Bandsaw Mill

[Andy Harden]

I Had the band wheel Idler wheel bearing blow apart on me.
I went from grade oak 1,800 brd ft a day. To hard maple and no where near that type of brd ft. the whole mill was shaking. I call and ask what to do and they said that it was me and I will get better. well after breaking four blades
and 1 week of fustration the bearing let loose and the wheel fell off.
1st off do not put 3000 lbs of pressure on your blades lower it.
Herman called me one day and said that timkin bearings will not stand by there bearings with that kind of load. Thats after he told me to do so.
Also I Highly recommend you call timberwolf and get one of there blades
you will need four for the day as you already know.
Also BUY the video called Maximizing the use of your set tooth Band mill blades. this will show you how to set your blades up right.
there web site is www.Suffolkmachinery.com. Art is a great guy and will talk to you about your mill.
Next I recommend to get ahold of cooks again and ask for there free product books.
Lots and lots of informathion added in there for bandsaw mills.
Look at there guide wheels and find away to install them on your mill.
also look at the way they put the fluid on the blade. goes on both sides with wipers.
You never side if you sharpen your blades.
if you are did you buy the wright auto sharpener. if not take a good at the Cooks cat claw.

They have changed the bearings in the driven wheel, I think. Herman still says to run 4000-5000 lbs of pressure on the band. I'll try it at 3000 and see what that will do. I also got one of the Dino auto setters to maintain the set.

 

[manual]

They have changed the bearings in the driven wheel, I think. Herman still says to run 4000-5000 lbs of pressure on the band. I'll try it at 3000 and see what that will do. I also got one of the Dino auto setters to maintain the set.

4,000 -5,000 ? Well he built the Mill but not the Blades. Some mill manufacturers will tell you to "over" tighten the blades makes there mill look good.
Proper way to set tension is called the flutter test. First remove to guide wheels run your mill and look at the band is it fluttering. ( up and down). probably not at 4000 lbs. now with hydro tension like you have . shut the mill down start at 2000 lbs (band should flutter) when you have wheels turning at idle speed. now apply pressure slowly intill you see flutter go away. Stop. Now put guides in adjust guides level with blade. some sawers angle guides down a hair into cut. some level it out.
Also if your guide wheels have any flat spots or chips in them you may want to get a new face on them a machine shop can touch them up for you .Talk to Art (CEO) about blade set up at Timber wolf It's toll free. What he will tell you pertains to all band blades.
Too much blade streach will cause faster blade fatigue.
Art will even send you a free booklet about his blades the info in that booklet is priceless.

 

[Andy Harden]

4,000 -5,000 ? Well he built the Mill but not the Blades. Some mill manufacturers will tell you to "over" tighten the blades makes there mill look good.
Proper way to set tension is called the flutter test. First remove to guide wheels run your mill and look at the band is it fluttering. ( up and down). probably not at 4000 lbs. now with hydro tension like you have . shut the mill down start at 2000 lbs (band should flutter) when you have wheels turning at idle speed. now apply pressure slowly intill you see flutter go away. Stop. Now put guides in adjust guides level with blade. some sawers angle guides down a hair into cut. some level it out.
Also if your guide wheels have any flat spots or chips in them you may want to get a new face on them a machine shop can touch them up for you .Talk to Art (CEO) about blade set up at Timber wolf It's toll free. What he will tell you pertains to all band blades.
Too much blade streach will cause faster blade fatigue.
Art will even send you a free booklet about his blades the info in that booklet is priceless.

Manual, I did as you said. Art is a really knowledgeable person. I got some 1.5 inch .056" blades, reduced the tension to 2000 lbs and increased the head rig speed. I am getting some really good cuts. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[manual]

Manual, I did as you said. Art is a really knowledgeable person. I got some 1.5 inch .056" blades, reduced the tension to 2000 lbs and increased the head rig speed. I am getting some really good cuts. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for a open ear.
Timber wolf blades are a great blade..Now trying to get the same profile of the gullet is the key to speed. Keep the same depth.
Winter time is a whole new learning process, as the temp drops and the wood freezes. slow down your feed rate, you would make the gullet smaller. reason being the each gullet creates a whirl wind effect. for dust removal and also cooling. In freezing weather the moisture in the wood freezes fast in the gullet and starts to build up. You can decrease the freezing process but you cant stop it.
You would also decreases the hook angle a degree at a time untill you find a happy spot. the set should also be decreased Same way. Once your set freezes you lost the battle stop.
Angle set is also a key factor in bandmills.
Lets take a pine log. You say your blade is .056" and you have been cutting oak with a blade set at .020" giving you a .096" kerf. Now you slap that pine log on your mill and the boards start to wave out on you.
So you slow down the feed rate. No joy. still getting waves.
You will have to increase the set angle up to .025 try .023 first. and the waves will go away.
Pine produces larger dust grains and fills the gullet faster.
Now take that blade with a .020" set and slap a hard wood maple log on your deck and your boards start to wave out on you.
You will have to decrease the set down to .015" try .018" first also decrease the hook angle a bit hard wood cuts slower.

