Soapy water lubricant?

ntheep

Fellas, gonna open a can of worms here, after reading an old thread about using soapy water as an aid to timber milling, (said thread didn't really have a consensus) Now i have a project in mind of milling a fairly large African Mahogany log. The saw i am using is an Olli Mac 999 (99cc) an old saw but running well, and to make life a bit easier for it cutting this fairly dense,heavy timber up to 1metre (36 inches) through, i thought i might use soapy water as a lubricant and coolant on the bar, as well of course good quality bar oil, i would appreciate your thoughts
Cheers

sun64

I am not sure how you would use the soapy water, how you would inject it into the log as you are cutting to libricate the bar etc .I would suggest a granberg aux oiler kit or on old window wiper washer bottle and 12 volt pump. Drill a small hole on the cutting edge of your bar just after the tip to inject the oil in. This wouild lubricate the chain in the bar on the milling side.
If you use wedges behind the cut it will help keep the timber from pinching down on your chain. It is the chain that will get pinched , not the bar.
I know on saw benches they use lubricants to cool and lubricate the saw blade but dont know much on chainsaw mills.
On the Lucas mills they have a bar that slides along after the chain bar, I guess for keeping the slabs from pinching the chain.
If you do inject soapy water, what will it do to the oil lubricating the bar and chain. If you inject oil into the cut it will probably stain the timber.
The only other suggestion l can think of may be to make a bracket with 2 pieces of pipe , capped at one end and a compression spring in each one and insert candles in the pipes on the milling side to wax the sides of the chain.

ntheep

Yeah, cheers Sun64, after further thought on this, i think soap, (or detergent) will break down the oil, and thus cancel any effect it might have, so i'm thinking just plain water, oil and water don't mix (theoretically), so the water will provide some lubricating (and cooling) qualities to the chain, against the drag of the timber ( i did say bar in first post), and i assume you know a bit about A. mahogany, being a Darwinian!, water won't hurt the slabs, and might just help the cutting process, i'll give it a go with and without water and we'll see!
Cheers

redmower

I have a slabbing band saw. It uses water to cool/lube the band while cutting. Drips on upper and lower side before the cut.

I have a mate who has a lucas mill with slabber. Cuts heaps of hard Eucalypt logs no problem, using standard bar'n'chain oil.

RM

sun64

Hi NTheap, one other crazy idea may be if you have a large enough compressor COULD be to inject air into the cut to help remove the cut material while also helping to cool the chain/bar
crazy idea but where would modern civilisation be without ideas?
sun64

ntheep

Well, after doing one only cut on the weekend, i haven't "experimented"with water as an aid to cutting, but after seeing how the chain fairly easy cut through the timber, and all the things you need to be aware of while running a howling saw,without adding another operation, i think i'll just stick to the extra chain oil on the tip! It seemed to do the job, the chain had a lite coat of oil on it after finishing the cut.

sun64

Hi ntheap, the photo's looked good. timber is green so should cut easier.

Trying to figure out where the power line is in relation to the log you are cutting in the photos
What are you going to do with the slabs when finished. tables or bench tops etc?
I enjoyed the photos, and noticed you are a Jeep man. My wife had a KJ Jeep, she loved it but was a lemon and as I found out about most of the Jeeps.
I got sick of working on it with fairly low K's, thought it would have been more reliable, but i wont go into what a few mechanics or friends say about them either.
I hope you get the saw up and running soon to get the rest of your slabs done.
I cannot see how you could have sucked the nut into the engine, but you did say it had a modified air cleaner?
Hope to see your progress soon.
Cheers and beers
sun64

ntheep

Got a few things planned, a bar for one! also want to make up some bi fold doors and jambs out the back door onto the deck area, and what ever else She has planned for me!
Now why would you want to know where "my" log is???mmmmmm. If you have a Hino truck you can help me bring the whole lot home if you like!

ah! jeeps, you either love em or hate em, mine has been the absolute best vehicle we have ever owned, had her from new in 03, and have not had a single problem since, and we do a bit of 4x4 with a club. So, yeah, have heard of problems with this model, but not mine, touch wood!

The nut that got sucked in is an original part, holds the plastic base for the cleaner, onto the carby, you wouldn't read about it! But there ya go!

sun64

Hi ntheep, surprised you havent had problems with the Jeep, but ours was a heap so to speak. Low kays as well?
Not really worried where your log is, just querious as i see large power poles?
I have roughly 18 to 20 tonnes of Mahogany here at the moment courtesy of the Darwin Council, only had to pay to get it here so your log is safe with me.
It ooks like you could have rolled the log over 90 degrees in the photo to get wider boards though?
I hope all goes well with the chainsaw so you can get your timber home mate.
Loved the photos and cannot wait to see what you make of it.
So great to see a beautifiul log not go to waste or rot like I see so many of them.
sun64

sharkey

Look for a product called Arboral. Oregon chain markets it. It is a water based lubricant that is mixed for use in a saw. Similar to what is used in cnc machines for cooling the cutters. Alot of milling units add an a dripper at the tip.

ntheep

sun64, the log was too wide for the 42"bar, bye the time you lose 4"inches on the mill, you are down to a 1metre cut, and the log was wider than that, i know we could have trimmed some, but i really want to preserve the natural edges as much as possible, So rolling it that way i will get more smaller width slabs, which is ok, i don't want huge slabs , they are too heavy!!

We have put 180 000, Klms on the jeep, only had to change a tensioner pulley, and the disc pads, heaven help us when it does "go south"