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sawdust in yer face

Started by Engineer, May 27, 2008, 10:54:16 AM

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Engineer

I had a miserable experience this past Sunday morning.  I finally fired up my mill after almost two years, been waiting for the time and opportunity to do so and I had both.  My dad wanted some pine 4x4 and 4x6 to build a firewood shed and we sorted through my "burn pile" to dig out some old 8x8/6x8 stock that I could resaw.  Well, several things working against me made for a not-fun morning.  First, the cants were bone dry and the sapwood was rotten.  Second, my lube system wasn't up and running so I was cutting dry.  Third, all I had was a 4-degree hook blade, so it was tearing more than sawing through the wood.

The result was a dozen nice but VERY rough 4x4 and 4x6 beams, and a cloud of sawdust that got in my eyes, nose, hair and every part of my clothing.  There was no wind, I was wearing safety glasses and a bandanna over my nose and mouth and that still was not enough to stop all the dust from swirling around.   That and that alone, made for the misery of the day.

What I need is any ideas or suggestions on how to make the process more enjoyable without the sawdust cloud.  I'm not sure the water drip would have done much.  Now that I have the mill running, I have several thousand BF of DRY pine logs to cut, and I am NOT looking forward to it.   I am going to get the water tank going, and maybe find some 9- or 10-degree blades, but what else can I do?

Dan_Shade

ski googles and a good dust filter
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Grawulf


Engineer

Well, I thought about cranking up a big 'ol industrial fan to direct dust away, but I'm not sure that it would work or just create a mini-tornado of dust around me.


logwalker

I think the fan would do the trick. Ski goggles are a big help to when the wind is wrong.
Let's all be careful out there tomorrow. Lt40hd, 22' Kenworth Flatbed rollback dump, MM45B Mitsubishi trackhoe, Clark5000lb Forklift, Kubota L2850 tractor

Tom

Yep, I've used a fan.  It works.

Cutting green wood would help too.  :D

SwampDonkey

I use fine meshed goggles when using the brush saw. They don't steam up and brush saw dust would be as fine or finer than sawmill dust. Put a face mask on if it's too thick and risk of breathing it in.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

mike_van

Was it Jeff that had some kind of bag on his Woodmizer?  Might help, Maybe even a long bag with the bottom cut out that would let the dust fall on the ground, before the wind took it? 
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Engineer

Problem is that most of the dust in my face is coming from the blade and the cut itself.  Iit would be nice if all the dust was coming out of the dust chute; I could solve that problem.

I guess I need to wait for a rainy day, hook up the lube tube, and get some goggles, a dust mask and a big fan.   :(

pineywoods

Here's my solution for the same problem. Brought about by sawing dry cedar, which gives me fits.





Electric automotive radiator fan fastened to a 1X4 bolted to the top of the saw head. Blows on the back of the operators head.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

ely

i use a system similar to pineywoods, similar in that its a fan qand its directed at my back. mine is one of those big 30 inch or so shop fans with a washing machine m otor bolted to it. moves alot of air and really helps out when the conditions around me are not perfect.

mike_van

C'mon Ely, when would conditions in Oklahoma not be perfect?  When it hits 114 in the summer?  :D
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

Larry

Quote from: pineywoods on May 27, 2008, 10:15:57 PM
Electric automotive radiator fan fastened to a 1X4 bolted to the top of the saw head. Blows on the back of the operators head.

That's a great idea. 8) 8) 8)
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

Firebass

Trade your mill in on a Circle Blade ;D

Just kidding

Seriosly,  I had a old house fan that was in the scrap pile so I took the housing off of it and put it over a 12 volt automotive fan.  We use it with water spray for hot weather at the cabin.

Fla._Deadheader


From what I can find out, those 12VDC radiator fans, draw around 30 amps ???

  How do you guys run them for any extended time ???
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

pineywoods

Quote from: Fla._Deadheader on May 28, 2008, 09:38:45 PM

From what I can find out, those 12VDC radiator fans, draw around 30 amps ???

  How do you guys run them for any extended time ???

They don't pull quite that much, but it can be  problem.  My mill is  manual wm, ie no alternator just the little 20 amp charger built into the motor flywheel. I rigged up a push-button switch on the control panel to turn on the fan when I see the sawdust coming.. Even with that, heavy use will slowly drain the battery, but it usually will last all day, then i put a charger on the battery overnite.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

semologger

What about a house screen or Lexan in front of ya. I remember dad and others havin that on there mill. Put a fan behind ya keeps ya cool also.

Bibbyman

I've got a fan hanging behind me too. 



But if you can plug something in, then a blower to suck the dust away really helps!  This is a 5hp TimberKing unit but we used a 1hp 110v unit from Grizzly for many, many years for our LT40G18 mill.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

ely

mike, around my mill in okla, its not so much the heat that bothers me as it is the stupidity. ;D
the perfect conditions i mean are when the wind gets out of the southeast and i inevitablyhave the band on my mill that has too much set for the log i am sawing, or i have the band that is terribly dull on just making fine powder.  we also use the fan for mosqito control when it gets late.

OneWithWood

Oh, wow!!!

Here is something Bib and I agree on - can't pass it up  :D :D :D

Here is my set up - which I owe in part to Bibby.



For a while I added this additional pickup to get the dust coming directly off the band. 


I use the added pickup for fine dust producing woods like sassafrass with a lot of bark.
For most woods the one pickup is sufficient if the chute is kept clean.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

WH_Conley

Seems like the wind has been blowing in my face for a month. Saw part of the day, then do other stuff that needs done. Finally yesterday the wind came up and I asked the boy that helps me what else we had to do, after thinking for a minute he said we had already done it all, we sawed. Today my wife told me to bring a chain saw with me when I came to the house, asked her why and she told me to cut the wood out of the shower drain, guess I didn't rinse the tub enough. ;D

I have a fan blowing behind my back, about 1/2 hp that came out of a factory. When mother nature really gets with it you can't get enough fan to counter it.
Bill

nas

Way to use the duct tape onewithwood 8) 8) Red Green would be proud of you!!
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

Left Coast Chris

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!! :) :)

Home built cantilever head, 24 HP honda mill, Case 580D, MF 135 and one Squirel Dog Jack Russel Mix -- Crickett

nas

And remember, keep yer stick on the ice ;)
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

bandmiller2

Engineer, give it the old shotgun approach have a fan behind you, wear goggles,and feed a little faster so you have corser dust.Has anyone tried a water mist to lube blade and keep the dust down?? Frank C.




A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

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