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Useful sawmill mods

Started by Bibbyman, July 25, 2004, 08:27:09 AM

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4x4American

Not all mods but the useful part still applies...

On a command control 40 and 50 I would figure, there is a little set screw at the bottom of where the command post swivels, its there for safety but if you take it out you can swing the box all over the place and its awesome, I didnt think I'd like it I used to leave it pinned but now I would feel hindered without that.

If a log or cant needs to be brought back to catch the roller toe board, if you have a sharp enough pv, stick it under the main rail and use one of the welds as a pry point.  Works great.  Another technique to pull an odd shaped log back is to pick it up with the clamp and move it over the log stops and raise them, sometimes they catch the log and pull it back.  And the most obvious one is if you have to shift the log and you have one flat and its already catching both roller toeboards, first put the flat down, then pick up the one on the end that you want it to go towards a little bit.  Then pick up the other all the way and let gravity do the rest.  If you want to hit the brake just lower either of the torboards.

To check your bottom bearings there that ride on the rail, just set the head on the transport pin it will take enough weight off to check em.

If you have auto clutch, when your towing the mill, if you can be forgetful like me, then after you engage your auto clutch for transport, once you shut off the computer, flick the switch the other way, just like you'd flick a booger at your you ger sibling.  That way when you turn the key it auto clutches down and doesnt scare the heck outta ya.  Back to work now


Boy, back in my day..

petefrom bearswamp

Just went thru grouches index and it made me think of A couple of things I did to my mill.
Cant take credit for this one, My neighbor Tim Roberson showed me this and maybe I already posted it.
I welded a 3/8 drive socket onto the blade tensioner screw and use a ratchet for blade tension/de-tension.
If you do this be careful to wrap the threads with something non flammable so as to not get spatters in the threads.
Who of us has not forgotten to lower a toe board, or inadvertantly hit a toe board lever?
I took the long handles off and substituted some short bolts.
Forgetting sure makes some nice long wedges.
I also swung my comand control station in a little bit so I dont have to crane my neck looking down the log or cant.
The only downside is that when using the board return I have to be on my toes to not get hit.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Chuck White

Still works very well, Pete!



 
~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!

Peter Drouin

Chuck White, Is that just so you don't have to walk around the mill to tighten the blade?
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Chuck White

Hey, what can I say, it came with the mill, so I just use it!   ;D
~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!

Brucer

That would be handy in the middle of a wide, dry log when the blade starts to overheat and go slack.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Furu

Thought that I would pit this here rather than start a new thread.

I am posting this as a potential modification to your mill that might well be worth the time and effort if it applies to any electrical connection you have on your mill.
When I received my brand new mill a couple of years back I was appalled to see how the electrical control cable Cannon plugs were configured.  I thought it was very poor design to leave an electrical connector without a backshell of any type.



As can be seen from the back of the Cannon plug there is nothing.
I contacted the  mill manufacturer's service department and their lead service guy informed me that there was no need for any backshell or environmental cover as the connector was waterproof.  I did a little research and found that there was a very inexpensive environmental sleeve advertised by the connector manufacturer as providing increased protection from dirt, paint overspray, and pressure washing.  My concern was for sawdust and water from environmental causes.  It is a portable mill after all and does see the real world.
As the plug wires and pins had to be removed to install the boot I was a bit apprehensive about doing the removal and installation without a pin out of the wires as I did not want to have an issue.  I asked for a connector pin out since with 12 wires I was concerned that I could create an issue.  The mill manufacturer refused/failed to supply the pin-out and the plan collapsed as I got busy using the mill.
Over time I continued to find water inside the cannon plugs and would routinely open them up and drain the water out and try to dry them.  Leaving out may details but fast forward a couple of years and this past July the electronic control is dead.  After trouble shooting, looking at the relays and tracing out wires I finally note that there is a missing pin (1 of 12 pins) in one of the plugs.  I find that the pin is still inside the receptacle of the opposing cannon plug.  I question how it broke off.
A little more investigation discovers it is not broken but corroded off.  A little further evaluation yields that there are many pins that have corrosion that is eroding the integrity of the pins in the plug.



Photo of a removed eroded pin next to a replacement pin.



Corrosion was not limited to just one pin/conductor.



