Debarker blade

nas · September 27, 2009, 03:35:26 PM

My new mill has a debarker and the blade is very dull. Can I touch it up with a grinder?

Nick

Magicman · September 27, 2009, 04:37:40 PM

My WM debarker blade is carbide tipped, so it would take a diamond wheel to sharpen it. Even when dull, it seems to keep on working. My teeth are rounded off so badly that I don't think that there is much to sharpen anyway.

During my last couple of orders I've tried to remember to order one, but when I try to remember......I forget... :-[

moonhill · September 27, 2009, 06:34:50 PM

Mine is three 7-1/4" skill saw blades stacked, I save the ones from other skill saws and use them up on the de-barker.

Tim

york · September 27, 2009, 06:41:51 PM

Now,you guys with a mudsaw on your mill,are lucky to have it-now keep them sharp...Bert

nas · September 27, 2009, 08:01:44 PM

Tim
Is that a woodmizer debarker?

Nick

backwoods sawyer · September 28, 2009, 12:13:25 AM

Mine was getting worn down real good and was missing 3 teeth, I checked with the carbide shop and they wanted as much to re tip it as a new one cost. So I ordered a new one and it sure throughs the bark and mud back at me for the first few feet of the cut until it gets out there a ways. Next it will be time to replace the motor as the shaft is badly worn, and the list goes on.

bandmiller2 · September 28, 2009, 05:32:51 AM

Nick what you need is a silicon carbide grinding stone[grinding rock to you southern boys]or what they call a green wheel.Very much cheaper than a diamond and will touch up the tips almost as well.They are usally available as a bench grinder stone remove the mudsaw and touch up at the bench ,I tweek 7 1/4 saw blades all the time on the green wheel.Frank C.

moonhill · September 28, 2009, 07:22:48 AM

Nick, no it is not. It is a nice step above a home made rig from Breezewood, now out of business. By the way there is a large washer which acts as a shoulder for the blades to snug up to and a depth stop, just for info if any one is thinking of making one up. I have only see one other debarker on a mill and don't recall all the details, it was a WM and fancy, very robust. Check arbor size it could be an option?

Tim

WH_Conley · September 28, 2009, 08:10:10 AM

I wore one plumb out on my WM. Take an angle grinder and grind the metal on the backside of the carbide. That is what determines how much bite you get.

Bibbyman · September 28, 2009, 09:05:21 AM

When Mary and I visited down in Madisonville, KY some three years ago, I asked David Downey, Manager of Re-Sharp services if they had any plans to provide services to sharpen and refurbish the debarker blades. He said they'd thought about it.

Maybe it's time to think about it some more.

We have a short stack of blades that have broken, lost, and or loose teeth in them. It sure would be nice to put them back into service.

Bibbyman · September 29, 2009, 06:56:16 PM

David got back to me today by e-mail. Looks like Wood-Mizer is still not interested in refurbishing debarker blades.

But I've taken matters in my on hands. We'll see how that works!

I had a total of 5 damaged debarker blades we'd accumulated over 7 years. Four had one tooth broken off or missing. One had more than a few broken and missing.

I took the blades to a local welding shop and he removed the viable teeth from the blade most damaged and replaced the broken or lost teeth in the other four.

Last year Harbor Tools had a blade sharpener on sale so I bought one. I just free handed the sharpening - just cleaned up the face and top of each tooth.

If all goes well, I'll have 7 more years worth of debarker blades.

Magicman · September 29, 2009, 10:01:30 PM

Nice. I've got two with missing teeth. I could put them together and make one. I'll have to unwind the acetylene hose.

DR Buck · September 29, 2009, 10:59:06 PM

It wasn't the missing tooth, it was the bent wobbling blade that bothered me. ;D I put on a new one and bought a spare just in case.

Bibbyman · September 30, 2009, 03:37:10 AM

Quote from: DR_Buck on September 29, 2009, 10:59:06 PM
It wasn't the missing tooth, it was the bent wobbling blade that bothered me. ;D I put on a new one and bought a spare just in case.

Wow! Those blades are so heavy I don't see how you could bend one without doing a lot of damage to the motor shaft and or the shield, etc.