Funny how all this goes through your mind all day as you make lumber.

 

[stihlatit]

Rob, Here are some of the pictures. I'll post more of them as soon as I shrink them.

http://groups.msn.com/AndysLumberMill/millpictures.msnw?Page=1

Andy

Nice pics and logmaster Andy.....I enjoyed the view....excellent.

 

[manual]

Here you go Andy hows that for production grade wood milling. thats a 36" oak I just slaped up on the deck. Look at all them scants piled to the sky.
Had to stop because the slab wood bunk was full. Edger is on the other side along with my tractor and grade boards.

 

[Andy Harden]

Here you go Andy hows that for production grade wood milling. thats a 36" oak I just slaped up on the deck. Look at all them scants piled to the sky.
Had to stop because the slab wood bunk was full. Edger is on the other side along with my tractor and grade boards.

That is a NICE wood lot. It looks like that LM is doing you a good job. I am working with an arborist and have not done much with the mill in the last couple of days. The benefit of this arrangement is I get payed and the trees we take down are free.

One of my customers brought me a 38 inch red oak 10 ft long to make bar tops out of. I slabbed it down and threw it on the mill. It made several 2.5 inch by 29.5 inch "boards". It looks like you are making cross ties. How do you get into that business? By the way, I can pass a 36 inch log through the tunnel but can only cut 30.5 between the gide rollers. What is different on your mill?

 

[manual]

That is a NICE wood lot. It looks like that LM is doing you a good job. I am working with an arborist and have not done much with the mill in the last couple of days. The benefit of this arrangement is I get payed and the trees we take down are free.

One of my customers brought me a 38 inch red oak 10 ft long to make bar tops out of. I slabbed it down and threw it on the mill. It made several 2.5 inch by 29.5 inch "boards". It looks like you are making cross ties. How do you get into that business? By the way, I can pass a 36 inch log through the tunnel but can only cut 30.5 between the gide rollers. What is different on your mill?

Those are 3.5, 5.5 and 9 inch scants That is what is left over after I took the grade wood off.
3.5 and 5.5 random widths scants go to pallets shops down state, the 9.5 by 11" scants go for rail road ties.
The grade wood is cut at 4/4, and the edged, "NO wide boards" they warp and crack to easy. Also better to edge them into two boards. it's all in the grading game.
The edger can make you money or you can loose a lot of money, there is a lot to learn about how to edge a board properly. anyone can square a board off.
Anyone can mill wood too. Flat board cutting is a lot differnt then pulling grade wood off a log. You are constantly turning the log looking for the best grade. and working the knots to the outside. You may just get one board then have to turn the log.
Never cutting threw the heart. or "pift" that would count as a "out" all that board would be good for is firewood. Maple is another story that board could be used for flooring because you would only need one clean side.
The pift drys faster the the rest of the board and it will pull away from the board.
How do you do a 36" log. Easy take your slab board on a 10 foot log try to open her up with a 5" face showing.then try taking a board or two. Then turn it. on a log that size just go 90 degrees. Smaller log I may turn 180 degrees. I have found that I can get more board foot of grade if I turn 180 Degrees then 90 degrees on your first turn. all depends on the lay out of the Knots.

 

[Andy Harden]

Those are 3.5, 5.5 and 9 inch scants That is what is left over after I took the grade wood off.
3.5 and 5.5 random widths scants go to pallets shops down state, the 9.5 by 11" scants go for rail road ties.
The grade wood is cut at 4/4, and the edged, "NO wide boards" they warp and crack to easy. Also better to edge them into two boards. it's all in the grading game.
The edger can make you money or you can loose a lot of money, there is a lot to learn about how to edge a board properly. anyone can square a board off.
Anyone can mill wood too. Flat board cutting is a lot differnt then pulling grade wood off a log. You are constantly turning the log looking for the best grade. and working the knots to the outside. You may just get one board then have to turn the log.
Never cutting threw the heart. or "pift" that would count as a "out" all that board would be good for is firewood. Maple is another story that board could be used for flooring because you would only need one clean side.
The pift drys faster the the rest of the board and it will pull away from the board.
How do you do a 36" log. Easy take your slab board on a 10 foot log try to open her up with a 5" face showing.then try taking a board or two. Then turn it. on a log that size just go 90 degrees. Smaller log I may turn 180 degrees. I have found that I can get more board foot of grade if I turn 180 Degrees then 90 degrees on your first turn. all depends on the lay out of the Knots.

OK, I understand about the slab. I managed to get some special ordered 29.5 inch wide "boards" off of the mill. I talked to Ed at LM and got him to send me the guide rollers for 1.5 inch band blade. How much pressure are you running on the hydraulic gage? I ran 3000 lbs and shattered a timber wolf blade. Any less and it waves.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Hey Andy,

I saw the write up in oct/nov Sawmill & Woodlot magazine on the LM2? It looks like a nice mill. Sounds like a pretty good deal too, as they sell for less than the "high priced spread"...

