Spare parts on hand

[Bibbyman]

If you've got a manual mill that you bring out every now and then to saw for yourself or friends and neighbors, spare parts are not much of an issue. 

But if you have a more complicated mill that produces your main income and need it up as close to 100% of the time then you need to think about having spare parts on hand.   Even if you can find many of the parts locally, it's always quicker to get back up and running when you have the part in hand.



Here are just a few of the spare parts we keep on hand.  In this pile there are belts for most every application on the mill.  Also replacement brushes for every motor type.  We have on hand all the little toggle switches in the control panel and an old version of an Accuset board.  Mechanical parts include a chain for the adjustable outer blade guide.  Also head cam bearings.

Most all the parts for the Wood-Mizer come from Wood-Mizer.  We've made a habit of picking up these parts when we attend an open house or a show where Wood-Mizer is exhibiting.  It saves a lot on shipping. 

Because we have an electric mill and other applications,  we keep spare fuses for the main disconnect switches. 



We also keep a good supply of hydraulic oil.  Not just any hydraulic oil will do.  Lucky us,  each machine take different hydraulic oil.  Our Blockbuster takes Dextron.  Our new pump system takes a 10 weight oil.  The AGCO and Terex have different oils too.  We've found by experience one line break will cause you to loose a lot of oil.   You may get the problem fixed in short order but you're still dead if you don't have oil to replace what's lost.



Back in the days when we ran engines on our mill and edger we had at least a bushel basket of standard maintenance parts – air, oil, gas filters and plugs and such.  Now we don't need as many of these parts but I still buy a couple at a time when I think of it.  I know I'm going to need them and it just saves me one trip to the parts store.

[Ron Wenrich]

We have all sorts of spare parts.  They go from as small as the micro switches that we use to a spare gen set.  We also have the ability to make any type of hose that is needed on any of our trucks or mill.  I also have a couple of fresh saws that can be used if needed.

Ours is a pretty big operation compared to some mills.  I've heard some of the larger mills have an entire mill in inventory.  Downtime is really expensive.

[wwsjr]

Bibby,

I keep almost the same parts you show on hand including the filters and etc for the Cat diesel. I have a list of parts that I plan to fill while I am at Perkinston, MS next weekend for the 25th Aniv Tour.  Timmy keeps a good stock of parts at his ASC location. Another item you did not mention is the #25 chain quick link for the blade guide arm, costs a few cents but handy to have. We learn as we go what to keep on hand to avoid down time.

[Bibbyman]

.... Mechanical parts include a chain for the adjustable outer blade guide.  . ..

Yea,  I mentioned the #25 chain.  Just not in them words.  There are two of them along with a spare master link in a plastic bag in the lower right of the picture.

We leared the hard way on this one.  We had a bad accident with a board that fell too soon on the dragback and banged into the blade guide arm really hard.  The only thing not repairable was that we lost one side of the master link - a part about the size of a grain of rice flattened.  We looked all over town for chain that size.  Nobody had it. It was on Saturday afternoon. Mary made a call to Will Baugh in Mt. Vernon and the next morning drove down and back - 8 hours on the road - to get a replacement chain and link.  We got it in by dark and were up sawing Monday morning.

[wwsjr]

OK, I should have known.  Similar thing happened to me, stray board hit arm. I was luckier than you, found a hardware within 10 miles, that had links, bought 6, still have 5 and spare chain.

[big_sid]

Bibby, is that a debarker blade?

[Bibbyman]

Bibby, is that a debarker blade?

Yep.

Other items not pictured are an alternator (didn't want to get it out of the box), guide rollers, more solenoids, a micro switch for the HD system, a few HD fittings, cable for the Accuset and some other things I can't think of right now.  Mary's probably got another track cover and felt pad squared away someplace.  She tends to manage the lubrication of the track and pad.

We also tend to keep some old parts that are worn but still could be pressed into service if need be.

We were on our third Wood-Mizer before we needed a toggle switch for the main control panel.  While a common enough looking switch and not costly,  we had to make a couple of stops in town to find one that would work (had the right combination of on/off/on, return to middle, etc. right voltage rating, fit the hole, and have the right wiring connection type.) but it had a plastic toggle handle.  At our next opportunity, we added all the little switches to our list of spare parts.  The costs off all the switches were not high compared to wasting a half day going to town looking for one.  And, sure enough, the plastic handle on our town bought switch didn't last but about a month.  We were ready with a replacement.

