Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sharpening, Flattening And Setting Your Portable Sawmill Blades

Owning a portable sawmill these days can be a great thing, if you know how to make your business as efficient as possible.  If you are constantly breaking blades and cutting lumber improperly, you're going to lose a lot of time and money.  That's why you need to know how to take care of not just the sawmill itself, but also the blades.

First, you should know that all portable sawmill blades need to be replaced eventually.  There are no completely indestructible portable sawmill blades.  However, performing the proper maintenance on them and keeping them sharp can help you to avoid replacing them too often.  That can save you a lot of time, trouble and money.

When it comes to portable sawmill maintenance, the things you need to know about are sharpness, flatness and tooth setting.  You cannot just sharpen a blade and expect it to work perfectly.  If the teeth are out of alignment or the blade is bent, it can easily slip out of the cut and ruin a piece of lumber, as well as become bent even worse, possibly beyond repair.

You could take your blades to a professional and have them sharpened.  You could even ship them to that professional.  However, you might save even more money by sharpening, flattening and setting your portable sawmill blades on your own.  Would you like to learn how?  If so, you can visit www.cookssaw.com to find some great tools to help you keep your blades in perfect working condition for a longer period of time.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

A Quick Portable Sawmill Blade Sharpening Story

If you own a portable sawmill, you probably already know that blade sharpening is important.  However, what if standard blade sharpening just isn't working for you?  Then what do you do?

Well, the best answer might be to send the blades to a full-service blade sharpener.  One of the better blade sharpeners around is Sam Burkholder, who is located in Verona, Missouri.

Sam's family has been in the sawmill business for years.  However, when Sam's brother gave him an old sharpening tool, Sam quickly found that he enjoyed sharpening band saw blades.  Soon, Sam even petitioned Cook's saw to make a hydraulic sharpening device, which they did.

Although sharpening each blade by hand takes time, Sam takes a lot of pride in his work.  He knows that what he does can save sawyers a lot of money in the long run, especially in these tough economic times.  In fact, Sam has been known to sharpen blades up to 8 times before they are replaced, though he's quick to explain that most people replace their blades after 2 to 4 sharpenings.

Sam doesn't just sharpen portable sawmill blades either.  He also sets them and flattens them.  Most of his tools are made by Cook's Saw and Sam loves each one because they are easy to use, efficient and good at what they do.  So, would you like to try sharpening your own blades like Sam does?  If so, visit www.cookssaw.com and browse through the great selection of sharpening tools and tips.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Shopping For Portable Sawmills

Shopping for portable sawmills is no easy task.  There are a lot of models to pick from.  So, it can be tough to narrow down the options and find the one that suits your business best.  Luckily, there are some tips that can help.

First, think about your situation.  Are you working alone?  Do you have one or two employees?  Do you have a large company?  If you have a lot of employees or partners, you may want to look at larger portable sawmills.  If you are on your own, a smaller portable bandsaw mill might be best.

Time is also a factor.  Do you want to cut thousands of board feet per day every day, or do you only want to use it part-time?  Again large mills are built for high production.  Smaller mills are meant more for those who have a day job and just want to do a little lumber cutting on the side.  So, just by knowing that much, you can narrow your options down quite a bit.

Price is also a major factor.  Larger portable sawmills can cost double or triple what smaller models cost.  So, if your budget is more in the $10,000 range than in the $30,000+ range, you will most likely have to buy a smaller model.

Another major consideration is the reputation behind the portable sawmill.  Would you like to guarantee that your portable sawmill is built to last and comes with great customer support.  If so, you need to purchase one from a leader in the portable sawmill industry.  The folks at www.cookssaw.com have been supplying sawyers with sawmills and parts for years.  So, visit them to see the great portable sawmill models that they offer.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Three Portable Sawmill Blade Sharpening Steps

Portable sawmills are wonderful, but they need to be well-maintained.  In fact, if you want maximum efficiency from your portable sawmill, you need to get new blades on a regular basis, but how often is "a regular basis" anyway?  Well, if you sharpen your blades properly, it's not as often as you would think.

There are three steps involved in making sure that your portable sawmill blades are working at their best possible efficiency.  The first step is sharpening the blade itself.  You can buy a sharpener and do that on your own, or you can have it done professionally.