Rob

 

[Andy Harden]

Hey Andy,

I saw the write up in oct/nov Sawmill & Woodlot magazine on the LM2? It looks like a nice mill. Sounds like a pretty good deal too, as they sell for less than the "high priced spread"...

Rob

Rob, They have the best bang for the buck. There are some mills I like a lot better but sell for over $80,000. I started with a LM2 but wanted more power and a diesel. The next step was the LM3. Then I wanted the computer option. Well let me say I don't know how a person gets accurate cuts with a pointer. That computer rocks!:rockn:

 

[The WoodButcher]

Howdy

Hello!

I just found this site, registered and am making my first post. I have been a woodworker for a number of years now and recently became interested in making lumber out of logs. So I made the next move and went out and bought a bandsaw mill. The unit is on a trailer and can handle up to a 21" Diameter by 12 ft. long log. I have milled about 5-600 BF of ash, oak, maple and walnut so far and have gone through a few blades.(mostly from my own carelessness or imbedded steel) I will be looking forward to learning more about my new found hobby from you experts out there.

Thanks for being here!

Larry

How ya doin? What kind of mill is it??

 

[manual]

OK, I understand about the slab. I managed to get some special ordered 29.5 inch wide "boards" off of the mill. I talked to Ed at LM and got him to send me the guide rollers for 1.5 inch band blade. How much pressure are you running on the hydraulic gage? I ran 3000 lbs and shattered a timber wolf blade. Any less and it waves.

Your in the ball park, Any less you get waves, Ok, It's all about fine tuning now.

Did you get the video from Timber Wolf when you ordered your blades ?
Did the blade that broke. was it new or did you sharpen it when it broke.
If so did you also grind the gullet depth. because you have to to get the micro cracks out. those micro cracks always appear when you use your blade. Due to stretch. Are you changing out your blade every two hours ?
These are some areas you need to question yourself on premature blade breakage.
Waves,
Some areas are two much feed pressure, Blade set is a big one too. Also band wheels not running true, Guide wheels not level with cut.
Lets start with these issues.
Most likely it will be blade set on waves.

 

[Andy Harden]

Your in the ball park, Any less you get waves, Ok, It's all about fine tuning now.

Did you get the video from Timber Wolf when you ordered your blades ?
Did the blade that broke. was it new or did you sharpen it when it broke.
If so did you also grind the gullet depth. because you have to to get the micro cracks out. those micro cracks always appear when you use your blade. Due to stretch. Are you changing out your blade every two hours ?
These are some areas you need to question yourself on premature blade breakage.
Waves,
Some areas are two much feed pressure, Blade set is a big one too. Also band wheels not running true, Guide wheels not level with cut.
Lets start with these issues.
Most likely it will be blade set on waves.

Yes I got the video and DVD. They are most informative. Tom sent me a cam from a mighty mite sharpener that fits my Wright sharpener. The cam matches the profile on the 52 thousands blade so I get a perfect grind in the gullet. I called an talked to Art explaining exactly what happened. What I did not post was the size of the log and it's age, the fact that it had internal cracks that could not be seen from the outside. As the blade exited the log the internal stress from the crack pinched the blade to the extent it almost stalled the little cat diesel. I have checked the guide arm for level. When I installed the new rollers I checked them for level and 1/2 inch deflection of the blade. More to follow as soon as the weather brakes.

 

[manual]

Gide rollers level and a half inch deflection. sounds good. when it comes to milling logs "sizes matters" there are formulas for blade sets in different diameter logs. Thats where a 2 inch blade is more versatile, other then that factor I would recommend anybody to use 1 and a half inch blade.
Now you are using .052 thickness I would think that they are stout enough to handle the max diameter logs you can mill.
a split will break blades. Cut parallel with the crack get as much lumber as you can and forget the rest or block the bad part off and make more lumber.

Would like to hear more on your progress.

 

[Andy Harden]

Gide rollers level and a half inch deflection. sounds good. when it comes to milling logs "sizes matters" there are formulas for blade sets in different diameter logs. Thats where a 2 inch blade is more versatile, other then that factor I would recommend anybody to use 1 and a half inch blade.
Now you are using .052 thickness I would think that they are stout enough to handle the max diameter logs you can mill.
a split will break blades. Cut parallel with the crack get as much lumber as you can and forget the rest or block the bad part off and make more lumber.

Would like to hear more on your progress.

I am still trying out different blades. I just got some bi-metal blades. They cut longer between sharpening. They cost a lot more also. Here is a link to some pictures of the mill.

http://groups.msn.com/AndysLumberMill/shoebox.msnw

 

[Adkpk]

I am still trying out different blades. I just got some bi-metal blades. They cut longer between sharpening. They cost a lot more also. Here is a link to some pictures of the mill.

Sorry Andy, don't see the link.

 

[Andy Harden]

Sorry Andy, don't see the link.

Sorry about that. It's fixed now.

 

[046]

nice mill!