Whatcha Sawin' 2024 ??

[Old Greenhorn]

Howard, I'm tired and haven't had lunch yet (yeah it's almost 7:30), but I have wanted to chime in here for a day or so. First, woodmizer has so many revisions on these debarker assemblies that I think they can't keep track of them all. Between my experience trying to troubleshoot the constant breaker popping issue and then replacing a busted up swing arm and them sending us 2 totally different arms that would not fit the machine in any way. I realized there was an engineering documentation issue, big time. They don't mark their parts with revision letters and have no idea which revision is on which machine serial number. That's a problem. Between my experience and talking with Terrifictimbers in a long conversation on the road to last year's Pro-ject, I realized we are all on our own. Which is fine. Zerks? Bearings? No zerks and no bearings? Pin thru the whole arm and welded on both sides? Pin welded into only one side? Whatever. It just tales time and patience. In your case with the belt, the swing motor belt is the one being talked about,  it goes from the small swing motor to a pulley on the swing arm. That is a pretty small belt, Adjusting that properly does matter. As said, don't over tighten it, but do make sure it's not slipping. The swing motor is not cheap (and they have had revisions on that too, adding a brake for some machines like the 50). It should be in the debarker manual.
 You'll figure this out. I know when I was working on ours I adjusted the belt and normal woork and the swing got snappier, of course I have just put in the updated motor with brake at the same time, so who's to know what did it. I did notice it was terribly tight when I tore it down.
 Good lick, you got this. Take you time, think it through and keep all the preceding guidance form the smart guys in mind, maybe even mine too.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yeah and as I said before I have the WM service loop team/tech coming real soon so I can mention it to them/him and get professional input. It is working as designed and just the swing function as a little out of whack when parked off level but seems fine when set up level.

[SawyerTed]

The 35 does have a belt.

Here's the debarker for the LT 35 exploded view parts diagram.  Item 17 is the belt.

https://apps.woodmizer.com/Manuals/EngDoc.aspx?man=%5c%5cSkynet.Woodmizer.Indy%5cmanuals2%5csawmill%5coptions%5cdebarker%5cpdf%5c2048.pdf

[SawyerTed]

The blade is direct drive of the motor shaft. 

[Peter Drouin]

Over time the belt will dry out and become stiff. And will keep a memory to the shape. See the belt only turns 1/2 way to get the thing in and out. A new belt will fix it. I use ATF too. Up here in the cold grease will get hard.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Yes, it has a belt. I had never really considered what made the arm swing in and out (I hit the toggle and it went in and out for the last 8 years) but I looked at it a few minutes ago and it clearly the belt. Flip the toggle switch right and the belt spins one way and the arm swings out. Flip the switch to the left and the gelt rotates the opposite direction and the arm swings in. I checked and can't find any bark or sawdust in there interfering with the operation. The problem last week was certainly consistent with a slipping belt. The belt seems tight. but works good when set up level. If it happens again I'll tighten the belt or replace it. I will check again but am pretty sure it is the same belt as the power feed belt and also same as the up down belt and I keep a spare in my kit all the time.

   BTW it has bearings and little pulleys and no need to grease a zerk. ATF should work fine on it.

  While I was at it I took my sewing kit and patched a couple of holes in my cover. I forgot how easy it was so I won't wait that long the next time I tear or burn a hole in the nylon cover.

[TimW]

My 2018 LT40 wide only has one zert fitting on the debarker pivot lock latch.

[barbender]

 I'll try here not to generalize very much, because there are so many versions of the WM debarker out there and mine is the most primitive. On mine, it doesn't spin the belt so much as the one pulley kind of rides it around. You'll see wear marks on the belt where it goes back and forth. The belt never makes a full revolution, and it tends to get glazed where the pulley rides back and forth.

[Peter Drouin]

I see the [girls-- sisters] have a new 70. With all the videos they do I wonder if WM gives them a big discount on the mill, or free.  Or they make more $$ on the videos than cutting logs. I see videos even some from here. They start with old stuff. In no time they have all kinds of new toys in the yard. You can see they don't cut enough wood to pay for all the stuff.
I mean looking at YH and customsawer  with there new stuff. But there cutting wood and a lot of it to get there toys like me. You can see it, the real deal. Most don't have a log or lumber in the yard but have all the toys.  
Maybe if I hire a tall blond in spandex to walk around the mill while I take videos I could get another HOT ROD.

[WV Sawmiller]

Peter,

   What girls/sisters are you talking about.

[Peter Drouin]

I think they are in PA. I won't say their name here, The BOSS might not like that.

[SawyerTed]

I believe they saw more than appears on YouTube. 

