Never would have dreamed that roller guides could make such a difference!

[MSSawmill]

Dad and I spent Saturday building new roller guides for the mill, and he was able to get them mounted on Sunday. The difference in cutting speed, accuracy, and even appearance are like night and day compared to before.

Both guides are running greasable cam follower bearings on top of the blade and small sealed bearings behind the blade. Each one is adjustable front to back, up and down, and angle of approach via bolts and slots. We also built some strength into the sliding guide by running a bar up to a slide above the throat. We're not sure how long the bearings will last, but we'll keep pumping grease to them until they give out. We've already got a stockpile of replacements!

Neither of us could believe the difference those guides made on the mill! All of the pics below are with a Woodmaster C Sharp blade on the mill, but to begin with, Dad ran a Woodmaster C blade we had been using for a while. It even ran straight and smooth and fast until he tried to cut through a log dog with it! I'm just blown away! He cut through a couple of small logs, by himself, in a fraction of the time it took before these guides. (I was hanging onto 2 kids and watching the work!) Just amazing... now we can seriously knock out some lumber and make some sawdust!



  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 
Small stack of some really knotty stuff, but it's straight, accurate, knotty stuff with gorgeous cutting faces! ;)
 

 
And yeah, the only complaint we have about the Woodmaster C blades is that they don't cut through metal very well! Or, more correctly, they don't cut through wood very well after cutting into a piece of metal!

[Andy White]

MSSawmill
I have been wanting to retrofit my mill with roller guides for some time. After reading and corresponding with HaroldSiefke on his conversion, and hearing your comments on the difference in cut quality,I will be converting my mill in May. Thanks for the inspiration to try better things.       Andy

[Chuck White]

Looks and sounds good!

Glad you got good results!

[GAB]

Concerning the Comment: "And yeah, the only complaint we have about the Woodmaster C blades is that they don't cut through metal very well! Or, more correctly, they don't cut through wood very well after cutting into a piece of metal! "
DUH!!!!
Sawing 1/2" lag bolts also affects cutting quality and speed.  I sawed one that had been in a pine tree a long time.  Gerald

[highleadtimber16]

Great Job! Looking good!

[millwright]

Nice job, they look very strong and easy to work on.

[drobertson]

Ditto on the nice job, glad to see it working better for you, no doubt that had to have been an improvement,

[fishpharmer]

Congratulations on your improved blade guides resulting in improved blade performance.  Very nice looking lumber!

[kelLOGg]

MSSawmill, what guides did you have before the new ones?
You have done a fine job on the mill!
Bob

[bandmiller2]

MS sawmill dad did a good job on the guides.I used pretty much the same thing on my mill for years with complete satisfaction.Last year I went to "store bought" guides from Cooks with the flange on the back some improvement but not a great one.I used two sealed bearings where you have the cam follower and an eccentric bolt for fine adjustment.You will find you have to replace the bearings quite often,I used to buy those bearings wholesale ten at a time so no great problem.You could easily convert to flanged guides when you want. Frank C.

[Fla._Deadheader]

MSSawmill
Now, to complete the package, buy a couple of "platers Brushes". They look like wire tooth brushes with wood or plastic handles. Fab up a small box tube with a set bolt. Position one on the INSIDE of the fixed roller guide, so the wire bristles rub on the INSIDE of the blade, to clean off the sawdust buildup.

That stripe of dust on the blade will accumulate and cause the blade to wander some in the cut. Look at the sawdust mashed against the belt on the drive pulley. That little brush will make a world of difference, and, they are easily replaced when needed.

It's one of the best ideas we came up with on our home built mill, especially sawing SYP.

[Ga Mtn Man]

Fla_Deadheader-  You got any pics of that?

[Fla._Deadheader]

Solo una 



I forgot that we had installed the brush AFTER the guide roller, BUT, we have the grooved guide wheels. Op might need it BEFORE the guide roller, to keep that smooth wheel clean.

[MSSawmill]

Thanks for the comments! There were rollers in several spots on the mill when we got it, but nothing consistent and nothing providing down force on the blade.

I like the brush idea... there were some on the mill when we got it, but they were pulled off along the way and just never put back on. Would lubrication on the blade help with that, too?

[Fla._Deadheader]

Using trailer tires as blade wheels, we tried Pinesol 1 time. Made things slimy. We just used whatever amount of water we needed on the blade, to keep things running smoothly.

[ladylake]

Thanks for the comments! There were rollers in several spots on the mill when we got it, but nothing consistent and nothing providing down force on the blade.

I like the brush idea... there were some on the mill when we got it, but they were pulled off along the way and just never put back on. Would lubrication on the blade help with that, too?

  Yes the downforce is a big deal , I run 1/4" with good results.  Also your back beaing should run 3/16 to 1/4 behind the blade.  Too close, the blade will hit the bearing too soon cuasing the band to bend around the bearing some being real hard on the gullet side.   Steve

[bandmiller2]

MS,I don't think cam followers are designed for high speed,of course I've been wrong before.A piece of felt or lamp wick makes a good applicator for diesel and oil used like the wire brush as above.If I notice something building up on the band I very carefully apply a wire brush to only the solid part of the band from behind as its running. Frank C.