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My arm is outta whack!

Started by Deese, August 21, 2017, 08:25:39 PM

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Deese

Adjustable blade guide arm, that is. I was playing around with the board return for the first time the other day and didn't raise the blade before returning. Slammed the blade into the log pretty hard and it jacked up the adjustable arm. Lots of play in all directions. I got WM to email me the manual and I believe I know what to do. The outer, lower bearing was loose, so I raised it by loosening the jam nut and turning the cam bolt. Tightened that bearing, so now there is no up/down movement. But, the flange is literally touching the back of the blade. The manual says to adjust the two inner upper and lower roller bearings outward to move the arm away from the blade (common sense). I've got some 15/16" sockets but they won't fit because the bolt heads somewhat "inset". Do I need to get a thin-walled 15/16" socket?
Then I've got to check and adjust the blade deflection and adjust it by moving the outer rollers up/down, right?   
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

4x4American

Let the fun begin!!  iirc I used a wrench to get it just the tip to break it loose it's an awful time.  You might as well take the guides right off, keep the blade on at full tension, bring the arm in and out and measure the guard to the blade on the back and on the top to make sure it goes in and out evenly.  Except when you have it in all the way you want to make it so that it pushes down approx 1/32" vs when it's all the way out.  Also get your head tilt idk I run mine flat but some say 1/16" up on the outside so that when the blade is spinning it brings it level.  Make sure that some buckin arm is real tight and then slap your guides back on and make em push down on the blade 1/4" and then set them flat and I run the distance about 1/16" from the back of the roller flange to the back of the blade and with a slight sideways tilt so that when the blade is pushed up against it the flange pulls the blade up into the flange.  A wm tech set mine backwards so it pushed the blade away and that didnt work out too well for me.  And if those guides are wore out or real old I reckon now is as good a time as any to replace them.  Have fun!
Boy, back in my day..

drobertson

not sure the damage, you did not mention that today,, sorry to hear its this bad,,
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,

4x4American

One thing I always do before I drag back is in that little nick of time just before or as the blade exits the cut, I bump the guide arm out a piece just before bumping the head up before the drag back drops so that the guide arm isnt right up in it when you are draggin back.  Sometimes boards or slabs can get cattywampus on that return shot and hit the ever so sacred movable guide arm.
Boy, back in my day..

YellowHammer

I use a 15/16" wrench.  The blade guide arm is the most delicate and unfortunately, usually the most aggravating thing on the mill to adjust. 
Are you sure you didn't bend the cam bolts?  I did, and caused twisting of the arm, and also uneven, unpredictable adjustments.
Also, get a beer and enter a quiet Zen state for these adjustments.  They can be very frustrating. 
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

Percy

What yellow said and 4X4 as well. I did the same on my 97 lt40 and couldnt get it right till I replaced them bolts. The LT70 has a much more user friendly adjustment system that Woodmizer should put on the 40's IMO. Regardless, persistance will get that puppy aligned again...and some cussing.... :D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

WDH

Oh no!  You must not have been wearing MY lucky shirt  :D.  I wrecked mine really good  :-\.



 

One learns what one must not do. 
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

Deese

Thanks everyone. I bought a socket that should fit, and a 1 1/8" wrench this evening. I will tackle this tomorrow. I'm afraid I bent the bolts a tad. Not sure. The fun begins tomorrow.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Deese

Danny, I should have been wearing the shirt. Guilty as charged.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

4x4American

Danny did you bend you blade tensioner there too or is that just an optical conclusion?
Boy, back in my day..

Magicman

If the threaded portion of any eccentric bolt is bent I would replace it.
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

Bob_T

Quote from: 4x4American on August 22, 2017, 10:07:29 PM
Danny did you bend you blade tensioner there too or is that just an optical conclusion?

Pretty sure he's taken the bolts out of it and it's hanging on angle. 
1959 FWD Model 286 Dump Truck
1955 Allis Chalmers HD-6G Crawler Loader
1941 GMC CCKW 6X6
Wood-Mizer LT30 G18

Bob_T

When I got my "low hours, well maintained" LT30 one of the first things I noticed was that the blade guide arm was real loose and flopping around.  Tuned out the previous owner had some sort of a wreck between the arm and a log.

