Buzz Saw Safety: Detailed Safety Discussion and Operation 

Yessir, that's why you and I have all our fingers...right? While working alone, I offbear with my right hand all but the heaviest pieces. I watched your video on your old rig too. Pretty cool. Thanks Gary for the comment.

Great !! So glad to hear you've benefitted from them. I think there's a playlist up top that has a lot of them listed. And did you see by chance the one where the tooth layout is described..? This was one of my first videos...ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TZ36Rxpn754.html Thank you for the comment and please feel free to look around a while.

​@@tractorman4461 Yes the tooth layout video blew my damn mind. That and the idea of hanging the blade from the ceiling and feeding it into a bench grinder tooth by tooth. That belsaw sharpener seems like a great specialty tool. Keeping my eye out for one. Thx again.

@@HayWoodsandWetlands Well good, I'm glad to hear it helped you a little. I see the Belsaw sharpening rigs like mine on FB Marketplace occasionally. You may ask around the neighborhood and see if anyone knows an old guy that sharpened everyones tools back in the day and you might find one ready to find a new home !! The 10452 is a very versatile machine, capable of sharpening dozens of different tools and blades.

Well I am glad to have pulled a memory or two out of your past. Our old rig that was front mounted on an old tricycle Massey Harris 101 Jr also was an unguarded exposed 32'' diameter blade. It wasn't a tilt top like this one and took a lot more mid-body strength to slide into and back out of the blade. The old man liked the stationary table because like I said at the end of the video we would sharpen literally hundreds of cedar posts for fence mending over the course of a few years. That style worked much better for that process. Every winter we'd cut the monstrous slab pile off the sawmill and use most of it for fuel for our wood fired cook stove in the kitchen...of course the larger pieces were for the big heating stove in another room supplementing the normal split wood. I'll be showing you all another rig soon that will be flat belt powered off the side pully of the old Massey.

Boy I tell you it sure does and quick too. We had it completely gone a month or so ago and now we have two separate piles going, both 25' long and about 5' tall each !! But hey, that's a good problem to have: Too much wood....LOL.

That's cool. Hopefully you still have access to one and still use it..?? Our old one mounted on the front of a Massey 101 Junior for years and years. We took it to the woods too for the branches and cut thousands of slabs off the sawmill with it. I still have several in use between here and my sons house. Thanks Paul for the input and thanks a lot for taking the time to watch.

Distraction is a big issue...if you let it. Thank you for the very kind comment Raymond. I thought of a dozen points as soon as I shut off the camera too, but that's the problem with not preparing anything to say. But then again, sometimes I talk too much. LOL

Aw man, I know what ya mean. There's so many things that seemed to be worth nothing back in the day and were tossed to the side. But by golly...we kept the old buzz saw !! LOL Of course its not this particular one though....(-:

Glad to hear you enjoyed it Reg. I'm not known for excessive 'safety' concerns, but by the same token I would not sit on a box of dynamite and light up a cigarette either. LOL. Thanks for taking the interest in watching my friend.

You described the perfect scenario for using a buzz saw effectively. I suffer from lack of help most of the time now with the kids all on their own. But that's the way we did it back on the farm. I filed for many many years and still do occasionally for a quick touch up. Here's what I do for one that needs serious work: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ezvZ7u8jUwE.html Of course this particular one didn't need it that badly, but it made a good illustration of the technique.

I wonder if Kubota makes one for your fancy new 2610 .... It sure eases the back strain with the chain saw bending over....LOL. Thanks for taking the time to watch GP !!

the funny places i find you...

:))

Chris, you added some good commentary for using a healthy dose of common sense around this and all other tools and machinery that have the potential to maim a person. That common sense is concerning not only the machine but the surrounding areas....keep your footing stable by kicking all debris out of the way. With these saws, the area around where you stand becomes covered with off fall that will cause loose footing. Thank you sir for the kind and supportive comment.

I think one rolling or slipping under the blade is the most scary. I've had once or twice where the force of the blade coming in contact just right lifted the side of the whole saw rig with a loud BAM .... Only a couple times, but it sure gets a guys attention !! Thank you for watching these older videos..I really appreciate you taking the time to do that.

