

I live on the Island! I thought maybe it was somthing I was doing wrong!
I,m building a shop right now and am planing on a house next year so I got alot of floor joists and studs to make yet I use the chain saw mill to make the cants so the wood stays clean and Because its more reliable size wise but it only will cut up to 16 feet the band mill I made will cut 24 in a pinch and I can do the cants with it but i can't rely on the blade staying sharp long enough to do to many straight boards!I just bought some accutrac guide rollers from Cooks Saws and will be installing them shortly will see if that helps get a little more life and reliability out of the blade!I also have a Simmons blade coming from cooks wich is Suposed to hold is edge a bit better! we'll see!
Do you sharpen your own?Have you tried any other blades other than wood miser?

Fred

 

[oldsaw]

Fred, if dirt is your problem, then changing blades isn't going to help much. You may end up cutting a cant with one blade, then changing to do the boards. Some of the fancy schmancy mills have a little round blade that cuts the bark off before the bandsaw blade gets there. May have to get creative again.

Mark

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

I imagine milling DF is a lot like SYP. I've milled it both green with the bark on and somewhat dry after the bark has slipped. Typically I get 3 to 4 times more lumber milled with one blade when the bark is off, especially in the but logs. Also there's a whole lot less fine saw dust floating around. I've thought about getting one of those log wizards to knock the bark off along the cut line when I'm canting the log but I'm not sure if it would be worth the time it would take.

 

[woodshop]

I've thought about getting one of those log wizards to knock the bark off along the cut line when I'm canting the log but I'm not sure if it would be worth the time it would take.

Thought of this also aggie... as I too find my little Ripsaw blades last WAY longer when I keep out of bark. At least twice as long, often more. If I just do the math, it will pay for itself in less than a year in lower blade cost. But then it's yet another thing to pack, another saw to keep maintained and carry to the milling site, etc etc. I'm trying to simplify, not expand.

 

[FJH]

Fred, if dirt is your problem, then changing blades isn't going to help much. You may end up cutting a cant with one blade, then changing to do the boards. Some of the fancy schmancy mills have a little round blade that cuts the bark off before the bandsaw blade gets there. May have to get creative again.

Mark

Mark as I said I cant the logs with the chain saw mill when possible dirt is not the issue here!The cants are vertuly clean!If I have to run a hole log thru on the band (17 ft or longer) I have a set of wheels I attach to the log to avoid dragging them to the mill!Dirt is definatly not the issue!