Toothless Lucas

[Seaman]

I currently have three blades for my Lucas 8 in mill. Since I mostly slab, I haven't looked at the circle blades for a while. I had all three retipped a year ago or so, and two were still in the box.
So I take the one that I had used a little, put it on the saw and cut a bunch of 1x1 stickers from poplar. I notice one of the 5 teeth are missing, so I send it off to be retipped.
Go to the box get another freshly tipped blade , and IMMEDIATELY hit what appears to be a .30 cal bullet.( wonder where that came from? ) Shattered all 5 teeth.
Pulled out the third blade, and it is missing one tooth from shipping.

Finally, the reason for this post. I cut with this blade, and it cut great! Amazing that it cuts so well missing 1/5 of it.s teeth.

[Jemclimber]

Do you shoot partition bullets with a steel insert?  I wouldn't think a soft bullet (lead coated with copper) would shatter a tungsten carbide tip. There are carbide blades are made for cutting nonferrous metals. Maybe it was something else you hit? Either way, sorry about your luck.

[Okrafarmer]

I have heard that those blades can finish out a log on only one sharp tooth when need be.

Seaman, how's your slabbing doing these days? Did you get it going good again? I keep having people ask about wide things.

[hackberry jake]

I might consider a different re-tipping company if you lost a tooth in shipping.

[js2743]

awhile back i sawed a 1/2 inch metal spike clean off and still have all 5 on the blade. With you losing one in shipping i wonder if those 5 was attached very good to start with.

[bandmiller2]

Sounds like  faulty tip brazing to me.Prehaps you shoud tool up and do your own,its not that hard.Frank C.

[Ianab]

I have heard that those blades can finish out a log on only one sharp tooth when need be.

Guilty   :-[

You do notice it's not cutting very well, but it still cuts...  :D

I'm also thinking the tip brazing might not have been up to scratch. If the teeth are attached properly they often just chip, and leave most of the carbide in place. If they are gone completely that suggests the weld failed before the carbide shattered.

Anyway, the 4 toother will keep cutting while you get the others repaired.

Ian

[Gasawyer]

Seaman I would suggest that you retip your own its not that hard. If you don't have the jig that came with the mill Lucas has supposedly updated the retipping jig recently. My mill came with 5 blades so I have a little more cushion than you.From start to finish it takes about 15-20 minutes to retip a blade with the original jig.

[sigidi]

Seaman I would suggest that you retip your own its not that hard. If you don't have the jig that came with the mill Lucas has supposedly updated the retipping jig recently. My mill came with 5 blades so I have a little more cushion than you.From start to finish it takes about 15-20 minutes to retip a blade with the original jig.

Down here our mills don't come with the re-tipping jig, ya gotta buy it as an addition. Personally, I don't bother doin my own. I run 4 blades and don't want extra work at the end of the day, refueling mill, chainsaws, bobcat, cleaning air filters out, silicone spray on mill moving parts, grease points on bobcat, sawdust shoveling, sharpening saws and mill... all that stuff adds up at the end of the day, if I then have to go home and set-up for blade tipping that cuts into my drinking time ;D

I have heard that those blades can finish out a log on only one sharp tooth when need be.

Guilty   :-[

You do notice it's not cutting very well, but it still cuts...  :D

I'm also thinking the tip brazing might not have been up to scratch. If the teeth are attached properly they often just chip, and leave most of the carbide in place. If they are gone completely that suggests the weld failed before the carbide shattered.

Anyway, the 4 toother will keep cutting while you get the others repaired.

Ian

x2  ;) the first week I got the EFI model I forgot I had sliced through a few batten screws about 4 days before and sliced a whole 600mm diameter log in 10x2's without realising I only had 2 'full' teeth.

As Ian said, inspect the teeth, if they have come off as a whole tooth, the solder is to blame and in that instance I'd be talking with the saw doctor, if the tooth has still got tungsten stuck in the pocket and the tooth has shattered then that is fair wear 8)