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Posted by Clint Dixon on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 12:54:45 :
In Reply to: Power Wagon sawing logs posted by Todd Wilson on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 00:54:06 :
Thanks for sharing Todd.
I always work slow and deliberate when using the saw, even more so when there is an audience present. There is no reason to get in a hurry and have something go wrong. It also helps the audience see what is actually happening when cutting slower.
This particular demonstration was a hurried setup. We pulled in from the parade and had only a few minutes to get everything set up and working at the town square. I didn't have a chance to fine adjust the saw. I was cutting even slower than usual as the belt was warming up fast, becoming loose, and slipping. With the blade under load, the belt was trying to ride off the side of the pulleys.
I find that the saw cuts just as fast as a chainsaw. For me, it is much easier to use than a chainsaw as long as I have logs of a manageable diameter and length. It is a lot easier on the back, than using a chainsaw, even with lifting the logs to the table.
A second person or “catcher” is required to support and remove the cut lengths as soon as the blade is through the wood. If one just lets the pieces fall, they hit the blade guard on the way down and cause it to flex and spring back into the teeth of the blade. There are other styles of saw tables that wrap around to the outside of the blade. These can be used without a catcher as the cut piece will tend to spin outward away from the blade. However, a pile soon accumulates on the ground and one never knows which way the next piece is going to bounce or roll.
It can be considered dangerous equipment, but the dangers are not much different than working with a radial arm saw, table saw, band saw, or an engine lathe. I have met very few old farmers who are missing fingers or limbs.
Junior
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