Water cooled chainsaw chain exelent

[martrix]

cool, very interesting Bob. Keep up the top research work!opcorn:

Was there any issues with water being drawn inside the chain cover and getting inside the saw body?

I guess it wouldn't matter too much any way, theres not much thats going to rust in there.

 

[BobL]

cool, very interesting Bob. Keep up the top research work!opcorn:

Was there any issues with water being drawn inside the chain cover and getting inside the saw body?

I guess it wouldn't matter too much any way, theres not much thats going to rust in there.

Beware some of this is for memory opinion - I could be wrong:

From what I could see most of the water sprays across the sides and of the chain. This seems to take of the sawdust and resin. Some water is dragged along with the chain because you can see a thin pool of water building up along the cutting side of the bar - sometimes the pool dances around like it's boiling but its just the saw vibe as the water is still tap temp. Any water left on the chain as it cuts seems to be absorbed by the sawdust and what comes out at the sprocket end is damp sawdust. The sawdust left in the kerf is also quite damp

At the end of each slab, I put the mill ontop of the slab and leave the engine running for a minute or 2 to cool down. I removed the water hose from the mill, leave the aux oiler running and also pump on the manual oiler blipping the saw so the chain rotates and covers itself in oil. I figure this coats everything in oil and would help reduce any corrosion effect.

At the end of the day I head straight for the compressor where I blow as much dust as I can off the saw and mill. There was no resin build up on the cutters and only lightly on the chain or bar although I did cut a couple of slabs without the water connection when I started so it's hard to say what caused what. Anyway, compared to previous days milling I'd say the chain was almost sparkling clean. As I like to have a clean chain before I sharpen so at a minimum this saves me chain cleaning time.

When I got home I removed the sprocket cover and it was no different to what I usually see. The compressor can't get in between the mill and the chain where there is a build up of oily sawdust as this is where the auto oiler is dumping a lot of oil. As usual I removed the mill from the saw and blow and wipe out all gunk. The part seems no different from what I have seen in the past.

As I said, most testing is needed to optimise the set up. I'm by nature a skeptic but the signs are very promising.

Cheers

 

[BobL]

cool, very interesting Bob. Keep up the top research work!opcorn:

Was there any issues with water being drawn inside the chain cover and getting inside the saw body?

I guess it wouldn't matter too much any way, theres not much thats going to rust in there.

Beware some of this is for memory opinion - I could be wrong:

From what I could see most of the water sprays across the sides and of the chain. This seems to take of the sawdust and resin. Some water is dragged along with the chain because you can see a thin pool of water building up along the cutting side of the bar - sometimes the pool dances around like it's boiling but its just the saw vibe as the water is still tap temp. Any water left on the chain as it cuts seems to be absorbed by the sawdust and what comes out at the sprocket end is damp sawdust. The sawdust left in the kerf is also quite damp

At the end of each slab, I put the mill ontop of the slab and leave the engine running for a minute or 2 to cool down. I removed the water hose from the mill, leave the aux oiler running and also pump on the manual oiler blipping the saw so the chain rotates and covers itself in oil. I figure this coats everything in oil and would help reduce any corrosion effect.

At the end of the day I head straight for the compressor where I blow as much dust as I can off the saw and mill. There was no resin build up on the cutters and only lightly on the chain or bar although I did cut a couple of slabs without the water connection when I started so it's hard to say what caused what. Anyway, compared to previous days milling I'd say the chain was almost sparkling clean. As I like to have a clean chain before I sharpen so at a minimum this saves me chain cleaning time.

When I got home I removed the sprocket cover and it was no different to what I usually see. The compressor can't get in between the mill and the chain where there is a build up of oily sawdust as this is where the auto oiler is dumping a lot of oil. As usual I removed the mill from the saw and blow and wipe out all gunk. The part seems no different from what I have seen in the past.

As I said, most testing is needed to optimise the set up. I'm by nature a skeptic but the signs are very promising.