Good Morning Sir I remembered in the past you've made a comment about that. Wait until you see another one I adapted from a home made three point mount to a stationary rig that is powered with the little Massey Harris and flat belt. You'll like that one for sure. Its in use down at my son's house now. As a matter of fact, Ol' Joe is one that suggested a video like this back a year ago or so.

@@tractorman4461 Can't wait to see that video Sir and thank's to Joe too ! Cheers !!

I tried to be as logical in the coverage as possible concerning the main things people that are less than experienced will experience rather quickly. Thanks for taking the time to watch !!

I hate to make long videos...most won't stay and watch. But in this case there is soooo much to be concerned about with these saws. Thank you for the complimentary comment...it is appreciated !!

Thanks Randy, I appreciate the nice comment. The bad thing is I thought of about another 20 things as soon as the video was done !! LOL I have a ton of buzz saw videos in the playlists like this one: ru-vid.com/group/PLk72G9DTzZ1tJEjzkfIvq8dY--UWCpl4-

There are plenty of them out there. I found one on FB Marketplace literally within 5 miles of here for $40.00. I contacted the seller and it was sold almost the instant it was posted....I was the second caller. Dang..... Then again you see others where they ask 3 or 400 bucks for one. The best thing is to check farm auctions. I use Auction zip and skim through the pictures, because you can see stuff in the background like a buzz saw or a blade that they don't take the time to list. FWIW, I bought a rusty but new blade, arbor and set of bearings for five bucks at one. Thanks for the sub....hope to see you around on some of the other projects. We do a lot of tractor work too.

Yessir DaveyJO...you said a mouthful. I have a cousin was cutting a 2x4 across his thigh with a skil saw. Yep...kicked back into his thigh and a trip to the hospital....must have been funny to him because it kept him in stiches for a few weeks !! Thanks for stopping in ol buddy and enjoy the coffee...I sure am !! Take care and give my best to Alice.

Those nailers can be a terror. A younger and crazier Sneelock worked at Homebuilders Inc many years ago. I was walking the rafters running wire through the attic before the roof sheathing was put on. I had to watch my step. Literally because it was 16" between rafters and if I missed I either landed on the rafters in a painful way or went all the way to the floor. As I was walking along I kept hearing what sounded like bells. Just a little tinkling sound. I stopped and looked around but didn't see anything dragging or caught so I took a few more steps. I caught a glimpse of something flying past my face. I looked over at the flooring station and Bill Summers was on the top floor of the house stapling the walls in place. He had a Mark III stapler which shot 3" long staples through the 2x4 and into the decking. He was standing there with big grin shooting off a clip of staples at me. They were hitting the rafters and that's what I was hearing. The framers had left their nail gun on the scaffold so i went over and picked it up. I pulled back the saftety and started unloading the nail gun in his general direction. He saw me and jumped off the deck and hid under it. Not to be denied I just aimed the nail gun at the floor and started ricocheting nails under the deck. I wasn't aiming at him directly but it was a dumb thing to do. The nail gun would blow a nail completely through one 2x4 and sink it into the next one if if was set on full pressure. It was about like firing a 22 short. Needless to saw he didn't aim a stapler at me ever again.

Old Sneelock's Workshop The things we do in our youth, eh? Those nailers have lots of power fer ser! I was aiming and nailing a 2x6 and a 10p nail went all the way through and landed by blue prints my friend Paul was looking over. He didn't say anything but his look said it all. An accident indeed and all the more reason to be extra respectful of power and hand tools. Thanks Kindly for your story! DaveyJO in Pa.

Hahahaha...crack me up John. I hate to see good pole wood going to waste which is why I use these so much. I like to get a good mix of split and pole wood in the shed. They dry differently and there's more sap wood in the poles, so they burn differently too. I think I got three of them up and running, but there's a few more laying in wait to be resurrected one of these days.... I do prefer split wood though. Merry Christmas to you too.

