Minnesota Shop Reconditions Big Sawmill Blades

Minnesota Shop Reconditions Big Sawmill Blades WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous From Alaska to Nebraska sawmill owners seek out Jim Voigt and his saw blade reconditioning service Customers have good reason to come to him Voigt charges an average of $150 to hammer a warped circular blade back in shape a huge savings over the $2 000 cost of a new blade “I was 15 when I started hammering saws ” says Voigt who is now 58 “It’s Old World craftsmanship I was fortunate to step in to it with an uncle who was very good at it ” He and his two brothers work out of the same building their father and uncle built in Rice Minn in 1945 While the shop has modern tools it still has the old blacksmith shop including a forge and a line shaft that runs a Little Giant power hammer grinder and drill press The business is well-known as the place to go with blades that have warped and don’t run straight “My job is to re-tension the steel so that when they turn it at say 600 rpm’s it’s a stiff piece of metal ” Voigt says He has a special anvil several hammers in different weights and shapes and straight edges from 6 in to 4 ft long Voigt figures out where the blade is stretched and hammers other areas to make it even with the right tension “My uncle used to say he didn’t charge for hammering He charged for knowing where to hit ” Voigt says When reconditioned right saw blades can last for years Voigt has worked on blades that are older than him The biggest blade he ever worked on was more than 6 ft in dia but they average between 50 and 60 in He gets a lot of business from mills in Minnesota Iowa Wisconsin and the Dakotas but customers also ship blades to him and have driven up from as far away as Nebraska After getting the blade to room temperature it takes about 3 hrs to recondition it As many sawmills go out of business Voigt has noticed fewer blades coming in but there’s still plenty of demand as there are only a handful of shops that recondition blades The Voigts also weld band saw blades and do farm repair including sharpening plow lathes and a variety of machine work Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Rice Blacksmith Saw and Machine P O Box 175 E Main Street Rice Minn 56367 ph 877 224-5251

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