Cheers

 

[woodshop]

This a very interesting thread... have to say at first I was put off by the whole idea thinking there would be a ton of "fine sawdust mud" everywhere, which could get pretty messy real quick. However from what you folks are saying, variables can be controlled as usual with a bit of tweaking.

You folks are refining and reinventing the csm to a higher level.

 

[Matildasmate]

Slab thickness

This is on my "TO DO" list now. It seems the idea has potential. Keep the progress reports coming. opcorn:

Hi Aggie Just wondering mate , I see in some of your pic's that you cut rather thick slab's . Is that to stop them warping , cupping and so on? or do you sometime's just make extra large cant's and turn them on there side later once dry and cut board's from them? or both or none? . I cut some timber for me neighbor some time ago now , he reckon's it's great , I said it look's like firewood , as I was cutting some of it up , it was bending like a banana by the time I got to the other end , as the stuff was drying , it twisted , cupped and all the rest of it , this stuff has a high shrinkage rate and also dry's flat out . The timber was similar to Tassie bluegum . Near the end , I cut some thicker slabs around 4" x 18" x 9'6" , apart from some massive splits , at one end , look's real good , straight , flat no twisting or bowing , no cupping . Cheers MM

 

[BobL]

This a very interesting thread... have to say at first I was put off by the whole idea thinking there would be a ton of "fine sawdust mud" everywhere, which could get pretty messy real quick.

It depends where you connect the water and how much you use. I think MatildasM is connecting at the inboard end but as he is not standing near his saw - I think he uses a winch - its not so important for him.

I'm connecting to the outboard end - there is a small amount of sawdust mud made at that point. How much is made seems to depend on the amount of water used. At the end of the day the outboard end of the mill is covered with a fine spatter of the stuff but it blows off with a pass of the compressor.

The sawdust coming out at the sprocket cover is definitely damp and less dusty than usual but there is no mud at that end unless a heap of water is dumped on the chain. My guess is that there is no need to drill through the bar either and that the following would be just as effective.

Cheers

 

[Matildasmate]

Water dispersant , Rp7 etc.

Hi Bob .......... Thank you skeptic .:greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw: :greenchainsaw: . You did a good job of testing and explaining the idea Bob . As for the water causing corosion and rust , I can't see this being a problem either , I am on nightshift at the moment and have been going out during the day , cutting firewood . It has been raining a lot here , so I just keep cutting , or I don't get any wood (that's what wet gear is for) so everthing is wet and cutting green wood , I think it is pretty much the same thing , as a wet day and wet wood . At the end of the day , I just give the saw a quick clean and some Rp7 spray . Cheers MM

 

[Matildasmate]

Right next to me saw

It depends where you connect the water and how much you use. I think MatildasM is connecting at the inboard end but as he is not standing near his saw - I think he uses a winch - its not so important for him.

I'm connecting to the outboard end - there is a small amount of sawdust mud made at that point. How much is made seems to depend on the amount of water used. At the end of the day the outboard end of the mill is covered with a fine spatter of the stuff but it blows off with a pass of the compressor.

The sawdust coming out at the sprocket cover is definitely damp and less dusty than usual but there is no mud at that end unless a heap of water is dumped on the chain. My guess is that there is no need to drill through the bar either and that the following would be just as effective.

Cheers

I stand right next to me saw , as I have to have one hand on the trigger , I had mine set up with an adjustable flow valve , a cheap micro dripper , just started with a drip and finished with a flow of water , I had the water running on the chain , my rough test setup didn't control the dust very well though , I just had the flow going on one side of the bar , I think it need's to be set up on both side's of the bar , like Bob did . I am also going to try half circle micro jet's at the powerhead end again , soon as I get time , probably a couple of week's from now . Cheers mm

 

[ASEMASTER]

New Water Saw

This thread got me going and I draged out some Hemlock that blew down in our spring storm, we needed some side boards for our trucks at work as I'm the mechanic there I would have to get them any way.
Well I got set up and started to cut with the hose set at the nose end of the alaskan mill , did it work well as far as keeping the chain clean, cool and the dust down. the amount of water does change the speed of the cut, to much water will slow you down. I used enought to make the mud you speek of but this will dry out and I'm out of the way as to making a real mess is no problem.
I also got to use a home made tool designed by one of the other millers on this sight but cant remember his name . he used a unistrut and some bearings with a piece of 2" angle iron it also worked great as an edger.
I even got pictures!

