Woodmizer LT 40 bed extension

[dhp3228]

Will y'all give out some advice about operating a Woodmizer  LT 40 with a 6' bed extension? I've been running my LT 40 for a little bit and My buddy has contacted me about running his mill with his extension. I'm just not wanting to mess up his nice long, large diameter pine trees.

[scully]

Okay so you just gotta walk a little further ?  Handling could be rough.....

[terrifictimbersllc]

Cutting long amplifies the results of  the sawmill bed not being straight/flat over its length, which are cants or beams with thick or thin ends, cut when the cant or beam is stiff so it doesn't lie down on the rails when this curvature exists. 

On my WM I can sight down the rail and get it pretty straight by eye, but I wouldn't be able to sight just bed rails in the same manner.

True test of this is to measure cant for uniform dimensions and the fix is to adjust/shim the feet accordingly.  For example if cant is thin at one end then raise that end. 

Have to be able to distinguish though when cant is flexing due to stress. 

[Jim_Rogers]

When you bolt up the extension to your mill make sure it is touching both the top and bottom round rail. If it is then it should be straight with the mill.
Then you need to make sure it is straight left to right so that the gears don't hit the mounting bolts at the end of the mill. Using the brace between the extension and the mill will prevent that.

I wrote a long story (with pictures) here about how to hook up a bed extension to a mill. I'm sure if you do a search for it you'll find it. If you can't let me know and I'll try and find it.

Jim Rogers

[Brucer]

I prefer to saw with the small end toward the front of the mill (in other words, the saw enters at the small end). When I added my first 6' extension, I found some of the logs would overbalance on the loader. You can mess around with log handling machinery to lift the heavy end of the log onto the mill, but sometimes it's best just to put the heavy end closest to the front.

[customsawyer]

I saw with the big end to the tongue of the mill. This lets me get lots of boards off of the log before I get to the small diameter end. 

[Peter Drouin]

I use a laser level on my mill when I set up with the 24' ex. Can get it too with in a 1/32"

[Dave Shepard]

Peter, when I set the mill up on it's original slab, I had to put a 1/8" shim under the first leg, the one that goes in in (Tom) place of the hitch, and the rest of the legs were on the concrete, and the rail was +/- 1/32". Those guys were great at flat work. My slab is a little less nice. I still have to shim that first leg up. It's just off a little I guess.

[JustinW_NZ]

I'm looking to setup my 12" extension on my mill at a remote job site, its on gravel which I can move and flatten with my loader.

I assume I can get it level and ok or do your really need a concrete base to set them up on?

(Sorry for hijacking thread)

Cheers
Justin

[Dave Shepard]

I've set up a couple of times on gravel. It's OK. Avoid crushed stone, it will settle in.