Hi, I was just reading one of Bob L's reponses and he talked about how he does not have a problem with his air filters clogging. He stated that was because with the proper cutting conditions you have chips not dust. I have been milling ~10,000bf of boards each year and modifing chains and sharpening for years now and I still feel like I get dust to very small chips. Could anyone show what their sawdust looks like for me to compare to. I have 40 feet of 60" red oak to cut and thought now would be the time to make changes if they are needed, thanks for any input, Bart
Whats your saw dust look like?
- Thread starter Barthaigh
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mtngun
Addicted to ArboristSite
I never get big chips when milling.
Talltom
ArboristSite Operative
My mill cuts perpendicular to the length of the log & I always get dust like mtngun's (makes great mulch for garden paths.) If you skew the saw away from perpendicular towards parallel you'll get bigger chips. If you cut into a log parallel to the length, the chips will be big enough (long enough actually) to clog the discharge. Maybe he's skewing the saw. If not, I'd like to know how he's doing it, because bigger chips = faster cutting & less clogging of the filter.
I never get big chips when milling.
That's all I get as well. I still call that chips, to me dust is the same as flour or talcum powder .
I just don't see that many of those small chips on my air filters but I also do have a quite different exhaust and sawdust escape opening.
The position of the exhaust pipe blows the sawdust well away from the saw.
mikeb1079
ArboristSite Operative
i've noticed too that when your chain is new or well sharpened you'll get what mtn gun shows, let's call it heavy dust that typically is heavy enough to fall out of the air. when your chain is dull or your rakers are too high you'll get finer dust that stays airborne way longer. that's what'll do in your air filter and lungs.
john taliaferro
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ive been getting 1/4 to 3/8 shavings on green white oak . Have you ever noodled with the mill ? on some short pine sideways cutting stickers ,had about as much fun as you can have in this heat . Iam milling 30 degrees or more to the log ,letting it slide down on it own maybe 20 degrees or more of tilt to the log 6 to 7 degrees on the rippers. Bob would smile
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smokinj
Addicted to ArboristSite
Granberg Alaskan 36" Chainsaw Milling hickory stihl ms 880‏ - YouTube Fast forwar to the end of the video I have a good shot of the saw dust.
Timberframed
ArboristSite Guru
I'm not getting dust so much as a powder like a crosscut blade on a table or radial but chips/shavings in Northeastern North American hardwoods. White Ash parallel cut produces a small chisel like shaving in 10° Carlton ripping chain. Same on Red Oak with a full comp semi skip crosscut whatever the jebus that is. Works for me but bring a tank of compressed air with ya to keep her clean (Safety glasses here!) if you can't run a pump out of your truck's inverter or generator.
With the crosscut and the ripping chain I get the "dust" mtngun shows. One guy stopped by and said my chain must be dull. :taped:
As Talltom was saying, when you cut perpendicular to log, especially on wide logs, the chips must travel from one side all the way to the outlet side (close to the powerhead). That gives plenty of time for the chain to grind them up as it moves the 20+ inches inside the cut.
To tell if my chain is indeed dull, I usually move the saw from perpendicular to the log (30-45 degrees) and it should start spitting chips out pretty quickly. If not, then it's dull.
Anyone have any ideas of what to do with this dust? I've got garbage bags full of it.
As Talltom was saying, when you cut perpendicular to log, especially on wide logs, the chips must travel from one side all the way to the outlet side (close to the powerhead). That gives plenty of time for the chain to grind them up as it moves the 20+ inches inside the cut.
To tell if my chain is indeed dull, I usually move the saw from perpendicular to the log (30-45 degrees) and it should start spitting chips out pretty quickly. If not, then it's dull.
Anyone have any ideas of what to do with this dust? I've got garbage bags full of it.
SDB777
I find unique timber and cut it up
Depending on the species I'm in/on/whatever....seems all I get is fine dust to maybe beachsand sized.
ERC is probably the finest I've seen....
Scott B
ERC is probably the finest I've seen....
Scott B
aquan8tor
ArboristSite Guru
I've got eastern red cedar beat. Dry Black Locust stays in the air. If you skew the saw, it cuts into chips. Perpendicular sawing is not fun. You have to keep the rakers low though; .035 or .040 even. Very light pressure or just let gravity work with you and get one end a couple feet off the ground. I like using a big bar even if the wood is fairly small. With a 42" bar and a 36" mill, I can skew the cut almost 45 degrees on a 15-18" diameter log. If you're not careful, the cut isn't quite as smooth, but sometimes speed wins over surface. I have a good jointer and planer that are more than adequate, and friends with a 24" jointer and 24" helical planer when I need a favor.
I have been milling mostly hardwoods with some softwood, but in general my milling chips/dust is more like a fine dust you would get using a course ******* file.
jerry-
This is sawdust from a black oak tree and it just stick to everything when its wet. This tree has been on the ground since last October, 2010.
john taliaferro
Addicted to ArboristSite
Jerry you got a snipe in the bottom of that one ,sure is nice boards . Milled some hard maple today chips looked like river sand .
John,
The snipe was from when the mill came to end of the cut. The slab was so heavy we couldn't stop them from sliding off before the chain came to a stop.
Sure would like to get some hard maple out here, is it nice looking?
jerry-
john taliaferro
Addicted to ArboristSite
Jerry its all splated ,we keep it n shade for a year or so on 20 '' size, larger we keep longer and keep a close eye . When you miss its compost . on the sliding when your relly steep to steep i stop half way and stick a nail at the top let the saw cool and a toe nail dont mess up much , it relly sucks when alone and big slab rails and all pin the saw to the ground
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John I'll have to remember the nail trick. Normally I try to get the logs tilted on one end so that gravity is working with the cut. The problem I had with this log is it was at a real angle and was way to large to try rotating for fear of rolling it down the hill. This log was 48" across and my bar will only accommodate a 31" with, so I had to do a side cap cut with my mini mill. We were then able to rotate the tree to that flat cut and use my big mill for cutting the slabs, but the tree was still at a steep angle heading down hill. That is why I was getting snipes on the end of each cut. Had I a third person to help, I wouldn't have not had sliding problems with the slabs. I'm sure you've milled wet oak, it's not light wood, so holding the mill and catching the slabs was a challenge.
Thanks for the nail tip, I'll remember it.
jerry-
If log rails are used on every cut then the slab sliding issue can be handled like this.
If log rails are used on every cut then the slab sliding issue can be handled like this.
OK, I'm going to fess up... I had to use my mini-mill to make the first flat cut on the log because.... I had forgotten my rails.
It is usually the last item I load in the truck and completely forgot them. As per your drawing Bob, I have the ability to add a board to the back of my rails to keep the slabs from sliding, just didn't have the rails. I did have my 2x10 plank I could have used, but since the log piece had a flat surface cut from it by the owner trying to free hand a slab I was able to use the mini-mill to get one flat side. I was then able to use the mill on that surface to make my cuts from, it worked out pretty good. There was no need to lift one end of the log because the log was on such a steep angle.Thanks for the tip/reminder.
jerry-
