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Tuning a Hudson

Started by Hale87, August 01, 2011, 07:45:39 AM

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Hale87

I was hoping that some people with experince setting up a Hudson could share there process with me. Only gone through about 20 or so blades, so I'm still very green at this thing. Wondering what you do to get the most out of your blades? What kind (manufacturer) of blades are you using? What size blade? How many foot pounds are you running on your blades? Anything you think could help a greenhorn out. Before I completely tore apart my mill, I was using WM .042X7/8 blades running at about 50lbs. They seemed 2 do well, but I broke 3 out of fifteen out of the box. When I tore the mill down I changed the belts on the bandwheels so I'm hoping that helps with the breakage? They looked like they hadn't been changed in a very long time. In my limited experience, the .042 seems to be much more stable, but of course they should be over the thinner .035 that Hudson recommends but the breakage is not good.
So if you would,,,,,,,, tell me what you're doing and why?
Thanks for the help....
2002 LT40HD sawmill, WM single blade edger, 23hp Kubota tractor, 2011 Kawasaki Mule, 2002 Honda Foreman, 1983 Case 480D backhoe

ladylake


If your wheel are smaller than 19" you should run .35 blades. If your belts were shot too where the band was touching the wheel that makes blades break fast and the blades you've run like that might be cracked, even after a problem is fixed it will take a while to get through the damaged blades.  Make sure the guide wheels are around 1/8" behind the back of the blade, too close will cause them to break on the gullet side.    Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

heirball

Hello;

I'm quite new here. And to sawing in general.

I have a Hudson 30" bandsaw with 35' of track. I bought this saw new exclusively to saw wood for my own farm. I don't use it much and particularly in the last couple of years.



I have made many mistakes and still need much advice.

This year we fired up the mill after about 2-years of sitting.

The first problem we had was that a fuel cut-off solenoid plunger was stuck in it's' seat. This was easily fixed and got the engine running again. We also needed to replace the fuel line as it had dried out and cracked.

The second problem we encountered was that half the 'old' blades we had threw off the wheels. We don't know if this is an alignment problem or if the blades were improperly stored and are no longer true.

As for the known mistakes we have made.

We did not realize, until now, that we should be relieving tension on the blade at the end of the day. Sometimes we have left tension over an entire winter which always led to the blade breaking. Our belts still look good however since we have misused them we have just ordered replacement belts. On the topic of tension we do not have a torque-wrench and are only estimating tension. Hudson, for my mill, recommends 30-35 ft/lbs torque but we have no way to judge.

We also did not realize that the guide bearings should be backed off the blades 'nominal position' by the ~1/8" as already mentioned. The bearings have always been set to ride the back of the blade and thus our bearings have deep groves in them. Needless to say we have also ordered several sets of replacements.

The mill also had increasing difficulty raising and lowering. We adjusted the position of the vertical posts that guide the head unit up and down and that has made a significant difference.

We also have a Hudson blade-sharpener but have not quite got it dialed in yet. Our blades are not really sharpening up right and only about 1 in 3 actually saw. We don't yet have a setter but we are looking into the 'Cutters-Choice' dual setter. We have written off our old blades (only about 10 left) and have purchased a new box of Woodmizer blades (.035" x 7/8" x 10°). We will be more careful with this set.

In any event, if it isn't obvious, we would also welcome any suggestions on proper alignment and maintenance procedures for our mill.

Oh yeah! One thing we do religiously is regular grease, oil and filter changes. We're not stupid just inexperienced.

Thanks and nice to meet you all...

    Farmer Mikey.
If it can be done right then it can be overdone better.

JBS 181

heirball,
   Ran a mill almost exactly like your setup in the picture. I followed the recommendations of Hudson on my mill and torqued the tension to around 35 ftlbs with a torque wrench. Relieved the pressure every evening. The blades I used I would consider throw away blades. i would touch them up a bit while they were on the machine. I would never see much more than 20 hour running time with a blade, they eventually work harden and break. Keep an eye on those bearings running against the blade, they will wear out and seize up. Like they say they should not be touching that bearing until they enter the wood. For what is worth all I cut is pine so you will be getting some different results if yu get into some hardwood. Rigged an atv winch to my machine to raise and lower. Seemed to work pretty good.

mandolin

I have owned a Hudson 228 for almost 4 years. Watch the track. I warped my with a heavy oak log, but got it straightened out when I did away with the wheels and mounted it on a concrete slab. Torque the blade to 35 lbs and make sure to relieve the tension at the end of every day. Also, keep an eye on the drive belt. If it gets worn, change it. Grease the uprights of the sawhead frame with white lithium grease (it don't hold sawdust as bad). This will also prevent the sawhead from grabbing the frame. Do this regularly. Check you guides regularly. They tend to get build-up in the area behind the blades, between the guides.  I clean then out at every blade change with a dull hacksaw blade. I have used .035 and .042 blades. I like the .042 best but thats just my preference. Hudson is a good saw for the money and I have never regretted buying mine. Using mine to saw lumber to build my wife and me a house
2008 Hudson 228
1945 Boice-Crane Planer
1953 Ford Jubilee Tractor
Husqvarna 455 Rancher
Dehumidification kiln
Complete cabinet/furniture shop
Professional turkey boxcall tuner

Hale87

I strarted running the .042s at the recommendation of WM. The man told me that a lot of Hudson owners use them. One of the things that frustrates me is the arm that moves the guide in and out. Mine doesn't seem to clamp down consistantly true. I might try and come up with a better two piece slide system. Either that or I'm going to do a retro to Cook's roller guides. How often do you guys replace the shoes on your sandwich guides? 
Thanks for your input....
2002 LT40HD sawmill, WM single blade edger, 23hp Kubota tractor, 2011 Kawasaki Mule, 2002 Honda Foreman, 1983 Case 480D backhoe

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