timberking b-16 lift screw covers

[mike phillips]

hey guys. i have a 1994 timberking b-16 and finally got it cutting really good  :laugh: but now i am trying to find some lift screw covers so i can keep them greased like they are supposed to be. Timberking doesnt have any for sale anymore. i can google bellows and find some online but dont know how i would attach them or the right size to get. does anyone have any ideas on this or maybe have a spare set of these or know where i may could find some? right now i just try to keep the sawdust brushed off and have some white lithium grease in a spray can that i use but i think that doesnt work as good as it should. thanks for any information.

[doc henderson]

I have a 2000 TK.  can you add a pick.  can they be fabricated?  there are some TK b-16 owners on here I think.  or at least that vintage.  @Tom the Sawyer @Larry 

[Larry]

My mill is a 2000.  I bet member ladylake knows where to get the covers.

[ladylake]

 
You lost Larry, if TK doesn't have them I don't know.  They're going to look some thing like this but need to extend 28" and collapse  to 3 or 4"  .  Steve  

EBAY LINKS NOT ALLOWED


https://maraindustrial.com/cart/hoses/2000020602-accordion-hose-312-diam-24-length-214-new-no-box.html

 This one is getting close

[mike phillips]

thanks guys. i was hoping someone may have had some laying around or something but maybe not. i can try to fabricate some but im not sure how they are attached as i have never seen them. and i dont know how they are removed so you can grease the screws. i think there is a round metal piece to attach them at the top but i couldnt see any way to attach them to the bottom of screws. and how do you even put them on without dismantling lift screws unless there is a slit in them that you could slip them onto screws and then close them back somehow. do they just hang free at the bottom where you can raise them up to clean and grease the screws? if i was replacing some i already had that were wore out or something i would see how to do this but mine never had them. and i dont know if a b-16 is the same hook-up as a b-20. might be though. thanks for the links to pictures steve. how do you get them around the screws?

[ladylake]

 Mike

You have to remove the screws to put them on, not too bad of a job.. On the b20 they have a plate that bolts on in the same holes as the bearing on top, on the bottom there is a lip in the bearing housing that the boot slides over and uses a hose clamp to hold it For oiling I cut a slit 5 or 6" up in the boot and use a 1 quart squeeze bottle with 80 90 gear lube to oil at least once a day, sometimes  twice a day.  I sure didn't want to remove that hose clamp and lift the boot up just to oil the screws.

https://maraindustrial.com/cart/hoses/2000020602-accordion-hose-312-diam-24-length-214-new-no-box.html


This one looks exactly the same but I don't know if 24" is long enough.  Try raising the head all the way and measure.  If close maybe that boot will extend a little more than 24".  I don't think it would be too hard to mount it.  Steve

[711ac]

Push come to shove, I've seen a similar bellows shaped covers for shock absorbers on high end off road shocks. You may have to get creative with fastening them and the diameter might not be enough. Lastly the flexible duct work comes to mind. It's completely plastic and easily collapsible, but the smallest I've seen is about 6".
I wonder if TK would give you the name of their past suppliers? It's got to be a normal product in the "industrial world".

[ladylake]

 
 I don't think those shock absorber covers would collapse enough.  I heard a while ago that TK got them from the  aviation  industry.  Steve
 

[doc henderson]

I ordered some for my planer from grizzly.  might look at that.  I think they are just over 2 inch diameter.

[mike phillips]

hello guys and much thanks to all of you for all this good information! i will figure something out based on this info. i know i need to do something as i think it would help the saw to move up and down a lot easier. i noticed too that my lift screws arent plumb and the posts on the carriage itself arent either. i dont know why and dont know if that affects the ease of the up and down movement. i dont think there is quite enough room to move the upper bearing to plumb it and even if i could, the 4 posts on the sawhead still wouldnt be plumb either. the band wheels and the saw frame are perfectly level though. i dont know why this is or what may could have happened to cause this, or if it was just built that way. it will go up and down ok but sometimes takes a while to raise it to a high position. at least it does work though and i finally have it adjusted where it is cutting really well. :laugh: thanks a bunch for all of your help!

[Tom the Sawyer]

Mike,

If the screws are not plumb, and the posts are not properly adjusted, you'll  have all kinds of problems and noises (at least on my B20 which should be similar).  My screw covers are still in good condition but I think they are described as circular accordion bellows with cuffs on each end.  The range on mine is 27", OD 3.75", ID 2.00".  When I looked them up on line, they seemed to be extremely expensive ($230 each), perhaps Jason or Mike at TK could recommend a suitable replacement.  They can also help you with the proper alignment procedure. 

[711ac]

For your difficulty raising and lowering, check the 4 vertical 2x2 square tubes. While I had my B 20 in my shop this winter for a similar problem, I discovered that 1 of these tubes had filled with rain water and froze to the point that there was a lot of swelling and a 4" portion actually burst. This was of course on the inside and hard to see. An easy fix if you're able to weld, I happened to even have a length of tube on hand. This mill was "freshened up" by the previous owner and I didn't see it until I noticed a strange wear pattern in the new paint. (It wore off only in the center where it was swelled out)
Thank you ladylake for your time and experience this past winter helping this rookie with learning about my mill.