Forward/Backward Problem On LT35

[woodweasel]

 My helper did a small job today.Afterwards I asked how it went,as I'm
at my real job that lets me play with the Woodmizer! He said it struggled to move forward. Had to increase the speed control knob to get it going.
Apparently once it got going it did ok.Then he said on its return about6'-8' from where he would begin to cut next  board ,it jurked?? Any ideals
with this limited amount of info? Thinking maybe bar that it slides on was
rusted?? And on return drive chain loose? Machine only year old approx 60hrs on it ??? ??? woodweasel

[highleadtimber16]

Sounds like the control knob to me. I had the same thing. New knob assembly is about $75 I think.

[customsawyer]

Put some ATF on your rails and chain.

[backwoods sawyer]

The other day the carriage started getting jerky on the return then would not return at all. Not sure if yours has the same system but a wire going to the reverse siloniod had melted, I did not have a wire that large with me so I made up two smaller wires to carry the load. Picked up a heavier wire and replaced the temp jumper wires when I got to a hardware store.

Check your rail bearrings to insure they are all turning freely.

[SawyerBrown]

Maybe something on the rail or on the main beam?  I've had pieces fall down in there and interfere with travel.  Make sure it moves freely back and forth while not cutting.

[hackberry jake]

I know nothing about WM mills, but I have had dc motors act like that if the brushes are sticking or worn down. With only 60 hrs I doubt they are worn that much yet.

[Magicman]

This is a situation that can not be analyzed or fixed "by the seat of your pants".  You gotta put your hands on it and determine if the carriage is not moving easily because of a mechanical problem such as a bearing, rust, lack of lube, or maybe even a wedged splinter.  Or maybe it is an electrical problem.  Troubleshooting requires a methodical elimination of the various components and ultimately isolating the culprit be it mechanical or electrical.

[drobertson]

Not sure of the 35's, but it does sound like a debris problem to me,

[barbender]

This is a situation that can not be analyzed or fixed "by the seat of your pants".  You gotta put your hands on it and determine if the carriage is not moving easily because of a mechanical problem such as a bearing, rust, lack of lube, or maybe even a wedged splinter.  Or maybe it is an electrical problem.  Troubleshooting requires a methodical elimination of the various components and ultimately isolating the culprit be it mechanical or electrical.

X2

[flyboy16101]

Had the same problem on my lt28. The wires that go into the drive motor for the power feed were loose but still making contact periodically, they appeared to be attached but all I had to do was push them in and it worked fine. The best guess was that a small branch must have hooked it pulling out of the last job I had done. Hope this helps.

[thechknhwk]

Brushes on the drive motor could be sticking.  Several folks have had problems with them.  Can try giving the drive motor a tap with a mallet or dead blow hammer.

[Gary_C]

To add to the possibilities, I just got my LT40 out of the shed after far too long sitting and not running. Cleaned all the rust off the rails and lubed them and then tried to start sawing. The carriage feed worked at first and then stopped going forward. It would back up but not go forward.

So I called WM tech support and as I was telling him about how long it was sitting, he interrupted and said the carriage will probably not go forward and will go back. It was a bad circuit board. Ordered a new one, installed it and it's going great.

Apparently the feed circuit boards go bad if they sit for some time.

[beenthere]

Curious as to what part of an electronic circuit board would deteriorate over time.
Corrosion between different metals, maybe?

Google "corrosion dissimilar metals circuit boards" came up with a few ideas.
here is one
http://jckmarketplace.jckonline.com/__novadocuments/18513?v=634905022088530000

[hunz]

I am having somewhat of a similar problem with my 35 as well. I have 55 hours on mine, and have recently been experiencing some surging on the far end of the cut, and resistance when turning up the potentiometer to move the carriage forward to make the next cut. It almost seems like I have to ramp up the potentiometer more than usual to get the carriage moving forward. I have checked for the obvious..... debris in the drive chain/sprocket setup. Nothing, all clear. My surging problem is intermittent. I will be making a cut at a consistent speed, and then about 2/3 of the way through, it takes  off like a jet and lugs the engine badly until it finishes the cut.

I called Woodmizer and asked about these issues, and about what felt like the right side of my control box getting a little warm. I was told that this was normal when sawing locust, but have since noticed it on other species. After reading your initial post, it seems like there may be a design flaw. I will wait and see the verdict.

[beenthere]

hunz
Like the zerks, another "design flaw" ?? 

[Dave Shepard]

I have the wireless remote, and when the pot starts to fail, that is one of the symptoms I get. I can usually put pressure sideways on the stem and get it to change speed. I buy them two at a time now, only a few bucks apiece from an electrical supplier. Not a new $300 board with a 12 week lead time like Omnex wanted. ;) :D

[drobertson]

hunz
Like the zerks, another "design flaw" ??

Highly likely, not sure design but manufacturing of the design.  There are many shops that get the quoted bid, and fall short of delivering 100% quality products, it seems that QC management and business politics have much to do with this issue. Not just this product but all across the board.  Sales people, in my past experience have really pushed the envelope on rushing products before the products are ready.  Some one(s) seem to buy into this philosophy.  It always boils down to very frustrated consumers expecting at the very least a good jump start.

