Useful sawmill mods

[bwstout]

i found this mod in a different thread and have bought everything according to the recommendation to  but after following the schematic i only have forward and no reverse could anyone help. I don't see well and cant tell if it is a 5 or 8 is used on the relays. here is a pic of the controller and relays with a drum switch.

go it figured out

[charles mann]

I've been working on that same issue for 6 months now and still don't have anything for storing blades on the mill. If you get a good idea for it , you sure will be my hero.  ;D
VA-Sawyer

Ebay or a military surplus store. See if there are hard plastic 20mm or 30mm, even the 40mm bofors ammo cans should have the demensiins required for maybe a LT40 or smaller and similar size mill. 
I think even a pelican 1620 case would work, and even with foam or wood dividers, that size case will hold 5-6 blades. 

[DDW_OR]

or the new Magic Can

Blade Can in Sawmills and Milling

[Magicman]

Wow, over 4 years ago and the original Gorilla tape is still there and holding well. 


It does have a different/better lid which is held in place with a strap instead of a bungee.  I doubt that the Magic Can will ever wear out.  ;D

[PAmizerman]

Hydraulics everywhere update.
I ran a 2awg welding wire through my cat track for hydraulics everywhere. I just ran it through and zip tied it to all the other tubing run through there. After about 1000 hours this is what it looks like.


 

So I bought some split wire loom tubing to hopefully protect the hot and ground wires for my hydraulics and also my wire that runs my accuset 2 upgrade.
Hope this helps.



 

[terrifictimbersllc]

I've had two 1/0 cables for hydraulics everywhere (about 26 ft) from the solenoid through the cat track back to the hydraulic pumps for many years now.   Plus a 1/0 cable from battery negative back through the track exiting to the frame (ground) at the track support.  Also kept the sliding ground from battery negative to the lower rail.

But I have disconnected the positive cables and re-installed the hydraulic strip recently when my battery started to fail (battery 2 yr old, its failure nothing to do with the hydraulic mods, but that's what brought this to my attention).  Reason is that I see that there is an automatic constant voltage drop of about 0.5-1V during hydraulic use.  One can look this up in wire tables, a 1/0 cable 26 ft long will drop that much when 50-150 amps run through it. I have also measured it both the voltage drop and the current.    This seems to be a constant impairment which should be better with the much shorter stock setup.  I will check the voltage drop of the stock setup, before I pull the cables, but that's where I am now.  

I am much more experienced now than I was before installing the hydraulics everywhere and am thinking that I can better deal with the less versatile hydraulic situation going forward,  than before.  I will keep the 1/0 ground cable as an auxiliary backup.  My cat track should be a lot lighter again.

[mrwoodpecker]

I got tired of stopping to clean the sawdust from the bandmill wheels on my LT15 so I took a shoe shine brush cut it in half and fastened it between the wheel and housing so the v belts skim against it.  After 4 logs opened up the cover to start the process of scraping the belts but to my delight they were clean!  It was clean when I used the diesel lube and it was also clean when I used the water lube.    I had brushes on the wheels on my upright band saw so I figured they would work on my bandmill.  I kind of think the fine bristles work better than hard ones but I will have to wait for further tests why monkey with something that is working.  I also added 2 inch brushes in front of the track rollers on both sides,  this is in addition to the wiper and felt system that comes on this model.  They also work, just cut off the handles and F26 ed them to the steel.

Another thing I did to the bunks I got tired of repainting the bunks on the mill so I took some steel yard sticks and gorilla glued (construction adhesive) them down I think I had to cut off about 5 inches, anyway this also raised the last board cut about 1/16 which was a good thing for me, since the last board was always a !@##$@ for me.  It cost about $4 each at a home box store.

