Failed attempt at metal detection

[The Gent]

I have just bought a Lumber Wizard III from Rutlands and it has since played up on me and I have just wrecked a set of planer blades as it failed to local a rouge nail.

Has anyone had any experience with the Lumber Wizard III, should I ask for a replacement or are this there anything else out there in the market that has performed well for anyone?

I have found some cheaper metal detectors out there, I purposely bought the more expensive one from Rutlands to avoid these situations, so I am a bit disappointed to be honest and has halted my projects for the moment.

On a separate note (I am just starting out so please be gentle) has anyone got any thoughts about whether to go for the cheaper tungsten carbide blades or pay more for the re-sharpenable ones? I have got a Fox F22-568 which is more or less identical to the Axminster AW106PT2.

Any thoughts?

 

[RogerP]

On a separate note (I am just starting out so please be gentle) has anyone got any thoughts about whether to go for the cheaper tungsten carbide blades or pay more for the re-sharpenable ones? I have got a Fox F22-568 which is more or less identical to the Axminster AW106PT2.

Any thoughts?

Just don't buy from Sitebox. Their prices look much the same as anyone else’s for planer blades until you see the at the bottom ...

"NOTE: PRICE IS PER BLADE NOT A PAIR OF BLADES" so they are asking 2/3 time as much as others!

They almost caught me a month or so back.

 

[The Gent]

I spotted that, Axminster look reasonable enough.

 

[mtr1]

Axminster where a third dearer than Doug from Cutting solutions(a member here) for me. As for your metal detection problem, are you using reclaimed? If so price tooling/sharpening into the job, and expect to hit some missed nails, most metal detectors are hit or miss in my experience. I just re-sharpen my HSS(or rather my saw doctor does).

 

[The Gent]

Thanks for the reply, I am just an enthusiastic hobbyist. I am lucky that I have a really cheap reclamation yard not too far away. However as I am learning the hard way, paying more money for wood will mean less money/frustration with damaged blades etc and I am currently deliberating about getting the right balance between these two.

Does anyone have any experience with metal detectors that would usually be seen on the beach like this fella:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Discriminating-Me ... 5adea64573

Please forgive me if this is a stupid comment, but what is a saw doctor is it sharpening machine or someone that you send the blades away to?

 

[coille]

I have just bought a Lumber Wizard III from Rutlands and it has since played up on me and I have just wrecked a set of planer blades as it failed to local a rouge nail.

Has anyone had any experience with the Lumber Wizard III, should I ask for a replacement or are this there anything else out there in the market that has performed well for anyone?

I have found some cheaper metal detectors out there, I purposely bought the more expensive one from Rutlands to avoid these situations, so I am a bit disappointed to be honest and has halted my projects for the moment.

On a separate note (I am just starting out so please be gentle) has anyone got any thoughts about whether to go for the cheaper tungsten carbide blades or pay more for the re-sharpenable ones? I have got a Fox F22-568 which is more or less identical to the Axminster AW106PT2.

Any thoughts?

I have got so fed up of hitting nails that I have also started the hunt for a suitable metal detector, but I suspected the Lumber Wizard and other similar 'airport swipe' types just wouldnt cut it in thick or green timber and what you are saying proves it. I cant give you the miracle answer though - sorry :!: After searching for ages online and failing to get any satisfactory info I actually joined a metal detecting forum the other day and asked them the question and got loads of responses (most not very practical and involving squandering loopy amounts of cash on conveyor belts and airport scale x-ray machines) but there was one local guy who I think is going to come and test out his kit on my naily timber in return for letting him potter about detecting over my various acres. I dont know if I'll be any the wiser at the end of it but I'll let you know if so. I suspect the piece of kit will be a run of the mill pro entry level standard metal detector, new around £125-150, second hand on the bay maybe £50 and I think thats what I'll probably get.

Pat

 

[Henning]

Funnily enough i had a rather long conversation with the owner of one of Norways largest and oldest importers of metal detectors last week. He quite strongly advised a completely different detector than the lumber wizard. He also stated i could just as well buy one of his chinese handscanners for the equivalent of GBP 49 and get the same as i would get in the lumber wizard. Here's the one which he meant would be best for small scale sawmills and home use: http://www.detection.com/Tesoro/silverum.html which at the equivalent of GBP 350 in Norway was a little too much.

