Woo, Hoo Mx LX450 Diesel is finally here...

[starmac]

Well it sure looks like they did a fine job.
A few years back I damaged the wifes town car and had to put new doors on the drivers side. We had a local body man that basically worked out of a home shop. he painted it with the proper paint according to the code, but it didn't suit him (I didn't see it) so he took a piece of the old door down and had it computer matched, and you could not tell where the old paint ended or the new paint started.

[Stuart Caruk]

Well, time for some maintenance. I've had an annoying issue of the blade wandering up and down as I saw through a log. I'm pretty sure that it's not related to blade tension or set, but a physical issue with how the mill is built. I've been working on an building CNC plasma cutting machines for some 28 years or so, and many of them have parallel round rails like the LX450 mill does. None of them, however have v Wheels on both sides like the LX450. I'm fairly certain that the LX450 frame is tacked up in a jig, but I'm betting the rails are welded out after everything is in place. It's pretty clear on my mill that there are a couple places where the rails go in and out about 1/16" from a nominal value. With no place to go, when the rails get skinnier or fatter, the only place to go is up, so the blade has to go up and down as well.

I think the original gas version had a flexible enough gantry, that the flex would take care of any issues. I think I have the first diesel machine in the fleet, and it took a while to get it as Woodmizer elected to make the frame much stiffer to handle the weight of the diesel. In the CNC plasma world that I'm familiar with, almost all manufactures use a flat wheel on the slave side, so if the rails go in and out, or get bent in service it has no bearing on the torch height. I noted the issue to Woodmizer and lo and behold, a week or so ago a new set of flat wheels arrived in the mail. No istructions, but I figure I could have a go at this.

On the bottom is the stock V wheel. There are a pair of them on both sides. The top has one of the newer flat wheels that they sent. I'm not sure why they added the flanges on either side. It's not like the machine can wander off the rails with the keepr on both side. It looks like they did the math to figure out where the V wheels should ride on the shaft and have adjust the height appropriately.

[Stuart Caruk]

Before I get around to replacing the wheels I figured I'd take care of a service bulletin on this machine.

As it turns out in the real world, if left uncovered, this machine can get water in the square tubes on the uprights. This water will then freeze and the expansion can damage the uprights. Woodmizer sent out a note with instructions to drill holes in both sides of the carriages to allow the water to drain. They suggest drilling with a 1/4" drill, then reaming it out with a 1/2" drill.

I'm lazy, and owning a cool fab shop allows me to have some unique tools. One of my latest favorites is an ALFRA magnetic base. It's designed in Germany to hold an electric motor. What it really is though is a multi pole magnet with a safety latch. I bought a couple to use as prototypes to hold a portable visual tooth inspector that I am building for a sawmill. I took one of them and bored it out to fit a Dewalt 20v drill. What I have now is a really nice 18 pound portable mag drill. MY electric ones seem to take 2 men and a buy to cart around. These on is as handy as a cordless drill. Only it works waaaaaaay better for drilling holes in steel.

Here's the drill stuck to the column...
 


and a closeup...




and a quick shot of the finished hole...



All told, I think it took a couple minutes to fix. And yes, I know that the odds of my tube filling up with rain under a cover are slim to none, but I'm thinking of one of you guys who may inherit this from my estate sale when the time comes. No sense you getting something with an unfinished service bulletin...

Now onto the wheel swap.

[Magicman]

Can you also put a lid on the square tubes to stop the sawdust drift from entering the tops?

[starmac]

I am with MM on the lid for the tubing, to keep sawdust out, or at least try.
That magnet is neat, I can sure see where it would be handy.
If that was the first diesel you would have thought that woodmizer would have tested it. It is just my opinion, but I think the flat wheels should be used instead of relying on the heads frame flexing on the gas models too.

[Stuart Caruk]

I thought the wheel swap would be simple, turned out it was a royal PITA. It starts simple enough (instructions with the wheels they sent would have been nice...)

I started by grabbing a 7/16" wrench and removing the wheel covers on the loader side of the mill.




