Is there a blade made to do this??

[myxpykalix]

I got some 6" thick slabs that are 22" wide X4' long that a guy broke a couple blades on trying to saw it, so he's giving it to me for $75.00 for about 120 board foot of this and it is pretty and would make gorgeous coffee tables but i need to find out if anyone knows of a brand name of a bandsaw mill blade that is made to be able to cut thru the metal...if there is such a thing?
It looks like it might be a fence wire and it goes all the way thru it, so there is no digging it out or pulling it thru. Or any other suggestions?

[gerryv]

Industrial Blade & Products in Santa Ana, Calif. 1-800-729-2523 Are bandsaw blade experts and have the best prices around on top line blades. They're a preferred supplier to a lot of the Felder & SCM/Minimax guys.

[genek]

I got some 6" thick slabs that are 22" wide X4' long that a guy broke a couple blades on trying to saw it, so he's giving it to me for $75.00 for about 120 board foot of this and it is pretty and would make gorgeous coffee tables but i need to find out if anyone knows of a brand name of a bandsaw mill blade that is made to be able to cut thru the metal...if there is such a thing?
It looks like it might be a fence wire and it goes all the way thru it, so there is no digging it out or pulling it thru. Or any other suggestions?

Jack you can have a custom metal cutting blade made to fit your band saw. Wolf has made several for me. You are probably right about it being a fence. they make a nail remover that you can grip the wire and possible pull it ouT. you just have to dig out around so you can get a grip. YOU CAN ALSO MAKE YOURSELF A HOLLOW DRILLING TUBE AND DRILL ALL THE WAY AND REPLACE WITH A DOWEL ROD.

[myxpykalix]

Gene......"Wolf has made several for me" ​.........do you mean Timberwolf blades?

[mzettl]

I am assuming from your question that the plan is to resaw these into thinner slabs. Coring out the metal wire from a 6" thick slab would not be easy, and I doubt that is a viable solution. The remaining holes would be large, and the repairs probably obvious. Also, trying to pull this wire out would be futile I believe. The metal is soft, the tree grew around it, and it is practically part of the wood. I cannot think of a way to remove the metal without creating a significant hole.

The Lenox TriMaster is a carbide tipped band saw blade that is actually made for metal cutting, although many woodworkers use it for resawing. Typical metal cutting bands have many teeth per inch so that a reasonable finish is left along the cut. Because of the number of teeth, they are not really capable of cutting thick slabs of wood, because the sawdust cannot be cleared from the cut. If the intent is to re-saw the full 22" width, then you need a blade with only 1-2 teeth per inch. The TriMaster could certainly cut this, and would cut through the metal without problem I believe. But, these are expensive blades. For my 16" Minimax, a 2-3 TPI TriMaster is over $200.00. That's why wood resaw blades have so few teeth per inch. The $75.00 slabs are suddenly a lot more expensive. Do you have a saw capable of a 22" cut? When you start getting to that size, horizontal band mills are more typical. If you are inclined to use a band saw, then I would contact Lennox customer service, or any large band saw blade supplier to get their advice on the best blade for the job. Whatever they recommend ain't going to be cheap though.

Another thought comes to mind, and that would be to use a chain saw equipped with a rip chain. You are only going to be making a few cuts as I understand it, so I think the chain would probably work. It would be toasted when you are done, but would be a lot cheaper than carbide bands, etc. Once you had thinner slabs, it would then be easier to deal with the retained metal. Of course you would need to be sure to wear good eye protection, leather gloves, etc. if using a chain saw, as there certainly is a risk of throwing off metal fragments. This technique would be fraught with some danger. Fence wire is soft steel, so a hardened steel cutter should be able to cut through these few pieces.

I would be interested of others had creative solutions.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Matt

[myxpykalix]

Matt, that was very informative. We were cutting this on a Woodmizer LT28 bandsaw mill. I called Woodmizer and they have nothing for this situation. I was goiung to call the other suggestions posted later after i get back from cardiac rehab

[bleeth]

What you need is to order some metal eating nano-bots.
Try an e-bay search.



(Since it's you I figured the smart--s reply would hit your humorous!)

[harryball]

A little Thermite might do the job :rolleyes:

All I can think of is drilling them out with a long bit directly on the metal, chew up the metal as you drill through. Second to that would be a welder, ground one side, hit the other and try to melt it or burn the hole large enough to pull it out or maybe and weaken it to the point a blade would cut through it.

/RB

[myxpykalix]

"(Since it's you I figured the smart--s reply would hit your humorous!)" HA...

you're not too far off....i was thinking what if there was some kind of acid that would dissolve the metal and leave the wood.
My other thought was, what about using a wood cutting blade to cut the wood, then when you get to the metal, you back it out, change to a metal blade, cut through the metal, then change back to the wood blade....probably not a good plan.

[myxpykalix]

Harry,
This wire is snaked in there in such a way that it is not straight cut so trying to drill it out won't work. I may have to use it for some bowl or round box stock. There are 5-6 slabs already cut so i'll definitely be making a good deal. I'm still looking for solutions though....

[coryatjohn]

>> Second to that would be a welder,

I think this idea has merit. You wouldn't need a welder though, just a 12v auto battery.

[scottp55]

Funny Jack,
Thought about acid too, but totally forgot about vinegar. Probably spread your iron stain in endgrain, but thought maybe it might separate/loosen rust enough to get a grip on it with needle nose Vicegrips? A Barb in the wood and all bets are off though:)
Funny...thought Oxalic would have done better:(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUnYh6HM7x0
Like the electricity, but don't know enough.
LOVE the Nanobots:) Got source Dave? :)

[Joe Porter]

Jack, have you thought about slicing the slab on the face on either side of the wire, then re-sawing the smaller pieces and glue them back together? Something along that line?........joe

[gerryv]

Leave it in and come up with a good yarn to make some very special pieces of art/furniture? Just don't use a water based finish, heh, heh.:eek:

[myxpykalix]

Too bad i don't know an X-ray tech at the hospital to go get it x-rayed so we could see exactly where the metal is...or maybe go to an animal hospital?

I'm not opposed to leaving the metal in and making a good story to go along with it, i'd just like to be able to cut it up.