newbie bandsaw setup help

[wildwoodford]

please forgive if this has been repeated in the past already. New to the internet thing. Bought a used mill last fall and am just setting it up to go finally. What i can tell u is that it has wheels with a vgroove into them to create a slap belt/ griping surface. It hydraulically feeds itself so i dont have to push. Has a 18' bed and a 20hp kohler engine. The problem i am encountering is with a short piece of ceder log, about 2 feet long by 18" thick. Have new blade on with a water drip (can touch the blade after using so i no its not getting hot) once i get about ten inches into the log the wood starts smoking, and before i have enough time to stop there is that most godawful of sounds when the blade skips off. I have it tensioned fairly tight ( but not able to put a torque wrench on it yet - need to weld on a nut for that). Idler wheel does just that - it idles ie. Its not putting any tension on the blade, its just there for a guide. Am i trying to feed the saw to fast? It seems to take forever to get that far in, and cedar is a fairly soft wood. Is the log too short to stabalize properly (im not able to tighten it into the dogs, as it bairly fits on the rails). is my tension not tight enough?. This is a pretty slick setup, and i tried contacting the former owner but he has since moved. I no it all does work quite well, its just got to be something im doing wrong. So frustrated i could buy some tobacco just so i could spit.

 

[sarge3604]

is it all sharp and welcome to AS:smile2:

 

[wildwoodford]

brand new blades are on it. Is there maybe something i need to no about cedar? Or do i just get to enjoy the learning curve lol?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

It would really help if we knew the brand and exact model of your mill... Perhaps one of us has or has used the same model?

SR

 

[wildwoodford]

Mill was homebuilt by a machinest, and this fellow new his stuff. Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[abbott295]

Disclaimer: I have no experience with band saw mills.

But. Is your blade on right? or could it be running backwards, i.e., the teeth facing backwards? Sounds kind of like getting a chain on backwards.

abbott 295 (just throwing that out there)

 

[Dave Boyt]

Several things to look at:

Clamp securely. If the log is not securely clamped, it might roll on you a bit. Short logs can be a pain.
Is the blade climbing or diving in the cut?

Turn the log around and cut it from the other direction.

Try a different log & blade. Start out with something big enough to clamp down securely that is fairly straight.

Spitting helps. Where are you located? Can you provide a few photos?

Stay with it. We'll help you get it figured out, and you'll be cutting straight lumber soon!

 

[Mike Van]

Without a pic. or two, I'd guess the log is moving, causing the binding, screaming etc. Try to find a nice clean, 8 ft long 12" dia. pine log or something like it to learn on. Can you post some pics?

 

[wildwoodford]

Just wanted to say thanks to everybody that replied. Got it up and all fingered out now. Combination of bad luck and my own stupidity. Yes i did have the blade on backwards to start with :bang:, but the real problem became evident after i tried putting another new blade on, as it wouldnt stay on the drive wheels. Turns out one of the bolts that aligns the wheels to keep them in parralel had stripped, which caused massive blade wobble, and eventually just threw it off with no load on it. Thank goodness for safety shields. Everything is up and running as it should now.