Band/Blade goin south

[sigidi]

Sigidi,
...  I know it's hard for anyone trying to make a living with a saw, to imagine the thrill I used to get by making  successful cuts 21 inches across in hardwood with only 10 hp gas... 

TA, I'm with ya there mate, there is nothing more exciting that cutting timber, I even feel it's almost criminal I get paid to do it especially when I love doing it so much 8) ;D

[REGULAR GUY]

I apologize if I'm not explaining right. To answer a few questions the mill is used slightly before I bought it.  The blade tension is fine. I'm cuttin Ponderosa Pine.  Where I'm probably confusin ya'll is that  although like every one I've experienced the "waves" sometimes  of knotty Pine and learned from it but this here problem is that the band, after about 4 inches into the first cut on the 180 degree side (the bottom I already cut flat) started to dive, and dove  about 3/4" - 1" down  in about 3" until I noticed and stopped  it. The band did  have a little black substance (sap???) on it , I tried it again slower .......same thing. I swapped out to a new band out of the box from Woodmizer (10 degrees)......same thing  blue smoke, smell and all.  Tomorrow the weather's supposed to break and I'll try what ya'lls been suggesting.  I'll try the diesel.
John,    as far as the different sets, degrees etc. I gotta start sometime .......Thanks
Bandmiller2,    I'll swap out the logs and bands etc. .....Thanks too!

I'm gonna take this here as a challenge and whoop it!!!! ...............with ya'lls much appreciated help and advice!!!!!!
I realize experience is the best  teacher, and I'm lookin forward to becoming a better sawyer.

Thanks again ya'll and I'll let ya know the results of tomorrow!
Regular Guy

[backwoods sawyer]

If it is still cutting the same. Shut it down and open up the doors and take a look at the saws position on the wheel. If it is riding too far back and the teeth are riding on the wheel, that in its self can take the set out of the inside of the saw allowing it to dive in the first few inches. Aligning a mill that is out of alignment can take several attempts as solving one problem my lead you to another. I have seen worn guides cause a mill to act the way your mill is.

[ladylake]

No bark on the logs, they might be well over 6 months old or maybe standing dead for quite some time. Try that 30 thousands set.  Hard too tell if you had pitch buildup but when a blade dives and starts smoking it will turn black in a hurry. I find diesel works the best. Also sound like you have a good plan trying different blades  4,7,9,10 degree to find what works the best, I really like 4* for tough wood but pine generally isn't tough unless it's old and dried out.   Steve

[Chuck White]

If it is still cutting the same. Shut it down and open up the doors and take a look at the saws position on the wheel. If it is riding too far back and the teeth are riding on the wheel, that in its self can take the set out of the inside of the saw allowing it to dive in the first few inches. Aligning a mill that is out of alignment can take several attempts as solving one problem my lead you to another. I have seen worn guides cause a mill to act the way your mill is.

I hadn't thought of this one BWS.  You could be "spot on"!  ;)

When sawing and the band has to move too far back before contacting the flanges on the blade guide rollers, the inside teeth are being flattened out by riding on the edge of the band wheels.

Move the blade guide rollers forward to within 1/8 inch of the back of the blade!

Of course it could be a combination of blade guide roller alignment and worn blade belts too!

[ladylake]

It doesn't make sence that it would get out of whack from one log to the next unless something got hit when turning the log. I'd almost lean to these logs being dry old logs that need a lot of set and the one causing the trouble just a little extra tough.  Steve

[backwoods sawyer]

It doesn't make sence that it would get out of whack from one log to the next unless something got hit when turning the log. I'd almost lean to these logs being dry old logs that need a lot of set and the one causing the trouble just a little extra tough.  Steve

There are some logs that are just to tough to saw, like an old Doug-fir that grew on a hillside over on the coast, a wide cut will shorten the saw time of a saw real quick. 

[ladylake]

BW, that's right. I've run into that a number of times, 3 side saw just fine but that 4th side is a pain, everything has to be right  and they can still be bully.  Steve

[Magicman]

A sawmill band will act very similar to what we've all seen happen with a chainsaw.  Dull one side and it starts to "Potato Chip".  Dull the chain and it throws dust instead of chips, but stays straight.

I've cut through many nails which dulled the blade, but it still stayed straight.  Sideswipe a nail which takes the edge off of one side, and she's going South.  This tree had grown around a small rock trapped in a limb crotch.  This blade went South....Big time.... >:(

[REGULAR GUY]

Welp......finally got some work  done.  Took alot of advice of ya'lls which was great and  I copied for future reference. I feel embarrassed  but I did learn something. I kept same band  on (which was new) and experimented with the troubled log.  I took a cut in center of log which came out pretty,  still buffaloed  I took another cut  down center of log...still sweet.  I brought the log to the same troubled spot where it was diving, took it a inch lower and it dove in same area (about 4" from starting end).  I swapped ends on the log, set the band at the same height (as it was diving on other end) and what a beautiful cut down the log??????........UNTIL......... it got within a few inches of where it went south and yep ...it went whacky. Cut off the slab, took out the band and dissected  the heck out of it and found very small bits of gravel/granules where ya'd think someone took a scatter gun to it! Small enough where ya'd think it'd cut through but numerous enough where it took it's effect......I guess. I'm still whoopin on myself  for  gettin sucker punched!  Believe me I  don't feel good about this ....but  I did learn this Forum is the best place to be if  I'm gonna get myself into trouble. I do thank ya'll greatly.           
As my Pop (with his dyed in the wool Ozark humour and  ingenuity) would say ..............Live and  Learn..Hopefully.

[Tom]

Glad you found it, Regular Guy.  I'm surprised that you didn't see some indication of whatever it is, on the band teeth. 

[REGULAR GUY]

Tom,     
I'm with ya on that one! Like I says, I'm  STILL whoopin on myself.  Guess it was my tired ol' eyeballs,  grit was so small it was just thrown out, or I just didn't know what to look for.  The "touch" of the band felt "off" to me as far as sharpness, maybe that was my imagine, dunno, but it was/is definitely inexperience on my part. Sides that, it was all the help from everyone that helped me to take the process step by step and figure the problem.  It also helped me to understand I gotta start experimenting with different things and learn so that I don't stay "one dimensional", 'course I had to do some probing to find it.
Thanks again all,
Regular Guy

[Magicman]

Problems are always simple when you know the answer.  Don't beat yourself up.  It's a learning curve.....and you never ever master it.  When you think that you have.....well just wait..... ;D

Yours could have been an embedded stone like I had, and the sawblade shattered it  ???  You'll never know for sure.