Intermittent wavy cut

[Redmt]

I just got my Woodland 130 Max set up. I got some wavy cuts in a couple places on a pine log. I checked and adjusted the blade per factory spec. .020 top and bottom guides and .040 on the rear roller. I still got intermittent wavy/grooved cuts in the same cut. I double checked the blade tension as to specs.  I cut a Black Walnut log and got the same results. The blade is new and sharp but I'll change it anyway. I'm going to recheck the blade clearances and the tracking. Is there something else that I need to check? At this time the wavy cuts are NBD but someday I'd like to have the entire cut come out smooth.

[SawyerTed]

Waves from sawmill adjustments or from a dull blade tend to be consistent.  More likely the entire length of cut.  

Intermittent might be feed speed is varying (too fast) or build up on the blade.  

Eliminating any sawmill adjustments is the first step.  Getting a feel for feed speed comes with experience. 

[OlJarhead]

Also check drive belt tension.  If it's weak it will slip in harder areas of the log and climb or dive through it because you're not getting full power.

Big knots can do this to so you have to slow down in them.

[Patrick NC]

If you have ceramic guides, throw them away and get some rollers.

[alan gage]

Until proven otherwise there is a good chance it's a dull blade.  Depending on what you're cutting it might only take a few cuts to dull a blade, or less. It's common for new sawyers to think the blade couldn't possibly be dull yet. We've all been there. 

The intermittent waves might be caused by knots or growth patterns of the log. A blade that's beginning to dull might cut fine under good conditions and then show waves at knots or odd grain. 

Alan

[GAB]

Is it possible that your logs are partially frozen?
My experience with partially frozen logs was not good.
GAB

[ladylake]

 How much set do those new blades have, I just got 46 new blades that I'll have set before using as they won't cut straight in white oak, they dont leave much sawdust on the cant indicating a real light set.  Steve

[Stevenjohn21]

I had the same problem with my 130 max. Mine was cutting a wave and then about 3' after it was cutting another wave ..... the exact same distance as the carriage wheels. 
Yep, the front wheel would come up 1/4" and go back down, then the back wheel would do the same..... leaving 2 waves in every single piece of wood. 
Make sure the bed is level length ways but also make sure the width is constant. Mine was the width, i had to add some washers so it wouldn't "squeeze" in and cause the wheels which are tapered, to climb a little. 

Good luck, don't give up! I wanted to throw the towel in but the folks here helped and slowly but surely I got there. All the above took about 4 days for me to figure it out with a lot of cuss words...... hopefully it doesn't take you as long

[alecs]

Can you share some pictures of what you mean by the waves?  Some of the waves I got on mine were more like diagonal stripes, usually at the beginning of the log.  Going faster actually helped.  

Also, did you work with Woodland Mills tech support?  They were helpful in getting my saw up and running.  

Are you using blades supplied by Woodland?  I got some different varieties of blades from Woodmizer (they were very helpful) to try out for different types of wood.

[beamer]

my WM 122 did this also, i had followed there instructions & ran the blade cutting dry, as i did this i wondered why they don't include a 2nd blade, after the break in it cut poorly with waves and extra resistance. when i changed the blade it cut great, no waves.

[barbender]

The fact that some of you bought a mill without buying a box of blades highlights the fact that when we're new at it, we have way too high of expectations of what a band mill blade can do. It's nothing like a shop wood bandsaw where you just cut everything with the blade that shipped with it.

A bandmill blade might last at best 300-400 board feet, in clean logs without a debarker. Or it might be dull after 3 cuts- your shop bandsaw doesn't have to cut bark, dirt and rocks.

If you watch an experienced sawyer you'll probably be surprised by how often they change blades.

[GAB]

barbender:
Your blade comment is a very accurate trueism.
Not knowing much about blade life, when I ordered the mill, I ordered four 15 packs of blades.
It was enough so that I never ran out.
GAB

[Magicman]

When I bought my (used) sawmill it came with 30-40 used blades, some supposedly sharp and the others ??.  I was also given the name of the "sharpening person".  :  The inconsistency was beyond acceptable so my best blade decision was to buy 60 blades and start using Wood-Mizer,s ReSharp program.

I had absolutely no guidance, so I was flying by the seat of my pants.  My school of hard knocks came by way of every mistake imaginable and unimaginable.  I had to dig the answers out myself because there was no one to ask.    It would be 5 years before I had a PC and 2 more years before I found and joined the Forestry Forum.   

[Redmt]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions. I certainly agree that the ceramic guides are funky at best. I'll look into roller guides. Is there a replacement upgrade available?  There were several issues with my mill right from the start. Missing bolts etc. The ignition switch was wonky so Woodland sent me to Kholer who wanted me to bring the engine in. That's not happening. Being a better than average mechanic, I got most of the other issues straightened out. I'll try and post up some pictures of the cuts a little later. I have some flood damage to go deal with this morning,,,

[dmoneyallstar]

Also need to check the blade with your level. If you assembled your portable mill or used a piece of equipment to move the carriage around, the carriage uprights (and therefore pulleys) may not be perpendicular to the bed/bunks.

Really need to pay attention to this on mills like the HF mill which does not have a boxed or braced carriage. They leave it up to you to make sure everything is setup and tightened.

If the blade is entering the wood off-plane, it will produce a wild ride!

[Rhodemont]

Nothing like a sharp blade

[Nealm66]

Also check how the blade is running on the wheels. It should be sticking out about 1/16 or so in the front. The directions to correct is in the manual. Also, I was using a torque wrench at the recommended 20#'s on the band tension and found I'm better off checking by hand continuously after a band change until it's stays tight especially in bigger logs with large knots. It's such a good mill to learn from. Just don't settle for anything but a perfectly flat cut as the 130 max will do it

[amarsh64]

With my Woodland Mills HM130 max I found that the joints from track section to track section were not all smooth . Some were out a shy sixteenth up and down. I was having some problems with partial wavy cuts until I fixed the problem with some thin metal shim stock at the joints.

What I found was that the mill (with a sharp blade) ,  would make a small imperfection in the cut at the joints that were out . As the blade dulled the imperfections would usually  turn into wavy spots on the lumber at those points .

Now that I have shimmed all the joints the only waves I get are with a dull blade or going through a big knot too fast .

[Redmt]

When you shim the track section to plane with the next, how do you compensate for variation in the track height? Are you releveling the entire track? 
I  built a 20' set of rails to mount the track sections onto.  The H-beam rails are dead straight.  I then replaced the screw jacks with 2" heavy box iron. The 2"iron is welded to the H-beam with the oem track bolted to them. A laser straight and level track is now very easy to get after a move with the mill.

[amarsh64]

Last summer I made a spot in my back woods by laying down and levelling 8 tandem loads of crushed shale. I then built a base with 6x6 pressure treated lumber to put the mill on. The base  just sits on the ground for now . I levelled it perfectly , used it until winter and then covered the mill until spring. Naturally the shale settled a bit so I had to relevel the mill . I shimmed my rails just before I did the relevelling. Cuts very well now.