SHARPENING....new mill owner need your experience.

[roger 4400]

     Hi everyone . Just bought a used Baker 18 hd  20hp sawmill a week ago, and my experience with a mill is...zero 
I just ordered some blabes today they are 1 1/4 , 3/4 spacing, .042 thick and 10 *angle.
Where I ordered my blades the salesman told me I could take them to 15 * angle....what I red overhere, when you  mill softer wood you can use a bigger angle but on hard wood you can go as low as 4*. I had a sharpener with the mill, a Tecomec 136 that only go's up and down, it will not shape the gullet, is it that bad or I can grind ( very softly and fast to avoid overheating) the tooth to the gullet and stop? Or do I need to push the blabe with one hand and with the other control the grinder to turn around the gullet .
How do you mesure your angle. On my sharpener in the back there is only one mark, I guess it is the "zero mark" . Will I'll use my new blades to gauge the angle (10 degrees) and put less to have 4,7 or 9 degrees ? I guess that between 9 and 10 degrees I will not be able to see the difference !!!.
Next spring I'll use the sawmill to mill white pines, aspen and maybe some hemlocks, will those blades with a 10 * angle will be fine ?? Thank you helping a **green one**.  Try to remember the first time you used a sharpener  ......nice memories.... Have a nice day , Roger

[Chuck White]

The 10° blades will do just fine on the logs you mentioned!

I'm not familiar with the type of sharpener you have, so I'll let someone else deal with that topic.

You'll enjoy sawing! 

[NMFP]

I agree those bands will work for what you mentioned.  You can usually make any band work, if you are patient enough.  Some of us though prefer production over fun and thats where it gets interesting with using what works and what is recomended.
 A few years ago, we ran mouldings and everyone said to use 19 degree heads for poplar.  I had major issues and decided to grind the knifes at 6 degrees with a 6 degree head.  Tearout was greatly diminished along with greater throughput.

In my opinion, if a band is sharp, set correctly and running true but still produces wavy cuts, reduce the hook angle and it will cut better.  I havent found a species yet that doesnt saw well with 4 or 7 degree pitch!!

[thecfarm]

roger,congrats on the mill. What are you building.

[bandmiller2]

Roger,if I recall the tecomec is just a chainsaw sharpener with a modified base to hold the band.Wile not ideal to just sharpen the face you can still get alot of use from a band.Use it and see how you do,mayby if you find milling is your thing at a later date buy a profile grinder.For years I used a shaped wheel on a bench grinder that did face gullet and tip. Frank C.

[roger 4400]

Thank you all for your answers. Techfarm, I'm building nothing except a shed to protect my mill (maybe 24X36 ft). I have milled ±30,000 fb up to now but I had a mill and a miller coming to my home,I was the helper, built my house with the wood I logged .
Last summer I had 15 big white pines uproot by a wind storm and I cannot see them die this way , I decided to get a mill and respect them making nice wood. I have 2 wooden lots, where I live ,60 acres, many soft wood, pines,spruces,balsam fir, hemlocks and many red maple. On my other lot,100 miles from home, 145 acres of hard maples, yellow birch, black ash, and very old cedars.So I will log a van and have it brought to my home and have fun milling them and if I'm lucky I'll sell some ,but I bought the mill because the forest has always been a passion to me like the rest of you, often the forest is our mistress.....best regards. Roger