From these pictures you can see the cutting teeth are shaped and how they bolt to the rotating cutting wheel.  

Here are some company webpage's that give you more info on the differing designs of wheel and teeth.

Rayco, Sandvik, King Kong Tools, Green teeth, multitip, Leonardi.

In order for the machine to cut efficiently and to increase the machines longevity, the teeth have to be kept sharp. Some operators change the old dull teeth with new ones, others resharpen their teeth on a grinding wheel specially set up to grind away the tungsten Carbide tips that make up the cutting surface (shown in red on this example of a Vermeer tooth).

 

The average cost of a new tooth is 8 GBP and a machine will have from eight to thirty six teeth and can have more on the cutting wheel depending on the design of the wheel and size of the machine. On stony ground you can wear out a tooth in no time at all. Preparation and the skill of the operator help prolong the life of the tooth. This wear of course has to be included in the cost of the job. Setting a cutting wheel up is an art, most of us stick with the manufacturers original spec but some can go to great lengths to maximise there machines potential. Check this Tree Stumpers opinion of his cutter wheel compared with a colleagues. This was written by Todd Cates in America.

A link to www.arboristsite.com an interesting forum and insight in the world of  arborist's and stump grinder's worldwide.

Tungsten carbide, WC or W2C, is a chemical compound containing tungsten and carbon, similar to titanium carbide. Its extreme hardness makes it useful in the manufacture of cutting tools, abrasives and bearings, as a cheaper alternative to diamond. Tungsten carbide is also used in wedding rings.

 

    

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