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4 Major improvements to my LT 40

Started by plasticweld, August 30, 2015, 10:04:18 AM

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plasticweld

 

  

 


 

  

  

 

The 1st was to add a bottom roller to the rail, I had the mill move back and forth and it took me a little while to figure out where the play was coming from, it makes no sense why there is not a set of rollers on the bottom as well as the top instead of using just a shim to hold it in place.  A good fix that cost only a couple of bucks

Next was to change the motor and pulley system that drives the carriage  I doubled the size of the motor and added a two pulley system, the original was way to wimpy for serious sawing

Then came the lift motor for the saw, as everything else speeded up we were waiting way to long for the saw to lift out of the cut and go up so we could bring the mill back,  the reverse speed is fast enough to consider the use of a seat belt making the slow rising of the mill painful.

The coolest thing added was a simple device that does not let the post that hold the logs go all the way done, most of the time we saw a lot smaller stuff for rail fence and with this catch you can bang the posts back and forth and make it either go down all the way or stay at 3 inches which is great for edging the side cuts.  This basically saved guessing if they were down far enough so you did not saw into them.  The top of the posts were also sawn flat I have no idea why WM thought they should be at an angle, it just gives you more to saw into by mistake and has no holding power on the logs.


This is a link to the original link to making this mill from a manual to full hydraulic

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,84474.0.html

The mill is now sawing over 3,000 feet a day every day it works

drobertson

Looks like you got it done,, you must have an older model?  my 40 does have cam followers on the bottom,  I do like the idea of your back stops,  and smaller logs can be a pain for sure,  and I'm thinking the angle on the back stops help bigger logs turn easier.   I say if these modifications help you speed up, then this is a good thing,
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,

thechknhwk

Your one photo is not appearing because it's missing the [img] tag at the beginning of the link.  Edit your post and add that and you should be all set.

plasticweld


YellowHammer

Nice mods.  What size lift motor did you upgrade to?  Any issues with the wiring or otherwise having to drive the higher amp motors? 
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

plasticweld

No problems so far... I learned to say that lately :}   I went to a heavier gage wire to the rheostat  and kept the same control.  I did receive conflicting advice about going to a Speed control rather than a heavier rheostat but after talking to another Lt 40 owner just going with bigger wires.  The motor is just double the size so from a 20 amp motor to a 41 amp  or roughly double the HP.  it barely hums along is not working at all compared to the stock one which got hot.  The belt and pulley up date was also a problem because at the end of the day the belts needed to be tighten and seemed to be working much harder than they should.  I run a seat with mine sometimes and the stock set up was far to weak for my taste, plus I have really sped up the return rate on the trip back

canadianwoodworks

Also wondering the year of you mill?

Nice additions, side supports are angled to allow logs or cants to roll easier, the newer mills seem to have bearings there.

The stronger / double belt drive motor and upgraded up down motor are my favorite mods.

plasticweld

The mill was made in 1999 and  had a 99 hours on it when I bought it.  I paid 10,000 for it then so far spent another 8,000 in labor and parts to make it the way it is.  I figure it is far better than what I could buy new mill for in that price range.  I figure the second mill I build will go faster.  Each time I used I found there were improvements that could be made and I think for the first time in a long time I am really happy with what I ended up with.  The next step is to build and edger I can't see sawing much over 3000 feet a day without one.  I think this time I will build one from scratch opposed to buying one already made, it gives me something to think about when I can't sleep at night anyway.

Dave Shepard

What exactly are those rollers doing? There are rollers on the inside of the frame that take the load of the head.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Kbeitz

I heard so many stories about people sawing into the dogs that when I built my mill i made it impossible to saw into them. I put a dog bumper before the blade. If i have the dogs to high the bumper will hit and sop the mill or push the dog down...



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

plasticweld

Quote from: Dave Shepard on August 30, 2015, 04:27:48 PM
What exactly are those rollers doing? There are rollers on the inside of the frame that take the load of the head.