@@tractorman4461 i use a Stihl 201 top handle saw . light small fast short bar . you can saw with it a long time because it is so lite . john

Yanmar made a pretty good small tractor. My buddy that's a Cub dealer in town just took on Yanmar tractors as a second line last year. Selling a ton of them, most with loaders. They look to be pretty good. Weren't the old Yanmars two cylinder diesels ? Front wheel assist makes a big tractor out of a little tractor. A LOT can be accomplished with these little guys, just like you can attest to. Now you need a buzz saw for the old gal.....

A friend of the family spent a year over in NZ a little while back. Isn't it funny that RU-vid gets all the way over there. If you've used a buzz saw, you know exactly what was covered in the video. Thanks Slim D for the very nice comment.

@@tractorman4461 i haven't ever used one. But ive not long purchased a blade with the bearings and shaft and all that included. So i'm intending to build one. And been doing research here online . To help me to get some ideas together about different design of these buzz saws. To be quite honest your videos Tractorman to me have been like finding gold. Invaluable info for certain. So yeah, thanks again. I'll be bound to be looking back through them again too as well i suspect, from time to time. Just to help me to refresh my mind about things what ive learned here. I always prefer to play safe. So i don't mind to watch through these educational video again. Love from us to you

@@slimdusty6328 Thanks for the extended comment Slim D. If you've purchased new high quality bearings rated for high rpm and a carbide blade, you shouldn't have to be too concerned about limiting the speed of the blade to 600 to 800 rpm. If you've purchased old parts like mine are all made of, keeping within those parameters would be highly suggested. Also beware of the blade condition when using 70, 80 year old blades. Inspect closely for fractures in the center of the gullets. A fracture can without warning cause the blade to separate.... Think about this. Even though the blade is steel, the point of contact with the wood creates restriction to the blade. The blade wants to slow down because of the restriction, but the inertia created by the rotating mass doesn't want to so it creates miniscule ripples of the metal right behind the point of contact. Now, that's not scientific nor probably technically accurate but those vibrations cause work hardening of the blade and the subsequent fractures. At the right time, in a hard and dry tough piece of wood, the wobble will become exaggerated because of the weakening fractures and the blade can and will split to the side lodging itself in the wood, throwing the belt or maybe even ripping the wood from your hand..... So there is a lot to be concerned with when it comes to blade selection. I have several blades that are not usable because of the fractures. If you are powering it with an old tractor like I do here, you can clearly see how wonderfully well the saws perform at the rpms at which they operate. Good luck with your project waaaaay over there and if I can give a little suggestion here or there, leave me a comment and I will try to help.

@@tractorman4461 well thanks so much Tractorman . Its extremely kind of you and i really appreciate this. Very good advice thank you and i will certainly look further into this advice you've provided. First off i'll start by saying that so far ive only needed to outlay $50 NZ, for this ive received a 30+ mm threaded shaft complete with the blade nut on one end, and the two fairly large bearings, plus the flat belt pulley on the opposite end. And of course there's a blade attached . And a few bits of steel of what would have originally been a part of the old buzz saw (they'd cut it off so to make it cheaper to freight down to the person who ive now purchased it from). Anyway, i'm very glad to have this advice you've delivered to me as i'll now most definitely be looking closely at all of those important points you've pointed out to me. These bearing what came on the shaft seem to me to be in perfect condition, and they are fairly large and solid old style bearing of what were usually built as strong as a brick shithouse, so that they'd last a long long time. However, i'll have a local engineer here who i know to take a look at them for me. And i'll also look closely at the blade and make sure to get some opinion from others around here who have been accustomed to sawing wood. However, i suspect even to buy this threaded shaft with the blade nut, and the flat belt pully attached alone would have cost me far more than the $50 ive outlaid so far, if i'd needed to buy it all brand new. So i think i still have the bones in the making of a buzz saw. I've been considering to purchase a new blade of around 700mm diameter , online , of which are tungsten tipped blade. Not sure if this would be best, or not. However my thoughts were that it might help me to maintain a sharp blade, should there happen to be some dirt and stuff ,on the firewood , that i might happen to miss seeing. The blade i have now is more of the older type blade like you describe, will need sharpening and perhaps ever resetting , and its 600mm dia. Anyway i was thinking about building myself a buzz saw of what might at least be able to carry the larger saw blade, if a larger one would ever be required. I happen to have an old lister single banger diesel motor of what i intended to use to run this saw off of. So i'll be setting the saw up in a semi permanent site. Even although i'll still try and engineer it so i can also set it up elsewhere behind a tractor or smaller style auxiliary motor too, if need be . I've been thinking about doing something somewhat similar to this following design . Be very interested to learn your view about what you think about this following style of design of buzz saw. By the way, many years ago i'd purchased a cheap wilderness block of cut-over NZ native forest land. There is some areas of manuka scrub as well too. I've always been a bit of a conservationist at heart and i have a love for animal and birds and so on. These days i now have apiarist who contract to harvest the manuka honey. The flowers are more prolific on the younger trees. And so i'm setting up this buzz saw for use in my selective logging of the manuka scrub bushes. So that i can then create another form of income (ie: firewood plus charcoal) which put together can still act to complement my conservationist style approach. Anyway here is a video of the style of saw i'm considering to create a similar design of ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-75k-90FppRg.html

