woodmizer saw mill portable set leveling

[Polly]

i have my lt 40 set up inside and i am debating putting it outside on the ground ,how mutch tolerance is permissable when leveling it to start sawing , : : 8)

[Dan_Shade]

it's not an exact science.  As long as you have weight on all of the legs, it will be fine.  I try to set mine up with the hitch end slightly lower than the far end, which speeds up the head's gig back.

Side to side, I think it's best to have the loader side slightly low too.

[Bibbyman]

I've been guilty of using a level a time or two but I usually got by by just eyeballing it on reasonably level ground.  You shouldn't have too much trouble with anything less than an inch slope from front to back and a couple from end to end.

I like to make sure the front two posts on either side of the loading arms and the ones behind them are all setting firm.  If the one at the hitch and the tail end get a little loose, I don't get too excited.

If you're setting up on unpacked ground, make sure to check the legs after a log or two to see if they are still holding up their share of the weight.  I just kick them "in the shin" with my toe and see if they rattle.  If one rattles, I shim it up.   

[backwoods sawyer]

Since I do 100% of my milling as portable, I keep a 6" level in my toolbox just to make sure my eyes are not playing tricks on me. I always start by getting the tires off the ground and setting the four center legs with the mill close to level. Then I park the carriage in the center of them. One of the legs is usually loose, I always place the wedge to tighten up the leg under one of the ones on the loading arm side, and then I drop the other two legs and wedge as necessary.
If the mill is slightly out of level I like to have the tongue end slightly high so that the carriage drive motor dose not have to work to hard. (I do not like to use the drag back feature, because I have the old single post design which is under engineered for the big LT-70 head that woodmizer stuck on it and I have noticed a severe twisting and cracking of the mast) I also like to keep the loading arm side slightly high rather then slightly low. This just makes rolling logs into place easier.
I tap each leg with my set up bar to make sure every thing is tight then run the head up and down the rail a couple times to settle the whole mill down before loading a log on. After milling a large log I like to tap the legs again and tighten them up if necessary. Some time on soft ground when milling large logs it is necessary to do a complete relevel.

[LeeB]

Use your water jug for a level. Works great.

[pineywoods]

If all the feet are on the ground and the log don't roll off, you are good to go. ;D

[big_sid]

what LeeB said , to me I don't want the front end (hitch end) low at all,if you get it to low the sawhead can move (or roll on toward the front of the mill) and it's harder to slow the head getting ready for the next cut. if you have a de-barker and the loading side of the mill is to low, the de-barker is hard to swing into the log. just my experinces

[Polly]

thank you all for the advise , in summation , get tires off the ground ,snug up all jack post , keep toung end of saw slightly high keep log loader side slightly high ,dont go to sleep while saw is running , shut down when wife rings dinner bell ,thanks again  ;) ;) :

[backwoods sawyer]

Who stops for the dinner bell when you are having fun?
I normally eat my lunch at the control panel.

[Chuck White]

I wouldn't advise raising the tires off the ground.  There's a hazzard there, the mill could tip over when loading heavy logs. 
When they make contact with the log stops, the mill "could" tip over.

I know some will argue against me, but I know.  I had my FIL's mill almost tip over on me a couple years ago and since then, both wheels stay in contact with the ground.  The wheels are "outriggers", not just for transportation.

[LeeB]

HAve to agree w/ Chuck on the wheels. When I do get them off the ground for leveling I block under them.

[dnalley]

Not a Woodmizer, but the load side wheel of my saw was slightly above ground yesterday while I was greasing and looking things over.  Absentmindedly stepped on wheel and could have easily "bought the farm" right there!  No soft place to fall!  Just something else we might remember when setting up.  Got lucky!

[LeeB]

Been there, done that, got the tshirt twice. I don't learn too quick any more. :D

[big_sid]

the tires is part of what helps support the mill, by all means they must be on the ground, it is ok to block one side up, or dig out from under the other side to get the mill level, but there must be weight on each tire.

[backwoods sawyer]

That wood be a good one for a woodmizer rep to weigh in on.

I personally like the wheels loose from the ground. Tight to the ground and you are springing the legs off the ground as the log moves around causing the mill to walk around.

I guess it is just my engineering background speaking. Some where between tight to the ground and loose from the ground may the sweet spot.

[Chuck White]

The tires must be in contact with the ground or some blocking.

The stability of the mill is precisely why the mill needs a special anchoring kit when you remove the axle and render the mill stationary.

There was a discussion on this very subject last year, about May timeframe.
I think it was Bibbyman that either had one tip over or almost tip over on him in the past.
Maybe he'll jump back in on this one again!


In answer to the original question:  The mill doesn't have to be perfectly level, just close, but it does need to be solid to the ground!

[MartyParsons]

How can I help?
The axle and the wheels are part of the support so we like them close the ground ( tires not spinning) Not so much as weight on the axle but close. Just imigine the mill setting with the operator side tire about 2 feet off the ground and you roll a 40" diam log on the mill 21 ' long and it rolled againts the back supports. I think the log will win. So use common sense when setting up the mill on a slope. ( read the operator manual it list the max slope) The early mills had a straight support on the operator side and there were some mills fliped on the side, I am going to guess about 1992 they put a 45 degree leg to prevent this from happening or to reduce the risk of roll over. Again I think if you have common sense and see the mill is sitting a little top heavy don't try to load a log with the axle off the ground or move the mill to a safer slope. Safety first!
Marty

[beav39]

i like what you say about keeping the tires on the ground ive seen other guys who keep there mill tires a ll the way off the ground i myself do not like that approach for obvious reasons    thanks for the comments marty    always good info

[Brucer]

I set mine up as level as I can. I've got a 2' level that I keep in my "sawing toolbox", and a tapered wedge. I set the level on the mill and slide the wedge under the low end of the level until the bubble is centered. I've marked one side of the wedge with lines indicating how much shimming to add for front-back level, and the other side with lines indicating how much side-to-side shimming.

I also keep a few sets of shims on hand: 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", 1", 2". That sequence will give me any height from 1/8" to 3-7/8" in 1/8" increments.

It ain't nearly as complicated as it sounds from the description. It goes a whole lot faster than trial-and-error.

Last year I upgraded the two end outriggers to the new model Fine Adjust models. They're real slick, just right for fine tuning about this time of year when the frost is going out of the ground.