[MartyParsons]

Hello,
There were some brush issues with the power feed motor on the Kubler gear motor, the new LT35 have been changed to the LT40 design power feed system. The motor company has a repair kit available through WM. You can try tapping on the end of the motor to see if the issue temporally goes away.
Hope this helps.
Marty

[hunz]

hunz
Like the zerks, another "design flaw" ??

OK, I give..... I am possibly being a little picky here. I am glad that someone called me out on that. Let's just say I have a problem........ :D

[jcbrotz]

I called Woodmizer and asked about these issues, and about what felt like the right side of my control box getting a little warm. I was told that this was normal when sawing locust, but have since noticed it on other species. After reading your initial post, it seems like there may be a design flaw. I will wait and see the verdict.

I will bite on this one and ask does the side of your control box actually get warm? What my be on the other side of the panel causing the warmth? and does it only do it sawing locust? I am also quite sure your mill does not know what wood you are sawing but it may sound different or unhappy due to a dull blade or one of the wrong type(set or pitch). Was it woodmizer who said its normal when sawing locust?

[Arbor-Mill]

Must be the year model!  I have had more issues with my Lt35 than I think one should have for a brand new mill.  I have 210 hours on mine and is one year old today.  I have replaced both roller bearings (one at 50 hours and one at 110), the revised board in my simple set box, and now I'm not even sure what part I am waiting on , but it is on the way because my set works are all over the place.  Set it to an inch, make the cut, bump it down and it will go an 1 1/4 down.  Do it again it may go an inch or it may go to the deck.  Woodmizer said something about a magnet.  I don't know!  Its not much fun when you make commitments to customers and these issues arise.  My feed rate is another issue all together.  When I'm getting ready to start sawing into a log sometimes it will stall and I have to turn the dial way up to get it going into the log then back it way down once it starts moving.  Also, it has been known to just stop moving in a log, then slowly start moving again.  These issues do not occur however when in the presence of a Woodmizer technician!!  Just how it goes I guess.  I dread the day my warranty runs out.  Not going to be a good thing.  Do love the mill when its running smoothly though!!   

[barbender]

Sometimes feed issues can be as simple to resolve as remembering to put atf on your track oiler pad. If you don't,  sawdust can stick to your top rail and get mashed in place by the rollers, and that causes a surprising amount of resistance. Whenever I have feed problems, I start looking for mechanical items that can cause resistance first. The reason is, usually the problem lies there, and if it's not fixed it can cause electrical problems. Most commonly fried MOSFET circuit boards, which are $pendy. After I cooked one of those I became very conscious of mechanical resistance On GaryC's mill, I would suspect the board didn't go bad from sitting, but when he pulled the mill out the rails and rollers were rusted and caused too much mechanical resistance. That's exactly what happened to mine. I called WM to troubleshoot, the tech asked "how long was it sitting?" He already knew what caused my problem.

[SawyerBrown]

barbender, that may all be true, but that means that electrical circuit is marginal at best.  While it should never occur in operation, that circuit board should be able to sit there and absorb full resistance all day long if it was well designed.  I'm betting WM looked at cost vs the likelihood of that happening, and went the cheaper route.  They just went a little too far toward the cheap side, in my opinion, since I had an early-hour failure too.

Concerns me just a bit that they are making upgrades on the newer mills.  Based on my "previous life" experience, you don't add that extra cost of both R&D and product unless there are issues.  Those of us with "older" mills may have to live with these issues unless WM provides upgrade kits at a reasonable cost or gratis.

The other issue I've run into is marginal hydraulic power in some situations.  I've gotten dogs, turner claw, and 2-way clamp all jammed on big (32"-ish) logs if the 2-way clamp is all the way outboard, where nothing will move, even down.  Fortunately, the logs have been long enough that one or both of the toeboards provided enough lift to un-jam things.  I accept slower speeds on the smaller mill, but it sure ought to have enough power to handle advertised log sizes.  (However, on the positive side, I've never had trouble lifting logs onto the mill, and I've had some pretty big ones!).

Sounds like I'm not happy with my mill -- that's not the case at all -- I LOVE this machine.  I'm just hope it keeps running the way it is now, and will keep an eye here for other issues.

[hunz]

I called Woodmizer and asked about these issues, and about what felt like the right side of my control box getting a little warm. I was told that this was normal when sawing locust, but have since noticed it on other species. After reading your initial post, it seems like there may be a design flaw. I will wait and see the verdict.

I will bite on this one and ask does the side of your control box actually get warm? What my be on the other side of the panel causing the warmth? and does it only do it sawing locust? I am also quite sure your mill does not know what wood you are sawing but it may sound different or unhappy due to a dull blade or one of the wrong type(set or pitch). Was it woodmizer who said its normal when sawing locust?

The right side of the control box gets a little more than warm. I have seen and felt enough overloaded wires to know when wires agent far off from melting. I was told by Woodmizer that there is a heatsink in there, and when sawing seasoned hardwoods to expect some heat. I made mention of the heat because in my past experience with various electrical problems, heat to that extent hasn't meant every thing was working harmoniously. Just my $0.02

[hunz]

I wonder what Woodmizer has to say about the surging head issue, and extra wind up on the potentiometer to get the head moving..... I have a 2014 mill, and with 55 hours and upgraded lt-40 motors on mine from the factory, it seems we do indeed have an issue here that deserves a response from WM for a multiple year unaddressed problem.

On a side note, I lube my track and moving parts hourly with ATF, have cleared and lubed pad, and the problem persists