@@slimdusty6328 I watched the video you provided and boy o boy that machine SINGS !! I can tell by the sound of the blades 'ring' it is running way over 600-800 rpm. If you are going to concentrate the use of the Lister or an old tractor for the power, the expensive blade you are thinking of is probably not necessary unless you just want a superior product that will withstand grit and grime much better than the old style blade. I think both the Lister and the tractor would have to have a transmission style speed increaser or at least an additional 'jack shaft', additional bearings and the appropriate pully sizes to increase the delivered rpm from the power units. What makes that machine run so fast is the horizontal shaft engine whose governed speed is usually going to be 3450 rpm vs 540 rpm of the tractor. The Lister is probably close to the same but I do not know for sure. REAL old bearings are really wide and are what they call 'babbit' filled bearings. They typically cannot sustain super-high rpm like the video link unless they are newly poured bearings. They operate by supporting the shaft on a microscopic film of oil and can never be run without a steady drip of oil into the bearing cavity. Newer 'old' bearings sustain extended higher rpm much better because they usually require nothing but a greasing with daily use. They too are limited in rpm if for no other reason than their age. Most of these old machines sit outside for decades before guys like us get them and Mother Nature has been working to reclaim the iron and steel through the rusting process. Virtually all old bearings are going to be pitted which is the first stage of failure. Extended high rpm will contribute to much earlier failure. Brand new bearings should have a maximum rpm rating from the manufacturer in their spec sheet. You'll have to calculate the arbor speed of your machine and ensure for longevity and reliability that the chosen bearings are within your parameters. Virtually any new blade as you describe will sustain the rpm shown in the video, but beyond any doubt, not the old old blades like I use. The buzz saw in the video looks to be an awesome machine as built for sure. The sound level of the engine being so close will be much more obtrusive that the tractor or Lister in my estimation. Being an antique tractor and machinery buff, it is a bit too fanciful and modern for me, but if you are concerned about production, this is a great machine judging by what little bit I could observe through the screen. Being a conservationist at heart deserves praise. More people need to become aware of the impact modern industrialization has on the world in which we live.

Well Calvin, the whole thing is keeping your head in the right spot when working with these rigs. AND keep the debris out from under your feet at the same time. Thanks for watching another one !! I appreciate your time.

Well like I’ve said a number of times .... I don’t believe information is ours to keep, I think it’s just ours to pass on. The way I see it sometimes something just sticks out like a sore thumb when you see it being done in a different way and the old light bulb in your brain lights up and you think holy cow that’s a LOT easier than the way I do it. At least that’s the way it works with me anyway. LOL. Thanks Robert for watching and commenting too !! Hey .... I’m working on another saw rig video you may like. It’s driven with the long flat belt off the tractor side pulley. It might be a week or so though. Maybe more. Thanks again sir.