I kind of got religion about spare parts back some 20 years ago when we were trying to farm.  I was trying to learn how to put up hay with a Ford 3600 and a worn out 501 mower and broke a lot of pitman arms paying for the education.  I found out the hard way you only break something when you're trying to use it.

About the third pitman arm of the second summer, the parts manager gave me some sound advice.  He said, "Buy two and hang one up on the wall in the shed. That way you will never break another one."    He was right.  But I kept breaking other parts until I had all the old parts replaced and learned how to get and keep them in adjustment.

I graduated with a PHD in hay making when we sold all the equipment and let the neighbor put up our hay.  They bring along a ton field repair truck fitted with welders, cutting torch, air compressor, and generator.  Now I can look out the window of the house, sipping on a glass of ice tea and say, "Man! It sure looks hot out there.  I hope they don't get too hot working under that bailer."

[Brucer]

Every time I finish a 100-hour service, I order all the parts I'm going to need for the next service. That way I know for sure they'll be here when I need them.

My mill is too new to expect any major failures yet and it's still under warranty. But after the 500 hours service (coming up) I'll start to accumulate spares for high-wearing items (e.g., belts, motor brushes). The debarker blade looks to be going on the list soon as well.

I have 2 spare blade-guide adjusting screws on hand. I've had one fail on both of my mills 7 months after I bought them. Completely different hours at failure, but it looks to be a habit.

I have coupler links for each size of chain, 'cause I once dropped one in the sawdust when I was working for Louis, and we DanG well couldn't find it. Don't make a good impression on the boss when you shut him down for an hour.

I always keep enough lubricants on hand to do my next service, and to fill up a reservoir if I manage to drain it accidentally.

Every spare I've got, I've also got the tools to replace it in my "sawmill toolbox". That toolbox is in the truck along with the spares. No point in having the spares handy and then have to drive back home to get the tools.

[thecfarm]

I don't keep any parts on hand for my sawmill.Just like was said ,it's only a manual miill and it is not used for a income.But the lawn mower has to run.I keep all the parts for a blade replacement and oil filters on hand.A few nuts and bolts are there too,it's metric. Have to keep the wife mowing.She mows around the fields and up and down the road and around a mile of stone walls.We don't have much lawn.I try to keep filters on hand for everything that I change.When it's time I can do it,don't have to run to a store to do it.

[customsawyer]

I have a company that I get to sharpen my edger blades and I have a spare debarker blade that I send with them every time I need it and they just retip it. It isn't the exact same tip as was on it, it is a little bit wider so that don't hurt my feelings to much. I also keep a box of assorted roll pins that will fit everything from the roll pin in the gear of the debarker drive motor to the roll pin in the jacks.

[ellmoe]

   We don't have a "larger mill" like Ron mentioned, but I do have a spare mill + spare parts. That seems to be the only way to truly minimize down time. To expand on what Bibbyman said, the most likely time for the mill to break is when the truck is waiting in the yard and you need one more timber to finish the order!

Mark

[Bibbyman]

They say "waste not, want not".

The other day I experienced the head on the mill hesitate on the forward travel. Time for a cleaning and greasing,  I thought. So I removed the dash plate and started to do same. I hardly touched one of the contacts when it fell off. I guess just too many flexes.

I thought I had another forward/reverse switch and Mary thought so too. But we looked and looked and none was found.

I did have an old up/down switch I'd kept because it had failed in the spring action area but still had good contacts.  I had nothing to lose so I used a drill with a bit about 1/4" in diameter to cut the little rivet shoulder holding it in place on the old switch.   I did the same to remove the broken section on the forward/reverse switch.  I then installed the new/used contact on the forward/reverse switch. 

In the process I managed to brake off a second contact.  But I had experience now so I replaced it too.

It works. At least we kept sawing and didn't have to overnight a new part.  I'll get a new switch at my next opportunity. Luck will only take you so far!

[Frickman]

I do the spare parts thing too, and not just for myself. There are quite a few Frick mills in my area and every once in a while one of the neighbors need a part. Usually I have it.