Belsaw M-14 Question

Little Jim · January 08, 2014, 10:51:12 PM

This is my first post on the forum. However, I have read your posts/comments and studied many of your photos for a long time now. I have really enjoyed learning from this great resource. I have a Belsaw M-14 Circle mill that have brought back to life from many years of neglect. It was in such bad repair I really had to start from scratch. I built many added accessories from ideas found in old belsaw bulletins. The forum has been a great deal of help during this process. I have sawn quite a bit of lumber on the little mill, once I got my blade in working order. I really have no problems or complaints with it sawing accurate lumber. The lumber measures the same at each end as well as the middle. I power the mill with PTO by one of two tractors, an old H Farmall or a new thirty-five (35) horsepower Mihindra. I realize I am underpowered but it saws okay as long as I watch the size of the logs and keep my saw in good shape. However, sometimes I can be sawing along fine and all of a sudden the saws seems to simply jump into the log. I really hate it when this happens. When this happens, it will stall the tractor and hang the saw in the log. I have a clutch mounted on the PTO shaft, but it never seems to catch it in time to back off. I did not know if this was due to me just pulling too hard on the feed handle feeding too fast for the power I have or if I have missed something else. My feed works appears to be in good working order. Everything is tight, gears meshed properly and new belts. I wanted to hear from some of you more experienced Belsaw fellows. Have any of you fellows ever done this before? Everything else on the little mill is in good order. The mill is level end to end & side to side, set-up on six concrete pads as shown in manual, the saw is hung plumb, the knees are square with blade, the head blocks advance evenly and lead is adjusted correctly. I have a 40" IP blade with new "B" pattern shanks and new 9/32" teeth filed squarely. I will try to post some pictures for you. I have really enjoyed looking at all of you fellows projects. It is just a hobby for me, it seems to never stop just keeps going on an on.

beenthere · January 08, 2014, 10:54:48 PM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum

Tell us about your guides. What do you use, and how are they set when the saw is up to rpm but not in the wood?

Little Jim · January 08, 2014, 10:59:26 PM

The saw stands up good and straight and I set the guides to where I can just barely see daylight between them when it is running up to speed. The saw guide is the standard one that came with a Belsaw mill. Little Jim.

lyle niemi · January 08, 2014, 11:24:21 PM

Sometimes it's just the log, happens to me once in a while

ffpup · January 09, 2014, 05:54:19 AM

Quote from: lyle niemi on January 08, 2014, 11:24:21 PM
Sometimes it's just the log, happens to me once in a while

He is right sometimes it is the log for sure. I have seen logs crook on the carriage just like they were before they were cut. I sounds to me as if the blade may be rubbing ever so slightly as it seems you have to cut slow from what you have stated. So when you cut slow and it rubs a little you notice it more. This maybe causing the blade to heat ever so slightly. One thing you may try is a little wider curf bit. I was using 9/32 and was having the same problem sometimes. I went to 5/16 stand all bits and haven't had it happen in a while. They seem to cut better for me. Don't seem as if 1/32 would make a difference but it did for me.

bandmiller2 · January 09, 2014, 07:00:11 AM

Welcome Jim, Sometimes a log will shift slightly when your cutting it and bind, mills with a lot of HP you may not notice it. Does it happen just on opening cuts or sometimes with cants.?? Another thing to check is the cable that feeds the carriage it or its belts may be slipping then catch. Frank C.

Possum Creek · January 09, 2014, 09:03:05 AM

I had a rubber feed belt that would not slip just go or stop and my great uncle told me to put a kevlar lawn mower belt on and now I can saw at variable speeds. I don't know if that is your trouble but a belt that slips is better than one that grabs. PC

stoverguy · January 09, 2014, 09:19:18 AM

I have one of these as a hobby saws as well. My carrage would "jump" untill I figured out is was in the cable wrap on the drum. The cable would walk up over itself then "jump" when it unwrapped. Used to make me "jump" as well. It didn't kill my tractor but I have belts loose enough to slip instead. (I'm only running 23 HP) I fixed the problem by adding guides to the cable right before the drum. The guides keep the cable seperated to opposite sides of the drum. The guide is simply a muffler clamp with the cable running through the open loop. Haven't had the problem since.

Magicman · January 09, 2014, 09:25:49 AM

Hello Little Jim. I don't know Belsaw, but Welcome to the Forestry Forum. 8)

How about adding your location and a bit more information to your profile? Sometimes it helps answering questions.

thecfarm · January 09, 2014, 09:51:34 AM

Little Jim,welcome to the forum. That sounds like quite the project with the mill. good job. Ever been around a mill before you built yours?

shelbycharger400 · January 09, 2014, 10:16:23 AM

If I remember right, the cable was only 3 wraps around the drum when I took mine apart.

reride82 · January 09, 2014, 12:34:17 PM

Jim,
What do you mean by 'Jump into the log'? Does the blade veer towards the carriage, or does the feed seem to increase in speed? If its speed, I'd look at your feed setup and cable. Which style do you have? V-belt, or flat belt?
Do you have a splitter, or sail after the blade? If not, you might be getting some binding, or pinching of the blade. This is usually caused by an unruly log, and can be solved by adding a splitter if you don't have one.
When does this usually happen? Clear log? Knotty log? Slabbing? Or when cutting a cant?

Levi

Little Jim · January 09, 2014, 07:01:08 PM

Quote from: Possum Creek on January 09, 2014, 09:03:05 AM
I had a rubber feed belt that would not slip just go or stop and my great uncle told me to put a kevlar lawn mower belt on and now I can saw at variable speeds. I don't know if that is your trouble but a belt that slips is better than one that grabs. PC

Thanks "Possum Creek". I have had a sneaky feeling about v-belts "Grabbing" for a while. I will try that very thing.