Sorry my friend, this comment snuck by me for a few days. LOL I never pass up a free piece of iron. Being retired now though most of the access to it has been cut off, but my son still grabs a few pieces of shorts and off-falls from his continually changing jobsites. I am just glad I was able to bring home as much as I did because #1, I have always built stuff out of it and 2), it keeps it out of the landfill. Back in the day, the general contractors had to pay to have scrap companies set a hopper on site and pay by the pound to send it off. It helped their bottom line to have guys like me lighten the load in the hoppers a little here and a little there. I can't think of a particular video for you to watch, I'd suggesting watching as many as you can of mine as well as others so you get a more balanced idea of ways to use, build or adapt a buzz saw for the way you want to use it. Then proceed with what you decide armed with all kinds of information and ideas. Like there's one thing that puzzles me... Not being a professional saw doctor, I can't think of a single non-carbide wood cutting blade that requires sharpening the back side of the tooth. Yet you see sooooo many guys sharpen these buzz saws on the back of the tooth instead of the front. Hitting the front with a file maintains the tooth geometry whereas hitting the back of the tooth dobbs it off totally changing the shape over time. Some so severely that the back of the tooth actually rubs in the kerf behind the cutting edge that no longer comes in contact with the wood. Now there ARE ripping blades that have opposing angles shaped on the rear of the teeth, but the cutting surface is still sharpened from the front...yet guys still sharpen the rear. Of course all I am doing is mimicking the movements from my old man and have not real expertise to clarify or prove my thoughts.

@@tractorman4461 no worries its all good, and besides you must have so many comments at times that i'd say sometimes might be hard to keep up with answering them all. Im beginning to wonder if this blade what i have might have been sharpened by someone to act as a dual purpose blade . To rip and cross cut. See these to following video where this guy uses his saw to do a bit of both. Although i'm not sure i would feel comfortable to use it the way he's seen to be doing so though, as his hands seem to get mighty close to the blade. In the part two video he shows his method to sharpen in a little more detail ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jKKcyKxu7aQ.html and ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4xA6TFE9cI4.html . On the blade what i have they've sharpened the back side similar to how this guy does, except for that its also look to have been sharpened to a precise angle as well (to the effect that if you were to look at the blade when sitting on the spindle, the angles on the front and the back would kind of come together to create a type of point, being as they'd be on opposite angle). I wonder if perhaps some people might have sharpened blades in this way when they'd be dealing with trees of what would have had mega amounts of knots

Thanks Eric for watching and commenting. So many are afraid of the danger because they don't realize the level of common sense that's required to run these rigs. That's the whole thing in a nutshell.

@@tractorman4461 I agree I want to take time and learn for sure

@@ericbunksvintagesportsman6311 I would suggest for a beginning user to not cross the blade with your are as I do. I've been on these rigs for around 60 years and so many of my actions are 'reflexive'....something that takes thousands of repetitions to acquire. Start out with both hands on one side of the blade and let the cut fall to the ground. Just make sure you stop and clear before they build up to where they can come in contact with the bottom of the blade. And make sure you continually clear the area of debris around your feet. Don't create an unstable environment for your feet. Good Luck. In that thread I suggested there are several on sharpening and shaping the teeth too. At least the old school ways.

@@tractorman4461 Great advice! Thx! I would only cut very small diameter pieces also

Oh heck yeah George, I agree. I have ORC's on several other tractors and they are life savers. My brother in law was pushed by a 6' bush hog right into a tree with a pristine John Deere 1010. Sure was bad for the front end sheet metal. The saw rig I run on this Kubota was originally a stationary unit pinned to the ground. I added the home built three point set up and also the right angle drive off of a 60's JD haybine to allow it to be powered by the PTO. The right angle drive has a factory built in slip clutch on the output shaft that drives the flat belt to the arbor. Its not really the same thing as an ORC, but when subjected to an extreme load, the discs separate and stop rotation in a similar fashion. Thanks for chiming in today and I appreciate your input. By the way...its good to see you stopping by for a visit. Don't be a stranger....LOL.

