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Will the Lathe-Mizer crossbreed?

Started by Greg Cook, January 30, 2007, 08:59:20 PM

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Greg Cook

You gent'men who own or have used a Lathe-Mizer...can it be adapted to other breeds of bandmills? It seems from the pics I've seen it would just bolt on, so there might be a little engineering to rig it up.  My bandmill choice has been limited to the WM's by wanting the Lathe, but if I came aross a good deal that wasn't orange, I want to know I could make it work.  Any ideas or suggestions?
"Ain't it GOOD to be alive and be in TENNESSEE!" Charlie Daniels

Bibbyman

I don't know of any reason a Lathe-Mizer wouldn't work on a bandmill of other brands.  For sure, you'll have to be a little adaptive in bolting it down.

But why would you want to?

P.S.  I hear there are some new features being added for the Lathe-Mizer for 2007 to make it even more fun.  Maybe in a few days we'll all know.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Robert Long

Bibbyman

I would guess it will be a tool rest for chisels so you could carve tapers and turnings to the post and perhaps even a duplicator.

Robert

Bibbyman

Quote from: Robert Long on January 31, 2007, 07:13:56 PM
Bibbyman

I would guess it will be a tool rest for chisels so you could carve tapers and turnings to the post and perhaps even a duplicator.

Robert
I don't think so...   I'm guessing it's a tool frame to mount something like a router so you can cut tenons.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

LT40HDD51

The Lathe-Mizer will mount on almost any bandsaw mill out there. It hooks under the bed rails of my mill with j-bolts, and the blade does all the cutting. Check out http://www.woodmizer.com/en/sawmills/options/lathemizer.aspx for a pretty good look. I'm in the middle of rebuilding my website to include a bunch of lathe pics, hopefully will be done soon.
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

Greg Cook

Leave it to Mr. Bibby to drop teases about "possible" upcoming Orange Toys !  Just keeping my options open, that's all.  Got some ideas about "value-added products" with that there lathe. Even wife-o'-mine thinks it's a good idea.

Thanks for the info LT40'.  We'd all like a look at that website when you get it all in order.
"Ain't it GOOD to be alive and be in TENNESSEE!" Charlie Daniels

LT40HDD51

Quote from: Greg Cook on January 31, 2007, 08:37:04 PM
... Thanks for the info LT40'. We'd all like a look at that website when you get it all in order.

My website's gettin better, just redesigned it allĀ  :). Got some lathe pics on there now. Check it out... Its on the Edger & Acc. page

Hope you guys dont see this as advertising, not my intention. Just want to show you guys where the Lathe-Mizer was bornĀ  ;D Someday I'll have to figger out how to post pics on here...
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

Greg Cook

Nice website, well done. Pretty snazzy looking horse shed there, too.

Greg
"Ain't it GOOD to be alive and be in TENNESSEE!" Charlie Daniels

footer

I have read that some people have hinted at having intrest in Woodmizer putting a toolrest or such on the Lathemizer. I too think that would be cool, but do any of you think that it would never happen because of liability issues with having hand held tools and your body in such close proximity of a large spinning chunk of wood?
I have also wondered why that the mills that have accuset cannot make a complete cycle automatically, cut, lift, return, drop to next cut by itself,  or Say if you had a cant sitting on the mill and you want to slice it all the way through into 4/4 boards without turning it. You could turn it on auto and let her rip, either dragging the boards off or lifting the head up and leaving all the board on the stack. I would love to see that, but I assume there would be too much liability on Woodmizer if they were to desighn that in.

cut2size

The new lathemizer "toy" is a tenon maker.  It is adjustable as to length of tenon and looks a lot like the lathemizer.  But it is a stand alone addon.  It looks like a gigantic pencil sharpener (electric).  It also looks like it could be a stand alone lathe.  It didn't really interest me so I did not watch much of the demo.  I only saw it cutting tennons out of round stock.  They made a twin size bed out of small round logs put together with mortise and tenons.  They used large forstner bits on a drill press for the mortices.
David
P.S. The bed was well made and very attractive.
cut2size

LT40HDD51

Quote from: footer on February 14, 2007, 02:05:22 PM
...I have also wondered why that the mills that have accuset cannot make a complete cycle automatically, cut, lift, return, drop to next cut by itself, or Say if you had a cant sitting on the mill and you want to slice it all the way through into 4/4 boards without turning it. You could turn it on auto and let her rip, either dragging the boards off or lifting the head up and leaving all the board on the stack...

