Alaskan Mk III Height adjusters ?

[flipance]

Hi I am new on here and live in Nova Scotia where I mill my own wood off of my lot. I use a Mk III Alaskan Chainsaw mill for some of my lumber, I was wondering if anyone has come up with an easy alternative to those annoying U bolts that adjust your cutting thickness ( hieght ) ? Thanks

 

[Timberframed]

I'm not familiar with Granberg but can't you scrap the U bolts and heliarc a small boss of aluminum, drill and tap then use a pinch bolt?

 

[mtngun]

Make a pair of wood blocks to gage the correct height for each of your common cut thicknesses.

Loosen u-bolts, drop rails on gage blocks, tighten u-bolts, remove gage blocks. Easy as pie.

I have a set of blocks in 1" and 2", plus a special set for my initial slabbing pass.

I posted pics of them before, but have no clue where to find those pics now.

Also, be sure to put anti-seize on the stainless u-bolts or the threads will eventually gall and seize.

 

[flipance]

Make a pair of wood blocks to gage the correct height for each of your common cut thicknesses.

Loosen u-bolts, drop rails on gage blocks, tighten u-bolts, remove gage blocks. Easy as pie.

I have a set of blocks in 1" and 2", plus a special set for my initial slabbing pass.

I posted pics of them before, but have no clue where to find those pics now.

Also, be sure to put anti-seize on the stainless u-bolts or the threads will eventually gall and seize.

Thats almost like the fix I tried, I drilled through the bracket and the upright, and put a 1/4" clevis pin through it, I was hoping it would solve my problem, but it was too loose, but it is a good guide to my 1" , 2" and 4" normal cuts.
I know what you mean about the U bolts too, bolts and nuts are junk after Galling, I am on a second set now. Good advice about the anti sieze!!!

 

[BigE]

Along with the set up blocks, use a cordless drill to loosen / tighten the bolts. Really speeds the process up.

 

[mrbentontoyou]

i thought snapping and replacing those u-bolts was half the fun???
the riser blocks are a perfect solution.

what's really annoying is that you can't get a scrench or a socket on the bolts clamping the mill to the guide bar when you're at a decent depth of cut to replace chains (or tension new ones on a husky). now i'm in the market for a 13mm ratcheting box wrench, of all things.

 

[BobL]

Well some of you know I'm a fan of cam locks in conjunction with all thread rod adjustment. This allows me to dial the cut in to exactly a line on the end of the log or dial to a block height as per mntguns method. Th

It's not easy to make but a joy to use. Full discussion here.

On my new mill I'm using C-Channel uprights with with a dual bolt and plate locking mechanism. Replacing the dual bolt and plate lock with cam locks is being left for a possible upgrade

 

[huskymac]

Rockler cam clamps

I don't have a picture but here is a link.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10602&filter=jig clamp

I have a bunch of these Ive been using on my drill press and various shop jigs. They work very well on my mill and the threading is the same as the stock U bolts. You will want about a 1/2 inch nylon collar to move the clamp out from the uprights.

 

[starsailor]

Has anyone tried these Rockler cams on their Granberg yet? I'm already on my second set of U-bolts and think they're a real PIA. Even with some anitsieze the threads still gaul and wear out pretty quickly. The worst part of the mill by far. I was thinking of using for some hardened U-bolts, like those used to hold the bearing cups on an auto or truck U-joint, but I have yet to see any big enough to fit the mill.

BTW, I like the gauge block idea and will make a set before I mill my next log.

I don't have a picture but here is a link.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10602&filter=jig clamp

I have a bunch of these Ive been using on my drill press and various shop jigs. They work very well on my mill and the threading is the same as the stock U bolts. You will want about a 1/2 inch nylon collar to move the clamp out from the uprights.

 

[BobL]

My height adjustment cam locks are backed up by the fact that I have all-thread adjusters so it is not critical that cam locks are on to maintain correct height while cutting. It is better for the mill that the cam locks are on since that tightens everything up firmly reducing wear and tear.

If I don't adjust them to be quite firm my cam locks can come loose just due to saw vibe.

