lack of a spare part can be a pain

[jackpine]

3 weeks into a sawing job 45 miles from home and the little microswitch that turns the hydraulic pump on failed today. Went to my toolbox and realized I had no spare. >:( I did have a  tempory solution I have used before when this switch went out, a n.o. spring loaded pushbutton switch which I wire into the solenoid in place of the microswitch and run the wire out of the hydraulic box, grounded to one of the cover bolts. I have to push the button with one hand while the other is on the hydraulic lever. Takes a little time to get used to it but by the end of the day it was going good.
This was one of those spare parts I never got around to keeping on hand, will know better in the future, ;D

Bill

[coastlogger]

Somethng to be said for simplicity I guess.Can honestly say that in 10 years of cutting with my FGM "was manual" mill I have never been down for a part.In fact belts and blades are the only thing Ive ever needed. Microswitch?!  Hope you get going soon.
clgr

[backwoods sawyer]

Good job.

Ingenuity can be the key to production. Down time on these portable mills is minimal compared to in a large production mill where you have 28 computers running 40 plus machine centers with 5 pieces of rolling stock feeding and clearing the product. There has been more then one night where the maintenance crews came in to find wires jumpered, hydraulics by passed, a two story mountain of slab wood, machine centers bypassed, steel braces welded in, a temporary motor wired in, zip-ties holding wiring harness together.
You cannot stock every part that could possibly fail, However being able to find ways to continue to operate and meet production goals can be a big time and money saver. Just make the repair on maintenance day rather then living with the temporary fix or it could come back to bite you.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

What Backwoods said You have to do whats needed to keep the Show on the Road  and there aint no manual you have to follow either Mate ??? ;) :D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[Magicman]

When my microswitch failed, of course I was knee deep into a big job.  I took the failed switch to a local supply house and we went through his stock.  The one that he had required some bending, but it worked.  It's not a sealed unit, but has been on the mill over 4 years.  It only cost about $3.00.  Wish that I had bought two.

[pineywoods]

.  It's not a sealed unit, but has been on the mill over 4 years.  It only cost about $3.00.  Wish that I had bought two.

If you buy 2, then the first one will never go bad. Or if it does, then you can't remember where you put the spare. My mill doesn't have one, but I got another sawyer through the rest of the day by hooking a short piece of wire to each side of the defective switch, the running them outside the box and stripping about an inch of insulation off the ends. Just twist the 2 bare ends togather lightly.. Redneck switch  ;D

[Magicman]

Wish that I had bought two.

If you buy 2, then the first one will never go bad.

Redneck logic works too...... :D

[jcbrotz]

Hold on to your britches when you order that their microswitch. Mine went bad a few months back I order 2 so I would never need one again but it ain't no $3 part. >:(

[Magicman]

Yes, I'm very aware of what that sealed microswitch cost......X10        That's why I said that I wish that I had bought 2.  I never expected the non-sealed switch to last.

[kderby]

I am on my third micro-switch. I am grumpy about the cost ($43) and the down time.  Now, I have one as a spare.

I am dedicated to stocking spare parts.  I have asked, "What can I anticipate replacing?"  I don't get much of an answer.  I bought the mill.  I love the mill.  I need the mill to work.  It doesn't mean the mill or the company is at fault when a part quits or gets broken.  It does mean I lose a day of milling waiting for a delivery.  Right now I have a used and chipped friction block on the blade guide.  It is not like I can just run down to the Circle K and pick one up.  I am over 200 miles from the store in Oregon.  What do they do in the third world settings?

Perhaps on the micro-switch there is a way to make them more reliable and lower the price.  Hint Hint ;D

[bandmiller2]

There is a price to pay for those little cutsey switches and relays,they make you feel like a skilled technician handling tons with your finger tips,but you better be a clever dude when they screw up.Frank C.

[schmism]

so i have no idea how the switch does its job, but it sounds like its a frequent part to fail.  and on top of that its hella expensive.

so id be figuring out a way to get rid of the thing and move to a manually operated toggle switch or a toggle that can be tripped by the saw head etc.

[Magicman]

but it sounds like its a frequent part to fail. 

I would not say that it has frequent failures.  My mill is 12 years old and the switch has been replaced once, and then with a $3.00 non-sealed switch.  It is simply a "slave" switch that operates a solenoid, much like an ignition switch cranking an engine.  There is very little actual current (amperage) across the contacts.

[sigidi]

You need to get a Lucas ;D no little switches or solenoids to frag out. Just plain basic log slicing - day in day out 8) I love sawdust

[Tom]

Or, you could just get one of these.

No fuss, no muss and no sleeping pills.

[Slabs]

so i have no idea how the switch does its job, but it sounds like its a frequent part to fail.  and on top of that its hella expensive.

so id be figuring out a way to get rid of the thing and move to a manually operated toggle switch or a toggle that can be tripped by the saw head etc.

I'll betcha a magnetic switch could be kluged in the works where the switch actuation lever moves a magnet close to the switch and actuates the solenoid(if the magnetic switch has the current capacity, otherwise a transistor may be needed to handle the current)

Another thing to check on is whether a "reverse-current-diode" is installed across the switch contacts.  If not, the collapsing field in the solenoid could cause arcing across the switch contacts and prematurely burn them out.  The contact separation on those little microswitches is pretty close anyway.  Later Misers incorporated a diode and two with the dual pump modles.

[jackpine]

 Luckily the switch failure did not cost me any downtime as the field fix only took about 20 min. and has worked for 3 days. The new switch arrived today so will be installed next week. I agree about the cost but the shipping and handling adder is what bothers me the most. I would normally go to Wisconsin WM dealer but could not take the time to drive 50 miles so ordered from Indy. I also wonder why that switch has to be sealed as it is inside the hyd. box. I did not order 2 this time but will pick one up at WM Wi next time I am there. My mill is 10 years old and the switch has been replaced once.

Bill

[sigidi]

Darn good sawmill those Tom ;D

[captain_crunch]

Could someone post a closeup pic of the microswitch ??? Lots of water conditioners use them and they work in damp places. Might not even work but worth a shot
Brian

[Magicman]

Here are a couple of pictures of mine.  Remember, this is a $3.00 store bought switch,  not the sealed unit.  It also came with terminals instead of pigtails.







This is a bit out of focus

[Magicman]

BTW, that part number   V-10G4-1C24K   seen on the switch is still valid.  It is not sealed and does not have factory attached leads.

The cost is $2.21 each plus any tax and shipping.

[captain_crunch]

M_M
Yep that be a standard water filter switch If I can find em there is about 1/2 a coffee can full of em around here somewhere

[pineywoods]

MM, I have a whole drawer full of them switches. And my mill don't use them..Put one on a neighbor's super a while back. Seems the mounting holes were a little off size. If your mill is kept dry, the non-sealed switches should be ok.  Now that I think about it, I do have 3 of them on my mill. Two are limit switches on the autoclutch and another is an interlock on the remote console...

[Magicman]

The microswitch was the OP of this thread, and got me to thinking.   I'm using a non-sealed off the shelf switch with no backup.  I googled the switch, found a supplier, and ordered a couple.  They cost $2.21 plus shipping from, Allied Electronics.  This is a SPDT instead of SPST, but that is not an issue.  Just leave that terminal vacant.




Now I have two spares..... ;D

[Chuck White]

MM;  Sometimes when you have a SPDT vs SPST, and the switch burns out, you may be able to use the other side of it as a spare!