WM (LT50) Debarker questions

[Old Greenhorn]

I have ben meaning to post these questions here for 2 weeks now but keep forgetting until I am standing at the mill, which is far away from internet access. ;D I have looked all through the manulas and can't seem to locate these little bits of information.
 First, I am trying to figure out if we have this debarker set up correctly for motor rotation. When the debarker runs, should the chips be thrown toward the operator or away (forward)? Right now if I look up from the bottom at the spindle nut, it is turning clockwise.
 Second, I am wondering if we may have the blade on the correct way. That blade has an aggressive angle on the teeth. I am wondering if it should be a negative or positive rake with respect to the log? In other words, should the tooth dig in, or drag across the log face? Right now I have it dragging. Again, can't find this in the manual.
 I am having a lot of trouble with that breaker tripping regularly as the blade gets over loaded. Since we put in the latest WM upgrade/improvement/fix for the engagement motor it is staying in contact with the log better, but sometime exerts too much force (IMO) and the motors starts to dance then the breaker pops. I really have to stay on it to keep it running on a 12' log with popping off.
 Lastly, I am wondering if we have a 'soft' breaker now that it has popped so many times. Is the wisdom of the group to change these out periodically? I haven't called for pricing, but wonder if we should change it out and get a few for stock.
 I am getting better at getting that blade 'just' engaged in the log without gouging, but I have to be very attentive to keep moving it in and out with the log sweep.
 The mill is an LT50 wide, super hydraulic.
 Thanks folks.

[tawilson]

Yes once the breaker trips a few times it will trip easier. I just ordered a couple spares as the replacement I have in there now is starting to trip.

[John S]

I had the same issue with my LT40 Wide when it was new in early 2018.  The first modification was replacing the bushing/washer with the larger diameter disk that limited the depth of cut. The breaker still tripped frequently. I questioned the rotation of the debarker blade as working against the forward motion of the sawhead.  WM sent me a kit to reverse the threads, I reversed the motor leads and the blade.  It now rotates counter clockwise when viewed from the bottom and rarely does the circuit breaker trip any more,  I have just under 600 hours on the mill.

[Old Greenhorn]

Thanks guys. John, which way do the teeth face on your blade?

[boonesyard]

I've had some debarker issues with my 50 as well. Installed the retrofit kit from Woodmizer, new arm and swing motor, mine spins clockwise. I've had some issues with exterior and interior breaker tripping as well.

One issue I can't seem to figure out is that I can't keep the debarker against the log. When I swing it in against it, that's the spot it says, I mean if the log tapers narrow away from me, I have to keep bringing the debarker in with the switch to stay engaged with the log. There is no spring for against it. I've looked at the install instructions, and it sure appears to be installed correctly  say_what

[John S]

The teeth face toward the operator throwing the chips toward me.  I wear a Stihl hard hat with face screen.  I did learn not to spit with the screen down!

[barbender]

My old Mk I debarker does a great job staying engaged to the log, but the motor just doesn't have enough power to make those extreme negative angle teeth on the blade do much other than rub and smoke some😁

[Beavertooth]

You can have someone to sharpen you debarker blades instead of buying replacement when they get dull or if you have a bench grinder you can purchase a grinding wheel that will grind carbide and sharpen them yourself. 

[Stephen1]

I had troubles with the breaker tripping. I replaced the breaker and have had no problems in the last 500 hrs. My blade throws the chips down the log away from me. The teeth face that way also. I also have broken the arm, replaced that with the new modifiation from WM and took of the V bracket as it did not swing as wide as the throat of the mll.  My debarker actullay can swing 360 wich allows it to swing past any funny shapes to the log.
I also have to keep hitting the switch as i run down the log to keep it in contact with the log. It only works nicely when you are sawing from the small end.

[Old Greenhorn]

Thank you everyone, all comments have helped me a bit. Today I focused on this a lot as I have in the past few days. I did several logs and only tripped the breaker twice for the session. My best day so far. I had to ride that swing control all the time though. Between shifting the blade guide in and out, and the debarker and watching the feedrate which sometimes seems to change, my fingers are busy. I think some of this is operator skill and attentiveness and some of it could be adjusted with engineering. Stephen, I am thinking if I have a short job that I might flop the blade and change the direction of rotation and try that just to learn. I don't get paid for messing around time, but the mill owner is happy when it makes an improvement. ;D I am happy when the mill runs right and I can make time. I asked the owner to get some breakers on order. I'll have to remind him a time or two before it gets done, but eventually we will have a few and I'll change it out. No doubt that breaker very is soft by now.
 I am glad to see I am not the only one hitting a hard learning curve on this issue and can't express my gratitude enough at hearing others experiences. I think I am a 'fair' sawyer, but this was annoying me that I could not make it right. This mill is about 3 years old and has 175 hours on it. I have put 50 of those hours on it in the past 4 weeks trying to learn what it likes and what it doesn't. I have more to go (it never really ends, does it?), but I will get it figured out and I thank you for your help and wisdom.

