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Has anyone added power up and down to their manual WM. WM says that it can't be done to an LT 25, but I believe where there is a will there is a way. I don't mind any of the other aspects of my manual mill, but after a long day of sawing it gets old cutting 4/4 then having to crank back up to do the next 30" log. That is the only time I mind using the crank, to crank back up for the next log. Any advice on how and what type of motor needed would be much appreciated. I have heard of people using a cordless drill, but when custom sawing I don't want to have to charge batteries.
I modified my Cook's MP-32 with a power up-down (actually gravity does the down part but it would be easy to power it too). I used a 12VDC gear motor from Surplus Center (www.surpluscenter.com) part no. 5-1524 $39.95. I bolted a bracket to the head carriage so there was no welding to the sawmill. It performs very well in my application. I'm not familiar with the LT 25 but if your torque reqirements match the gearmotor and you being handy youu should evaluate it. Current draw is < 20 amps. Good luck This really interests me. This seems to be exactly what I am looking for. kelLOGg will the gear motor "free role" to use the crank to lower. How do you lower yours. Is it possible to show me pictures?? When you say gravity, do you use the motor or have a crank also. How do I figure out what torque I am dealling with. Can anyone tell me if the charging system on a Kohler Command 20 can handle the 20 amp draw. Sorry I don't have a camera to take pictures of my setup. Thanks again You guys are a big helpSummerjobI need power only to raise the sawhead - I just release the crank brakeand press the button. (It will actually raise the sawhead with thebrake on but that’s wasteful.) When I want to lower it I just releasethe friction brake on the wheel crank and the weight of the sawheadturns the gearmotor backward. To power the down direction would requirejust a DPDT switch but I don’t need it. I can also release the brakeand use the hand crank to raise/lower the head for small distances -this actually makes it easier to hit the mark for the next cut. (I know what you mean by cranking up 30" to start a new log. That’s why I added this gear motor.) The actual measured current draw is 10 ampsand the magneto on my Kohler 16 HP keeps the battery charged so I would think a 20 HP Kohler would do at least as well. The torque on this gearmotor is 75 in-lbs. To estimate the torquerequired to turn the hand crank I hung an empty plastic jug on thehandle and filled it with water until the crank began to turn. I weighed the jug+water and measured the distance from the center of thecrank shaft and handle (the radius). Multiplying the distance (inches)by weight (lbs) gives the static torque. In my case the distance is 6inches and the water weighs 5 lbs - 6 x 5 is 30 in-lbs of torque. This is a minimum so double or triple it to allow for friction and dynamic torque. That’s 60 - 90 in lbs and the gearmotor provides 75 in-lbscontinuous. I decided to give it a try. I fitted a sprocket on thehandcrank shaft and one on the gearmotor (required some machine shop work) and it has worked perfectly for one year now. I used a relay to operate it so the switch did not have to carry the full 10 amps. I have a .digital pfhoto of it (.jpg file) but I don't know how to insert it yet.
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