Thread: Metal detector

Recycled timber or any timber for that matter with metal in it and a thicky really don't like each other .

I have the Carbatec metal detector. It works. Sometimes it goes beep and I can't see anything there that looks like metal.
Start digging around and presto another nail. Saved my thicky endless times.

At $69 it's worth it.

http://www.carbatec.com.au/metal-detector_c19775

Originally Posted by Dunks11

Hi All,
I have ruined a set of thicknesser blades (hitachi 330mm) and was thinking of getting a cheap metal detector to avaoid this in future. Is a hand held security scanner likely to do the trick? any other suggestions?
Cheers,
Dunks

Security scanners are designed to pick up weapons so they may not be adequate for what you need. Like The Bleeder I have the Carbatech unit. It actually has the same circuit inside it as some one the more sensitive Security scanners but it seems to do the trick.

Good Morning Dunks

Unlike the Bleeder and Bob I am not sold on metal detectors. I like using salvaged timber, but some may have none metalic nasties that are as hard as metal and do horrible things to your blades:

• railway sleeprs (genuine ones, not BigChain) may have imbedded gravel,
• wharf timbers may have oyster shells growing in cavities,
• imbedded grit and sand does almost as much damage cumulatively as nails.

I used to use a friends metal detector - he came with it to lift the timber - but we also got quite a few false positive readings and false negative readings. It didn't buzz when there was a nasty, or it buzzed when there wasn't a nasty.

I suggest that you do what I do. Keep your old, nicked thicknesser blades, rename them sacrificial blades, and use them for primary planing of salvaged timbers. Get a new set of pristine blades and use them as smoothing blades, named accordingly. Saves a lot of worry, and some rude words.......



Fair Winds

Graeme

I also have the carbatec metal detector and find it good for finding hidden metal
but one thing to remember is don't have any metal on the hand holding the timber as I spent nearly an hour chasing a piece of metal only to finally relize it was my wedding ring was setting the detector off under the timber
regards Michael

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the advise, I think I will get the carbatec detector and follow Graeme's advise of using the old set for the first run.

Cheers,

Dunks

Dunks,

I think there was a thread on using recycled timber....what tools are needed....

I'll try and find it....no luck.

Basically when i use recycled timber it gets a wash down with the hose (going with the grain).

Then a scrub with a stiff brush )sometimes a wire brush) then the pressure washer, again going with the grain. (washes out the grit and other stuff)

Then going over it with the metal detector and removing all the metal bits.

Now out with the hand held electric planer and clean up the timber. Then the metal detector over again to find out anything you missed the first time.

I don't really care about the blades in the electric planer as a new set is cheap, not so the thicky blades. (try and save them as best I can)

So just using a metal detector on recycled timber is not going to save your thicky blades. It's all in the preparation.

Hope this helps so it won't happen again.

Good Morning Steve

You make it sound like a lot of work! I essentially do the same thing but I have dropped a couple of steps. Now I do as follows :

• Wash with Karcher pressure hose with grain and hose on 45* angle. Sometimes using screwdriver to remove stubborn grit/gravel.
• Primary plane with sacrificial blades in thicknesser.
• Smooth plane with smoothing blades in thicknesser.

At all stages maintain visual vigilence for embedded nasties.

I do hand sharpen my sacrificial baldes but make no attempt to remove the nicks (where they hit nails, etc.) These nicks leave tiny ridges on the planed surfaces which later disappear with the first pass of the smoothing operation.



Fair Winds

Graeme