The arm went "thump" when moving it in and out, turned out one  of the rollers that the arm rides on had a good sized dent in the flange.  The arm itself had some dings in it that I fixed with a file.  One of the cam bolts was bent, actually the heavy sheet  metal structure it bolts to was bent, making it seem like the bolt itself was bent.  Per a thread somewhere by Marty Parsons I straightened it out with a cheater bar over the bolt end.

I kept getting confused trying to figure out which way to turn the adjusting cam bolts.  A center punch would've worked just as well, I took a Dremel engraver and marked the high point of the cams on the bolt heads, that made it a lot easier to know which way to turn the bolt.

Last and least, the inboard  fixed guide roller mount was also bent.  Not so bad that I couldn't still adjust it so I left the repair for another day.
1959 FWD Model 286 Dump Truck
1955 Allis Chalmers HD-6G Crawler Loader
1941 GMC CCKW 6X6
Wood-Mizer LT30 G18

4x4American

I've broken that inside guide roller mount right off before lol from dragging a board back that slide over and whacked it
Boy, back in my day..

WDH

Quote from: Bob_T on August 22, 2017, 10:45:45 PM
Pretty sure he's taken the bolts out of it and it's hanging on angle.

Yes, that is exactly right.
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

MartyParsons

Hello,
  I posted some alignment tips last year. Check out here https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,86877.0.html.
Hope this helps.
Marty
"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." -Winston Churchill

gmmills

      That arm sure can be a pain. These make the job quite a bit easier.
                   

                                               
Custom sawing full-time since 2000. 
WM LT70D62 Remote with Accuset
Sawing since 1995

Chuck White

I've been going to get those wrenches, just in case, post the sizes please!
~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!

YellowHammer

15/16" is what my mill uses.  The bolt heads are under the bandwheel covers, and difficult to get to.  I also do as someone else suggested, mark the point of max eccentricity on the bolts with a Sharpie so I know where it is high and low when I'm turning them. 
There is definately a feel to it, I watched a WM service tech adjust them in about a minute.  Not me, I've taken much longer to get them right.  One of the tricks is to get the locknuts on pretty tight to take all the slack out of the eccentrics, then start gradually tuning them, that way the bolts don't shift when the locknuts are tightened.
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

gmmills

    Top wrench is 1 1/8" Bottom is 15/16"
Custom sawing full-time since 2000. 
WM LT70D62 Remote with Accuset
Sawing since 1995

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: YellowHammer on August 22, 2017, 12:01:22 AM
I use a 15/16" wrench.  The blade guide arm is the most delicate and unfortunately, usually the most aggravating thing on the mill to adjust. 
Are you sure you didn't bend the cam bolts?  I did, and caused twisting of the arm, and also uneven, unpredictable adjustments.
Also, get a beer and enter a quiet Zen state for these adjustments.  They can be very frustrating.
Somebody said earlier go to the bathroom first if you have to.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

drobertson

As with any adjustment on these mills,, all it takes is patience, small adjustments, and at all cost avoid getting rammy,
All the adjustments are easy enough,, you gotta like getting in the saw dust on a few, not the blade guide. Once done and crashes are hopefully over,, these adjustments hold for a long time,,
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,

YellowHammer

Quote from: drobertson on August 25, 2017, 06:12:27 PM
Once done and crashes are hopefully over,, these adjustments hold for a long time,,
No doubt, this is the best incentive and motivation to never crash or damage the blade guide arm again. 
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

Magicman

Most crashes happen when you are doing something different from your normal routine.  At the end of a sawing day, I went to the back and removed the blade.  I did not raise the head back up and for whatever reason the clamp was higher than the guide arm.  I found out that the guide arm will not stop the sawmill on it's return to the front of the sawmill.   ::)  I think that it broke everything that was not bent.   :-X
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

4x4American

Quote from: YellowHammer on August 25, 2017, 10:06:57 PM
Quote from: drobertson on August 25, 2017, 06:12:27 PM
Once done and crashes are hopefully over,, these adjustments hold for a long time,,
No doubt, this is the best incentive and motivation to never crash or damage the blade guide arm again.


This is the reason why I don't let anyone run my mill, cause I ain't about to adjust that guide arm on someone elses account! 
Boy, back in my day..

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