An abrupt end to a relationship…

[Brian Kent]

…with free eucalyptus logs.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. The wood was wet and exciting. Half of the pieces cracked. Others warped. But they were so colorful and that one log turned into 8 cups. So hopeful.

Then things hardened. The wood always wanted its own ways. "Maybe it's just me" I said to the eucalyptus. I just needed better technique. If I had been better with a bandsaw, I would not have changed directions by 90 degrees in an 6" half-log. I tried to split you with hatchets and handsaws, with wedges and sledges. You were too tough for me.

Then I thought, "I'll give you one more chance!" I found one of your 10" branches, checked the tension on the new timberwolf green blade. I tried to cut across your diameter. Then it happened.

The blade twisted to the side, bend into an "s" on two axes, and stopped cold. No blood. No yellow puddle on the floor. No screams. Just the mayhem of a nice blade. It is gone. It is slicing with the forests eternal. It is in fact a former bandsaw blade. Not much damage to you, eucalyptus. It barely made it past your twisted, hard bark. So we are through. It's not me. It's you.

Love,

An ex-admirer

PS. I had to use a hammer, a chisel and a screw driver to get the blade out of the bark, then two pliers and a metal cutter to get the blade out of the bandsaw.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
I don't know what type saw you have but some jobs are better done with a chain saw. Not all band saws have a heavy duty enough spring to apply enough tension for cutting green wood especially wood with pout a flat base. Maybe that was the case here.
faust

[Roger Chandler]

I have messed up a bandsaw blade or two in my time Brian.........did the log roll on you? Looks like the classic grab and roll and that led to a catastrophic event.

Glad you are still at the full mark for the blood level, and you don't have to do an unplanned load of laundry :eek::rolleyes: and that you still have all your fingers.............

I know some woods can be hard, but I am thinking that eucalyptus should not be that difficult. I have seen so many other turnings from it, but I have no personal experience with it.

[Brian Kent]

Faust, tell me about the flat base.

[Jerry Marcantel]

Brian, I'm glad I wasn't eating or drinking anything while reading this post. I burst out laughing at the "No yellow puddle" part. I think most of us have Been there, done that, so no biggie as long as you only lost a blade.
Eucalyptus is a funny wood. Most I've turned is the tree that has long narrow leaves, smooth white bark that sheds and leaves a mess on the ground. The wood is red, and when dry, it comes off the tool as a dust, just about as fine as something a sander would produce. The bark on your wood looks like shaggy type bark.....
My guess is you weren't holding the wood tight enough, the blade grabbed, and the wood tried to spin. It's funny that there never is a problem cutting flat stuff on your bandsaw, but round is a whole new learning curve. .......... Jerry (in Tucson)

[Roger Chandler]

When cutting anything cylindrical on a bandsaw, it is best to use a support piece of stock underneath it with a "V" cut into it to keep the log from rolling.........a thick board turned upside down and run through the table saw at 45 degrees to form the "V" will do the trick or screw the log so it won't roll.........

This might seem like overkill to some......but when you are standing next to your saw with a couple of fingers laying on the table...:eek:....well, that extra minute or two of work you could have done to avoid the situation will be priceless!

God gave us 10 fingers.........let's do our best to keep all of them! :) I just posted this to perhaps help someone who might be tempted to disregard safety ...........not worth it!

[Chip Sutherland]

Yep....I've done something like this except a thin blade. Should have switched to the 1/2 3TPI blade but I was impatient. Mine got so jammed up, I had to cut the blade. Silly me, I kept the wood for at least a year thinking I could save it. Thankfully, I opted for being safe and tossed the wood out...blade still embedded.

I have an L-shaped sacrificial sled somewhere in the shop when I need to cut something that might roll. I just glob on the hot melt glue to fix it to the board in the position I need for the cut. Sometimes I hot glue a wood block to secure on a third side.

[Brian Kent]

Here is another example of this wood (another branch of the same tree) in the band saw - trying to cut a straight line. I turned the log 90 degrees just to keep the blade from binding.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Brian,
A bandsaw likes to keep it's blade tracking straight and true and on line with the face of the two wheels. If the object being cut is not relatively flat on the table, the blade will be required to form an "S" shape inside the piece causing what happened to you. You can do one of three things; plane the bottom flat (Too much work), make a sled as Roger recommended, (he has obviously learned the hard way like the rest of us) (and by the way, welcome to the club), or use a chainsaw, (assuming you have a way to hold the log steady). If you like the bandsaw, build a sled. Personally, I use a chainsaw more and more even for cutting large bowl blanks round.
faust

[Reed Gray]

Brian,
If you were trying to cut a straight line above, and that is what you got, you most likely had a bad blade with the wrong set to the teeth, or some one forgot to put set on one side. Another reason why I prefer the Lennox blades.

robo hippy

[Dan Forman]

Cross cutting a round piece of wood on a bandsaw without some sort of fixture to stabilize it is a very bad idea, as you just found out. A band saw is designed to have the force of the cut supported by the table. When crosscutting a cylinder, the support of the table is too far back of where the force is being applied, out at the edge of the log. Where the log does touch the table becomes a fulcrum, and the blade can easily take the log out of your control, and bad things can happen.