 

[BobL]

Milled another log in the yard today - sorry no pics - pretty much the same as the previous couple of weeks activities. Experimented a bit more with water cool/lube. Turned the water up a bit more and achived sawdust mud that slowed the cutting down. Less was definitely better, for this 18" diam x 10 ft Box Brush log I was cutting it only needed a trickle to keep the dust down and the chain clean.

Cheers

 

[Matildasmate]

water cooling

Milled another log in the yard today - sorry no pics - pretty much the same as the previous couple of weeks activities. Experimented a bit more with water cool/lube. Turned the water up a bit more and achieved sawdust mud that slowed the cutting down. Less was definitely better, for this 18" diam x 10 ft Box Brush log I was cutting it only needed a trickle to keep the dust down and the chain clean.

Cheers

That's interesting Bob , I wonder if it make's any difference which side of the log we use the water , like the powerhead side , I was just thinking , if it was used on the powerhead side , maybe the amount of water wont effect the speed , because by the time the water get's through the log on the other side of the bar and a certain amount of water flick's off of the tip , the amount of water still traveling along the bar , will probably be about right to do the job , also , as the chain goe's through the log on the opposite side with the water on the chain , the kerf will probably work as a chain scrubber as well , as you pointed out also , it look's like less water is better .

 

[BobL]

That's interesting Bob , I wonder if it make's any difference which side of the log we use the water , like the powerhead side , I was just thinking , if it was used on the powerhead side , maybe the amount of water wont effect the speed , because by the time the water get's through the log on the other side of the bar and a certain amount of water flick's off of the tip , the amount of water still traveling along the bar , will probably be about right to do the job , also , as the chain goe's through the log on the opposite side with the water on the chain , the kerf will probably work as a chain scrubber as well , as you pointed out also , it look's like less water is better .

Good point, my water contacts the chain/bar on the non-cutting side of the bar just before the tip so a fair bit gets spun off at the tip. If there is too much water it pools on the bar. I just realised that yesterday I was milling on a light sideways slope angling down towards the powerhead. Some of the water from the pool on the bar was eventually running into the kerf - that may be why it was clogging up. Something was slightly off yesterday, the saw was maybe not really on song, chain maybe not as sharp as I usually have it, slightly harder log maybe or all three?

 

[Matildasmate]

Some testing done today

Yeah I ran some more test's today , end result's were great , started off pretty crap though , I slabbed up some pine that was supposed to be done last year , not real good stuff , definitely not worth a photo , anyway I re-jigged the water system today , I connected it up to the hose this time , it's heap's better , to start with , I put the water flow on the chain at the power head end , on the return or cutting side of the bar , this was crap , ended up with a large build up of saw dust and crap going everywhere , I made a minor adjustment and moved it over to the other side of the bar the non cutting side , which made a huge difference , this worked really well , allowing the water to be dragged through the kerf , any excess just get's flicked off when it get's to the tip , I ran the water slow to start with , but ended up running the water quite fast , worked very well , can't say that I noticed any speed difference , well worth the effort . Cheers MM

 

[Matildasmate]

Done some more testing over the last few day's

Yeah I ran some more test's today , end result's were great , started off pretty crap though , I slabbed up some pine that was supposed to be done last year , not real good stuff , definitely not worth a photo , anyway I re-jigged the water system today , I connected it up to the hose this time , it's heap's better , to start with , I put the water flow on the chain at the power head end , on the return or cutting side of the bar , this was crap , ended up with a large build up of saw dust and crap going everywhere , I made a minor adjustment and moved it over to the other side of the bar the non cutting side , which made a huge difference , this worked really well , allowing the water to be dragged through the kerf , any excess just get's flicked off when it get's to the tip , I ran the water slow to start with , but ended up running the water quite fast , worked very well , can't say that I noticed any speed difference , well worth the effort . Cheers MM

Hi Guy's I did some more testing over the last few day's , same result's , didn't do anything fancy , I just let the water run onto the bar , at the power head end , on the non cutting side of the bar mainly , work's a treat , more water the better , keep's the chain cool and clean , no idea whether it stay's sharp longer .

