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Useful sawmill mods

Started by Bibbyman, July 25, 2004, 08:27:09 AM

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petefrom bearswamp

I am stationary
2 options that I rarely use or dont use at all on my mill.
The so called lube mizer, cause I see no need when sawing Hemlock which is 98 percent of my sawing.
The high performance blade guides. I removed them about 8 years ago and see no difference in board quality and blade changing is easier, for me at least.
Other mods that I have done.
The fingers in the sawdust chute, these are long gone as they constantly plugged up due to bits and pieces of Hemlock bark jamming. I dont let ANYONE walk by the chute when the blade is running.
Use the tube on the chute only when wind is a factor.
I have swung the command control module in slightly so I can see down the log without craning my neck.
I built a deflector to prevent the boards from hitting me when using the board return.
Debarker alarm long gone now have a blinking light.
I understand this is standard on new mills.
I run tension well past the orange in the gauge.
Maybe all this has been posted before but my memory is faulty.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Chuck White

Pete;  It didn't take me very long to pull the HP blade guide rollers off of my mill and put the standard bg rollers on, the HP's created a few clearance issues.

Another FF member needed them more than I did, so that's where they went!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

petefrom bearswamp

Yes Chuck
They seemed like a good idea at the time.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Magicman

@petefrom bearswamp , I finally got a "round tuit" this morning and installed my Debarker strobe.


 
I cut a strip of aluminum, covered it with orange reflective tape, and bolted it to the Debarker guard.  The little strobe has 8 different flashing programs, some of which would be kinda harsh to the tailgunner's eyes so I chose one that simply flashes for now.


 
Alternating


 
from side to side.


 
It flashes when the Debarker is energized.  The yellow wire changes the flashing program.

The "horn" on my sawmill's Debarker was disconnected when I bought it. ::)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

petefrom bearswamp

Nice install Lynn
I could barely hear the alarm.
Of course I am nowhere near the debarker when sawing.
The help is cautioned to stay a healthy distance from it too.
My help hated it.
The light I bought is smaller than I thought it would be but will suffice.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Magicman

I spliced onto, secured, and extended that yellow wire this afternoon and added a nice tip so that I can easily change the flashing programs.  I really like this setup.  smiley_thumbsup
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

GAB

Quote from: Magicman on May 15, 2019, 06:56:38 PM
I spliced onto, secured, and extended that yellow wire this afternoon and added a nice tip so that I can easily change the flashing programs.  I really like this setup.  smiley_thumbsup
Mr. Davis:
Could you add a link to the flasher you added and also could you show or write a schematic of the wiring for us electrically challenged individuals.
TIA
Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Magicman

These are the last ones that I ordered:  Strobe  It seems that every time I Google "strobe" I find ones that are slightly different.

The wiring was simple because there are only three wires; red to red, black to black, and the yellow wire changes the flashing sequence when you touch it to the sawmill (ground).
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

YellowHammer

One of the first things my WM rep said when I bought new LT70 was "Its about time" and then "You won't have that dragback board carrier you invented for your old mill."  This kind of surprised me that the WM guys knew about the mod, and it did turn out to be one of the most aggravating things, not having the board carrier, and having a board come off the cant and just dropping onto the table and me having to hand push the board onto the pallet.  I really missed my board carrier.

The board carrier mod is speckled though those Forum topic, but here is an old video of it in action, notice how when the board comes off the cant it is held until I put the mill in forward, and the board drops off the ledge and onto the pallet.  It worked great.

Hobby Hardwood Alabama and Woodmizer LT40 sawing red oak - YouTube

With the new mill, this really got to be a problem when milling large live edge slabs, some weighing a hundred pounds or more, and having to reach and push and drag and grunt the board onto the pallet.  One or two wouldn't be so bad, but after doing pallet after pallet, hundreds of big slabs, I'd had enough.  It was time to do some "Step saving".  The problem was the LT70 had a completely different boards return design than my LT40.  I'd also learned a few things and wanted to incorporate them into the updated design.

So here is the pictures of the dragback arm mod, where I welded some 1" x 1/2" steel pads to the bottom of each finger.  This made them much stronger and able to withstand the rigors impact with major hunks of wood.  The design has simplified and that's the best kind.  





Thats all it took, they work like a charm and will grab and carry the biggest slabs I've sawn yet.

Here is a picture from underneath a big slab, with the fingers holding it up, on its way back to the pallet.







YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WDH

So, you don't sticker right off the mill?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

YellowHammer

Never.  Haven't for going in a little more than three years, even with whitewood and other sticker stain prone species.  As a matter of fact, the deadstacked 9/4 boards in the picture is a very sticker stain prone wood, basswood.

I will raise some eyebrows with my strategy and technique, but it works, and has little or no degrade, or I couldn't sell the high grade lumber.  

It's very unconventional, though.  

I estimate that stickering by one person takes as much as much as 50% time as sawing with 4/4 and maybe 100% as much time as sawing with 8/4 and 12/4.  So I can sometimes double my sawing production, when sawing alone, which I do most of the time, by deadstacking, and keeping the blade turning.    

