Changing lubrication causes tracking problems.

[Joe Hillmann]

Over the last couple evenings I have run a few hundred board feet of 1/2x3's without any problems on the mill (that is a first since it is a homemade mill and it took awhile to get the bugs out).

To keep the blade clean I was using straight pinesol for lubrication. (it is what I had on hand when I started cutting and it worked)  This morning I ran out of pinesol and switched to diesel (I had a can of diesel near by)

Once I switched to diesel the blade would no longer stay on the mill.  The diesel cleaned off the thin layer of pitch and sawdust on the band wheels. And made the wheels slippery so it no longer stays on the wheels.

I adjusted the tracking and so far it appears to work. 

[21incher]

I can't use diesel either. My blade rides on the back of the drive belt and the diesel will destroy the belt. I have had good luck using magicmans  glug of cascade and water in my lube tank on everything but ash.

[golddredger]

I have learned some new things about lubing blades with my home built bandsaw mill.

First, to much lube is very bad. I was flogging the blade with a light stream and I found the blade was hydro planing on the band wheels. Seem crazy it is not turn the water/pinesol on the band would dance and fly off if the engine was over 2000 rpm.

Second, while in the cut I was turning the water up. I was getting a wave and the blade was tracking all over the place. The more water/pinesol lube the worse it tracked.  My dripper was dripping on the leading edge of the blade above the teeth. This is bad! I move the dripper back 1/2" to the flat of the blade and the very next cut was one of the best I had made yet.

Conclusion, make sure you are NOT using to much lube. Deisel is very good at lingering on the blade and you need only a quarter of what you where using in pinesol if that. One drip every 4 to 5 seconds max!  With pinesol/water I am dripping 1 to 2 drops a second. And be sure you are not dripping on the teeth it drives the blade all over. Drip on the blade "flat".

Good luck!

[Joe Hillmann]

I squirt a bit of diesel on the blade before each cut and when I finish the cut the band wheels and band are still wet.  I may try not using any until I see a bit of build up on the wheels.

[thecfarm]

I use the half diesel and half bar and chain at a SLOW drip. I don't use mine much more than 4 hours steady,but the lube does not make the wheels slippery. Does not take much lube to keep the blade clean. Maybe keeping it cool might be an issue,but on my manual mill,it works fine at a slow drip. I would never run a steady stream of diesel on my mill. probably if I did,I would have problems too.

[bandmiller2]

Petroleum lube are very effective but you need very little and its best applied with a wick. Water based lubes can be dripped on. Currently I use ATF wick applied and have no belt deteriation  in fact their the same belts I've had on the mill for over 12 years. Frank C.

[tmarch]

I also use diesel and bar oil and use a "wiper" to wipe the excess from the blade before it gets to the wheel.  It drips on just inside the idler guide wheel and the wiper is just inside the drive guide wheel, basically just covers the cut.