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LT40 Tracks and Rollers Issues

Started by deadfall, July 05, 2015, 12:21:02 PM

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deadfall

The rollers didn't make it by the weekend, though shipped.  It's just as well.  It hasn't rained here in the rain clearcuts for a very long time.  It was supposed to start last night but what did fall you could measure the distance between the raindrops by spreading your hand.  Nothing got wet.  It took me several hours to get everything covered, so it better rain some.  I have never seen it as dry here at this time of year.  The creeks are very low, and August is the dry season. 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

Brucer

Same thing north of you. We had our first "rain" in 5 weeks today. A light shower for about 20 minutes. Everything was dry within half an hour. It's just like it was in 2003, only a month earlier.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

deadfall

I've been doing everything I can think of to make some rain.  I spent hours covering stuff up for the forecast rain that hasn't gotten anything wet.  I totally covered the mill.  I watered my shiitake logs.  The only thing I neglected to do was leave the windows open on the car and trucks and park the tractors outside.  Our showers today are made of sunshine.  So, in a last ditch effort to make it rain, I uncovered the mill and went back to work.

2X8s for the upstairs walls of the shop, sawed before lunch.



2X6 cants next after lunch.

W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

Magicman

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

deadfall

Magicman, sir, these cants are from dead trees that have been canted up for up to a year and a half, set up on crib beams and tarped over.   They seem to be pretty much as dry as anything gets around here.  I think I have seen only one or two pitch seams in all of it I've sawed.  To avoid having sawdust stick to the boards, which I usually clean off even before moving the boards to the forks, I have been running the blade dry.  Nothing is sticking to the blades and they are staying shiny clean.  Here's my question, is the water necessary for cooling or blade edge life, or just there to keep away the buildup on the blade?  The dry sawdust just falls off, and I am liking it that way.  Should I be using water for this dry wood?

Thanks in advance.  I'm bettin' you know.

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On edit:  The forecast has been raised from 40% chance of showers to 50% chance of thunder-boomers.  Am I doing something right?  I love thunder storms, and they make my shiitake logs produce more mushrooms! 

After a thunderstorm last summer:

W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

Magicman

Quote from: deadfall on July 12, 2015, 04:53:32 PMHere's my question, is the water necessary for cooling or blade edge life, or just there to keep away the buildup on the blade? ...... Should I be using water for this dry wood? 
I don't think that there is a "one size fits all" answer to any question or situation.  Soap breaks the "surface tension" and allows the water to adhere to the blade.  Kinda makes the water "wetter".

To some degree, soapy water cools, cleans, and lubricates.

If you are sawing OK without buildup then saw without lube.  Many sawyers use nothing when sawing Cedar and dry logs/cants.  I always adjust the pulses on my LubeMizer to fit the need.
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

deadfall

Thank you so much. 

Okays then, going to get back at it.   

Yippee! 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

deadfall

My belt tensioner tool and track rollers have arrived. 

It has been a Murphy's 5th Law day here.

(Murphy's 5th Law:  Whatever it is that you wish to do, you'll have to do something else first.)

I have set up a site for a temporary lumber storage shed with tractor fork access from two sides.  The trouble was, there was a pile of firewood in the way of one side, and that had grown into the grass and had to be moved. Moving that shot the morning plus... 

UPS arrived while I was doing that.  I had a volunteer for stickering help today, had I been ready.  She took off.  So, the afternoon will be for replacing the two rollers and setting the belt tension. 

I see no adjustments in the top rollers.  Am I missing anything?  Anything I should know before I mess something up?
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

MartyParsons

Hello,
The only adjustment is from the bottom.   There are some set screws on the top, but just leave them alone.
You could check the blade to bed adjustment before and after replacement. I would bet it does not move or change the adjustment.

M
"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill

deadfall

Someone mentioned a crowbar trick.  I see doing the two I'm replacing one at a time.  These will be the forward and rear top rollers.  I think I see where to put the crowbar, and it looks like it will just be to release enough force to remove and insert each one when the time comes. 

With the rear rollers being connected to the pivot block, I see they must come out together for the rear one to be removed.  This could be handy as I can carry the whole thing to the shop if there is any problem getting the roller out.  The forward one has its jam nut in a pretty tight spot.  Can I expect that turning the large 5/8" stems on these rollers with only an allen wrench might be pretty tough? 

I'm just hoping this goes smoothly.  There doesn't seem to be much rust, but there is thick paint on the nuts and threads.
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

deadfall

All righty.  While my plan was to replace only the two rollers that were not turning and keep the third one I ordered for a spare, I decided to replace all three top rollers and keep the current one that was turning as the spare.  As I reported earlier, that one was obviously a replacement by the previous owner (no orange paint and a newer W-M brand and part number printing on it, matching the three new ones I just got).  It shows some wear, but not terrible.  I think the two bottom rollers might also be replacements, but not sure.  They just look to be in pretty good condition. 