Simple rain water infiltration in these so called waterproof plugs had been eroding the plug contacts both sockets and pins.  Still unable to get the "pin-out" from the manufacturer, I had to figure out what to do..

Back to my original plan to install the environmental sleeves to minimize future water infiltration.  In the repair I not only find that the pins and sockets have erosion but that some of the wires in the control cables (control cable was a 12 conductor cable) have corrosion that has "wicked up" the copper under the insulation.  In one wire I found corrosion that extended over 24 inches up the copper under the insulation. Only 3 of the of the 14 conductors had that level of corrosion but it required the entire cable harness to be replaced.



Here is a photo of the finished environmentally sleeved connector. The sleeve was only $0.95 each. The control cable requires a total of 4 for the entire machine.  Less than 4 dollars to prevent the whole issue. The failure to properly seal the plugs caused a lot of repair cost and more importantly a LOT of time.





If you have a sawmill that has similar connections that are exposed to sawdust (and what mill is not) or that ever see the outdoors and not kept indoors for its whole life I would recommend that you consider doing the modification.  Yes there is a risk of removing the pins from the plug without a pin-out but if you are careful it can be done.  I wish I had followed though on my initial plan and not given up when the manufacturer refused to supply a pin-out.

Kbeitz

Liquid electrical tape...
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

4x4American

Furu you do live in the rain capital of America don't ya? lol


I agree that should have been done from the get go, nothing bothers me more than exposed electrical connections.  I hate seeing non heat shrink butt connectors, I never use them, but alot of manufacturers do. 


Kbeitz, that sounds interesting, where do you get that?  and does it come off easy or is it a pain?
Boy, back in my day..

Furu

My experience with liquid electrical tape is that while it has its uses, it has major drawbacks.  If I had painted/glooped it on the back of the cannon plugs it would have failed sooner than later and there would be no way of performing maintenance on the plug if/when it was required.
I have used it but would not in this instance.  The fix would probably be worse than the cure.  Look at your local hardware store.  It comes in a bottle with a brush and even in a spray can.

Kbeitz

Quote from: 4x4American on August 24, 2016, 07:05:08 PM
Furu you do live in the rain capital of America don't ya? lol


I agree that should have been done from the get go, nothing bothers me more than exposed electrical connections.  I hate seeing non heat shrink butt connectors, I never use them, but alot of manufacturers do. 


Kbeitz, that sounds interesting, where do you get that?  and does it come off easy or is it a pain?

It's sold everywhere.
Kinda a one time thing... It does not come off easy...
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

4x4American

Huh, I'd never heard of it, sounds like a side show fix, I like heavy duty and serviceable...
Boy, back in my day..

DR_Buck

A better idea than liquid tape is the newer silicone tape.  It stretches and seals to it's self as you wrap it.   In short order it fuses into a solid silicone rubber seal.    You can cut it with a utility knife and crack it open to remove it.


http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-Tape-1-in-x-3-33-yd-Stretch-and-Seal-Self-Fusing-Silicone-Tape-in-Black-1208952/100206050?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D26P-AirCirculation%7c&gclid=CjwKEAjwrvq9BRD5gLyrufTqg0YSJACcuF81zPh1NDNA3aubdQEa6l7DqTKM6qukagAaICH6_M4sghoCbhzw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Magicman

That is a very interesting product Dave.
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

YellowHammer

Quote from: Magicman on August 25, 2016, 09:57:49 PM
That is a very interesting product Dave.
I've used that tape to seal the submerged electrical connections for a couple of my submersible well pumps.  It really stretches to fill all the gaps and vulcanizes to itself.  Expensive, but effective.  I always keep some in my boats for emergency repairs, also. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Bandmill Bandit

I use the silicon tape AND shrink tube when I can. and that method hasn't let me down yet, for service or repair/mod access.

Any company that delivers equipment half finished can keep their equipment at any price as far as I am concerned. When you move into a half finished house it is NEVER a finished house and will provide all the PITA project you will ever need.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

btulloh

Not a big mod, but solves a big pia.  On the HM126 the blade cover is held closed by a simple bolt through a tab on the door to a tab on the main housing.  The front tab is welded on to the sheet metal by has a 1/4 gap between the two tabs.  The tab flexes and the bolt will work lose during a cut and fall off.  Because of the flex, there is no way to tighten it sufficiently.  I fixed it by welding a couple of chunks of 1/4 rod on the tab so the pressure from the bolt bears on the the rear tab instead of just air.  Any kind of spacer that fills the gap will do.  Just a little annoyance but solved now.

