Blade rolling

[postville]

What is are your experiences with what Cook's refers to as "blade rolling" for flatness?
Is this like tensioning a circle saw? Bob

[pa_of_6]

Kinda and kina not.

What you want to do is be sure that the band is flat or just has a slight hump to the outside of the band.

This ensures that you have 2 points of contact with the rollers so you can guide it.

If the hump is to the inside, you cannot guide it...Like trying to guide a rocking chair.

You need 2 point touching your rollers to be able to guild it.

If not, the band can "rock" on the roller when the pressure comes on and it will wave.

When Mr Cook says you only want a crack of daylight, he is also right. Too much of a curve gives you a band that will climb in the cut because it is angled up in relation to the sawmill bed.

I used the Bandroller for a couple of million board feet and it was a big help.

You could actually cut straight lumber....especially in big logs. The bigger the log and the more wood you are cutting, the more important is is for straightness.

[tyb525]

I think it caters more towards those running mills with all steel wheels.

[customsawyer]

In my experience you only need to think about it if you are using 1 1/2" wide bands or wider.

[clousert]

On portable bandmills it is probably not worth your effort.  New blades are only $25 a piece, about $50 for the 2-inch bands.  Thinner blades such as the .042 provide more tension with the same amount of pull than something like an .055.   Release your tension between uses to avoid "flat spots" and other imperfections in the blade, especially if you are not sawing every day.

[ely]

my experience with those cook boys is if they tell you something you would do well to listen and learn. they aint just bumping their gums together to hear their head rattle.

[smwwoody]

We run an LT 70 With belted wheels and a WM 3500 with steel wheels.  We saw well over 2.5 million feet / year and we roll every band that needs it for both mills.  it makes a big difference. Some of them need it new right out of the box.

Woody

[Peter Drouin]

smwwoody what make of blade and size do you use ? 

[tyb525]

It may be a slight help, but for narrow bands it's probably unnecessary.

[Fether Hardwoods]

 If I were to start my business again the roller would come before the mill would, I can't say enough good about the Cook's company and there roller. I run 1.25 by .042 bands and there is no other way to get them to run dead straight than a roller.
   Accuracy is my whole business, that's why I have 6 semi trailers of logs waiting for my little manual mill and the dozen or so other mills in my area barely have any, the roller makes accuracy easy, if the blade want's to dive take it off roll it put it back on your ready to go. 
  If your asking wether it's worth the money my answer is YES!!. Just my .02 cents
Thank You Nathan Fether

[Banjo picker]

All that makes me want to build a stand for mine and start using it...   Tim

[tyb525]

Would rolling the blade mask an out of alignment mill?

[5quarter]

   I don't see how. As Tom mentioned, a flat blade will ensure that the guides can obtain maximum control of the band. If your blade is still diving or climbing, you can at least eliminate a faulty band and go staight to set, tension, guides rollers etc...

[smwwoody]

We run a few different bands. The bulk of our sawing is done with 1.5 wide from wood mizer or Cooks. 7 or 10 degree. The LT70 runs roller guides and the WM3500 doesn't and the flatness is just as important on both. When your mill is set up properly and your band is flat and sharp you can enter the log just as fast as you are going to saw. 

[Peter Drouin]

Ill have to look at my blades thanks pete 

[woodsy]

Where can one get a band roller?  I didn't see it listed on Cook's website.  Thanks.

[Chuck White]

Where can one get a band roller?  I didn't see it listed on Cook's website.  Thanks.

Go ahead and contact Cooks, they have them!  ;)

[bandmiller2]

Now that everyone is interested how hard would it be to make a band roller?? I've never seen one do they have one concave and one convex roller?? How much pressure do you have to put on the roller?? How about two sealed ball bearings with the outer race ground mounted on a long handled pair of pliers to use with the band on the mill??Seems to me to be a simple device to build, of course I've been wrong before. Frank C.

[ladylake]

I still think band rolling helps wider blades, 1-1/2" +   . I have no problem cutting straight pushing hard with my 1-1/4 blades with no rolling unless they're real dull or not enough set.   Steve

[Chuck White]

If you want a free DVD showing the Cooks Sharpener, Setter & band-roller, click on this link!


http://www.cooksaw.com/videos-and-literature/free-demo-video-of-the-sharpeners-setters-and-band-roller.html

[tyb525]

Like ladylake said, band rolling might be a good idea for wider bands, but I don't see the benefit for 1 1/4" bands, especially considering how much of the blade is supported by the belts, I don't see how the blade could get out-of-flat. Look at the millions of board feet sawn by many sawyers, and how many of them have ever used a band roller.

[smwwoody]

Stone tools worked great too until the bronze age. We are not saying you have to flatten every blade every time but it is shure nice to fix those ones that need it.

[Fether Hardwoods]

I assure you it is well worth it on 1.25 in blades, thats what I run and would'nt saw if I did'nt have a roller, I know it's hard to spend that money but I assure you if you buy one you will never go without, that's what happened to me. Nathan Fether

[ladylake]

 I've never had one that wouldn't saw straight that was sharp with enough set in 8000 hours of sawing, most I take off my light shines off the points a lot and they're still sawing straight.   Steve

[smwwoody]

Ladylake   

8000 hours of sawing...  we do that in less than a year with the 3 thin kerf bands running steady 60 hrs / week.  been at it like that for over 9 years.  so that's over
84000 hrs.  We roll all these bands when they need it.  I didn't mean that your bands wont cut straight.  A flat band cuts good if you roll it flat or it comes out of the box flat. 

We are just talking about how to make them cut even better than they do now for you.  If you don't want to hear about how nice a flat band cuts that is fine.  We even roll some of the 1" bands for our Baker ABX right out of the box.

This does work and is a big benefit for the narrow bands too.  I know that from experience not just a guess.

Woody