I am sure you have noticed that when you take your first cut the saw has a tendency to rise up giving you less than square lumber.  The remedy is to slow the saw down and let it  feed into the log.  With the rollers it keeps this from happening, while I still can't hit the log at full speed it is at more than double what it used to be and the quality of the lumber is better.  It also seems to help if the mill is less than level it still saws true lumber.  It must be working as you can see from the pictures there are obvious wear marks on the roller and the rail.  If it where not needed they would never touch.

plasticweld

That is a brilliant idea, just so ya know I plan on stealing it.... I owe you breakfast

Quote from: Kbeitz on August 30, 2015, 05:19:21 PM
I heard so many stories about people sawing into the dogs that when I built my mill i made it impossible to saw into them. I put a dog bumper before the blade. If i have the dogs to high the bumper will hit and sop the mill or push the dog down...



 

Dave Shepard

If it were me, I would find out what is wrong with the mill, rather than treat the symptom. I've run four different LT40s, under a lot of different conditions, and the head raising up has never been an issue. It sounds to me like you need to adjust the tilt of your blade guide rollers down.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

logs2lumber

awesome i am really interested in the motor upgrades you done. I have the same problem the motor for the up and down is way to slow and the fwd/rev does tend to get hot. could you tell me what brand and size your motors are? ;D

4x4American

So when do we get a video to see how fast she can go?   ;D
Boy, back in my day..

plasticweld

Quote from: 4x4American on September 03, 2015, 10:01:07 AM
So when do we get a video to see how fast she can go?   ;D

That would be tough, my sawyer the one who can really make the mill sing is Amish and video of him would not go over well. 


Logs2Lumber
I will get the info on the motors and post it

plasticweld

Quote from: Dave Shepard on August 30, 2015, 07:04:41 PM
If it were me, I would find out what is wrong with the mill, rather than treat the symptom. I've run four different LT40s, under a lot of different conditions, and the head raising up has never been an issue. It sounds to me like you need to adjust the tilt of your blade guide rollers down.

Dave as far as I can tell the rollers are spot on.  I am not sure how to look further for a problem when it was corrected by the bottom rollers being added, without taking them off.  As I said originally it only effected the speed at which I could start the cut on the log no, other aspect.  Am I wrong to assume that if the rollers were off, they would also be off at a low speed as well as high speed.  I am still learning so  any suggestions are appreciated

Jim_Rogers

If the blade pushes off the log, rises up, that usually means the blade is dull. A sharp blade should cut straight in.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

plasticweld

Thanks Jim the original problem it  did not matter if it were a new blade or not.  I had play in the mill, I could lift up the outside edge of the head and there was maybe a 1/4 of play.  If I measured the distance from the saw blade to the table next to the carriage and then again on then on the far side I had movement off of the table.  If I went slow the first few inches of the cut it never bothered me. But it seemed odd that there should be any movement at all. I checked the manual out for adjusting the top rollers as tight as I could and still have the mill be square. Taking the play out so that there was zero by adding the bottom rollers, just let me hit the log at a faster speed and not have it effect the thickness of the lumber.  I still may as Dave suggested be merely hiding a problem and put a band aid over it. 

Dave Shepard

You can lift the head on all WM mills. My point was that you have a problem, and it sounds be better to fix the problem that to treat the symptom. Your mill might be sawing to your satisfaction, but there is still a problem somewhere.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

LeeB

Sounds to me like the lower track bearings are either worn or out of adjustment allowing the head to flop too much.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

Jim_Rogers

If the mill is sitting level front to back and left to right there should be enough weight hanging over the cantilever head to prevent it from lifting up. If it is lifting up it could be a balance problem.
I have set up in spots were the mill wasn't level and this happened to me.

The mill should "drop down" a bit when it "bites into" the log. That's why the alignment section of the manual says it should be 1/16" (or whatever it says) higher on the outside roller.

Jim Rogers.
PS. as mentioned all WM mills will lift from the log side. This is standard operating condition. Mine does.
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

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