Washing Logs to Extend Blade Life

Some sawmillers pressure-wash or hose down logs before sawing. September 15, 2006

Question
Do you think it would make blades last longer if I soaked the bark down with a water hose before I did any cutting? I noticed that cutting dry logs seems to take a toll on band life moreso than cutting the green ones. Maybe if the bark was wet the blade would drag a little water into the cut and make it cut easier. What about the idea of using one of those garden hose attachments that have a container for bug spray, etc. - put liquid soap or PineSol in it, then maybe we could spray the bark clean of dirt and leave a thin layer of soap at same time? Maybe it would stop pitch buildup.

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor A:
I have been running a small Hudson mill and I clean logs before cutting. Judging by the amount of otherwise latent dirt within the bark, I believe it does stretch the blades.

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From contributor B:
I have started pressure-washing my logs before sawing and believe it adds considerably to band life, even though my WM has a debarker. It's a messy job and kind of a pain, but worth it. I currently wash them while they are held on forks in front of my tractor. I'm thinking of devising something to rest the log on and turn it during washing.

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From contributor C:
I pressure wash all of my logs with a Landa 4000 psi unit. I place all of the longs on two 8" x 16" x 1/2" webbing x 16' I beams welded to three 22 log truck rims. I roll the logs with my Logrite Peavy. I place a 2 x 12 on the top of both beams for walking on, while washing.