sawing shagbrk hickory

[postville]

Any tips on sawing shagbark hickory? I saw sap build up on the blade and increased the water. Made things worse as the wet sawdust stayed in the cut. Finally went with brief continuous water to clean the blade then sawed dry for a few boards.
Blade set at 22 thousands.
Bob

[WDH]

I know that this this is not popular, but I have added diesel to the lube.  About one pint of diesel in three gallons of soapy water.  The agitation from sawing keeps the diesel dispersed, and the little bit of diesel goes a good job.  Does not seem to affect the lumber at all.

In my parts, hickory is a cuss word  .

[red oaks lumber]

the best tip i can offer for sawing shag hickory is .. hire some one to saw it for you :D :D

[Okrafarmer]

Saw only logs that are at least 18" diameter. Saw only using a swing mill.

[fat olde elf]

Your set should be ok, I run 20-22 on hardwoods.  I use 100% diesel but not constantly, only when I can see build up. I run max band speed but mill slowly especially through knots. I know MM and WDH don't like hickory, but I have had good results with it especially when finished with gloss poly. It does cup but I flatten it out with a drum sander.  It is one of the hardest and heaviest woods I have worked with. I have a good supply from a friend who
maintains a golf course. Say your prayers. By the way what is the brand and power of your mill ? 

[5quarter]

I Love hickory...

[5quarter]

for cooking with, that is.  ;)

[stavebuyer]

It's tough no matter what but I have better results when cutting really fresh logs.

[Bibbyman]

I often find when sawing hickory, some saw just as easy as any other hardwood. Then the next one up just gives me fits.

Using the thickness and widest blade available helps a lot. As does having the mill in good shape.

I find we have more problems with running hickory through the edger. Sap buildup on the blade and no way to prevent it.

[Magicman]

I have sawed very little Hickory simply because we have very few Hickory trees.  My first encounter with Hickory was bad.  It was a 24" tree that had been blown over in a storm about a year earlier.  Since then, I have sawed some fresh logs that behaved OK and some that have not.  Hickory lumber is beautiful with the streaks, etc.  Same with Pecan, some do nicely and some are bad actors.

[MHineman]

  I hates Shagbark Hickory!!!  It seems to always be extra work at best.  Most customers have logs that were cut "a while ago".  The drier logs seem to be a much greater problem than fresh logs.
  I use a strong mix of soap and vegetable oil with a heavy flow of lube to clean the blade and then off or very slow.
  Someone told me it has more silica in the bark and wood than other trees and dulls the blade faster.
  I'm not sure if that's right, but I do change the blade more often.  Even a slightly dull blade will deflect at the multitude of knots it always seems to have.
  I don't have a debarker and I suspect the bark due to it's nature holds more grit and dulls the blade quicker.
  I charge extra to saw Shagbark Hickory due to the need to saw slower to avoid deflecting the blade and changing the blade more often. 

[WoodMiller]

I normally run the Lubemizer on 'Pulse', but with Hickory, I'll run it constantly while cutting.  Also, and I THINK I got this from Bibbyman, I'll use a piece of discarded edging to clean the back of the blade with the blade running and the lube on full - cleans the blade up nicely.  But - stand behind the blade and keep your hands at least a couple of feet from the business end of the scrap edging.  Don't forget to use a brass or stainless brush to clean the wheel belts, too (AFTER you remove the blade).

[Bibbyman]

Also, and I THINK I got this from Bibbyman, I'll use a piece of discarded edging to clean the back of the blade with the blade running and the lube on full - cleans the blade up nicely.  But - stand behind the blade and keep your hands at least a couple of feet from the business end of the scrap edging. 

Not from me! I'm too big of a chicken.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Hickory makes great firewood and the chips are really good in the smoker! Just saying. 

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I know that this this is not popular, but I have added diesel to the lube.  About one pint of diesel in three gallons of soapy water.  The agitation from sawing keeps the diesel dispersed, and the little bit of diesel goes a good job.  Does not seem to affect the lumber at all.

In my parts, hickory is a cuss word  .

I just learned something. And if this works for me.....you are smarter than the average Bear!
Gonna try your recipe.

[postville]

Fat Olde Elf- 25 hp Kohler, LT40 mill.
Thanks for the replies, it helps knowing this is hard to saw. I have half the order filled, the rest will be bitternut (smoothbark) I'll let you know if it saws any different.
Bob

[cutterboy]

I saw sap build up on the blade and increased the water. Made things worse as the wet sawdust stayed in the cut. Finally went with brief continuous water to clean the blade then sawed dry for a few boards.

Bob, my experience with hickory is the same as yours. I sawed 11 logs a couple of weeks ago. When I increased the water the wet sawdust made a paste in the cut so I did just as you did.....saw a few boards dry then clean the blade etc. It was slow going and the blades dulled faster than usuall but the wood was really nice looking.



 

[Banjo picker]

Just bring them to me and I'll saw them for you...can you spell diesel drip?     Banjo

[hackberry jake]

Shagbark/scaley bark is super abrasive to flesh as well, beautiful, high tension, hard wood though

[Al_Smith]

I had some bitternut hickory sawn by a guy a few years back using an LT-15.He didn't complain about it too much .

I'll say this though to work it you'd just as well forget about using high speed steel .This stuff is carbide all the way .

Now they tell me in hardness it's pecan,shagbark,bitternut in that order .I really don't know except they are all hard as twice hammered hell that's been heat treated .

[Okrafarmer]

Pecan should be the softest hickory, I think. But still at least as hard as most oaks.

[Al_Smith]

I've never milled any of it but I've certainly cut a lot of it .It isn't bad if it's green felled .Now once it gets dry that's a different story .

[customsawyer]

I saw lots of hickory into the crane mat timbers. Some cut fine and some not so well. Shag bark is easier to cut than pig nut. I get buy better with more set. I use from .027- .030 with lots of water. You do have to have the HP to handle this amount of set. There are many times when I go through 2 blades on one log. Now these are large logs that will yield 800- 1000 bf of lumber off the outside of the timber. Yet on the same size red or white oak logs I can cut 2 or 3 of them with the same blade. The point I am trying to make is that hickory will take the sharp off of a blade faster than any other wood I cut.

[Al_Smith]

Well it will on a chainsaw too but it's only a few minutes with a file to bring it back .Danged bark is what gets a chainsaw not the wood .

[two tired]

i will saw green hickory,but if it is the least bit dry no thank you.  pignut i have sawn was easy to cut,green, also. produced great looking lumber. i try not to skid the logs if at all posible, pack them out of the woods on the forks of my tractor. pecan is about the same as hickory,makes great lumber if it is a yard tree full of nails and tramp metal.