Hi All

[smwwoody]

Hi All.  I am new here.  I have been logging for about 12 years and running my home built band mill for the past 4 years in north central Pennsylvania.

[CHARLIE]

HEY SMWWOODY! WELCOME TO THE BEST FORESTRY FORUM IN THE WORLD!!!!!   8) 8)
At least I think so. There are lots of nice people here with a lot of knowledge. I'm not a Forester, Logger or Sawyer but I enjoy trees, wood and woodworking. Pull up a nail keg over here by the pot bellied stove, pour yourself a cuppa and join in.  

Sometime you'll have to post some pictures of your sawmill. Everyone likes to see the homebuilt ones.

[Tom]

Hey smwwoody,

Welcome to the forestry forum.  

[Frank_Pender]

Welcome, smwwoody, to the likes of the rest of us folks.  Come on in and share some of your sawdust with us.  We have plety of room around the cracker barrel. ;D

[smwwoody]

OK

Who can tell me about a good guide for my band mill I am looking for a new one

[Tom]

That's a question that could get you a book for an answer.  What type of guide are you using now, Stationary or wheel?

I prefer a guide wheel for simplicity and control.  You might look at the one Woodmizer has made.  Cookssaw has one similar.  Being able to control the blade is a great plus when you can't depend on the bandsaw wheels being perfect. Stationary guides are only there for catastrophic control and depend on the bandwheels.

[smwwoody]

the one that is on there now i modeled after an LT 30 guide

[Tom]

Then you are headed in the right direction. If you can get hold of the guide line-up from a Woodmizer book, it will help you build the guide to do what it is supposed to do and tell you how to adjust it too

[smwwoody]

have you seen the ones from suffolk machine?

[Tom]

I think Cookssaw makes their guide.  www.cookssaw.com

I'm pretty sure that suffolk is selling Cooks sharpener.

[smwwoody]

that doesnt look like the one suffolk offers

[Tom]

Suffolk made one with bearings for wheels and a back wheel and a bottom plate.  Is that the one you are talking about?  If so it would work too.  the thing about wheels is the downward pressure on the blade allows you to controls the horizontal plane of the blade.

[smwwoody]

ok now i will throw in a big twist I run a vertical band with inward pressure (away from the cant)

[Tom]

Tim or Steve Cook could probably help you better than I, but I can't see where there is any difference which way the blade runs.  'the guide does the same thing and is working againt the same pressures regardless of the orientation of the blade.

[smwwoody]

I thought the same thing at first but then I found out that something like set is not even close whem it comes to vert vs. horazontal
I will be contacting cooks in the morning I have been reading thier web site and it sounds like they can set me up with a good set of guides. i hope they have worked with a few other vert mills.

[Tom]

I''m sure they can at least lead you to someone who knows if they don't.  I would be interested in what the difference is when the band is turned sideways.  It doesn't seem to me that there should be any difference.  Set is only to make the kerf large enough to allow the blade body to pass freely and that kerf helps to guide the blade too. If you ae using a band similar in size to the ones I use then set and pitch and everything would be similar, it would seem.  

This could be a good conversation.  I'm open to learning something knew. :D

[smwwoody]

OK in 14 to 18 inch white oak with 1 1/2" band 1" pitch what set would you run per side

[Tom]

I run a 1.25  42 thou  7/8 blade and set it at 21 thou. per side and grind a 10 degree hook

Is that comparable to what you are doing?  I guess the width of the blade isn't going to affect it much. :P

[smwwoody]

 with the same setup I will run .014 per side

[Tom]

That's strange, If I were to set at 14 thou. per side, the blade would be all over the place following grain etc.   I guess there must be a difference. I wonder what it is?

I have to go to bed now but am interested in persuing this some more.   I'm really interested in what you find out from Tim.

Do you have a digital camera?  The whole forum would be interested in pictures of your mill, I'm sure.  And a description of its operation.  Does the head move or is your log on a carriage?  

Again, Welcome to the forum.

[smwwoody]

bed time for me too
I willl try to get some pic's up in the next few days  the log is on a carrage This mill was basicly a test to see if it will work on a larger scale but I have yet to get the chance to build the larger one .  this one will take a 28' by 14' log but i didnt think I built it strong enough.  all though  it has not failed me yet in about 1.5 million feet ( aside from the first few little designe flaws.)