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Need a little help.

Started by jdw, August 18, 2016, 01:40:18 PM

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jdw

So yesterday I was cutting some hickory and my blade started getting hot, so I shut it down for an hour or so checked my lead made a few adjustments. When I started it back up and went to cutting it started cutting thin on the front end thick on the back and after making a cut the can't is pushing against the saw hard like scary hard, it's so much it has to be movement somewhere but I can't find nothing the carriage is tight I checked it a couple of times. And some times it will cut right on the money, but more times than not its thin and thick. Any info would be a great help. :-X

Kbeitz

Kinda sounds like one side is dull and the other is sharp.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

fishfighter

Bad blade? Did you try another blade to see if it would cut right?

Gearbox

I think he is running a circle mill . More info please . Is it flat belt drive .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

jdw

V belt drive. 52 inch blade.

W5E2J

JDW, does the blade need to be retensioned, perhaps? W Jones

jdw

Blade was just hammered a month ago hasn't been real hot or anything. To be honest I'm clueless.

york

Everything can be good with the mill-but Hickory logs can be a PITA....Try another good log.....
Albert

W5E2J

It would be interesting to know if a different log or variety, say oak, would saw any  better. W Jones

jdw

This is a little off subject but I'm seriously thinking of scraping the circle mill. I have been looking at the woodmizer let 35hd but have some questions.
1 what kind of blade life do you get running a debarker?
2 how is the production compared to a manual mill?
3 are there any downfalls to the woodmizer are they as good as they say they are?

jdw


OneWithWood

blade life is dependent on what you are cutting, tension, lube, etc.
never ran a manual mill so I can't comment on the production except to say it has got to be exponentially better.
Yes, Woodmizer mills are as good as they say they are.
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Chuck White

I run an LT40HDG24 with a debarker and I feel that blade life is somewhere between 4 & 5 times longer, when running the debarker.

When I was running my FIL's LT40 manual 18hp we would cut around 1,000 bf of lumber in a day, and now with my mill I routinely get up around 2,000 bf/day!
~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!

dgdrls

Quote from: jdw on August 22, 2016, 06:18:50 PM
This is a little off subject but I'm seriously thinking of scraping the circle mill. I have been looking at the woodmizer let 35hd but have some questions.
1 what kind of blade life do you get running a debarker?  depending on species, and what I have read here and from my limited experience with a band at least 2+ longer
2 how is the production compared to a manual mill?  Manual band or circle?
3 are there any downfalls to the woodmizer are they as good as they say they are?  IMHO the larger mono-rail WM's are dandy machines with proven track records

Question back if I may
Did you solve your initial issue?? 

Couple items come to mind,  as others have indicated bad log??  Hickory can and does move quite a bit when sawing
Lead issue or you in-fact lost blade tension by heating it
DGD

jdw

I also have the Norwood lm29 all and all a pretty good mill but can't get no blade life. I can pressure wash the logs before cutting and on average can cut 3-4 logs on a blade. But seriously thinking of making the trip to Indy to woodmizer to check them out. They rate the 35hd at 500 ft per hour I'd say that's ideal situation though. Guess I'll just wait and see.

ozarkgem

Quote from: jdw on August 24, 2016, 08:41:57 PM
I also have the Norwood lm29 all and all a pretty good mill but can't get no blade life. I can pressure wash the logs before cutting and on average can cut 3-4 logs on a blade. But seriously thinking of making the trip to Indy to woodmizer to check them out. They rate the 35hd at 500 ft per hour I'd say that's ideal situation though. Guess I'll just wait and see.
Tell Woodmizer to bring out a mill and have a pile of logs there. At the end of 8 hrs there is a stack of lumber with 4000 BF in it tell them you will buy the mill. Just for your info I like Woodmizer mills I think they are very well engineered mills.If I were richer I would own one. I just think if any mill advertises a cut rate they sould be able to back it up regardless of brand.
Mighty Mite Band Mill, Case Backhoe, 763 Bobcat, Ford 3400 w/FEL , 1962 Ford 4000, Int dump truck, Clark forklift, lots of trailers. Stihl 046 Magnum, 029 Stihl. complete machine shop to keep everything going.