This is what I found:  the rear one that didn't turn was completely frozen up.  I got some WD40 past the seal and soon it was turning freely...an obvious sign of rust inside.  The forward roller would turn after it was removed but had about 1/16" of end play.  I think its issue is that it is out or round along its wear line, as is the one that was frozen, both from having acted as skids for so long. 

I used a crowbar to lift the weight off the roller and slipped a 5/16" bolt under to hold it up while the crowbar was removed.  This worked great.

Once it was back together, with the roller covers still off, I ran the head the length of the rails several times, going as slow as it could and still keeping it moving.  Only at the very lowest speed could the bad spot in the rail stop the head from moving. The rollers turned evenly, even passing over that bad spot in the rail.   I did this on the battery, which lacks the pull of the alternator when the engine is running, so if it was going to stall, it would have then. 

So, I think I am going to enjoy making wide cuts much more now.  When I was testing it, I found myself leaning into the carriage, as the habit had become so ingrained.  When I saw myself doing this, I went and got a short 2X4 and hit myself in the head with it, then went back to my testing it without a hitch. 
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

Dave Shepard

Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Seaman

I am learning from you !! Please keep fixing things. :D
Lucas dedicated slabber
Woodmizer LT40HD
John Deere 5310 W/ FEL
Semper Fi

deadfall

Well then, I only sawed a few 4X cants today, as that was next in the cue.  The head just glides now.  I have to be careful retuning the carriage as it coasts almost four feet after I throw the switch.  It veritably flies on the return.

I sawed a bunch of stickers as the neighbor kid came by and offered to help stack and sticker my backlog of shop building lumber.  The next cant in the cue has two broken screws in it to dig out before I can do it.  It's going to be about a dozen 2X6X14s Then there are some cants for 2X8s which are the fattest cants of what's left of the three big Doug firs that volunteered to be in my shop (by dying). 

We have some really nice second growth, about a hundred years old.  This one (155 feet tall) died within the last year and is now the 54 2X10X16 joists of the 32'X36' clear span wood shop that will be in the upstairs and have 12 and 14 foot walls.  My tree guy is 62 now and I am praying he doesn't retire.


W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

deadfall

Quote from: Seaman on July 14, 2015, 09:00:34 PM
I am learning from you !! Please keep fixing things. :D

Great!  You caught the part about the short 4X4, right?
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

deadfall

Just want to report how nicely the head moves now.  Today I decided to run three 5.5" cants at once and take it very slowly.  Granted, I had a very fresh blade to do it with, but these Doug fir cants are very dry.  I can't be happier with the operation. 

Moral of the story: don't let your rollers get rusty, and keep your stick on the ice.
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Sounds like you did good Deadfall.....the only thing that scares me about sawing more than 1 cant at a time is if you hit metal in 1 cant and the blades dives or rises.....you have ruined 3 boards.  :o
That would get my goat!  :)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

LUV2MILL

I would lay a long straight edge on the rail there, a 4' or 6' level would do, and see if the rail is bent. I suspect it's not a coincidence that the jack is in the same location. My guess would be something very heavy came down really quick while that jack had a real solid footing. :-\

barbender

I think it would pretty much take a highway collision or something along those lines to bend the rail on an LT40. They are pretty bullet proof. I think the fellow I bought mine from could break an anvil in two, and he bent and maimed a few items on the LT40. But he didn't hurt the rail ;)
Too many irons in the fire

Seaman

Somewhere back in the " useful mods" thread, there was a discussion about the rail being bowed from the factory I think. I will look for it again.
Frank
Lucas dedicated slabber
Woodmizer LT40HD
John Deere 5310 W/ FEL
Semper Fi

deadfall

I probably was never going to bring this up, but way back over 30 years ago, the LT-30 we got new had a sideways bend in the center of the lower rail.  It looked like it had been pulled by the welds.  Our last board was always an hourglass, as the head leaned progressively until it got to middle of the mill, and then stood back up by the end of the pass.  I diagnosed that issue, but W-M's Portland guys back then really tried to deny what was happening.  Being two hours out of town didn't help much.  I wanted a new mill but didn't get it.  They worked on the mill for many hours with the lower roller adjustments and the deck to minimize the issue, but never totally got us a uniform thickness last board or cant. 

I heard those guys from back then are long gone. 

When I looked to buy this used LT-40-HD mill, you'd better believe I got down and sighted down the length of the rails, especially the lower one.  I have to believe W-M's quality control got on top of that issue pretty quickly.  If I wasn't so young and dumb as I was then, I would have made big noises at company HQ.  Still, I loved that mill and working it.  It broke my heart that my ex-best friend and business partner wound up with it.  I probably would have been a custom sawyer straight through to now.  I didn't care to make a bunch of money.  I've never had that as a drive.  I really loved sawing.  Still in all, everything in this life is a blessing.  Today I saw for fun.  What could be better?
W-M LT40HD -- Siding Attachment -- Lathe-Mizer -- Ancient PTO Buzz Saw

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Happy for no reason.

4x4American

Boy, back in my day..

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