Roller Blade Guides

[HaroldSiefke]

 

  

  I built this set of these roller blade guides to put on my Woodland Mills HM126. I have not built the movable side yet. Not sure if I need to make it movable on a 22 inch span. 22 inches is my maximum board cut.

[customsawyer]

I have not see one of these mill up close but I don't think that your moveable roller needs to be able to go all the way. Probable with in the last 6-8" would be enough.

[fishpharmer]

The roller guide looks sturdy an adjustable, well done.

[bandmiller2]

Good work Hal,what is critical on guides is the distance from where the band rides on the roller to the lowest part of the guide.That dimention should be less than an inch that way your last board can be one inch.Needless to say your fast [stationary] guide should not interfere with the log stops.No real need to have your movable guide go much less than 12".Square tube in square tube with a handnut on the corner to lock it works well. Frank C.

[thecfarm]

They put a piece of about 12 inches long of round rod on mine,with a "T" handle with threads on the end. No need to reach in and adjust it, they used square tubing as bandmiller said.

[Chuck White]

Nice job Hal, they look real nice!

[drobertson]

Good looking work!

[Magicman]

Very nice machine work.

Be sure that both blade guide rollers can be adjusted for 'Horizontal Tilt".  While sawing, the blade must contact the outboard side of the roller flange thus pulling the blade into closer contact with the blade guide roller.

[HaroldSiefke]

Thanks guys for the input. The woodland mill only cuts down to a two inch board on the last cut. I am trying now to get all the things ground down and adding some parts like new cant holders. The ones on the mill I have do not hold the cant securely to the bed. They were too bulky to get them below an inch and they don't hold a light cant sturdy enough. When the blade goes through it flexes up a little over 1/8" .

[HaroldSiefke]

Got my second 

  one done today. Guess tomorrow i"ll saw my old guides off and add my new ones..

[mikeb1079]

nice job.  i upgraded my homemade rollers to cooks (look similar to yours) and i've been very pleased.

[5quarter]

I'm with Customsawyer...make the adjustable guide moveable to about 6-8 ". Also, if you use the square tubing, try to find 1/4" wall seamless...much smoother and more accurate adjustment. Guides look pretty slick...saved yourself a few $$ there.  ;)

[HaroldSiefke]

Could some one please give me the steps in order how to adjust roller blade guides and tolerance on tilt  horizontal and up&down? I'm new to this stuff .

[Magicman]

I am wondering if WM or someone has a PDF on proper blade alignment.  I just use my book, but it is a big book.

[5quarter]

Harold...put your blade on under low tension without touching the guides. lower the guides until they are just touching. take a measurement from the top of the blade to the top of your bunk. then adjust your fast guide down 1/4", putting downbearing on the blade. with your moveable guide all the way open do the same and double check for level. then adjust both guides forward or back until there is 1/4" space between the back of the blade and the flange. Then to adjust your lead/tilt. place a magnetic torpedo level perpendicular to the blade (between the teeth) next to the fast guide and adjust until blade is level. repeat with moveable guide. Then adjust once more, moving the bubble slightly off center toward the teeth of the blade. as you saw, you may want to make some slight adjustments to the above tolerances as every saw is a little different.

[HaroldSiefke]

Does anybody that has a Wood Mizer lt 15  have the tolerance measurements for the roller guide horizontal adjustment? I took a ruler and put it on the front of the blade guide and adjusted it parallel with the back of the blade. Does the blade run parallel with roller guide or does turn slightly in toward the way the blade is coming from?  This is the only adjustment I'm not sure about. Thanks guys for all the responses.

[HaroldSiefke]

Well got my mill back blowing sawdust. It cuts like a different saw. I have never cut such straight boards.I also made some new log dawgs, they are much faster then the screw type. thinking on putting a 14hp kohler on it soon. more power. Sure was fun to cut up a new mill and see it work again.Does any one know if I put rams on my mill with a 12 volt winch if i can hook this up to the new motor cause if i can't i'm going to get the motor with out an alternator. I will post pictures tomorrow.

[Jemclimber]

I'm assuming you meant "ramps"  to load logs?   If so, the intermittent use of a winch should be fine, as long as you have a decent size battery. By dawgs, you are refer to clamps? I would love to see what you came up with. Can't wait to see your pictures.

[bandmiller2]

Hal,when your a metal worker it opens up many opertunities.Your at a cross road now,you can go electric or hydraulic.Electric is tempting, its cheaper and easier,and works for light duty.If you go hydraulic you can have alot of nifty stuff like two plane clamp/turner or the Piney woods turner variable feed and even log loader.Hydraulics are weather resistant and trouble free.Will you be setup portable or stationary.??Any support equipment.?? Frank C.