MartyParsons · September 30, 2009, 07:09:38 AM

When doing a service I always check and make sure the arbor set screws are tight. If they arbor comes loose from the motor it is very costly. A little checking makes things go much better.
M

Bibbyman · September 30, 2009, 08:47:52 AM

Quote from: MartyParsons on September 30, 2009, 07:09:38 AM
When doing a service I always check and make sure the arbor set screws are tight. If they arbor comes loose from the motor it is very costly. A little checking makes things go much better.
M

Yes! I found that the arbor shaft on our debarker would slip a couple of degrees. The set screw was tight but the key had badly worn. The side of the key slot on the motor shaft is well worn. I put in a new key and made sure the set screws were tight and locked them with Loc-Tite.

Bibbyman · September 30, 2009, 05:33:40 PM

Quote from: Bibbyman on September 30, 2009, 08:47:52 AM
Quote from: MartyParsons on September 30, 2009, 07:09:38 AM
When doing a service I always check and make sure the arbor set screws are tight. If they arbor comes loose from the motor it is very costly. A little checking makes things go much better.
M

Yes! I found that the arbor shaft on our debarker would slip a couple of degrees. The set screw was tight but the key had badly worn. The side of the key slot on the motor shaft is well worn. I put in a new key and made sure the set screws were tight and locked them with Loc-Tite.

You think if worse came to worse and the keyway did strip out, do you think it'd be worth trying to cross drill the coupler and shaft and run a bolt or pin through? Looks like if it worked, you'd be way ahead. If it didn't, you'd just be out your time.

DR Buck · September 30, 2009, 05:38:34 PM

Quote from: Bibbyman on September 30, 2009, 03:37:10 AM
Quote from: DR_Buck on September 29, 2009, 10:59:06 PM
It wasn't the missing tooth, it was the bent wobbling blade that bothered me. ;D I put on a new one and bought a spare just in case.

Wow! Those blades are so heavy I don't see how you could bend one without doing a lot of damage to the motor shaft and or the shield, etc.

I was turning a BIG UGLY oak log and it flipped backward over the claw and slammed into the debarker. Good thing I had the lifting arms up or it would have gone across the log yard.

backwoods sawyer · September 30, 2009, 07:15:56 PM

Quote from: Bibbyman on September 30, 2009, 05:33:40 PM
You think if worse came to worse and the keyway did strip out, do you think it'd be worth trying to cross drill the coupler and shaft and run a bolt or pin through? Looks like if it worked, you'd be way ahead. If it didn't, you'd just be out your time.

When I got my mill, the key way had wallered out and the previous owner had drilled out the hole. The setscrews have worn a grove and no longer hold it in place and the hole is just about wallered out to the point that the end of the shaft is going to just fall off. When it does, I will have to order a new motor for the up down and stick the old up down motor on the debarker. I would rather replace the feed motor but it has a different frame.

Jim H · September 30, 2009, 09:20:56 PM

On one of my previous mills I was able to build up the slot with a welder and grind back to the proper size with a dremel tool. It probably took an hour or so. I don't know how bad your shaft is but it might be worth a try. I also had to replace the arbor, as it had been wallowed out and wouldn't run true.

Bibbyman · September 30, 2009, 09:57:46 PM

Quote from: Jim H on September 30, 2009, 09:20:56 PM
On one of my previous mills I was able to build up the slot with a welder and grind back to the proper size with a dremel tool. It probably took an hour or so. I don't know how bad your shaft is but it might be worth a try. I also had to replace the arbor, as it had been wallowed out and wouldn't run true.

Did you use an arc welder? How did you keep from burning up the motor?

backwoods sawyer · September 30, 2009, 10:14:17 PM

I have considered taking the armature out of the motor and wrapping it up in a wet cloth weld a bead and let it cool weld a bead and let it cool until I have built up the shaft again and then take it to the lathe and turn it down and cut a new key slot in it. Time has been the limiting factor on that.

Magicman · October 01, 2009, 07:34:53 AM

I would certainly try that before simply junking it. I don't know how that would affect the "temper" of the shaft, but what's to loose. I would try it.

bandmiller2 · October 01, 2009, 07:49:41 AM

Backwoods thats a valid repair,best is a tig welder or a small wire welder less spatter.Freshen up the keyway dimple for the setscrew and business as usual.Frank C.

pineywoods · October 01, 2009, 10:03:49 AM

Quote from: Bibbyman on September 30, 2009, 05:33:40 PM

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You think if worse came to worse and the keyway did strip out, do you think it'd be worth trying to cross drill the coupler and shaft and run a bolt or pin through? Looks like if it worked, you'd be way ahead. If it didn't, you'd just be out your time.

If you cross drill, don't use a bolt, it will have some slack and will just waller out the hole. Use a roll pin slightly larger than the drill bit, no slack, but not quite as stout as a bolt.