 

[Matildasmate]

some watercooling pic's

some pic's of my watercooling system , very simple and doe's the job . cheer's MM

 

[woodshop]

Interesting MM... I'd like to try this. Problem is most of the time I am milling with my csm I am not near a water source unless I take it along with me. Then I suppose I would have to put it under pressure. Possibility, but not sure the amount I would use it would justify the time taken to set it up. Once I get the log into cants the majority of my milling is with my Ripsaw. For somebody that has a sortof permanent setup like yourself, or maybe some logosol folks, it might be something they want to invest time in. The fact that you say it keeps the chain clean as well as cool tells me that it probably also then helps to keep it sharp to some degree.

 

[Matildasmate]

Water supply gravity fed

Interesting MM... I'd like to try this. Problem is most of the time I am milling with my csm I am not near a water source unless I take it along with me. Then I suppose I would have to put it under pressure. Possibility, but not sure the amount I would use it would justify the time taken to set it up. Once I get the log into cants the majority of my milling is with my Ripsaw. For somebody that has a sortof permanent setup like yourself, or maybe some logosol folks, it might be something they want to invest time in. The fact that you say it keeps the chain clean as well as cool tells me that it probably also then helps to keep it sharp to some degree.

Hi Dave ...... the water supply is only gravity fed from my 250 gal tank , which is about 180 yard's away . I have to say one of the thing's I also like , is the water bring's the grain up nicely . I cant say whether it keep's the chain sharp longer , too many variable's . Cheer's MM

 

[woodshop]

Hi Dave ...... the water supply is only gravity fed from my 250 gal tank , which is about 180 yard's away . I have to say one of the thing's I also like , is the water bring's the grain up nicely . I cant say whether it keep's the chain sharp longer , too many variable's . Cheer's MM

So if I had a 55gal drum of water in the back of my van gravity fed to my csm, how many hours of milling would that feed? Guess it depends on how fast I feed the water. Yeah, just the psychological boost of seeing that nice beautiful grain in all it's glory right away when wet like that would be a plus.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Interesting MM... I'd like to try this. Problem is most of the time I am milling with my csm I am not near a water source unless I take it along with me. Then I suppose I would have to put it under pressure. Possibility, but not sure the amount I would use it would justify the time taken to set it up. Once I get the log into cants the majority of my milling is with my Ripsaw. For somebody that has a sortof permanent setup like yourself, or maybe some logosol folks, it might be something they want to invest time in. The fact that you say it keeps the chain clean as well as cool tells me that it probably also then helps to keep it sharp to some degree.

What about rigging up a garden pump sprayer with some longer hose? That way you can use the fan spray tip and keep it under pressure.

 

[woodshop]

What about rigging up a garden pump sprayer with some longer hose? That way you can use the fan spray tip and keep it under pressure.

Ya know aggie I actually thought of that... thought one of those smaller 1 gal units would even sit right on the csm. Pump it up, turn on the valve and let her rip. Wouldn't even have to rig up a lot of plumbing, just rig it so that spray tip is "watering" the chain at the right spot. I'm curious to see how much cleaner the chain will be left. I still say, if it does keep things cleaner it has to then at least help keep the chain sharper longer. Of course now at least here in the NE we are getting freezing temps so I guess I'd have to be using window washer fluid to keep the whole thing from freezing solid. Don't want to use salt solution or calcium (as we used to use in our equipment tires for weight) for obvious corrosion problems.