Making the last cut on a 84 model LT 30

[brandonward6]

I have an 84 model Lt 30. The lowest the head will go is 2 1/4 or 2 /1/2 from the bed rail. This leaves me with an extremly thick 2x piece of lumber. Any ideas as to remedy this. I have tried to put a piece of lumber under the piece to raise it enough to make the cut but for some reason its always thick on ends and thin in middle...any ideas????

[47sawdust]

A lot of owners have added steel stock to the top of their bunks to remedy the problem.A creative search of the forum archives should reveal pictures.
It's been done many times.

[Crossroads]

The 1/2" key stock didn't work, as you can see it's infront of the side supports. Instead of removing the box tube, I knocked off the key stock and welded a piece of 2x2 box tube on end as you'll see in the second picture. Also, the center rails, I ended up adding more to them to make them longer. The LT 30 has a few things hanging down that I ended up notching the tube so they would pass like the set screw for adjustment of the movable roller arm and the bottom of the guide roller assembly.









The issue your having with the board being thick on the ends and thin I. The middle sounds like your not supporting the ends with the movable rails and the board is sagging on the ends and arching in the middle.

[brandonward6]

why do the middle cross supports have only short risers or can they go all the way as well 

[Crossroads]

If your talking about the center rails, I made them short originally to leave room for the cam clamp handle, but as mentioned above, I ended up making them longer. If your talking about the short piece standing up vertically, that is for after the cant is square, the side supports can be lowered all the way. (It's faster than adjusting the side supports)

[brandonward6]

my mill has the top and bottom roller guides did you remove your bottom rollers to keep from hitting the bed rail

[Crossroads]

I only had top guide rollers, but the bracket hung down and I ended up cutting a slot out of the rail and making a mark on the guard where the movable roller had to be set to clear

[brandonward6]

I wonder if just cutting the bottom of the roller bracket would work better

[jb616]

I wonder if just cutting the bottom of the roller bracket would work better

I was thinking of doing the same to my 84 to get that extra clearance. There have been others that have removed it as well because the newer ones don't even have the lower guide wheel. I added the 2" tubing on the bed rails but I think they are only about 16" long so that the guide wheel had clearance. I have 9" pieces that i can slip on the old bed rails as well if I have a larger log but the 16" will cover most logs up to about 24". My only issue with getting down to the last 1 inch now is interference with the clamp. I have tried some other clamp designs to help with that but haven't got one that I really like yet.