I have not tried one, but been invited over for a testrun, which i may take him up on in the near future.

Please note i have NO technical understanding and is basing everything above on what a vendor in Norway told me.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Please forgive me if this is a stupid comment, but what is a saw doctor is it sharpening machine or someone that you send the blades away to?

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers!

A saw doctor is a person who sharpens saws and other blades. These days it's largely done by machine, of course. It's always struck me as odd why they are called saw doctors. If they are dealing with teeth one would expect them to be called saw dentists!

S

 

[coille]

Funnily enough i had a rather long conversation with the owner of one of Norways largest and oldest importers of metal detectors last week. He quite strongly advised a completely different detector than the lumber wizard. He also stated i could just as well buy one of his chinese handscanners for the equivalent of GBP 49 and get the same as i would get in the lumber wizard. Here's the one which he meant would be best for small scale sawmills and home use: http://www.detection.com/Tesoro/silverum.html which at the equivalent of GBP 350 in Norway was a little too much.

I have not tried one, but been invited over for a testrun, which i may take him up on in the near future.

Please note i have NO technical understanding and is basing everything above on what a vendor in Norway told me.

good advice, I see that one is available from at least one UK supplier @ £335, so it is pricey

Pat

 

[Esox Lucius]

My other hobby is metal detecting and after several years of this past time and also several metal detectors i can safely say you only get what you pay for.

I cannot really speak for nail finding as my 2 main machines find them with no problems but if you do go down the metal detector line i would say the minimum you want to be spending is £300 to £350 to be sure that there are no nails in the wood.

I currently use a Minelab Etrac and an XP Dues.

Both are fantastic but combined your looking over the £3000 mark which is a little pricey for nail finding. Infact if i find a nail when i am out in the fields i would be most upset as i have them set them to ignore it all ferrous.

I have also got small hand scanners and have mostly failed to locate nails in wood much deeper than 1 1/2 inches.

The Tesoro's are a good detector but again you get what you pay for with those machines.

I cannot give you an answer to what to get within sensible budgets though.

 

[Mike.C]

I have just bought a Lumber Wizard III from Rutlands and it has since played up on me and I have just wrecked a set of planer blades as it failed to local a rouge nail.

Has anyone had any experience with the Lumber Wizard III, should I ask for a replacement or are this there anything else out there in the market that has performed well for anyone?

I have found some cheaper metal detectors out there, I purposely bought the more expensive one from Rutlands to avoid these situations, so I am a bit disappointed to be honest and has halted my projects for the moment.

On a separate note (I am just starting out so please be gentle) has anyone got any thoughts about whether to go for the cheaper tungsten carbide blades or pay more for the re-sharpenable ones? I have got a Fox F22-568 which is more or less identical to the Axminster AW106PT2.

Any thoughts?

I have a Lumber Wizard (Red One) which I presume is the number 2, and I have not had any problem with it. How long ago did you buy yours? If it is not to long then I would return it and get my money back, because it does not work as stated.

Cheers

Mike

 

[Digit]

I've had a Lumber Wizard for some years now and have had only one problem with it, if the sensitivty is set too high you can get false readings, other than that it has paid for itself over and over.

Roy.

 

[Steel City Man]

If it is not to long then I would return it and get my money back, because it does not work as stated.

I agree - if you are using it correctly and it's failing to do the job its intended for, then you should be due a refund or at the very least get it swapped out with a new one (assuming the one you have is faulty).

 

[RogerS]

Have to say that my Lumber Wizard has never let me down, either.

 

[paulm]

Likewise, my small version lumber wizard has been great so far, picks up ends of nails in 2x4 when cutting up for kindling and similar stuff when resawing large logs, wouldn't be without it. I expect it may miss something small buried deep one day, so may not be a perfect solution but certainly a no-brainer on the cost/benefit front for me.

Cheers, Paul