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Rope based power feed (Woodmizer)

Started by Woodslabs, May 20, 2015, 09:56:42 PM

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Woodslabs

Hi All,

I have a new Lt 15 Wide.  I have milled around 2000 bf in the last few days and my only issue is with the power feed.  After a log or 2 it starts slipping.  I assume its the wet sawdust on the rope and the dust clogging up the wipers on the rails.  My rope is tight but the feed wheel will spin with no traction on the rope.  I have to give it a nudge or pull and push to get it going.  Eventually it really effects milling.  Anyone have any tips on rope based power feeds?  I was thinking of putting a thick rubber band around the wheel to give it more traction with the rope.  Any tips or tricks would be appreciated.

I don;t want to have to clean the wipers every couple of logs.

Thanks,
Mike
check out www.woodslabs.ca

JHEPP08

I'll look for a picture but some guys took a old shop broom an cut a piece an mounted on it so it sweeps as you go down the line
Hope it makes sense
Woodmizer LT15

Verticaltrx

I don't have power feed, but a few things about the rope feed I have noticed:

-due to some stretch in the rope, it has less traction at the beginning of a cut vs the end. When you work your way down the log the rope effectively becomes shorter and stretches less

-the rope has to be very tight

-if the carriage seems harder than normal to push/crank/move, back it up a few inches then go again. Sometimes sawdust or bark gets in front of the wipers and causes extra resistance. A short backup seems to alleviate this (just be cautious if you try to back up with the blade running in the log, could throw a blade)

-the manual feed needs one full wrap all the way around the drum for traction, I'd assume the power feed would be the same, maybe try two wraps? 

Hope it works out for you, maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in soon.
Wood-Mizer LT15G19

elk42

Woodslabs

My bed is 44' long your rope is not tight enough. I pull mine tight with a come along winch.
Machinist Retired, Lt15 WM 25 HP, Stihl 044, Stihl 311, Kubota M2900w/FEL, KUBOTA L4800 w/FEL,
Lincoln Ranger 10,000, stihl 034,

Chuck White

Some used to use "pine-tar" for rope and flat-belt drive units.

It doesn't usually take much to make it a little tacky!
~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!

zopi

Or a little stockholm turpentine....
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

pineywoods

Belt dressing in a spray can from your automotive parts store. Intended for slipping fan belts, but works on rope also..
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

gfadvm

I have to tighten the rope on my LT15 periodically or it wants to slip. The newer the rope, the more it will stretch.

WDH

I have ran the rope powerfeed for several years.  Mine has always worked perfectly.  Something must be awry. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Percy

GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

zopi

It is a thick turpentine made for treating horse hoof injuries. It is tacky but not as sticky as pine tar.

Probably easier to apply as well...without that hard to get rid of booger situation. lol
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

bandmiller2

Slabs, I would call WM and get their input on the matter. My bandmill uses wire cable for feed, I put a heavy spring at both ends to keep the cable taught. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

AnthonyW

I will be following the comments on this thread, I have have analogous issues with my LT25.

I purchased a used LT25 (I am at least the third owner). The original rope had issues not slipping down the pulley and tangling on the pulley. At the same time it was an old rope that had been outside for (many) years. I opted for a new rope and a new tensioning method. I headed to Lowe's/Home Depot. I purchased what I thought that the right rope, a polyester braided rope. It turns out the rope was not "solid" but a covering and core. The covering has stretched more than the core by more than 4 feet  (the core is 30 ft, the cover is now 34ft + long) and has so many snags it does not look healthy. For take 3, I opted to go somewhere where they deal with ropes, a lot of ropes. Nearest to me, I headed to West Marine. Although they were not able to help me directly they put me into contact with New England Ropes, real rope pros. I learned three things:

