Hitting Steel in Big Logs
Sad stories of ruined bandsaw mill blades — what happens when you use your sawmill as a metal detector. December 15, 2005
Question
I had a metal detector before I had a mill, and found bunches of pop tabs, nails, and even found an old spoon once. I was sawing today and it got real expensive. The picture below shows the first bolt I hit and dug out over the hole it was in. Right below that bolt is another I found the very next pass (the shiny spot). I was at least 10" into the log. I’m wondering, what is all that stuff doing way in there?
![](/knowledge_base_images/bah/steel_in_big_logs_01.jpg)
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Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From the original questioner:
Below are 3 of the 4 things I hit before I quit - the 4th is still in the log.
![](/knowledge_base_images/bah/steel_in_big_logs_02.jpg)
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From the original questioner:
I finally got the sides squared up from all my chainsaw butchering. I flipped it up to clean the wide face and to start sawing 27" wide slabs. The first cut was had more junk. Then I dug it out, dropped the saw 1/2", and hit the 4th and final piece.
![](/knowledge_base_images/bah/steel_in_big_logs_03.jpg)
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From contributor A:
You have to love that steel. I can imagine your aggravation. I squared the bark off of the log below then put a new blade on. Screech! A 1/2 diameter j-bolt stopped my mill from moving about 5" from the end of the log, so I put the pressure to the hydraulics. It took every second tooth off the blade.
![](/knowledge_base_images/bah/steel_in_big_logs_04.jpg)
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From the original questioner:
Well I guess a little metal is the price you pay (9 pieces so far - 5 the blade found and 4 I found.)
![](/knowledge_base_images/bah/steel_in_big_logs_05.jpg)
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