What I missed was that I should have used the same wrench to remove the sprocket covers on the outside of the mill where the chains come down from the torque tube. You'll need this cover off to remove the keeper bracket that helps hold the mill on the rails.



Then you'll need to use a 9/16" wrench to remove the keeper under the square tube. I've already had this off a few times, because it was binding on the angle iron and jamming up the mill. I've added a half a dozen spacers underneath it to keep it from hitting the angle iron section underneath the rails. Watch for these washers underneath. There are some used as spacers at the factory, so you don't want to lose them, or lose track of how many are installed.



You'll need to remove the bracket under the sprockets as well. This one is mounted further outboard, so there are no spacer washers used.



Loosen the chain tension bolts at the end of the mill on the loader side, so it's easier to raise the mill. 
NOTE - don't be a dumbass like myself. A simple ratcheting box wrench or socket works great. I've done this many times in the past. This time I figured I'd spin it off with an impact wrench. On the fine threads, the impact wrench simply galls up and strips the threads... At least the cheain tensioners are a common item and only cost like $15...

Use a 1/2" wrench to remove the bolts that hold the wheels on.



I choose to loosen the felt wiper covers, but this probably isn't really required.



Then lift up the mill slightly to clear the rails. I used a tranny jack and a block of wood. You only need to lift 3/4" or so. Don't overdo it, and you won't need to remove the keepers on the other side of the mill to keep from bending the angle iron. I stuffed a few wedges between the rail and the frame to keep the carriage from dropping as I worked, just in case.



Getting the wheels off should be simple, but it was a frustrating process. A prybar didn't have enough force to break them free. A wheel puller wouldn't fit around the back and simply slipped off the taper. In the end I used a couple tapered wedges that I have dozens of lying around the fab shop for lifting, aligning, and beating things apart. I cut them from scrap plate that would otherwise be tossed.



The wedges broke them loose, and a longer pry bar and a spacer popped them off.... after about 3 frustrating hours of effort... Note to Woodmizer... put a couple tapped holes to help pull these suckers off it needed...

Set the new wheels in place and tap them in place with a deadblow mallet. The circlip should face the side where you can see it.



Assembly is the reverse of the above steps. Pay attention to the keeper that mounts under the square tube. It will have spacers at the factory, and you will need these when the mill is reinstalled. If you  look at the photo of mine, you will see the paint is rubbed off of it in several places.



When I first got my mill it was binding up in a few places. I found welding dingle berries on the bottom side of the angle iron bracket left from the manufacturing process. It must have missed the final inspection as it's out of sight. I ground off the dingle berries and added spacers to help relieve the binding. I didn't really realize how bad the binding was though until I removed the drive chains when I built my mill extension.

When I built my extension, I welded the master rail in place, then rolled the mill down to space the slave rail. What I found was a couple places where I couldn't physically push the carriage past. It turned out that the keeper was rubbing on the angle iron still. I cured this by adding a couple more washers as spacers, and tweaked the angle iron slightly with a 2' crescent wrench.

My advice would be to remove the chains from both ends of the mill. USE HAND TOOLS, NOT AN IMPACT WRENCH. and make sure the mill rolls freely all the way down your rails without binding.

The mill seems to cut much better now, as the blade stay the same height as it travels down the rails.

This weekend I need to solve the annoying water lube solenoid issue, so I can shut it off with a switch rather than going around to shut off the flow valve. Whilst I'm inside the console, I think I'll look at the slow return speed modification as well.

[Stuart Caruk]

On the water getting in the tubing issue... There are no open holes on the top of the tubing. The tube (on mine at least, but I'm pretty sure the gas version is the same) is welded into the upper support. There are a few bolts penetrating the tubing on both sides though, so I can see a mill left in the rain would collect water on the hardware and over time it would leech into the tubing where it would collect with no way to escape.

A few minor issues still aren't enough to convince me I don't have a seriously cool mill. I'm happy with the performance, and with each little tweak it seems to get better and better.