jdw

Well they do say up to 500 ft an hour ;D that's why I think they rate it in a best case situation. But the (up to ) part concerns me  :-\

Ron Wenrich

When I was running a manual circle mill, my production was about 5-6 Mbf/day with 2 more men.  That was running unbarked logs.  I did work at a mill that had a manual mill with a debarker and a 7 man crew.  We cut mainly long tulip poplar at the time and we cut an average of 90 Mbf/week.  The only automation was a live log deck and a log turner.  So, production depends on your setup and what you're cutting.  Same goes with any other mill.

Cutting hickory on any mill can be a problem.  If you're cutting shagbark, you'll may have a problem with the bark debris rubbing against the saw.  But, you need a sharp saw to saw hickory.  If your bits are worn down or you have a bit of an angle filed into the bit, it'll show up in hickory.  Also, if the angle on your bit is too fat, then you'll also have problems.  If you've been swaging your bits, you might have the board side longer than the log side, causing the saw to lead out of the log.  Those problems end up being heat in a blade.  Change bits and see if that doesn't change your problem.  Hickory is less forgiving than most species.

The other factor is you saw guides.  They have to be a bit tighter for hickory.  Not so much on the log side, but on the board side.  I would run that one tight.  Many times when I had problems with a blade heating up, I could correct it with guide adjustment or bit maintenance. 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

ladylake

Quote from: jdw on August 24, 2016, 08:41:57 PM
I also have the Norwood lm29 all and all a pretty good mill but can't get no blade life. I can pressure wash the logs before cutting and on average can cut 3-4 logs on a blade. But seriously thinking of making the trip to Indy to woodmizer to check them out. They rate the 35hd at 500 ft per hour I'd say that's ideal situation though. Guess I'll just wait and see.


What size logs, if 150 to 200 bf hardwood logs 3 or 4 is fine.  If 50 bf softwood logs not so good.. Does your mill have the sandwich type guide, if so I might switch to flanged roller guide with a least 1/4" down pressure.  Keep in mind all mills have 2 big wheels and some sort of guides and will cut the same if setup the same. Is your drive belt tight enough?  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

Larch

I had a "texture" blade made for my swinger with one really big tooth.  It was the easiest sawing I had ever done and it became my favorite blade.  So there is extra waste when I use it but that extra wide kerf got rid of so many problems.  It just hogs out such a nice space for the blade.  Have your saw shop retooth a blade or two with a sixteenth or so extra width and try that.

I recently switched to a Mizer after ten years on a swinger.  Don't let band concerns stop you.  You won't believe how easy they saw. 

jdw

The thing is I got a call from a large grade lumber buyer and they buy tractor trailer loads at a time about 8,000 bf. The thing is if the lumber is cut longer than 7 days in the summer they won't take it. So I need something I can cut 8,000 bf a week easily and if you go through 3-4 blades per thousand that eats pretty heavy in the profit. I would rather have a circle mill but the on I got it's a never ending headache. So my options are buy a new circle mill or a new band mill. The reason I was looking at the band mill mainly if you have to one man can run it. But I'm not sure I'm still on the fence.

Larch

When I would spend the day sawing on my manual swing mill I would feel like I had been hit by a truck.

I can saw logs all day on my hydraulic Mizer and not hurt at all.

Blade costs?  PSSSHAW! 

I'd get a job delivering pizzas to cover blade cost loss before I went back to manual circle milling again. 

dgdrls

good morning,

JDW what is the Grade Buyer looking to purchase?
Would a 2 blade dimension mill be an option for you?

D

jdw

He's mostly wanting 4/4 and a little 8/4 6 inch or wider. This may be a dumb question but I've never sold grade lumber before does the boards have to be ran through an edger or do they take them straight off the mill?

jdw

Called woodmizer today they said the bf per hour is based on a 3 man crew with an edger. Might be better off buying a new circle mill. Gonna have to study this situation  :P

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