[Magicman]

If you are considering adding a few 12 VDC options like a winch or hydraulic pump, do not pass up the opportunity to also add a large alternator to keep your battery charged.

[HaroldSiefke]

Ya the ramps will be for loading logs away from home,and the dawgs are for holding the log. I use a international tractor with a chain to load now. In the mitts of making forks for that. For backup for the mill I have two 066 stihl power tuned by madsen and two 046 still that are tuned also. I use to fall timber in the lower 48 and also cut in Alaska close to Cordova in a remote logging camp. I use to mill logs with my 066 and an Alaskan mk II. I sure am glad to have a real mill.

[HaroldSiefke]

 

 

[HaroldSiefke]

 

  

  

  

 

[HaroldSiefke]

 

 

[HaroldSiefke]

 

 

[customsawyer]

Looks good. I didn't see where the lube gets to the blade and what are the blocks for just outside of each roller.

[ladylake]

Looks like another set of guides, not needed with 1/4" down pressure on the roller guides.  Steve

[bandmiller2]

Hal,that top block on your adjustable guide is redundent,if removed would be a perfect place for a wick type band luber. Frank C.

[HaroldSiefke]

I removed top block today thought I would leave bottom in case of diving blade. Didn't think of removing top block, I used it for when I lined the bottom block up, to weld on. What does this wick type luber look like? I do have a tube on my movable guide that has a grease zerk that I drilled out. Are these wick type good?

[bandmiller2]

Hal,if you took a pipe nipple and mounted it where the top block was on your movable guide,verticle with a piece of cotton wick held down agenst the band by a light spring and pipe cap.If the cap had a hole in the middle you could give it a squirt or two of oil every so often.That will lube the inside of the band,anouther unit on the top of the band guard would do the outside of the band. Wicks will tend to keep the band clean and rust free with no drips. Frank C.

[beenthere]

thought I would leave bottom in case of diving blade

Will be interesting to hear how well that does work.
My gut reaction is you will break a band faster if you are holding it at that point when it decides it is going to dive.
But I do hope that isn't the case and your dives will be minimized with the block.

[hamish]

Harold,

I like the new dawgs!  just an eccentric pushing a ponted flat piece.................kinda like the ones Jonsered had on there mills.

Any pics of how you rigged up the bottom that slides on the tube?

[HaroldSiefke]

There is a picture of the slide in my gallery. I built a different one that is only for holding a square cant, it pulls more down. I'm not quite sure if i like the ones i posted for holding a small cant yet. I got some ash logs today, that I'm sawing up tomorrow. I'll probably end up back in the shop building a few more like the one I have not posted pictures of yet. I will post a picture of it tomorrow. Happy sawing. I got an obsession and milling is all I think about. I sawed a 16inch ash today and my mill cuts a lot straighter but I need more power.........

[hackberry jake]

You are going down a similar path that I went down. I removed my 13hp honda and put on a 20hp Honda, and I added a modified pineywoods hydraulic turner/clamp. It's not even close to the mill it used to be. Keep up the fabricating and the tinkering. My advice would be to have one moveable guide. It helps keep the narrower cuts straighter. You don't have 10" of band before it sees wood.

[ladylake]

thought I would leave bottom in case of diving blade

Will be interesting to hear how well that does work.
My gut reaction is you will break a band faster if you are holding it at that point when it decides it is going to dive.
But I do hope that isn't the case and your dives will be minimized with the block.

Same thought here, when the blade dives it's dull and time to get ot off.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

Pretty much a dull or damaged band is going to dive[or rise] devices to restrain it will have limited sucess,it will just dive in a tighter area.My origional guides had thin hard pads under the band,now that i've gone to flanged rollers i've removed the bottom pads,no real loss. You could get away with much thinner bottom blocks and mayby modify the mill to cut to a one inch last board.Its sort of a copout for a sawyer or mill to have to leave a 2" dogboard. Frank C.

[HaroldSiefke]

My mill cuts down to one inch board now. Trying to decide on what motor to buy. My mill has clutch and I really like that and would like to get a motor with a one inch shaft that is three and a half inches long or close to that in length. Any ideas what motor to switch to? You say you took 13hp honda off. I was thinking on going to one of those motors.Was it pretty gutless?