[Mapleman]

On my older LT40 the debarker turns clockwise when looking up at the bottom which means it throws chips at the operator and also seems to me that it must throw some of the dirt I'm trying to get rid of right at the sawblade while it's entering the cut and that doesn't seem ideal.  On the other hand, it's never tripped a breaker so that's a plus, probably because it's operating in a "climbing cut" situation.  Also the teeth aren't very sharp and aren't angled aggressively into the cut, which probably helps.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, that is the same setup we are running now, even though it is climb cutting, it still digs in from time to time and pops the breaker. Being constantly attentive helps quite a bit, but there i other stuff to watch and sometimes I don't catch it. I am just trying to see it I can't make it better.

[Crossroads]

Do you have the wide debarker on this lt50 or is it the standard? The standard rotation is clockwise and throws the chip back at the operator. With the wide debarker, it should be rotating counterclockwise and throwing the chips away from the operator. Also, the bottom washer that holds the blade should be replaced with a disk that reduces the depth of cut. Before the disk was available, I was tripping the breaker quite often, after installing the disk, I rarely trip the breaker, only when it hangs up on a knot or something. I think continuous adjustment while going down the log is just the way it is. Good luck. 

[terrifictimbersllc]

My lt70 has the wide debarker and spins away from the front operator. It has always acted underpowered with the blade stopping or skipping as it goes down some logs. WM sent the reverse mandrel and bolt to try but that didn't change anything.

Best operation is to have the debarker positioned in several inches so when head goes forward the log pushes it aside then you can load it a little more. As opposed to bringing  it in after entering log. Still it doesn't work very forcefully and nothing as good as my 2001 lt40 super debarker.

[Stephen1]

I have also upgraded to the 1/2" wide deparker teeth. I was thinking my old wheel needed sharpening and so ordered the new wheel, the only one in stock was the 1/2" instead of the 1/4" . 
It works a lot better, a wider swath for the blade to hit and easier to adjust the height to match the saw blade. 
I also discovered my debarker was tilted a little and there is an adjustment to level the debarker. That also made a difference. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Anybody can tell me what the difference is between a wide debarker and a regular one? This was bought as a 'wide' machine, so I am assuming it's a wide debarker, right?

[Stephen1]

The "Wide" is the throat of the saw blade. Wide on mine is 34" . I usually tell people I can saw 32" wide slabs. My old LT40HD was a 28" throat and I could saw a 26" wide slab. Sometimes you can "Bibby" the log to get the last 2 "

[terrifictimbersllc]

The radius of the arc that the debarker has to swing in is larger in a wide mill than a narrower mill.So in a standard mill, the debarker mount is on the saw head. In a wide mill, there is a approximately 2 foot long post coming out of the back of the saw head and the debarker is mounted to the end of that. This arrangement has non-ideal consequences originating in the laws of physics that have been managed somewhat but have not been completely  overcome, IMO. 

[boonesyard]

Sounds like I've got the wide upgrade installed correctly, having to ride the swing switch on irregularly shaped logs (I saw a lot of that stuff). Crossroads, you are right, after the upgrade, mine does spin counter-clockwise.  

[Crossroads]

This is the wide debarker, part of me wants to put it back to a standard debarker and just forget about debarking logs under about 14" dia

I was running the swing belt a little tighter to help with loading the spring and making it stay in contact with the log better. Then the swing motor shaft broke. Now I run the belt a little on the loose side and drive with one hand on the swingle toggle and the other on the feed speed control and if the debarker starts to take a solid bite and slow the feed rate, I can increase the feed rate momentarily.

[boonesyard]

Yea, i was looking at the swing belt too, but the shaft is pretty small. I think I'll leave that alone. I don't have any problem riding the swing switch, I just figured that might be part of the reason the breakers might trip. Sometime I can go for a week or 2 without tripping, next time it trips right away. I think I'll order a new breaker.

[Crossroads]

The major downfall with the swing motor is the hole drilled through it for a roll pin. Definitely a manufactured weak spot

[Old Greenhorn]

There is a world of useful information here for a guy like me, thank you all!

[Magicman]

Also know that "wide" might refer to two different things.  The wide head is one thing but also the debarker blade is offered in two different thicknesses as Stephen1 mentioned above.  ¼" and ½"  I prefer the ¼" because the cut is narrower taking less hp to turn/cut.  That plus my thinking is that the top of the ½" blade could contact the log leaving the lower portion of the blade not cutting/cleaning the log.  Also as designed, my blade is climbing out of the cut and the teeth have a back rake.

[Percy]

After reading this thread, I thought Id show  how I overcame the same problem(s) many have with the debarker system on some Woodmizers.
 The first video is one I made today and the second is from 2013 when I first came up with the idea. I was using a 12 volt compressor back then but now I use the house air supply which tensions my blade as well.

https://youtu.be/fX5zdwEDOM4

https://youtu.be/cFpxoOZRLUs