With the lathe, you can just use auto-up (1") and auto-down (1") to return to the same place. The accuset is designed to always go to the next cut down, so you just need to hit the button each time to go up and back down to the same spot as last cut.

I guess you mean let the mill go all on its own without touching it, and have it cut the cant down all by itself? Yeah, prob liability issues. They already say you shouldn't use the board return when running a mill by yourself... Prob need more sophisticated electronics for something like that, too (different cant sizes and lengths...).
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

Bibbyman

Quote from: LT40HDD51 on February 14, 2007, 05:37:58 PM
Quote from: footer on February 14, 2007, 02:05:22 PM
...I have also wondered why that the mills that have accuset cannot make a complete cycle automatically, cut, lift, return, drop to next cut by itself, or Say if you had a cant sitting on the mill and you want to slice it all the way through into 4/4 boards without turning it. You could turn it on auto and let her rip, either dragging the boards off or lifting the head up and leaving all the board on the stack...

With the lathe, you can just use auto-up (1") and auto-down (1") to return to the same place. The accuset is designed to always go to the next cut down, so you just need to hit the button each time to go up and back down to the same spot as last cut.

I guess you mean let the mill go all on its own without touching it, and have it cut the cant down all by itself? Yeah, prob liability issues. They already say you shouldn't use the board return when running a mill by yourself... Prob need more sophisticated electronics for something like that, too (different cant sizes and lengths...).

One main obstacle to having an automatic cycle like you suggest is that the Accuset is only reading the height of the blade above the bed.  In other words,  it's only controlling up and down. 

To have the auto cycle,  you'd have to have something reading the distance the head travels forward and back on the track.  That would add a lot of complexity to the system - I'd think.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Greg Cook

Quote from: Bibbyman on February 14, 2007, 07:00:37 PM
Quote from: LT40HDD51 on February 14, 2007, 05:37:58 PM
Quote from: footer on February 14, 2007, 02:05:22 PM
...I have also wondered why that the mills that have accuset cannot make a complete cycle automatically, cut, lift, return, drop to next cut by itself, or Say if you had a cant sitting on the mill and you want to slice it all the way through into 4/4 boards without turning it. You could turn it on auto and let her rip, either dragging the boards off or lifting the head up and leaving all the board on the stack...

With the lathe, you can just use auto-up (1") and auto-down (1") to return to the same place. The accuset is designed to always go to the next cut down, so you just need to hit the button each time to go up and back down to the same spot as last cut.

I guess you mean let the mill go all on its own without touching it, and have it cut the cant down all by itself? Yeah, prob liability issues. They already say you shouldn't use the board return when running a mill by yourself... Prob need more sophisticated electronics for something like that, too (different cant sizes and lengths...).

One main obstacle to having an automatic cycle like you suggest is that the Accuset is only reading the height of the blade above the bed. In other words, it's only controlling up and down.

To have the auto cycle, you'd have to have something reading the distance the head travels forward and back on the track. That would add a lot of complexity to the system - I'd think.


Bibby, I wonder if you could use an "electric eye" type switch (think driveway alarm or garage door safety switch) at either end. one end would be fixed, and the far end could be moveable to set the length of the log. It would trigger the "return" mode, and when the eye at the operator end sensed the sawhead, it could trigger the drop for the next cut. These could also be contact switches that were triggered by a small arm you attached (built to break away for safety's sake).
"Ain't it GOOD to be alive and be in TENNESSEE!" Charlie Daniels

LT40HDD51

Then you get the nice wet sawdust covering them up. I remember someone at WM saying they dont like optical sensors because of that.

Quote from: Greg Cook on February 13, 2007, 10:26:59 PM
Nice website, well done. Pretty snazzy looking horse shed there, too.

Thanks Greg. We built it this past fall (the horse shed). The big mutt's happy in there when the wind's howlin  ;D.
The name's Ian. Been a sawyer for 6 years professionally, Dad bought his first mill in '84, I was 2 years old :). Factory trained service tech. as well... Happy to help any way I can...

Bibbyman

Now what would be really neat is to have the head travel controlled so you could saw contours and shapes.  Imagine being able to saw out ribs of a wooden boat or fancy beams?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

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