So far I'm mostly surprised that I seem to get a better cut with a .045 thick 1 1/4" wide 10 degree blade than I do with an .055" 1 1/2" blade. I would have though that the fatter bade would perform better. I've got a bunch of 35' logs dropped now that I'll skid out this week and start slicing up, so I'll have more time to make a better comparison. I was going to head out today, but with 70 knot winds forecast, the woods is the last place I want to be. I'm comfortable enough in the cab of my skidder, but I'm likely to get killed getting there from my truck. I swung by earlier today and it was raining sticks, cones, and debris. Mod Pizza sounded better.

[Magicman]

Since your sawmill setup is a sorta "prototype" it sounds like the glitches that you have found and corrected are minimal.  I suspect that those rollers will be standard on future sawmills.  Anyway, thanks for sharing your journey.  :P

[Stuart Caruk]

I saw the original LX450 at a Woodmizer demo, and would have bought it, but somebody beat me to it. When I went to order mine the diesel and debarker wasn't available and a new gas rig was about 4 months out. While I was waiting a debarker was introduced so I opted for that, and a month or so later they announced the diesel, so of course I opted for that as well. I think that they planned for a tier 3 diesel, but the feds got involved and it ended up requiring a tier 4 diesel. When it was installed the weight apparently caused some issues, so the head had to be redesigned. I was pressing them  to get it done for a job that was overdue, so they may have overlooked a few items to try and keep me happy. Overall though, I'm tickled pink with this machine. Clearly I have the skills to build one of my own, but they have done a fantastic job. The reality is that I couldn't even come close for twice the money. After futzing around building my extension, I checked into just buying the parts. The bed rails were the biggest PITA for me to make. I bought their bolts and the bedcaps. The tubing, square stock and plates to plug the tube ends cost me about $20 a pop, and I have a couple hours in each one. I could have just bought them complete for like $140. When I added my toe rollers I computed my cost to build them , and just went and bought them from Woodmizer. Same thing as I plan to do for a couple more backstops and clamp.

I want to add you idea for the fast forward button MM, and the variable speed return option. I still can't find the appropriate wiring harness location. 

[Darrel]

A few minor issues still aren't enough to convince me I don't have a seriously cool mill. I'm happy with the performance, and with each little tweak it seems to get better and better.

Personally, I can't imagine Wood-Mizer making anything but a "seriously cool mill. 

[Magicman]

I want to add you idea for the fast forward button MM

I was actually surprised that the Fast Forward drew very little attention.  I use it many many times during each day's sawing.  Maybe strangely, I have no interest in the variable return. :

Except when sawing I want both the forward and reverse full speed. 

[Stuart Caruk]

I have this crazy idea to add a sled that holds 5 @ 3.5HP routers to make the tongue and grooves in a pair of 12" wide cant's. Mill the can't and clamp them side by side. Pin the sled to the mill and let the mill push the sled to the end. Flip the cant's and let the mill pull the sled back to the start and I'm done.

In order for it to work, I need the variable speed on the return.

I for one loved you fast forward button. With my extension that would be really handy. Currently I just dial up the speed pot, but it's just a matter of time before that bites me. 

If I could find the location of the H bridge and control harness, I'd probably have done it by now.

[starmac]

I like your idea of a planer/shaper/moulder whatever you call it sled.  It would be similar to the one woodmizer has, just using your existing engine and travel motors. hmmm

[Stuart Caruk]

One of the minor annoyances on my LX450 is related to the automatic coolant lube flow. On my previous LT35hyd, the blade lube was manually controlled by a valve on the lube tank. It sat right near my face, so it was pretty easy to use. I did occasionally forget to shut it off, which just drains the tank. It was annoying, but not enough for me to slap in a solenoid to control the flow.

Well, the LX450 comes with a solenoid, and they even automate the process for you. It's plumbed in so that when you engage the forward feed, the solenoid opens and blade lube flows. That's great, except I only cut mostly Fir or Cedar. I only use lube on pitchy logs, or when trimming up an expensive cant. On this mill the lube tank is mounted up over the fuel tank.



