MX 34 blade will not track

ohwc · May 19, 2013, 06:38:25 PM

Brand new mill just got it together and the blade will not track. Spent so far 10 hrs messing with it double checking everything and triple and quadruple checking. Blade will only track after the drive band wheel is in contact with the brake belt bracket. Anyone with ideas.

At this point I am not too impressed with my Norwood, might just bite the shipping costs cause as it stand this thing is costing me clients right now. So far had to straighten out the holes on the front two axle brackets as the holes were not uniform. Back two axle brackets were missing so I had to wait 7 days for them to get me some more even though they were in the warehouse when I called. Powder coat is already flaking off out of the boxes.

Just not really impressed compared to one that I went a saw first.

Has anyone had issues like this with their Norwood mill. I always hear great things but this so far is a lemon.

Jeff · May 19, 2013, 06:56:47 PM

Willing to bet that there is not a thing wrong with the mill. We see this time and time and time again. There is a learning curve on a new mill and the new owner is first to blame the mill when the real problem is staring them right back from the mirror at the end of the day. Did you call Norwood yet and ask for help, or is this post your first reach out for help? Usually reaching for help should not go hand in hand with a slap first at those that can help you.

Did you try a different blade?

hamish · May 19, 2013, 08:15:57 PM

Are you adjusting the tracking on both band wheels? Checking the tracking by rotating the band wheels by hand?
Tracking changes dependant upon band tension.

On my ML26 I set the tracking initially by laying a straight edge across the band wheels and adjusting till all was true, then fine tuned with the band on.

Just wait till you start sawing, that is were the learning curve really begins.

ohwc · May 20, 2013, 02:27:52 AM

Not new to milling gentlemen. Not impressed with the product I have received. Took the band wheels off and found the problem. The flanges had some run out. So after much debate a friend turned them to see if it would correct the problem. Problem solved.

Just not impressed with the advertised quality in comparison to what I received. Should not have to be doing cleaning up on their manufactured parts. Also not too happy on buying an American and Canada made mill with a Made in Taiwan Motor, China Battery, China outriggers. Will it work for now? Sure. Would I buy another Norwood.... Lets see with no customer support on weekends etc... not as advertised... that is a big no. Will be the first and last one.

ladylake · May 20, 2013, 08:56:54 AM

Seems like all mills will have problems sooner or later. I don't like getting stuck with made in China either, I ordered some wrenches expecting the get made in the USA and got made in China. Funny how those company mangagers want to make a fast buck by switching to made in China, no more tools from that popular brand over here any more. Steve

hunz · May 20, 2013, 11:03:30 AM

That may have put a bad taste in my mouth as well. May I suggest an American Bandsaw Company mill, that's what I have and I can guarantee no made in China parts haha. I'm glad you got it worked out and am sure the norwood will treat you well after the initial kinks are worked out. Like others have said, it seem s as though we have all had problem with our mills in one way or another. I say these things are like a musical instrument; they have to be tuned to get the perfect result just like a new piano.

dboyt · May 20, 2013, 01:58:15 PM

Ohwc, it is unfortunate that you have had these issues with the mill, and they certainly do not reflect my experiences with Norwood. All the holes in my mill were cleanly drilled or punched and in the right place. If one of their suppliers is not producing parts to specification, they need to know about (at least they won't have to call half-way around the world). I have worked in tool & die and have seen deformed holes when the die loses its edge. Depending on the manufacturer, some pieces could go out before the problem is caught, though that would be unusual. What response did you get when you asked about the tracking issue? The outriggers are the heaviest I've seen and they have held 3,000 pound logs with no hint of a problem. I don't believe there are any gas engines in the 23 h.p. class built in the U.S. To build a mill with only three components from overseas is actually quite a feat. There is no doubt that the building process introduces some variables, and it took a couple of tries before I got consistent blade tracking. My advice is to give Norwood the chance to make things right. Once you get everything lined out, you'll have a rock-solid mill.

Nomad · May 20, 2013, 05:09:09 PM

I gotta go with dboyt. Although I no longer own a Norwood, I was highly impressed with the quality of the machine and the company support I got on the rare occasions I needed it. And as stated, getting a machine in that class with completely American made parts would be expensive to the point of stupid, if possible at all. Give 'em a chance.

Skoalbandit78 · May 20, 2013, 09:00:13 PM

I also agree with dboyt. My MX 34 build went smooth as clockwork, I didn't encounter any problems and I love it. I am sorry you have had problems with yours. I am d#@$ proud that the majority of it is made in the USA.

Greg Brown · May 20, 2013, 09:23:35 PM

Hello, I'm sorry you are not pleased with your MX 34, mine went together just like promised.
I had problems at the start with the blade jumping off a couple of times. The problem was however with the operator (me) not getting the wheels properly aligned. Once I got going ain't had NO problems with the MX 34. Definitely a LIKE.

customsawyer · May 21, 2013, 04:10:57 AM

Jeff · May 21, 2013, 05:31:13 AM

Quote from: customsawyer on May 21, 2013, 04:10:57 AM

The previous post that Jake was commenting on with his smiley post has been removed and the person banned from the forum. I'll not stand for remarks made like the that about the Forestry Forum or the way it is run for the soul purpose of trying to create trouble. Some opinions should be kept to oneself. In this case it cost the guy the privilege of being a member here.

bandmiller2 · May 21, 2013, 06:33:03 AM

OHWC Tex,Its a lot like adjusting the belt on a belt sander a little adjustment means a lot on the belt.Reread the instructions and back away for a wile.Norwood is as reliable a company as you will find and will gladly talk you through.If you have a mechanically handy friend have him review the assembly,a freash set of eyes are 20/20. Frank C.

beenthere · May 21, 2013, 09:35:53 AM

Quote from: customsawyer on May 21, 2013, 04:10:57 AM

;) my thoughts too, when I read it.

