woodmizer sharpener won't start

Dan_Shade · April 30, 2007, 07:51:01 PM

I have an older woodmizer sharpener that will only feed every now and then, it also will stop intermittantly while sharpening (but not flip the breaker). I took the control box apart looking for loose wires/smoke free parts, but didn't see anything. Have any of you guys chased this down, or am I looking at needing to replace the control box?

Radar67 · April 30, 2007, 08:00:27 PM

Dan, I have an older WM sharpener as well. It once wouldn't start with me. I looked the control box over with a fine tooth comb and couldn't find anything. After several pushes on the start and stop buttons, it started working again. I chalked it up to the internal contacts having a little corrosion on them. It's worked fine since then. Something to look at.

Stew

Tom · April 30, 2007, 08:03:34 PM

Most of the problems I've had were broken wires, bad connections or dirt.

The two places that I get bad connections is going into the control box or coming out of the 'rectifier?" the AC to DC box.

IF the dirt builds in the clamp for the blade, it will bind the blade and could cause it to stop advancing.

Having the pushrod upside down might do it because it pushes down instead of ahead.

Believe it or not, I've also had a magnet come off of a blade and get lodged beside the micro switch. Sometime it would get close enough to turn the sharpener off. Just because you have a magnet on the blade doesn't mean that you don't have another one floating around down there somewhere. :D

I guess the first diagnosis is whether the Cam motor is still running or not.

LT40HDD51 · April 30, 2007, 08:57:54 PM

Ive seen the feed rate switch go bad, as well as the start/stop buttons...

woodmills1 · April 30, 2007, 09:02:06 PM

too much dirt buid up near the auto shut off will do that but might be too simple a fix

pineywoods · April 30, 2007, 09:12:03 PM

Mine did that. It was worn out brushes in the motor

Dan_Shade · April 30, 2007, 09:36:59 PM

nothing works (the cam advance motor or the grinder). the start switch has a bad solder joint on it, so I took it off and was jumping the wires, it wouldn't do anything.

it is getting voltage from the rectifier

pineywoods, which motor? i would think at least one of them would work... sometimes, it will click, then shut off, but it's not tripping the breaker.

Tom · April 30, 2007, 09:40:40 PM

there is a breaker on the rectifier and also a breaker on the back of the control box.

It's probably something simple like the start switch not working or a broken line in that circuit. You can also get loose connections where the wires go into the back of the control box. That's where I get all my grief.

gmmills · April 30, 2007, 09:48:30 PM

I've also had the magnetic sensor fail. Easy to trouble shoot . When the feed starts to act up just disconnect the sensor from the control box. If the feed returns to normal with the sensor is bad. Check the connector on the end of the sensor pig tail for corrosion. I put dielectric grease on all of my sharpener connections to help with any corrosion issues.

Dan_Shade · April 30, 2007, 09:52:23 PM

heh, i've been through all that :(

i'll mess with it some more tomorrow. I have a DC power supply somewhere around here, the real problem is my good meter broke (i'm seeing a trend).

VA-Sawyer · April 30, 2007, 10:57:58 PM

Dan,
I had the same thing happen on my older sharpener.There is a relay on the board. I could pull the cover off mine to clean the contacts. Problem fixed and still working well. See if the cover will pull of your relay.
VA-Sawyer

Dan_Shade · May 01, 2007, 06:12:31 PM

it's working tonight, it must have heard me talking....

my relay cover won't come off. oh well, i'll keep screwing around with it.

Fla._Deadheader · May 01, 2007, 06:26:57 PM

If ya get frustrated, I'll take it ;)

Chris Burchfield · May 01, 2007, 06:53:21 PM

Since I don't have one and know little about electrical items, I suggest you pull the choke out and hit the switch till it turns over a couple of times. Ifin that don't start put some air in the tires and try it again. :D :D :D. I'd listen to the prior suggestions and don't take mine to heart. Just wanted to throw a funny at it. Course, you could send it to me and I'd try anything once. Chris.