1) The rope from the box store should have worked but was very poorly made, their version of the same rope would not have stretched unevenly nor that much.
2) They (believe they) have a rope designed for exactly our application (Regatta Braid 5/16" single braid polyester). I have some on order but have not yet received or tried. I will update later.
3) Most importantly, most spun/twisted/braid ropes have a light lubricant applied during manufacture to help with manufacture. The New England Ropes rep suggested I wash the before using. Some dish detergent and wash in a large bucket, let it soak for a while, swish around a while, and then rinse, rinse, rinse to get all of the soap and lubricant off. Woodslabs, you may want to try the same.
'97 Wood-Mizer LT25 All Manual with 15HP Kohler

sawdusty1

The first thing I did to mine was to take the rope contraption off.  I can control the cut much better pushing by hand.  Very poor design 
Woodmizer LT15
Husqvarna 550xp
Husqvarna 372xp
Husqvarna 350
Husqvarna 55 Rancher
Husqvarna 181se
Kubota L4701

MP_Wall

While not knowing much about the mills, getting line at a hardware store is not going to do it. You need to look at quality braid from sailing or marine suppliers. I would think kevlar core braid or a product called spectra would be a good match for this application due to the fact that it stretches much less. There are several good online sources for braid like this.  mpw

AnthonyW

Quote from: sawdusty1 on May 22, 2015, 09:06:54 AM
The first thing I did to mine was to take the rope contraption off.  I can control the cut much better pushing by hand.  Very poor design

I tried pushing, but I loose to much leverage when I have to move to walk around the wheel (referring to my LT25 not the OP LT15 which maybe sitting on the ground without this problem).
'97 Wood-Mizer LT25 All Manual with 15HP Kohler

zopi

I am right fond of the hand crank unit....not sure if a retrofit will work.
I concur with the above on washing the rope prior to use...also...if you can get tue same size rope in a double braid yacht rigging rope it will last a whole lot longer and be easier to deal with in general. I am not fond of the 12 strand single braid nylon...it is lousy rope...it is just easy to get.
last rope I put on was a soft core poly braid...not fond of that either.
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

elk42

This is the wipers I made for my LT 15. Works good for me.


 


  

  

 
Machinist Retired, Lt15 WM 25 HP, Stihl 044, Stihl 311, Kubota M2900w/FEL, KUBOTA L4800 w/FEL,
Lincoln Ranger 10,000, stihl 034,

AnthonyW

Quote from: zopi on May 22, 2015, 12:37:36 PM
I am right fond of the hand crank unit....not sure if a retrofit will work.
I concur with the above on washing the rope prior to use...also...if you can get tue same size rope in a double braid yacht rigging rope it will last a whole lot longer and be easier to deal with in general. I am not fond of the 12 strand single braid nylon...it is lousy rope...it is just easy to get.
last rope I put on was a soft core poly braid...not fond of that either.

Nylon would be a lousy material for this application. The regatta braid I order is polyester, as suggested in the WM parts manual. There are three ploy ropes which make things difficult, polyester, polypropylene, and one other that is alluding me at this hour.
'97 Wood-Mizer LT25 All Manual with 15HP Kohler

zopi

Regatta should be good...my mill came with nylon...long time ago. The poly I used was fa8rly cheap stuff...I just did not note that it was soft cored when I picked it up. Good double braid oughta do.
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

AnthonyW

Quote from: zopi on May 24, 2015, 09:18:48 AM
Regatta should be good...my mill came with nylon...long time ago. The poly I used was fa8rly cheap stuff...I just did not note that it was soft cored when I picked it up. Good double braid oughta do.

First update. I picked up the rope this morning. What a difference in diameter between 5/16" from the big box and 5/16" from the marine industry (much larger and stout). I hope it fits.

Second update. New rope is on. It is a solid 11/32" in diameter. I would not fit through the hole at the front of the mill (calipers say the hole is 5/16" exactly), I had to re-drill to 3/8". We'll see how it does tomorrow.

Third Update: The regatta braid rope worked well. I think the larger stretched diameter (ie., the big box rope got real skinny when under tension, this rope did not. I only used it for 3 hours and it was new. Only time will tell if it was a well spent $30.
'97 Wood-Mizer LT25 All Manual with 15HP Kohler

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