Thanks for handling it Jeff.
I was frustrated when reading the comment, and stewed over it when I went to bed last night.
People come to the FF to reap information from others who are willing to share what they know (or think we/they know).
Pays no dividends to the forum community to be negative about anyone's product.
Not liking it is fine and sharing the experience helps others, but just degrading and running down someone elses' hard work building something for others to use is not a benefit to anyone - IMO.

Riggs · May 21, 2013, 10:29:03 AM

When I bought my Norwood ML 26, my Dad and I assembled it and the closer we got to being finished, the bigger hurry we were in, I was desperate to see some sawdust fly. I got to the point that I felt like I had written the step by step directions, so of course I only needed to skim over them. When I started sawing, the blades flew off. I was disappointed to say the least. I was convinced that I had a lemon, I spent hours trying to get it to saw the way I had assembled it. Phone calls and emails to Brian at Norwood all were received and answered with courtesy and knowledge. When I finally took the time to READ the directions instead of skim over them, it clicked. I did it their way instead of mine and haven't had an issue since.....Just my story.

dboyt · May 21, 2013, 10:53:53 AM

Reading the instructions is like stopping to ask directions... there's just some things guys do as a last resort, if at all. It cost me some time building, too, but it was worth it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Good practice for when I put together a homebuilt aircraft.

Jeff, FF is the best forum of its kind. Hate to lose a 2x senior member, but thanks for keeping up the high standards.

pineywoods · May 21, 2013, 11:25:25 AM

Wonder how many flat washers he left off, they are critical in some areas. Had a friend with a new to him norwood, same problem. A handful of heavy flat washers in the prescribed places took care of the problem. He's quite happy with the mill now. DON'T LEAVE OFF THE WASHERS..

Jeff · May 21, 2013, 11:45:41 AM

Quote from: dboyt on May 21, 2013, 10:53:53 AM
Jeff, FF is the best forum of its kind. Hate to lose a 2x senior member, but thanks for keeping up the high standards.

Don't worry, the guy I I got rid of had not added any content to the forum to think we might be losing something for the future without his presence. In fact he was a poster that had owned a mill, and then got a new mill, but started a topic on the forum for the soul reason to blast the manufacturer of his previous mill. He was not asking for help, only using the forum as a platform to spew his disfavor. He then decided to jump in this topic, to do nothing but stir things up. He's now gone and won't be back under my watch.

Cedarman · May 21, 2013, 05:10:51 PM

Watched dboyt saw some very big ERC near Stillwater OK for a demo on Saturday. The Norwood went right through the logs even with the big knots making some very nice wide, very pretty ERC. Nothing wrong with how the mill worked.
Good Show dboyt!!!

muskoka guy · May 21, 2013, 08:00:25 PM

We purchased the mx 34 about a month ago. Putting it together was a chore, but as the manual stated, you will be familiar with how it works and how to adjust it. We used the string line method to set the tracking and it worked fine first try. After a few logs we had to fine tune the brake and the tracking. After that it stayed perfect. We are very happy with the mill, as well as the service and advice we received from Norwood. The one thing we liked about Norwood is we can add hydraulics and other features later as we grow. One unhappy customer doesnt make the whole company bad. Try getting customer service at any of the big box corporate stores. good luck.

customsawyer · May 21, 2013, 08:20:38 PM

I had so many things I wanted to tell this individual but I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

Jeff · May 21, 2013, 08:34:03 PM

Quote from: customsawyer on May 21, 2013, 08:20:38 PM
I had so many things I wanted to tell this individual but I thought it best to keep my mouth shut.

When he comes to the forum now, he automatically gets whisked away to another place where there is music to contemplate by.
THis is the redirect that banned people currently are sent to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdb5wDbshqA

dboyt · May 22, 2013, 09:27:52 AM

Jeff, I promise to be good. Please don't make me listen to that!

Cedarman, great to finally meet you in person, and it was good to get your perspective on cedar! Good workshops, and that's the first time I've seen Perry run a chain saw. Hope he's caught his breath by now. Don't see how we managed to pick the one decent day to be outside this month.

I hope no one had from the workshop or this forum had injury or serious damage. I might bring the mill back down after things settle a bit and mill some salvaged logs.

ohwc · May 23, 2013, 11:10:53 AM

Still working through issues. Called Norwood again... Apparently some tension spacers that may fix some of the violent vibration issues we are having were not included when we ordered the mill. These spacers were also omitted from the instruction manual. Really hope this thing gets ironed out soon.. have had to cancel appointments and with some repeat customers.

Mike@Norwood · May 23, 2013, 07:08:49 PM

Hello All

I've been informed that OHWC has decided to return his sawmill under our 30-day money back guarantee policy. I'd like to apologize on behalf of Norwood Sawmills to OHWC for not achieving our number one goal of customer satisfaction. We were, and are still willing and hoping for an opportunity to rectify the frustration and inconvenience we caused due to our packaging errors. I apologize that you had to wait 8 days for your missing brackets to arrive. That should have never happened. I can assure you that has be discussed and dealt with. Obviously, we'd like to you reconsider your decision. We're confident that you'd be satisfied with your mill if you'd give us a chance to get things in order. We never want to lose a member of the Norwood family.

If there's anything I can do to help, nothing would please me more. You can shoot me a private message or send me an email to longnorwood@aol.com. I routinely check my emails 7 days a week throughout the day and always reply asap. Had I seen your original post or knew you were missing parts I would have addressed the issue immediately, regardless what day of the week it is. (that goes out to all our Forestry Forum members that are part of the Norwood family)

Again, if I can be of any assistance, don't hesitate to ask

thanks

Mike at Norwood