Step two is making sure that the blade is flat.  Some blades begin to curve or "crown" over time.  Unfortunately, any curvature of the blade can cause it to get out of the groove.  That can lead to lumber that hasn't been properly cut and it can also lead to slower cuts or cause your blade to break entirely a lot sooner than it otherwise might.

Step three is to make sure that the blade teeth are set properly.  As with the sharpening tools, you can get flattening or setting tools and do the setting and flattening yourself.  However, you can also send your blades to a full-service blade sharpener to have the work done.

Sharpening your portable sawmill blades can really increase the life of the blade and the productivity level of the mill.  Would you like to learn more about the tools involved in blade sharpening?  If so, go to www.cookssaw.com.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Importance Of Sharpening Your Portable Sawmill Blades

As a portable sawmill user, you probably understand that your sawmill is only as good as its blades.  So, what do you do when your blades just aren't working as well as you'd like?  Even if you buy the best blades on the market already, how can you make them just a little bit better?  The answer is you can get sharpen them.

Some people opt to sharpen their own portable sawmill blades.  If you're going to do so, you'll need tools for sharpening, flattening and setting the blades.  Sharpening will do you no good at all, after all, unless the teeth are in alignment and the blade is flat.

On the other hand, there are a lot of people who feel completely overwhelmed by the blade sharpening process.  If you are one of these people, don't worry.  There is another option.

That other option is that you can get someone else to sharpen, flatten and set your portable sawmill blades for you.  Paying for the sharpening service is likely to be cheaper than buying new blades all the time.  In fact, well-sharpened blades can be used at least 3 or 4 times, usually, before they need replacement.

No matter how you choose to have your portable sawmill blades sharpened, you need to understand the importance of sharpening them.  A sharp blade can cut through lumber with the greatest of ease.  A dull, bent or broken blade will only cause you trouble.  So, would you like to learn more blade sharpening tips?  If so, visit www.cookssaw.com to get started.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Portable Sawmill Uses


Portable sawmills have many different uses.  In fact, it would be easier to ask what they can't be used for than to ask what they can be used for.  Let's look at just a few things you could do with them.

First, you could cut your own lumber for small projects.  If you want to build a picnic table, deck or shed, a portable sawmill could definitely help you out.  You can get the exact pieces of lumber that you want every time you make a cut.  You won't have to spend forever trying to find the right pieces at a lumber supply store.  You also won't have to spend tons of money buying lumber for every project that you want to do.

Next, you could use a portable sawmill to convert unwanted logs around your property into good lumber.  You could then sell that lumber to friends and family members at a discount.  You could even donate it to charity, if you want to.  In either case, you could quickly clear a section of your property, if you need or want to.

Of course, you can also use a portable sawmill to start your own lumber business.  It's easy.  You can either cut lumber on your own property or you can bring the portable sawmill with you to other locations.  In fact, you can even expand your business to include multiple portable sawmills.

So, would you like to have the extra income that a portable sawmill can provide?  If so, you need to talk to the experts for advice.  The experts at www.cookssaw.com can recommend just the right portable sawmill for you, whether you want to be a part-time sawyer or turn lumber cutting into your full-time business.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

How To Support And Maintain Your Portable Sawmill

As a new sawyer, you may not know this, but there are several things that you can do to increase your portable sawmill production.  In fact, learning to support and maintain your portable sawmill properly is key, if you want to make a profit as a sawyer.  Luckily, it's not that difficult to do, once you know how.

First of all, every good sawmill needs a good blade.  One of the best types of blades is the Cook's Super Sharp blade because it is thin, heavy duty and built to last.  Even so, though, you also will need to replace your saw blades on a regular basis, especially if you are using your portable sawmill non-stop all day long 5 to 7 days per week.  Even the best blades don't last forever.

Nevertheless, you can improve upon the life of your portable sawmill blades by keeping them flat, sharp and set properly.  So, the first thing you should do is invest in tools that will help you flatten, sharpen and set your saw blades.  Luckily, you can find a complete assortment of those tools at the Cook's Saw website.

Next, you need to make sure that your band saw is aligned properly.  You can great blades, such as the Cook's Super Sharp blades, and a great portable sawmill, but it won't do you any good unless that sawmill is set up correctly.  That means making sure that the band secures the saw head properly.  Would you like to learn some easy ways to do that?  If so, click here to visit Cook's and find out.