hydraulic valve controls

[fathead]

Forum advice needed, I am trying to decide if it would be a good or bad  idea to put a detent on the valve that controls the forward movement of the saw head. I do have a flow control I plan on adding before the drive motor. As of now I am a builder not a sawyer your experience will be helpful thanks.Fathead.

[beenthere]

When you say "not a sawyer", does that mean you have not done it before?

Are you talking about a particular mill?

[fathead]

I have only help on a manual mill a couple dozen times. I have been building this hydraulic mill for about three years now.It has gone slow and steady. I would estimate that I am about 80% complete.

[hackberry jake]

I would think it would be six of one and half dozen of the other, boils down to personal preference. Make sure your flow control is unidirectional so you can bring the carriage back faster than you feed it.

[ladylake]

A detent should work good, have it or the bypass valve set fairly low so it kicks off easy when you hit something.  Steve

[Chuck White]

With a detent in place, you can provide a very steady forward speed.

[grweldon]

My TK 1400 does not have a detent valve for the carriage forward/reverse.  I find it quite inconvenient.  I keep the lever held in the feed position with a bungee.  Certainly not the preferred situation.  I would add a dentent valve.

[bandmiller2]

I'd go with the detent valve,mayby weaken the spring holding the detent ball in so it will trip easier.You want the whole band assembly carriage to stop if it hits something.The flow control I used is controlled feed, full speed gigback.I put a manual valve to adjust the return speed.I didn't have a detent valve so I made a horizontal  lever to control the spool valve on the feed and gigback a magnet holds the valve open.At the end of travel theirs a catch to return the valve to neutral.I walk beside my mill as I'am cutting. Frank C.