Wire in wood

[Dave Boyt]

No one wanted this 25" diameter walnut log from a yard. You could see several pieces of wire sticking out of it. The bi-metal cobaltized blades I got from Norwood cut through more than fifty strands of fence wire and staples, and was still cutting until it hit a 3/8" bolt in the last cut. Beautiful grain around the wire. I slab cut it, and will use a drum sander to surface it for table tops after it has dried. The blade is a little slower and rougher in the cut (not to mention more expensive) than a standard blade, but one slab of this walnut would have made it worth the time & money. Anybody else tried bi-metal blades?

 

[markvanzee]

i like the black discoloration the metal has caused. nice job and nice sawmill!

 

[MHouse1028]

wow thats kinda neat...you never know what you'll find haha.i hit a giant brass ring in a walnut log once have no idea why it was there but it was.nice mill setup you got there

 

[Timberframed]

Youch! I hit a nail with my planer just after changing knives some time ago. Makes ya sad for a moment.

 

[Dave Boyt]

Metal on metal

Yeh, I always knew the best metal detector is a new or freshly sharpened blade-- especially on a chain saw. So far, I've managed to "find" an ax head, several ceramic insulators (used on electric fences the old timers string from tree to tree), and enough nails to start my own scrap metal business. Worst, though was a walnut tree that was hollow and had been filled with concrete. That blade was toast!

 

[BobL]

Yeh, I always knew the best metal detector is a new or freshly sharpened blade-- especially on a chain saw. So far, I've managed to "find" an ax head, several ceramic insulators (used on electric fences the old timers string from tree to tree), and enough nails to start my own scrap metal business. Worst, though was a walnut tree that was hollow and had been filled with concrete. That blade was toast!

Sounds like you have hit it all except maybe glass?

 

[hamish]

The oak in the yard that nobody else wanted.....

If the project in mind or the post processing value can somehow equate to the purchase of a near $100 dollar band for one log, then by all means have at it.

Myself personally I would not knowingly spend the money on a band for the sole purpose of cutting a metal laden log.

 

[Dave Boyt]

There's lots of amazing stuff in trees. I know one sawyer that found the remains of a Colt pistol in a log. Another found a small Buddha statue with his sawmill (talk about bad Karma).

The oak in the yard that nobody else wanted.....

If the project in mind or the post processing value can somehow equate to the purchase of a near $100 dollar band for one log, then by all means have at it.

Myself personally I would not knowingly spend the money on a band for the sole purpose of cutting a metal laden log.

All depends on how you look at it. If it can sell as walnut with metal inlay, a single slab will pay for several bi-metal blades, and the rest is gravy (I got eight 2" thick by 24" wide slabs). The local saw sharpener does sharpen the blades, though I don't know if he can save this one. Sure, it's a risk. The slabs will air dry for a year, then go into a kiln, so it'll be a while before I know whether it was worth it.