Is it yew, or is it me?

[Jamie Straw]

So far, the Highland's "Woodturner's 3/8" blade" for green wood is plowing through stuff quite well, though mostly dry-ish until now. Tonight, I cut the first piece of yew I've ever had. Moisture content is pretty high, at the top of my Delmhorst moisture meter (or higher). This is the first really green piece of wood I've put through this blade, and there were periodic big tangled globs of the long curly stuff shooting down the blade guard and getting stuck between the guides and the housing, to the point where I had to stop and de-glob it. I've cut lots of green maple, alder and apple, never had this happen. Slowed my feed rate down, but didn't really help. So, is it yew -- or is it me?

 

[robo hippy]

I haven't done much with it, but never had those problems with it. Madrone is worst for gunking up blades.

robo hippy

 

[Bill Boehme]

It's you, not yew. It sounds like you are cutting along the grain rather than cross the grain.

 

[robo hippy]

Oh, I missed the 'long strings' part. If you have the piece up on end, and ripping parallel to the grain, you will get very long shavings. When I do this, I generally will remove the throat plate. You do need a very open throat plate for ripping like that, and you get hair balls inside your saw...

The Trouble With Tribbles.... if you are a Star Trek fan...

robo hippy

 

[Jamie Straw]

Oh, I missed the 'long strings' part. If you have the piece up on end, and ripping parallel to the grain, you will get very long shavings. When I do this, I generally will remove the throat plate. You do need a very open throat plate for ripping like that, and you get hair balls inside your saw...

The Trouble With Tribbles.... if you are a Star Trek fan...

robo hippy

Ah, didn't think about the throat plate, OK will do! Yes, it was up on end to get some more of the pith out -- it had started checking. Of course I'm familiar with the "long strings" but none of the other woods passed globs of tangle long strings the way this yew did.

 

[Jamie Straw]

It's you, not yew. It sounds like you are cutting along the grain rather than cross the grain.

Well, yeah, that's what I needed to do for this cut. As mentioned in my reply to Reed, I'm quite familiar with the fibers produced by the long-ways cuts, but not with the clogs that were formed. Will try removing the throat plate.

 

[robo hippy]

If you want to lay it down, if it is some what straight, you can take it to a table, roll it around till you have the cut lined up, put wedges in on the sides, take a speed square or other variety, and mark a plumb line on each end, then line long ways down the center. Cut on the line. Not perfect, but it gets it pretty close.

robo hippy

 

[Jamie Straw]

If you want to lay it down, if it is some what straight, you can take it to a table, roll it around till you have the cut lined up, put wedges in on the sides, take a speed square or other variety, and mark a plumb line on each end, then line long ways down the center. Cut on the line. Not perfect, but it gets it pretty close.

robo hippy

Yep, I probably should have done that since the piece was so tall. I use shims for the slightly-not-flat pieces, but haven't graduated to wedges -- just gives me the willies, the thought of that thing slipping and rolling. Not only for fear of my fingers, but also the lack of a back-up blade at the moment. I'll get there soon, though, with all the wood that comes our way. Fun.