Lt70 alignment

[Al Miles]

Good morning,
I replaced the lower track rollers yesterday and rather than adjust the head to the position of the bed rails I decided to do a complete alignment. I followed the manual step by step. Once I started sawing I got a current error when I cut the last inch. I noticed the head was hitting the stop bolt which limits the downward travel of the head. I lowered that bolt so I could cut the last inch but in doing so the head contacted and damaged the upper track roller cover. I rechecked all my measurements and yes I had them exactly as stated in the manual.
Adjust the head to the bed using the lower rollers.
Set head with blade 15-5/16" above clamp.
Set all bed rails to 15" below blade.
Install and adjust blade guide rollers.
Adjust side supports.
Adjust saw head tilt.
Adjust blade height scale and set to 12 on accuset.

After rechecking I indeed have it set as outlined. I raised all the bed rails 1/4" to keep the head off the roller cover and adjusted the head travel stop.
I'm now worried about damaging the mill when I put it in travel mode. Once the head rests on the carriage rest pin and the head lilts out the weight of the head may be on the rollers and not on the travel stop bolt.

After all that here's my question, does anyone know the minimum height of the head travel stop bolt? That is nowhere in the book.

I've done routine alignments on this mill in the past but this is the first complete. I did have to lower the bed rails to get them to the 15" specified in the book.
Thanks,
Al

[John S]

My suggestion is to bring it to your nearest Woodmizer dealer for a complete overhaul.  It is my understanding that you do not adjust the bed rails unless a catastrophic event has occurred.  You do not give your location, Woodmizer PA, just had their owners day yesterday where they go over a complete sawmill alignment.  There were about 40 owners in attendance and Marty Parsons and his crew once again did a great job.  I believe that WM locations are open on Saturday mornings, I would give them a call.  If you are in PA or nearby, they are having their Open House today.  Good luck.

[Al Miles]

Thank you.
Woodmizer suggests doing a complete alignment every 1500 hours. Now I wish i didn't.
I should have just replaced the bearings, aligned the head to the be rails and just kept on cutting. Once I got into the complete alignment I ran into time wasting trouble.

I found mention of the travel stop in the "preparing the sawmill for towing"section. Once the head contacts the carriage rest pin it must contact the travel stop 3/4" lower or damage will result. Any lower and I think the head would tilt enough that the safety lock pin would contact the side of the lower track. Any higher and too much weight would ride on the carriage rest pin. I already have cracks in the blade housing around the rest pin area. Wouldn't do the lower tracks any good with the weight on the side of the track while bouncing down the road.

I deal with the Woodmizer Dealership in Salmon Arm BC. They are away at a trade show in Vernon this weekend.

I spent a few hours yesterday and aligned thins so I could cut once again and not worry about damaging anything when I move it tomorrow.
I think Woodmizer should give a different distance to start the bed alignment, even a quarter inch would keep the head high enough and still have the clamp stop high enough to clamp the cant/board.

[scully]

If I understand you correctly , you said you adjusted the bed rails ? You should never have to do that unless one is out from the others .  I would have only checked blade to rails and fine tuned that .

[Magicman]

Woodmizer suggests doing a complete alignment every 1500 hours. Now I wish i didn't.

Complete alignment does not necessarily mean that everything has to be twisted or turned.  It simple means to check everything.  There is a difference.

[Al Miles]

That is what I should have done, just aligned the head with the rails, but, since I'm coming on to 1500 hours on the mill I decided to go through the complete alignment.
Something may have gotten tweaked a bit. What caused my problems was not doing the alignment but using the numbers in the book as the starting height off the bed.
The head was slightly off alignment to the bed due to r&ring the lower rail bearings. I readjusted the head to the bed just as it states in the book. Setting the blade to 15-5/16" off the clamp and then all the beds to 15" below the blade caused the bed rails to all be about 1/4" too low and have the head hit the head travel stop with the blade  1" off the bed rails.
I see nothing wrong with checking the complete alignment once in a while, rolling 20 foot long 35" diameter firs around when cutting may knock something off, those are heavy. It was just the starting height for the rails, 14-3/4" would have been a better choice.
Not having the bed rails in exactly the same plane as the bed isn't going to cause any problems as long as the blade is on the same plane as the rails, except with the pivoting rails. If the rails are slightly higher at the outside then when the rail is pivoted in towards the main frame the end of the pivoting rail will rise higher than the other rails.

I finished messing with it yesterday and cut a few beams, it's back and running again but the rails had to be closer to 9/16" above the clamp not the 5/16" as in the complete alignment instructions.

[Percy]

I've had a LT70 for 14 years now. Done lots of complete alignments. Im only guessing here but I think you may have mis-interpreted the directions somehow. My manual is at the mill right now so I'll have to speculate....heh...Ive never had to adjust my bed rails. From what you have said, lowering them may be your problem. Regardless, Gary Spottock will have you on the right track as soon as you converse with him.  ;D

[MartyParsons]

Oh my.
There is a post and pictures for alignment .Under my name do a search.  I am out of the office. So it is Difficult to post on my phone.
Marty

[Al Miles]

Percy,
With the blade trued and no blade guide rollers:
position the blade 15-5/16" above the clamp;
adjust the bed rails to 15" below the blade.
I think even I can get that right, but you never know!
Maybe the clamp is lower in the frame than it's supposed to be.
Don't know but did it by the book twice and that didn't work, set the rails 1/4" higher than suggested and I am once again operational.

Yes, Gary is quite the guy. He's helped me quite a few times, Woodmizer is fortunate to have him represent them and their products.

Thank you for your replies.

[Percy]

Percy,
With the blade trued and no blade guide rollers:
position the blade 15-5/16" above the clamp;
adjust the bed rails to 15" below the blade.
I think even I can get that right, but you never know!
Maybe the clamp is lower in the frame than it's supposed to be.
Don't know but did it by the book twice and that didn't work, set the rails 1/4" higher than suggested and I am once again operational.

Yes, Gary is quite the guy. He's helped me quite a few times, Woodmizer is fortunate to have him represent them and their products.

Thank you for your replies.

My mill manual is cirrca 2003, you have the "updated one"  ;D ;D . Anyhow, you have obviously figured out the logic to the steps in an alignment. Thats the main thing. After a few alignments, you will be doing it in your sleep and will identify mill sections/components that need attention just by how its cutting, Glad you got it fixed.