[pineywoods]

If you want an engine that's a bit different, look at a kawasaki industrial. They are liquid cooled, V twin, 25 hp. They come complete with radiator, water pump, fan, etc.Used on lots of lawn tractors. I have one on my woodmizer lt40. Replaced a worn out briggs. For specs on just about any small engine, go to www.tulsa engine warehouse.com

[hackberry jake]

The 13hp Honda was a champ. It had ok power and excellent fuel mileage. I just came across a used 20hp for cheap so I threw it on there. I would highly reccomend the 13hp. To mount the 20 I had to mount a fuel tank, an electronic ignition, and a battery. The 13 is all self contained. Before you get too carried away with a motor swap you might check to see how much space you have and how the added weight will affect things.

[HaroldSiefke]

here is my favorite cant holder.. it works great. after today i'm going to add a chain log turner. Anyone have some good photos of the making of a log turner.I have two hydraulic motors now and a hydraulic pump with a gx 270 honda. Anyone got some info on this and maybe home built toe boards. The tree that said I need hydraulics.....

  

 

[fishpharmer]

Here is a thread with a version of the well known "pineywoods log turner."

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=60649.0

Maybe pineywoods will give a link to his original drawings that are somewhere here on the forum, hope that helps.

[HaroldSiefke]

Would the hydraulic loader be a good feature to add? Getting that tree turned was only doable with my tractor. And to turn it all by my self took a lot of time. I like pictures so if some one could lead me to good photos of these things I would be very great full, thanks. Back to milling tomorrow,my muffler fell off today. Had to get bolts. I'll get it put back together in morning. Thanks guys, my wife is sick of hearing about milling, so this is a great place to be a part of,because we all have wood fever...

[pineywoods]

Here is a thread with a version of the well known "pineywoods log turner."

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=60649.0

Maybe pineywoods will give a link to his original drawings that are somewhere here on the forum, hope that helps.

Yeah, if you want to go hydraulic, here's a good way to go. The thread is 8 pages long. One of the posts (I think on page 6) has an attached pdf file that you can print out. Autocad drawings of all the parts with dimensions. Don't know how many of these things have been built, I have personally done 3. Latest one that I know about is on a EZ Boardwalk.
click here
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,39860.msg573196.html#msg573196

[HaroldSiefke]

So on this turner what size of cylinders do I need?  Sure looks nice.. Cant wait to get this on the way. Thanks guys. Hal

[bandmiller2]

Hal,the value of the "pineywoods"turner and the two plane is they not only turn but also clamp.I have a two plane and find the clamp is as important as the turn.In fact I rarely use anything else to dog the log/cants. A chain turner is of little use as a clamp although it will hold the log wile you use outher dogs.Frank C.

[pineywoods]

So on this turner what size of cylinders do I need?  Sure looks nice.. Cant wait to get this on the way. Thanks guys. Hal

Harold, the cylinders are all 2 inch diameter, cheap.
12 inch stroke for the turner (2 of them)
8  inch stroke for the clamp
4 inch stroke for the toe roller.
8 inch stroke for the backstops.
I buy them from surplus center.com
valves from the same place. 
With a 1hp motor and 3gpm pump, it will roll anything your mill will saw.

[hackberry jake]

The one I built for the boardwalk jr. uses two 8" cylinders for the lift. One 6" cylinder for the clamp, and some old 6" cylinders for the backstops. I had limited room to work with so I scaled mine down. After I built the clamp I didnt have room for the pushrod for the backstops so I have one cylinder pushing on one backstop and the other is pulling. Just run the fluid from the rod side of the first cylinder into the rod side of the second cylinder and they move in unison. Mine uses a 2hp motor and a 2gpm pump. Here is a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UWLpXKrfE

and another

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W1woG32q50

and a pic.



 

I have had some requests for drawings and plans of the modified pineywoods... I need to get around to making them.

[Slab Slicer]

That is one sweet turner / clamp. I'm looking to scale something like this to my LT-15 GO. A drawing with dimensions would be a great help. Also, some of your clearances to the ground, and your mill bed clearance dimensions would be helpful to scale this turn to my LT 15.

I saw a post some time back about another member who designed one for his LT 15, but I can't seem to find it.

[HaroldSiefke]

That's really nice ....I'd like to see how you connected the clamp to the clevis pin. And some drawings would be awesome , but thanks that's really great. 

[pineywoods]

Slab slicer, there are a few lt15's with the pineywoods turner/clamp. It bolts on to the mill, no welding. Few posts down in this thread is a link to the original article, including a full set of drawings with dimensions and pics. Original was on a manual lt40, but there's nothing unique to woodmizer.

[Slab Slicer]

Thanks Pineywoods. I have those links saved, and will be referencing them for sure, when I get to the build. I don't mind the physical labor involved when I'm turning most logs I mill, but some are real monsters, and I want to keep my spine in one piece so I can mill long into the future.