It sounds as if the wood you are trying to work with is very reactive as well. sometimes it's just better to move on to something moire cooperative.

Dan

[Brian Kent]

I agree Dan. I will apply this new (to me) awareness to a different log. The second set of pictures was with a new blade, but one that had worked on several other pieces of wood with no drift, and that log segment had a flat bottom.

[robert baccus]

You were lucky yeah. Three things come to mind here. If you must cut a round piece place a couple of quarter rounds behind the piece. Also besides the glue thing you can use aluminum screws and a board to stabilize things. I see large cracks--always a big danger sign. There are at least 500 species of Euc.--some like granite. Avoid curves on any deep cuts in very hard wood especially with a large tooth blade. Your turnings make up for your bandsaw work. Chopped a few blades out myself. OBTW how big is your BS--it's easy to overload a saw.

[Ron Rutter]

Brian. Two other possible reasons or contributing factors;
- The blade was not properly tensioned.
- The guides were not adjusted properly.
Both - especially combined, can cause your problem.
A good hold on round wood with a 6 or 10 tooth blade is not as problematic. You can actually roll it into the blade with smaller diameters. Ron.

[Brian Kent]

Grizzly 513X2, 17" bandsaw, 3/8" 3 tpi Timberwolf blade. Tensioned using the flutter method. Cut true in 16/2 kiln dried cherry, and resawed straight in 10" cherry.

I have turned 15-20 pieces successfully from this tree and as they dry they are becoming extremely hard. I think this is red gum eucalyptus, with a Janka hardness of 2180.

[charlie knighton]

Janka hardness of 2180.......note the Janka hardness of any wood from Jerry M. is x 10

[Brian Finney]

Brian,
I have also bent a blade(s) because the log rolled youreally need a stable flat surface against the BS table or the log supported as Rogersuggests. The alternative is to use an 8 tpi hand saw as I now do. It’s just asquick if not quicker for one or two cuts if you include set up times. It issurprising satisfying as the 8 tpi rips through the wood and they areconsiderably cheaper and safer than a BS blade.
Eucalyptus is a water sucker and therefore will be intrinsicallywet; consequently when it dries there will be a lot of movement and even shakes/cracksappearing. I’ve had the same experience as you and I now use my eucalyptus as lathepractice wood, waste blocks etc on which I don’t waste time sanding orfinishing. Of course US eucalyptus may be different to UK, but somehow I don’t thinkit will be that different
Brian

[Brian Kent]

I assume that for a cross cut log on the bandsaw you make a sacrificial sled.

[Brian Finney]

Brian,

I don't think it has to be sacrifical. See http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?98227-Cutting-small-logs-for-turning particulary post 9 by Bill Bolen. And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVzKIAooZhk although with a larger rear fence.

Brian

[David DeCristoforo]

Redundant at this point but this is a classic rude awakening. Trying to crosscut a cylinder on any power saw without some support to keep the piece from rolling is just asking for it. Events like this are a good illustration of just how powerful a horse is. You are very fortunate to have escaped with only a bunged up band saw blade to show for it.


PS Eucalyptus is one of the most uncooperative woods on the planet. Another rude awakening!

[Brian Kent]

Finally split that log. This stuff is so hard now it is like lapidary work.

[Jon Nuckles]

Brian, Your bandsaw blade may be pushing up the daisies now, but it died in a good cause. Nice looking bowl.

[robert baccus]

Bueatiful bowl--stunning. Hard!! woods are always worth it. A simple stabilizer for a small log is to nail or screw(aluminum?) a short 1" board on either end maybe twice the logs diameter flat on the table. The ends are usually scrap anyhow. Keep up the good work! I have turned several red gum euc. woods and burls and they were nice. There is a fair amount out of some old planted growth in California available.

[Brian Kent]

Bueatiful bowl--stunning. Hard!! woods are always worth it. A simple stabilizer for a small log is to nail or screw(aluminum?) a short 1" board on either end maybe twice the logs diameter flat on the table. The ends are usually scrap anyhow. Keep up the good work! I have turned several red gum euc. woods and burls and they were nice. There is a fair amount out of some old planted growth in California available.

"Fair amount" is a vast understatement. A lot of people are taking them out, so there is a huge supply available.

[Brian Kent]

The log yielded another bowl.
It is wet with oil and wax - hence the extra gloss.

[Brian Kent]

I mounted this last wedge from the trouble-log. Had no idea how much useable wood I could find in this so I just started cutting. The blank that I ended up with is 14" x 2.5" with small checks in the end. I need to turn this now or stick it in a bag of fresh chips so it doesn't split.