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Woodmizer blade guide arm giving me fits

Started by wolf nemeth, April 05, 2014, 08:57:22 AM

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wolf nemeth

Hi  all, I could use some advice  before I waste a couple more days and get nowhere........the Lt40 HD that i bought last year had no chain on the blade guide arm.  I installed a new chain, which promptly jumped off the drive gear.
  I noticed that the chain  motor and drive gear seemed slanted, so I removed the washers and re-aligned it with the other gears.   Now the chain stays on, but the  whole shebang only goes in or out when it wants to.  I have tried  adjusting the  bolts on the mounting plate up and down, but  can't seem to get the chain to  move freely and ride the drive gear as it  should.  Any ideas or advice from you  experienced mizers?
If you  don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else!

Peter Drouin

Is the new chain from WM? And the drive gear goes on top of the chain and pushes down to tighten it.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

sawmillhand

Mine done that it would jump off on the outside sprocket I tried to adjust it and when I tried to use it it wanted to bind up so I left it off the sprocket and somehow it works fine lol
1990 woodmizer LT40 Hyd  2004 Ford F350 Flatbed. Plenty of tractors.

Sawyer697

Check the rollers and make sure the slide is clean and free enough to move easy. If the rollers are to tight, it will bind.
1997 LTHD40G24 WM Mill. 640 Bobcat. 555 ford Backhoe, Husky 365XP
40 Acres Foresty
Custom Sawing in Geauga and Lake County
Build my own solar kiln
Build Furniture, Out Buildings
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pineywoods

It's probably binding, can be tricky to adjust. The problem is the adjustments all interact with each other. IE changing one adjustment messes up another. They need to be done in the correct sequence to get it right. The sprocket on the motor shaft has a small shear pin that sometimes shears off and then slips. Take the chain off and adjust the bar rollers so the bar runs in and out freely and is level with the bunks. Then re-install chain and adjust for proper tension and tracking. That little motor and gearbox sometimes takes a beating. I fixed one that had a bent shaft. Could be an electrical problem, the motor has brushes that wear.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

Dave Shepard

Make sure the roll pin in the gear isn't sheared off or missing.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

backwoods sawyer


Bad bearings in the rollers will give you fits. Without the chain on, the guide arm needs to be rolling smoothly, the bearings are double stacked like the guide rollers so you have 8 bearings in the 4 guide arm rollers. (they can be cleaned and repacked)

Is your guide motor mounted verticaly or horizonatal?
Check your book to make sure you have routed the chain correctly thru the three gears and two floating plastic rollers (vertical).

when snugging the chain up it should fit snug but not taught give it a spin or two and adjust the slack out of it.


Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

drobertson

It almost sounds like multiple issues.  You may need to do another tear down and start over.  Pretty sure you will need to keep the blade on so you can check the dimensions from the guide to the band as the guides move in and out,  not sure what to say about how it operates on its own, that sounds electrical to me.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

delvis

Wolf,

I am pretty sure that WM has a policy where they would like new owners of used machines to have the same resources that owners of new machines have.  This means they will send you the owner's manuals if they are still in print for your machine.  You should get in touch with them and see what they can offer you.  Good luck with getting your guide arm running straight.
If I never saw another board I will at least die happy having spent the last few years working with my dad!

backwoods sawyer

drobertson you may have something.
Pull the end cap off the guide motor, check brushes but more important check to make sure that one of the magnets have not came loose, they should be opposite each other, if they are sitting side by side you found the problem. I have reglued the magnet in place and gotten more hours out of the little motor.
Hope you can pin it down and get back to making sawdust ;)
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Chuck White

Quote from: backwoods sawyer on April 06, 2014, 11:27:00 AM
drobertson you may have something.
Pull the end cap off the guide motor, check brushes but more important check to make sure that one of the magnets have not came loose, they should be opposite each other, if they are sitting side by side you found the problem. I have reglued the magnet in place and gotten more hours out of the little motor.

I agree, I know it doesn't take a lot to dislodge one of the magnets.  My FIL said his motor didn't work, so I opened it up and sure enough, one of the magnets had come loose and was sitting right next to the other one!

Took the motor to the auto electric shop and he reglued the magnet and we were back in business.  That was 7 years ago!

He did say though, "don't reverse a magnet"!  In other words don't turn one of the magnets around, polarity is everything!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

MartyParsons

Hello,
Not sure where you want to start. First the blade guide arm must be aligned correctly for the blade to cut correctly. This should be done first. This should be another post.
The chain should go from both pulleys on the bottom. The left pulley the chain will go around then on top of the plastic roller and under the motor gear. There are five bolts that hold the motor on and the blade tensioner. The bottom bolt will adjust the drive gear in or out to align the chain with the fixed gears on the rollers for the arm.
Hope this helps.
Marty
"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill

wolf nemeth

OK!   It's still too wet to get out to the sawmill. but the info you all have provided is gonna get me back on track (pun intended))   Peter and Marty, thanks for pointing out the motor sprocket position---I was running UNDER the  ilder pulley and OVER the drive sprocket. Wish WM had a diagram of this in their Manual!
  And yes,   Pineywoods, all that realigning is a pain---but I'm getting better at it, thanks to pulling that ###@$#%drive motor 3 times. And thanks to all the rest, who also helped me anticipate 'da next problem'. I feel truly honored to be inn the company  of men who take to time and effort to help one another out.
Ah, the simple life!
If you  don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else!

Magicman

This may not be what you want to hear, but a call to WM is in order.  If you can possibly get on this year's service route it would be money well spent.  The serviceman will have all of the necessary replacement parts and will show you exactly what he does to tune that sawmill up.  Just a thought.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

terrifictimbersllc

The guide arm must be properly aligned so it goes in and out parallel to the bed and parallel to the back of the blade.  It also must have very little motion when all the way in, and you try to move it back and forth with your hand.  After all that is done, then it will be quite hard to push it in and out by hand when engaged on the chain.  Otherwise it will be grabbed violently by the blade/guide roller pinching on debris and slam inward (that is if you have guide rollers with the spacers below them.   Yes it gives fits when things are wrong but blessings when things are right. 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

wolf nemeth

WellmI;m just writing  to tell everyone we can put the blade guide arm issue to rest.  The motor works, the arm  rolls smoothly,  the guides are plumb,,level,  horizontal, and politically correct, and I deserve a  boy scout merit badge for not finally fixing it with a wrecking ball.  I guess the fourth ( or was it the fifth) time's the charm.....and I got a bit better and faster each time, and learned a lot more about  the importance of turning the correct  bolt.
    Thanks for all the input and advice, guys.  I couldn't have done it without you.
If you  don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else!

hackberry jake

 
I  messed up the blade guide adjustment arm on my mill as well
:-)
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backwoods sawyer

Glad to hear you were able to work it out smiley_trap_drummer
Had alignment issue years ago, but once you set them they seem to stay put till you hit something or change something.
A well aligned mill will not only cut straighter but cut faster as well 8)
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

drobertson

Yes, glad to hear you got it fixed too!  Adjustments can be a pain at times, but doing it yourself sure adds to the confidence when other issues arise unexpectedly.  It's all about doing and learning all the time. 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Bob_T

I know this thread is 3 years old but I had similar problems with a new to me LT30.  Thanks to the info here I was able to get the chain routed correctly.  Thanks!

WM did send me the operation/maintenance manual but I didn't find anything in it concerning the blade guide arm chain.
1959 FWD Model 286 Dump Truck
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Wood-Mizer LT30 G18

wolf nemeth

Hey, I'm glad you profited from my misery!  This is an exceptional forum, and we're so lucky to have mentors....
If you  don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else!

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