Chatted with an old butcher in Detroit about bone dust - game changer

I was breaking down a side of beef last Tuesday and this retired guy, Frank, watched me for a minute. He said, 'You're making more dust than you need to, kid,' and showed me how to angle my saw blade just a few degrees different. It cut the bone dust by like half, and my band saw blade lasted through 3 whole carcasses before needing a change. Has anyone else picked up a tiny trick from a stranger that totally shifted your workflow?

3 comments

3 Comments

emerym361mo ago

Frank's 75-year-old angle trick reminds me of something my grandpa used to say about sharpening auger bits. One small adjustment on that saw changes the whole dynamic of particles flying off, which most people overlook because they focus on blade speed instead of bite angle. Your mileage may vary on different bone densities, but saving a blade that long is a solid return on a 30 second conversation.

the_wesley1mo ago

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of overlooked detail that keeps a tool cutting right for decades.

thomas_torres1mo ago

That bit about "flying off" really hits it for me, I've found that if the angle is even a couple degrees off the waste just packs in the gullets instead of clearing. I mean, you can run the fastest blade in the world but it'll just burn through the kerf if the clearance isn't there. A quick check with a protractor on the tooth set has saved me more time than any fancy motor ever has.