My knowledge in sawmill is not that great, but still learning. I have one or two question.
1- When you cut a slab of wood you push the mill all the way to the end until it cuts the slab when you want to bring it back do you raise the saw mill little up or just pull, because mine when I try to take back to the start point it hit the tip of the log and the blade comes of the wheel.
2 – I have noticed after a while the belt tend to come of the wheel and on the clutch wheel dose this mean I have to replace the belt or maybe the belt stretched or there is another problem.
Alsayyed, I have a different bandsaw than yours but usually I raise the band above the highest point of the slab and then bring it back. It is also easy to leave the saw head at the end of the cut, then remove the slab, then you only have to lift the head up about 1/4 " above the cut and bring it back.
On the belts usually one has to keep adjusting the tension, or tightening the belt, until there is no more adjustment room left to tighten it. In this case the belt is stretched too much and must be replaced.
It helps a lot if we know what kind of sawmill you're using. ;)
1. Wood-Mizer recommends disengaging the blade once the blade exits the log.
Then just "bump" the blade up, just a quarter inch or so.
2. If you're talking about the drive wheel belt coming off of the pulley, chances are your clutch/brake needs adjustment.
Hope this helps you our a little.
i think he is using a new norwood. the way i do it is raise above the slab and then return the head. yes if you pull back in the cut or bump the slab on the way back the blade will come off. you dont want to knock the blade off this way since it can get into the belts on the wheels and in the drive belts and ruin them.
the belt question. if it keeps coming off you need to inspect the belt for damage. deep cuts or even places where the belt has rolled off a pulley can damage them enough to make them want to run off. tension on the belt should be very snug and so that when you push on it it would only deflect 1/2'' to 1'' . it should be tight ,but too tight can hurt your motor. your belt has probably been nicked by the blade and will need replaced, i think. pc
He has a Norwood mx 34. Maybe some Norwood owners can help on the specific questions.
If you have removed the slab and the blade is hitting the cant when you move the head back, then that indicates that you need to align your blade guides. The blade should clear the cant easily.
If the blade is knocked off of the blade wheels, then my question is whether you have enough blade tension.
I normally stop with the teeth of the blade just through the cut. Disengage the saw and let the sawblade come back . I sometimes have to hold the slab or board on top to keep it from coming back also. I stop the forward motion and stop the saw in a quick fraction of a second later. For me it is so much quicker than raising the saw and bringing it back. But I am sawing mostly 8 and 10' stuff with a board width of 12" and less.
I just don't have this problem, the blade never comes off, even if I draw back into the timber ??? what you guys talkin about??? ;D :D ;) morning humour I guess 8) ;D
I don't have one of Norwoods new mills but I do have an older one, as for your problems I have found that the idler / tension wheel needs to be just a fuzz out of square with the rest of the moving parts for my belt to track straight. I adjust this by turning the drive wheel by hand with the tension wheel snagged up but still moveable with some force and make the necessary adjustments as I turn the drive wheel. I always check it under power but without a blade on to make sure it is tracking properly.
As for raising the blade after each cut I don't do this for several reasons, first it is faster to just drag the blade back not having made any adjustments, I don't have to remember were my last cut was (this is a biggie these days) and it is a constant gage as to how the blade is cutting. If I need to raise the blade to clear the log I will check my next few cuts and if I keep getting lift on my blade then its time to change it.
My buddy and I both use a norwood lumbermate 2000. He likes to leave the blade height alone at the end of the cut, removes the new board, lets the blade gently touch the log end as he begins to back up with the mill slowly turning. This allows him to remove the sawdust on top of the cant as he lets the blade idle down as he goes along.
I don't do it that way. I usually let the mill go at the end of the cut, (Remember...I'm the guy that hits the log post on the other end of the mill because I forget it is up!) remove the board, then grab the mill and raise the blade over the cant, and roll it back for the next cut. My blade wants to touch the cant and bounce back if I don't raise the height, so I don't even try to let it ride without raising it over the fresh cut.
I always check the gauge before raising the mill before returning, and figure the new dimension which I repeat over and over as I walk back down to begin the next cut. Then I start the next cut and realize I forgot to turn on the water. :D
Hope this helps.
Alsayyed, glad you are still milling. If I understood your question I thought idler arm as well. Is the drive belt or the blade wheel belt coming off.
Work your way through it... The problems are your chance to learn even more.
kderby