Even when I have the Cams up firmly, cam tension and saw vibe over time eventually crush and wear the washer the cam face closes down on. This loosens the cam and speeds up the wear and makes it looser etc. I've tried ABS, PVC, Nylon, Telfon and now settled on brass as a working washer material.

I've noticed the Rockler cams are made out ally so if using a washer harder than ally will eventually wear the cam faces themselves and need to be replaced. No big deal at $4 each.

BTW I have a number of those small ally cams very similar to the Rocklers that I found on ally scooters that were the rage here a few years ago. They are very useful on wood and metal shop jigs and things.

 

[huskymac]

Rockler cam locks

I have only about 30 hours mill time with cam locks, for what its worth I have had no problems yet. They hold very firm I haven't had one slip at all, and adjustments are quick and easy.

As Bobl said they are alloy and could wear quick given the amount of pressure I put on them. The 1/2 inch nylon collar I am using as a spacer also works as a buffer in the clamping process. You can see the collar change shape under pressure. I think the collar should greatly extend the life of the clamp.

For the price and ease of use even if they wear out after 100 hours of use I think I would keep using them. Just my 2 cents..

 

[starsailor]

Are you using them on a Granberg Alaskan mill in place of the nuts on the U-bolts or on some other mill setup?

I have only about 30 hours mill time with cam locks, for what its worth I have had no problems yet. They hold very firm I haven't had one slip at all, and adjustments are quick and easy.

As Bobl said they are alloy and could wear quick given the amount of pressure I put on them. The 1/2 inch nylon collar I am using as a spacer also works as a buffer in the clamping process. You can see the collar change shape under pressure. I think the collar should greatly extend the life of the clamp.

For the price and ease of use even if they wear out after 100 hours of use I think I would keep using them. Just my 2 cents..

 

[huskymac]

Starsailor

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

Yes I have been using them on my Alaskan. The original U bolts galled up on me and I put a new set of U bolts and started using the rockler clamps with the new U bolts.

 

[betterbuilt]

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

Yes I have been using them on my Alaskan. The original U bolts galled up on me and I put a new set of U bolts and started using the rockler clamps with the new U bolts.

Do you have any pictures?

 

[huskymac]

No pics, Sorry

My camera crapped out and I haven't got it replaced yet.

 

[flipance]

Sorry I wasn't more clear.

Yes I have been using them on my Alaskan. The original U bolts galled up on me and I put a new set of U bolts and started using the rockler clamps with the new U bolts.

How are you finding them? Are they a good modification? Will they last longer than the original bolts?

 

[huskymac]

flipance

I have only been milling about 3 years now and in those 3 years my guess would be I have around 300 hours in the field milling. Most of my milling is 4/4 or 8/4 so I don't really need to change the mill height that often. If your milling beams or adjusting the mill a lot to pull that perfect slab out of a given log the clamps could see more use.

The original U bolts were a sore spot for me from the moment I put the mill together but I thought I would give them a shot. They did the job but were slow and clunky to deal with just as I thought while assembling the mill. They lasted a year and a half before I started to notice them galling up. I put up with them the rest of that season and started this season with the new U bolts and clamps.

I think I have around 50 hours on the new bolts and clamps now. As I said before even if they only last me 100 hours of milling I think for the price there worth that. They show no signs of wear so far.

 

[AaronB]

I think I have around 50 hours on the new bolts and clamps now. As I said before even if they only last me 100 hours of milling I think for the price there worth that. They show no signs of wear so far.

so no vibrating loose or anything?

 

[billstuewe]

I still am using the AK-III u-bolts and nuts. They did gall and sieze up and I broke them off--oddly both at the same time. I bought new u-bolts and nuts at the local hardware store and this time I added that grey anti-sieze grease--WOW what a difference! I highly recomend using that stuff. No more galling and the nuts tighten and loosen easily.

 

[flipance]

I still am using the AK-III u-bolts and nuts. They did gall and sieze up and I broke them off--oddly both at the same time. I bought new u-bolts and nuts at the local hardware store and this time I added that grey anti-sieze grease--WOW what a difference! I highly recomend using that stuff. No more galling and the nuts tighten and loosen easily.

Hi it would be usefull to know what that grey anti-sieze greese was? Thanks!