Hickory logs

[Ivey]

I need advice from those of you who work with pignut hickory.. I got a good deal on some hickory and white oak logs yesterday. It came as a mixed load. I have the w/oak sold @ $1.00 b/f, but do not yet have a sale for the hickory. These are fresh logs and need to be sawn asap. The logs will mostly make 8"-10" wide boards. What about the thickness? 4/4-5/4-6/4-8/4?? Need to get it cut, stickered, and under cover. advice please!
Thanks Ivey

 

[jeff...]

I need advice from those of you who work with pignut hickory.. I got a good deal on some hickory and white oak logs yesterday. It came as a mixed load. I have the w/oak sold @ $1.00 b/f, but do not yet have a sale for the hickory. These are fresh logs and need to be sawn asap. The logs will mostly make 8"-10" wide boards. What about the thickness? 4/4-5/4-6/4-8/4?? Need to get it cut, stickered, and under cover. advice please!
Thanks Ivey

Seal the ends with ancorseal or baileys wax emulsion paint, keep em up off the ground in a semi shady location and they'll keep for a right long time.

Just an FYI, If you don't already know. Hickory is some rough stuff to cut, the bark is just about as hard as the wood is. Peel the bark off the logs before you cut em if your mill doesn't have a de-barker. Doing so will save you a couple of trips to the band setter and sharpener. I don't know if your running .042 x 7/8 Lenox Wood Master C bands on your mill like I do, but if you are, setting your bands to .015 ~.017 seems to work best for hard wood like this. The last batch of Wood Master C's I got came preset to .015 atleast according to according to my setter. You'll know when it's time to reset and sharpen when you start leaving splinters on the exit side of your cuts and way before blade starts running hot. Hickory will keep you busy at the setter and sharpener that's for sure.

It's some beautiful wood and I would really like to see someone make something nice out of it, but it don't seem like it's very high in demand.

Thanks

 

[Ivey]

Thanks for the advice Jeff, That hickory gets harder as it dries.Thats why I need to go ahead and saw it. They were cut down two days ago, and most of the bark come off during loading and unloading. Only adding to the speed of the logs drying, that bark just about slides off this time of year.
BTW I would like to come visit sometime..
Thanks again, Ivey

 

[jeff...]

Thanks for the advice Jeff, That hickory gets harder as it dries.Thats why I need to go ahead and saw it. They were cut down two days ago, and most of the bark come off during loading and unloading. Only adding to the speed of the logs drying, that bark just about slides off this time of year.
BTW I would like to come visit sometime..
Thanks again, Ivey

Come on down, I would be gald to meet you. I'm out at the log yard most every evening and Saturday till mid afternoon. Give me a call on my cell phone before you take the trip to make sure I'll be there.

Just courious what bands your running on your mill? I've found I need two types, one with hardened tips for hardwood and one with out hardened tips for softwood. If I try and set my hardened tip bands (Wood Master C's) beyond .020 the tips want to snap off in the setter - which upsets me :BangHead:. The non-hardened tip bands (Wood Mizer) I can set up to .025 for softwood without a worry of the tips breaking in the setter.

If I try and saw softwood with anything below a .018 set I start getting waves, so .020 ~ .025 is ideal for pine with my mill and .015 ~ .020 works out great for hardwood. The harder the wood the closer to .015 but if my set is too low (like around .012) then I start seeting waves in hardwood.

I never knew there was so much to learn about sawing logs with a band mill, but I'm learning... slowly but surely... I've messed up my fair share of lumber learning that's for sure :roll:

If anyone can take a right pretty saw log and make a pile of junk - it's me. Although I have to admitt it ain't happened in a while now (knock on wood) :lol:

Thanks

 

[Ivey]

Jeff, when I first got my mill it came with sterling blades. they were .42s. they were ok. Over on the Forestry forum those folks said good things about the munkforsager (monkey blades) so I tried them, liked them, and ordered more. I use their .49s 1 1/2 7/8.they work good for me.
First: I use 10 degree hook for everything, it's good for all around.
I try to keep hardwood, and softwood blades seperated. For softwood I set at 24-26. For hardwood I set at 20-22 th. works good for me. I set every time I sharpen. Hope this helps.
Ivey

 

[jeff...]

Heard a lot of folks like those Monkey bands, I got a few freebies to try and was not too impressed enough to buy any plus Lenox and Wood Mizer bands are Made in USA :mrgreen:.

I have not tried any band thicker than .042. or wider than 1 1/4". At one time I was considering going to wider band but decided against it, only because I have a bunch of 1 1/4 bands already. going to 1 1/2 would also require that I spend enough time to monkey with the setter and sharpener, to get it right for a new band, too much hassle... Also considering there are three band mills out at log yard that all use 1 1/4 .042 7/8 and we all use the same setter and sharpener, it would be foolish for me to bring another band into the mix, I might just get tar and feathered :lol:

It would be nice to get a little more aggressive with a thicker / wider band, right now with my aggressive set, I'm pushing the envelope with softwood, but it's rare to hear the mill strain in softwood. I guess things seem to be running pretty good right now. So, why fix it if it's not broke - right?

Thanks

 

[Mark Anderson]

cut the boards thin, plane them down to 1/4 inch, through the boards away, and use the planer shavings in your gass grill. they will add a nice flavor

my saw mill guy cuts his hickory into rail road ties, but i don't know where he is selling them.

 

[jeff...]

cut the boards thin, plane them down to 1/4 inch, through the boards away, and use the planer shavings in your gass grill. they will add a nice flavor

my saw mill guy cuts his hickory into rail road ties, but i don't know where he is selling them.

With all the BBQ joints around here - you might have something there Mark

 

[jeff...]

Jeff, when I first got my mill it came with sterling blades. they were .42s. they were ok. Over on the Forestry forum those folks said good things about the munkforsager (monkey blades) so I tried them, liked them, and ordered more. I use their .49s 1 1/2 7/8.they work good for me.
First: I use 10 degree hook for everything, it's good for all around.
I try to keep hardwood, and softwood blades seperated. For softwood I set at 24-26. For hardwood I set at 20-22 th. works good for me. I set every time I sharpen. Hope this helps.
Ivey

Hay Ivey - I must have overlooked this post - so sorry, I read up on your mill, you got yourself quite a machine there. Yeah going with 1 1/2's on your mill makes perfect sense. I ain't messed with a wider band so I'm not sure about the set on those, but hey if it's working well for you that's all that matters. Mine is so freaking finicky on the blade set, I can sharpen the blades till I'm blue in the face but if the set is not right it ain't worth scrape metal.

I think if I stay in this much longer, I'm going to have to do something that'll make it easier to QS. I was thinking of a couple useful mods today that I think I could weld up pretty easy. Probably do that first before plopping down big bucks on a new machine.

Thanks