U know or anyone that gums a buzz saw blade out

@@waynegilmore6805 I don't know anyone that does it commercially, but I do it myself for my own buzz saws. Take a look at these if you'd like: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-06hJGTyCPqM.html Or maybe this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ezvZ7u8jUwE.html. With careful planning, and the right gumming wheel, the same thing can probably be done on an old table saw. But you gotta be careful to avoid overheating. Thanks Wayne, and I have a whole playlist up above with mostly all buzz saw videos.

Hey Bruce..thank you for the awesome comment and yes they are not dangerous at all if you just keep your mind on what you're doing. But there's a lot of guys just won't believe you. They think its the 'Saw of Death' or something. LOL. I've got a lot of videos on these rigs... I need to make a playlist to put them all together. I have several saw rigs, two with three point adaptions and one for the flat belt. Try this one for sharpening:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ezvZ7u8jUwE.html or maybe this one:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ed8WSvOXvkw.html or this one when I was just getting started on youtube:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TZ36Rxpn754.html

Well...I remember being on the tail end of 18' slabs up on the sawmill helping the old man put them through the saw rig on the front of the 101 Junior. Uncle Chippo off bearing and tossing into the dump bed. All this in the snow...slipping this way and that while being chewed out for doing everything wrong...!! LOL. Of course there were plenty times in nice weather too.... Then...sharpening cedar posts....the list goes on. LOL

Yessir, they demand respect. Totally unforgiving. They are not for everyone though. Especially if you don't heat with wood. LOL. They are though quite fun and fast in processing pole wood.

We have taken it to the woods many times. Most of what we get has to be hauled in, so we haul limb wood and logs then stack it separate here at the shop for processing directly into the woodshed. Yes, a side guard would be kinda nice, but a helper is better. Unfortunately they are few and far between when the wood needs cut. By the way, your username is my DIL's mothers name.

Hahahaha....We've recorded Splitter Wars video already and pretty much goofed off the whole time. LOL. We did get it done though !!! I'm thinking.....Buzz Saw Wars....??? LOL Thanks Mike for the comment.

That's a good guy right there. I've watched a number of his videos. An amazing man for sure. Iirc, he lost both his arms to a grain auger as a little kid. Thanks Wendell for the comment. Btw, you are probably only the second guy I've ever met with our first name !!

Yessir, like the old man said....boy, keep your head outta your tail end !! LOL. Thanks Peter for the comment sir.

Yeah, that pretty much sucks. They pop up around here for fifty bucks occasionally but the other day some local greedy gut was asking $500.00 on Marketplace for one. WOW. I am almost positive it is the same one that sold two miles from me a month ago for $75. I called and he had a guy coming over already. I can't believe anyone would pay 500 bucks for one.

@@tractorman4461 I got my buzz saw from my neighbor Bob Collins. He had it in the side yard with a for sale sign. I stopped and looked at it. He was just interested in finding someone who wouldn't scrap it out. We became good friends after that. He is the one who helped me get Big Ernie the Ford 3 ton running. He also drug home a few tractors for me. The buzz saw was cleaned and painted then I waited to find a flat belt drive for it. Got the belt but we ended up selling the house before I ever tried it. Too many irons in the fire. The house has been sold 3 times in the 9 years since we moved. Don't know what happened to the buzz saw. Might be on Marketplace. If you see one painted Farmall Red with a wood frame and 30 inch blade it just might be.

Yes, you're right Mike. Its very difficult to put into words easily ALL that your mind processes during an activity. I usually don't preach safety too much, but there were a few comments on other videos that suggested I should do one. Thanks for watching and commenting sir.

Glad u did! Thankz

Hahahahaha....I'm afraid that video games are a foreign entity to me ! LOL. But I've heard of it at least. If there was a renegade saw guy in there it must be pretty cool !! Though I don't profess safety too often, when it comes to these saws, its better than a good idea....Its a MUST !! Thanks for the comment Bubba G, take care.

Well, by golly....I am happy to hear that Stephen. Don't be a stranger and comment anytime. It may take a while, but I should reply eventually. Thank you for the very pleasant comment sir.