I will not bore you any further but I did also redesign my auto feed works system on the manual mill.  I had designed it to run off a gear motor with an ac motor but they can not take a lot of start forward reverse. So I changed to a dc motor.  I designed it where the chain is continually running forward and I can just engage a fixed sprocket to pull the head forward then when through the cut disengage it an pull the head back.  This way I can cut manually if I want to or engage the roller chain if I want to, sometimes I will start the cut in the log and engage the roller chain and let it do the work etc.  If anyone is interested I have some photos I will try to post but most of that is greek to me.

[Ljohnsaw]

What type of steel were the yard sticks?  Were they stainless?  That would be nice for oak.  I usually only see aluminum ones.

I'd like to see some pictures of your head feed design.  I can't quite 'picture' it.

[Woodpecker52]

trying to post pictures hard to do with 1952 model brain.

[Woodpecker52]

Seems like I have posted to my gallery will try tomorrow to post to proper place.

[Chuck White]

Any pics you wish to post on the Forum must be posted in your gallery first!

[Old Greenhorn]

I am new to this milling game and trying to learn a lot and get a project done before the weather shuts me down. I have an Oscar 328 and finally realized that sawdust buildup on the left rear wheel was causing me all kinds of problems. I quickly got tired of using my left hand with a stick to keep it clear, and not having time to fabricate something I got some cardboard and 2 cheap C-clamps and made a cover. Works perfect and I don't have to touch it. I am now trimming and adjusting the cardboard shape to avoid those little conflicts that occur in weird cuts etc. Once it is working without any other issues, and after I shut down for the winter i will make a permanent plate in the shop. Not a very big idea, but I felt like I should contribute something here to pay for the bunch of ideas I have learned from. I still have a lot of reading to do on this thread. Thanks all.

 

[Chuck White]

Good idea, gotta keep that rail clean!  ;)

[Woodpecker52]

brush added works

 

[Woodpecker52]

Unused pony clamps find a new use on LT15

 

[Woodpecker52]

Got tired of pushing manual didn't like the WM way

 

[Woodpecker52]

roller chain sprockets old gearmotor dc 3/4 hp and time on hand

 

[Woodpecker52]

Idlers on ends one adjusts for slack

 

[Woodpecker52]

middle drive sprocket and two idlers on square and channel that bolts in frame motor and gearmotor on wood frame below shafts from on two pillow bearings.  spent less than $400 on all.

 

[Woodpecker52]

If I need to speed up or slow down I just disconnect fixed sprocket on head (blue) and finish manually then go to wall and use speed controller.  I had it mounted on head but did not want it to vibrate hence wall now.  I added a motor on off switch to the head 3 position just to have added safety.  I use it to control motor now.  I can just let the roller chain  continue to roll and when finished with cut disengage blue sprocket and pull back head manually line up new cut then engage.  Most of the time I will engage the cut manually feel the blade and wood resistance then engage if ok, if engine starts to labor I disengage finish manually then adjust dc speed by controller.

 

[Woodpecker52]

chain rolls in a channel tube with a slot cut out on the top it fits just below the main head beam and above the two locking pins on the head.  I  had had a fixed system on the pins before but wanted to design a clutch system where I had better control and found a continuous  rolling chain was a easier system.  I guess the closest you could compare it to is like changing gears on a ten speed bike its that easy.  Also I got rid on the start stop reverse and the wear and tear it caused my first try at motor which was a closed 1hp ac.  Ac start cycles don't do very well in this type of operation (thermal protectors)

 

[Woodpecker52]

also added brushes to clean beams cuts down on air compressor clean ups

 

[Woodpecker52]

Added yard sticks to bunks ,they are alum, you could use steel, just used gorilla construction adhesive ,

 holding well so far.

[Woodpecker52]

Oh I forgot I added a thin piece of black  hard plastic over the wiper cover to keep water from the blade lube from falling on the beam and hence into the felt liners for the track.  I hated the clean up plus the water ruins the felt adhesive etc. its the black at the back of pic.

 

[rjwoelk]

Nice work. I like the brush that whiye plastic thing don't work well. The brush would be eassy to replacè. 
I have been considering a chain drive on my lt15 as well. What size chain did you use? 40?