Now, I'm 6'4" tall, and if the blade is more than 20" off the deck, I can't reach this manual valve. In order to completely shut off the flow of coolant, this is the only way to do it.

So, I added a switch to shut off power to the solenoid, which eliminates the need to climb up on the mill.



A buddy who stopped by asked how to accomplish the same thing on his mill, so I'll document it here, and make it easier for the next guy as well.

Looking in the manual, the power for the solenoid comes in from the rotary feed switch on the left side of the console. The mod is simple and will take about 10 minutes.

Start by turning off the power switch, so you don't cause a short. Remove the ground terminal from the battery if you're a real klutz.

Remove the 8 phillips head screws from the lower console to expose the rotary forward/reverse switch on the left.



There are 2 predrilled holes in the front panel for a laser line guide, and a board return retract. The LX450 has fingers for the board return, with a manual installed bar to lock them out of the way. It doesn't affect the size of the cant you can cut whether it's up or down, so I always leave mine down. You'll never use this hole, so it's one option. I'm planning on installing an external laser, so I chose to open that hole instead. I figured the line looks like water squirting out. A 15/32" drill or a knife will easily remove the thin plastic cover so that you can install a single pole, single throw switch (SPST) I chose to add a blue guarded switch cover to mine.



ON the left side of the control, remove the flat head screw to remove the control handle.



This will expose 3 screws. Remove all 3 screws so that you can rotate the switch to expose the rear contacts. You'll be looking for the contact terminal marked as #1.


This will expose the terminal screws on the backside of the rotary switch.



You're looking for the terminal on the left, marked #1. It has 2 red wires connected to it. One supplies the forward signal to the H bridge on the drive, the other goes to the back of the cabinet and is zip tied to another black wire. 

DON'T cut the red wire leading to this terminal block.



Locate the other red wire that goes to the red/black pair. Both wires have quick connectors on them. These 2 lead to the lube shutoff solenoid. Snip off the red wire on the rotary switch going to the lube shutoff solenoid. Strip the end of this wire and add a butt connector to it with about a 16" length of wire. I chose blue for water...   You will then attach this to 1 side of the SPST switch that you mounted. 

Cut another 16" piece of wire and attach 1 end to terminal 1 of the rotary switch. Mine looked like the photo below.



Run this wire to the other side of your SPST switch and you'll complete the circuit. With the SPST switch in the ON position, blade lube will flow anytime the forward feed is engaged, as long as the manual valve is cracked open. Adjust the flow rate by the position of the manual valve. When the SPST switch is OFF, the solenoid won't open and you won't have any coolant flow.



Put everything back together in the reverse order that you took it apart, and you should be good to go.

I did buy a spare coolant tank, but to me it's still a PITA to swap it out. I'm sure there is a better way, and I'd bet some FF member has a great solution... I'd love to hear it.

Thanks

[Dave Shepard]

In my LubeMizer, I can shut the switch off. I've always thought the LubeMizer should be tied into the AutoClitch, not the forward travel. 

[Stuart Caruk]

That wouldn't work for me. I never stop the blade on the return, so I'd be wasting coolant with the mill coming back. I'm happy with the lube on forward... now that I can shut it off at will.

My next venture will be switching to the lube that the regular sawmills use to eliminate most of the water. Seems to me that water is corrosive.

[YellowHammer]

Nice install.  They do have the water tank up there!  

On my old mill, I installed a very small needle valve about eye level so I could precisely adjust the lube flow, or turn it off if necessary.

With the Lubemizer on my current mill it has options for full on, full off, or intermittent and variable pulse when the mill is in forward.  

I prefer to use agricultural water soluble oil/cleaner for my lubricant exclusively.  No rust, no corrosion, and a highly reduced flow rate.  

[Southside]

YelllowHammer -  What is the product you use?

[Peter Drouin]

Good that you are handy with fab things up. Can you imagine if a guy that wasn't as good as you got that mill? Too bad WM don't run there mills before they send them out.

You did good,