Sad story, some porcelain insulators embodied in a 42'' walnut log ...

[Dough_baker]

Hello,   :-[





There is a 42'' walnut log, after milling 5'' from the bark, the saw blade meeted a hard and tough obstrution.

Then we used chainsaw to cut off to see what is inside, at last, we found a porcelain insulator...

We changed a new blade and move forward 8'' for another saw, but unfortunately, it meeted the second porcelain insulator near the first one. Someone said there are usually 3 porcelain insulators on a pole.

What a said story...

Could you give some advice on how to use this log ?

Thank you : )

[Ianab]

Not sure how long the log is, but I'd consider cutting out the middle section (for firewood) and then slab the 2 shorts into small table tops. Doesn't matter if they are only 4 ft long that way.

At least that way you get something of value out of it.

[Cedarman]

After first metal hit, log would come off mill.  I would remove insulator and nail.  Then would check with metal detector.  Depending on how many "hits" I get with the detector, I would, cut off amount of log needed to get metal free, use chainsaw and prybars to remove metal, or if too many "hits", junk entire log.
When sawing veneer mill rejects many years ago, I made a good bit of money off of their logs that had metal in them and other defects.  $300 bucks for entire truck load.  About 3000' at a time.

[Magicman]

Scan it, remove what you find, and keep on sawing.  That log is worth another blade.

[LUV2MILL]

I'm guessing about 40 years ago a kid with a bucket of nails and a hammer got bored :-\


 
But the log wasn't a total loss


 

[DMcCoy]

Be careful with insulators.  They can have tension in them causing them to shatter.  I have a cousin who lost an eye due to one.

[Magicman]

I'm guessing about 40 years ago a kid with a bucket of nails and a hammer got bored :-\

Same thing that any of us would have done.  For certain those nails were going somewhere.   ;D

[bkaimwood]

Right on MM...as a I d I used to like to hammer nails into anything, with no purpose other than to hammer that poor defenseless nail in....nowadays, I leave that up to Bostitch!!

[Magicman]

Often a customer will ask; "wonder how in the world that nail got in that tree"?  I just laugh and ask him "when he was 9 years old and had a hammer and a nail, didn't that nail get driven somewhere"?  They always laugh and admit that they were probably the one that put that nail there. 

Fact:  Boys don't put nails back in buckets.

[Dough_baker]

  : hundreds of timber will go to be firewood...

[Dough_baker]

Not sure how long the log is, but I'd consider cutting out the middle section (for firewood) and then slab the 2 shorts into small table tops. Doesn't matter if they are only 4 ft long that way.

At least that way you get something of value out of it.

Hi Ianab,

this log is 9' long, and the insulators are in the middle of the length. Today, we finally sawed through this log, with 4 blade broken...

at last, a 10'' thick timber left, with many steel rebars and insulators in it. As you advised, if I cut off the middle section, I may can get some 4/4 board or small slab from this 10'' thick timber, rather than total loss.

Thank you:)

[Dough_baker]

After first metal hit, log would come off mill.  I would remove insulator and nail.  Then would check with metal detector.  Depending on how many "hits" I get with the detector, I would, cut off amount of log needed to get metal free, use chainsaw and prybars to remove metal, or if too many "hits", junk entire log.
When sawing veneer mill rejects many years ago, I made a good bit of money off of their logs that had metal in them and other defects.  $300 bucks for entire truck load.  About 3000' at a time.

Hi Cedarman,

I am going to buy a metal detector 

what is the strangest objects you have met when sawed log  ???

[Dough_baker]

Scan it, remove what you find, and keep on sawing.  That log is worth another blade.

Hi Magicman, thanks for your advice

Today we finally sawed through this log, with 4 blades broken in total, but it is worth.

A 10'' thick timber left, with many steel rebars and insulators in it:



anther saw met two 5/8 steel rebars  :'( broke two more blades.

Magicman, what is the strangest objects you have met when sawed log ?

[cutterboy]

anther saw met two 5/8 steel rebars  :'( broke two more blades.



[/quote]

WOW! That log just won't give up.

[deadfall]

Buy a lotto ticket.  Your bad luck must be used up by now.

[Magicman]

Magicman, what is the strangest objects you have met when sawed log ?

 
My strangest metal was a section of T fence post completely embedded ~42' from the butt of a very large Pine log.


 
This is my souvenir after I sawed a block out.

[deadfall]

Could be there's a market for steel reinforced pine.

[mart]

My best friend had a big circle mill for years. He hit a big glass insulator buried in a log. He had just retoothed the blade. He said nothing ever made his saw scream like that insulator. Didn't do the new teeth much good either.

[Cedarman]

Weirdest was a hand wrought staple and gate hook.  Way deep and way old.
Lots of insulators.  Nice thing about an insulator is that you don't even think about reconditioning the blade.

[DR Buck]

Concrete is no fun either.   And, a metal detector won't find it.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I've never hit concrete but they say  : its NASTY!

[Nomad]

     I've never hit concrete with the Woodmizer either, yet.  But I've hit it slabbing with the Lucas.  Yes, it's pretty ugly.  You won't be touching that chain up with a file.

[Dough_baker]

Concrete is no fun either.   And, a metal detector won't find it.

How could be a piece of concrete in log!? 

[Magicman]

My tree service told me that he has seen them.  They are generally yard trees that had a knothole, etc filled with concrete, and smoothed over.  The tree can eventually grow over this knothole and seal the concrete inside.  He told me that it is rough on a chainsaw.  :-\

[ncsawyer]

Only hit a porcelain insulator once in a white oak.  I got lucky and hit it while cutting the last board.  Usually I am not that lucky.