(Not really of general interest, but may help somebody with an HM126.)



 
HM126

DDW_OR

"let the machines do the work"

fishfighter

Quote from: btulloh on August 28, 2016, 11:26:49 PM
Not a big mod, but solves a big pia.  On the HM126 the blade cover is held closed by a simple bolt through a tab on the door to a tab on the main housing.  The front tab is welded on to the sheet metal by has a 1/4 gap between the two tabs.  The tab flexes and the bolt will work lose during a cut and fall off.  Because of the flex, there is no way to tighten it sufficiently.  I fixed it by welding a couple of chunks of 1/4 rod on the tab so the pressure from the bolt bears on the the rear tab instead of just air.  Any kind of spacer that fills the gap will do.  Just a little annoyance but solved now.

(Not really of general interest, but may help somebody with an HM126.)



 

Never had trouble with mine coming loose on my 126.

btulloh

That's all that counts.
Does yours have that gap?  Maybe mine is unique.
HM126

fishfighter

Yes, it does. Mine never backed out.

Bandmill Bandit

Quote from: Ga Mtn Man on June 02, 2016, 07:02:49 PM
Quote from: Bandmill Bandit on June 02, 2016, 03:57:04 PM
I have tried a few thing but ultimately have not found any thing that really makes a lot of difference...

It seems like you didn't read my post.   :-\

You absolutely can increase the speed (by about 50%) just by changing the pulley but, the SimpleSet won't work correctly.

Ok I must be missing something here. The simple set reads of the shaft rotation circumference not the speed as I understand it. This should mean that shaft rotation speed has nothing to do with the the simple set calibration. ( this is what my computer engineer Son said after looking the lift motor/gearbox)

Any comments will be apreciated.   
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

4x4American

Maybe you have to change the PID values to make them jive at a faster speed.  I was under same understanding as BB that the transducer sets the height and pulley speed shouldn't affect it but what sounds good on paper dont always work
Boy, back in my day..

Bandmill Bandit

NEWS Release! (or something) and just got this from Wood Mizer West in BC.
I have ordered it since that motor is due for brushes anyway.

LT40 Revision 4.11+
http://woodmizer.com/manuals/sawmill/parts/pdf/606.pdf

That motor is a 3/4 HP motor that fit in place of the OEM 1/2 HP lift motor on older mills. The motor is about 3/4 inch longer. You need new pulley and belt as well.
Part 1X   # 053683 Motor 12VDC Electric std mill  @ $325.32 CDN
       1X   # 036204 Pulley, AK22 x 1/2" Bore        @ $7.59     CDN
       1X   # 4L270   Belt                                      @ $7.04     CDN

Speed estimated at about 75% of the larger frame motor that is standard on the LT40 Super.
DOES NOT affect simple set calibration.
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Ga Mtn Man

Quote from: Bandmill Bandit on September 02, 2016, 10:45:01 AMOk I must be missing something here. The simple set reads of the shaft rotation circumference not the speed as I understand it. This should mean that shaft rotation speed has nothing to do with the the simple set calibration. ( this is what my computer engineer Son said after looking the lift motor/gearbox)

Any comments will be apreciated.   

My mill came with the 3/4HP motor and AK22 pulley.  I was trying to get it (SimpleSet) to work with an AK32 pulley on the motor (the same pulley the LT40 Super uses).  The problem isn't with the calibration but rather with the SS being able to stop the head on the mark at the higher speed.  If you watch the pulley on the gearbox when you do a drop with the SS, you can see that it does a little bump back up to correct for over-shoot (this is what appears to be going on by my observation but I did not confirm this with WM).   That bump back is calibrated for a certain down speed and there is no way to change it to work at the higher speed.   The drops were accurate most of the time but frequently would be off by as much as ΒΌ".  I spent an entire day futzing around with it and finally contacted Rick at WM Indy and was told that it could not be made to work reliably without reprogramming the SS, which was not in the cards.

"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

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