Their dad bought an LT 15 in 2008 to saw crossties to make it through the downturn.  He did.  He is a logger, their facility has a file room, edger, kilns, firewood processor and so on.  They still saw crossties on the LT15.

A few months back they showed several building projects that used their products.  

Yes, I'm a bit of a follower.  Is what they do always the best, not by far, but they appear to be a whole family operation - dad, mom, 2 daughters, a son and grandpa all have been in videos.

If you've ever seen their mother, you'll know where the girls get their looks!  A video a few weeks ago showed mom helping grandpa route a new hydraulic line on the LT40.  

[Peter Drouin]

All good, they have a nice family. I just think WM helps them a lot to advertise WM stuff. Not a bad thing. Don't know about the PC stuff and $$ for videos on the net.
That must help some with $$. Making videos is work too I bet.

[doc henderson]

they are fun to watch.  the grandpa does much of the maintenance.  i wonder if much of the content is coached, but they were home schooled and you cannot teach someone to handle lumber and slabs like that, so to some degree, they must be the real deal.  They recently started dancing in videos and that turned me off as far as the legitimacy of the girls and the operation.  the one girl can back a trailer shown in a firewood video.  I think the girls worked there and brought YouTube/social media to the mill.  I recently watched the video of the new mill, and recommended in the comment that they get the yellowhammer drag back mod. so they can move the slabs and lumber to the far end.  the saw direction is reversed on this mill, so the drag back is more of a push forward, and the mill cuts towards you.  I follow Robert, Nathan, Jeff and a few others as well as these gals on you tube.

How Fast Can I Mill a Railroad Tie with Our New LT70 Woodmizer Sawmill (huh, who knew...) (youtube.com)

[WV Sawmiller]

See post 434.

[oldgraysawyer]

My son was eager to learn to operate the equipment including the chainsaw and got pretty decent but then he got a girlfriend and a job at manufacturing plant and just flat out quit. He hasn't been on any equipment in about 5-6 yrs. I like to watch the girls work and pick up the reins and carry it forward. I follow several of the sawyers on the tube. My boy has a good work ethic like them but no longer takes any interest in the trees or farm work. But I went off and worked out and about myself for several yrs before I came back to it so I guess I'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

[beenthere]

Father and son work their circular saw operation together and make some good videos. Each change off sawing and doing the off bearing. 
One of their recent ones, sawing 4 x 8's.

[fluidpowerpro]

Watching this video, it seems that they are sawing strictly to achieve their target dimension without any account for the location of the pith or possible stress in the log. Is that typical of a circle mill? Are these things less critical because they are sawing large 4 x 8 pieces?

[SawyerTed]

Hey!  I've been to that sawmill!  "Dad" is the Saw Doctor on Watertank Road in Fleetwood NC - Ashe County.  I took him a circle saw blade to so he could hammer it.  

That little mill was just getting going because the young man wanted to have a sawmill.  

Dad was a saw filer for a couple different mills in the area and runs his own shop now.  

[trapper]

beenthere i I used that video to show my wife what the mill i sawed on 60  years ago was  like..   Only difference was the mill I sawed with had  an electric motor and was in a building and the logs first ran through a debarker.

[Peter Drouin]

fluidpowerpro, Would you put up that pix of your blade de-setter?
I'm making one and having trouble.

[Ljohnsaw]

Here's mine.



Mounted on a plate I had laying around.

[SawyerTed]

Has anybody used the rollers that are put on the back of trailers and campers to keep them from dragging to build a desetter?  

I have a set of those 2" diameter RV rollers.   

[fluidpowerpro]

fluidpowerpro, Would you put up that pix of your blade de-setter?
I'm making one and having troub

I used roller bearings for the one I built. If I were to build another one I would use larger bearings. I think it would roll easier when pulling the blade through.
If you would like, I can make a dimensional  sketch of mine and post it.
Realize that it's a one off prototype so there are probably things that can be improved.
I'm having trouble posting the pix. Says file is too large. Is there a way to post from your gallery like in the past? There are pix in my gallery. I'll work on it...

[GAB]

fluidpowerpro, Would you put up that pix of your blade de-setter?
I'm making one and having troub

I used roller bearings for the one I built. If I were to build another one I would use larger bearings. I think it would roll easier when pulling the blade through.
If you would like, I can make a dimensional  sketch of mine and post it.
Realize that it's a one off prototype so there are probably things that can be improved.
I'm having trouble posting the pix. Says file is too large. Is there a way to post from your gallery like in the past? There are pix in my gallery. I'll work on it...

The word "PROTOTYPE" speaks volumes.
GAB