Dan_Shade · May 01, 2007, 07:05:03 PM

yeah yeah, har har...

the drive motor quit working now, this thing's possessed!

also, I upgraded the clamp assembly, where is it supposed to blow out water? mine puts it out to the left of the wheel (facing the grinder) and the back of the tooth gets blue sometimes... the hole in the clamp is not centered

here's a video I shot the other night:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1534100346302871013

pineywoods · May 01, 2007, 07:09:47 PM

Dumb me, I didn't read your post completely. On mine, it was just the grinder motor-brushes, the feed motor still ran ok.

Dan_Shade · May 01, 2007, 07:12:46 PM

:D

Radar67 · May 01, 2007, 07:48:43 PM

Dan, from the sound of the motor, you may be grinding too much material off in one pass. Sounded like the motor stalled at the bottom of the gullet and starting back up the back of the tooth.

Stew

Dan_Shade · May 01, 2007, 08:37:31 PM

that's another thing with it, is it doesn't have very much power... how much can you take off in a pass?

Radar67 · May 01, 2007, 08:58:18 PM

I set mine to just lightly touch the metal. With the motor off, I can turn the wheel by hand and just barely feel the contact. Make one pass, then adjust a little more and make a second pass.

Taking a big pass could be the reason some of your teeth are turning blue on the tip. I don't know what the max is. I figure the least I can take off to get it sharp, the more times I can sharpen it.

Stew

jpgreen · May 02, 2007, 02:46:12 AM

Mines less than a year old, and it does the same thing. In fact it's done it since it was new. Sometimes it won't start. I check all connections, hit the start button 4 or 5 times, get frustated for a second pause or 2, hit it again and it will magically work.

I think somethings faulty.. :

Does a great job when it does work though.. ;D

Stephen · May 02, 2007, 12:31:55 PM

Hello all,
I too could use some help with the sharpener. ???
I noticed in the video the push rod from the cam is on top of the pivot pin. Mine is on the bottom.
I turned mine over, but turned it back without ever sharpening a blade. As Tom mentioned, it pushes down, more than forward. I checked the manual and any pictures show it below.

Does anyone know for sure? Can we vote on it? ;D

Stephen in NS

Fla._Deadheader · May 02, 2007, 02:45:31 PM

I'll take any of 'em. i ain't fussy 8) 8) ;D ;D ;D

Tom · May 02, 2007, 04:09:14 PM

I keep the push arm beneath the pivot . There is much less strain on the motor.

I have put it on top when experimenting with blade configurations. When on top, the thrust is shorter and can allow for deeper gullets and taller teeth. You can use it to compensate for grinding some tooth configurations when you have the wrong cam.

(Having it on top will sometimes cause the device to stall when the split pin hits a rough spot.) ;D

cptbob06 · May 02, 2007, 09:51:22 PM

I am having a similar problem with my sharpener. I just took the control box cover off and i think I found the source of my problem. There is a solenoid contactor on the circuit board that activates when you push the start button. Apparently mine is not working all the time. You can see it try at times to pull the contactor and send electricity to the motors. However it isn't holding the switch closed and it "clicks" back and forth. If you hold the contactor closed with a pencil, the motors start right up. I would venture a guess that the solenoid acts as a overload protection. Has onyone talked to Woodmizer about this.

LT40HDD51 · May 04, 2007, 09:26:17 PM

Quote from: Stephen on May 02, 2007, 12:31:55 PM
...I noticed in the video the push rod from the cam is on top of the pivot pin. Mine is on the bottom....

Thats the way it should be, on the bottom. Thats how they all come new. Good to see another Bluenoser ;D Where you from?

Quote from: Dan_Shade on May 01, 2007, 08:37:31 PM
that's another thing with it, is it doesn't have very much power... how much can you take off in a pass?

In the clip you are taking off a bit too much for one pass. You dont want to hear the grinder motor bog down too much, when it does the wheel loses its rim speed and cant cut very well. There comes a point where you get so heavy that stalling the motor makes it take less material off...