So I separate the jobs to be more efficient.  

Since we have about 20 different species of wood in stock, I pick and choose when I mill what.  So Monday through Wednesday I cut and deadstack more sticker stain resistant wood, such a cherry, walnut, oak, sassafras, etc, either in 4/4 and 9/4.  Then Thursday and Friday I get into the more sticker stain wood like maple, poplar, and even basswood.  All are deadstacked off the mill onto pallets and placed under a covered shed.  Then on Saturday, our main open sales day, I bring in three part time employees, including Martha, two of which run the cash registers, and one who I pay as a dedicated lumber stacker.  His only job is to sticker all the lumber I milled during the week and unsticker what comes out of the kilns.  So, I outsource my lumber sticking just as I outsource my planing and get it all done in one day.  The third employee and I both float, so if the stacker needs help I will help with the customers and they will double up with him.  Or I will give him a hand if we are not too busy.  So at any one time on Saturday we may have 1 to 3 people sticking and deadstackimg the week's wood, or have 1 to 3 people on the sales floor, helping customers or cashing them out.  

So in a single shift, one day a week, we as a team may be able process up to 12 pallets of wood, both kiln dried and green in addition to handling the sales of up to 150 customers.  Our dedicated stacker guy gets about 15 cents per bdft and most days earns a very decent paycheck.  I simply consider it the cost of doing business, same as paying 15 cents per bdft to outsource my planing and having to pay for an extra cashier.  I wouldn't need the extra help if I wasn't selling the lumber, so its not a bad thing.  



YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Southside

Quote from: YellowHammer on May 26, 2019, 12:26:21 AMHe gets about 15 cents per MBF


Just what kind of dirt do you have on that poor lad to get him to work for that? :D
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

YellowHammer

Oops, I corrected it.  About 15 cents per bdft.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Southside

Shucks - I was hoping he had a brother that needed steady work.   ;D
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

YellowHammer

After this weekend, I hope he comes back.  95 degrees, no wind, brutal conditions.  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

WV Sawmiller

   For those of you who have a nice WM Vinyl cover, or equivalent, for your mill and have developed a hole or two and need to patch it I have found a handy fix is to buy a can of silicon spray from your local Auto Parts place (I got mine from Advance Auto), take an old pair of blue jeans or equivalent and cut out a couple of patches slightly larger than the size of the hole(s) and spray both sides of the patch, let it dry, then liberally apply a good coat of silicon glue (also readily available at the auto parts store) on the first patch and place it over the hole then do the same with the second patch and place it on the other side of the cover and press them together tightly trying to make sure to ensure the edges are glued well and let it dry. This gives you a flexible, waterproof, relatively inexpensive and heavy duty patch.

This is a picture of the can of silicon spray I used.

 As a side note it is probably better if you remove your vinyl cover from your mill before cranking it even if you only plan to run it a minute or so. If you do that you may never have to make and use one of these type patches but I digress.... ???
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Just Right

LMAO.  I will remember that!  Well mine was on the ground long enough the squirrels found it!  Bunch of lil holes. . . . .roll of Gorilla tape and the wife . . . . .she fixed it up both inside and out made a good patch!
If you are enjoying what you are doing,  is it still work?

WV Sawmiller

   That may work well for small holes but when they are much wider than the tape  it does not hold up so well - at least it did not for me. I had a couple about 5-6 inches wide/diameter so had to find an alternative.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Just Right

I hear ya.  So how long does it take to burn a hole in that type of cover?
If you are enjoying what you are doing,  is it still work?

WV Sawmiller

   Mind you I can neither confirm or deny that I have ever committed such and act :D but I have it on very good authority it only takes a minute or so for the exhaust to get hot enough to burn right through the vinyl cover. ;)
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

caveman

When sawing live oak or heart longleaf pine we have found diesel fuel to perform best as a blade lube.  When sawing other logs we will use PineSol, laundry soap, cotton picker spindle lube or antifreeze.  We were putting diesel in the lube tank when needed and then someone would need something sawn that did not require diesel and then the lube tank had to be emptied and refilled with something else.

Anyway, I had an OMC VRO tank lying around for decades since removing it from my boat.  I would prefer to mix the oil rather than rely on it.  It fit well on top of the mill's diesel tank and plumbed in easily to the lube line.  It does need a little finer adjustment than it currently has but today it worked well.  Even when sawing other species,

 

 

 using diesel on the last cut or two will ensure the blade is clean and will not easily rust.

The brass fittings were some I had saved after redoing the fuel supply on a 1979 Dusky center console that we used to have.
Caveman

caveman

Update on the two lube tank mod.  Today I sawed cypress and pine.  In the WM lube tank I had cotton picker spindle lube.  I was using it on the cypress, cedar and started sawing the pine with it.  When the blade began to get a little pitch, I switched over to the other lube tank which had diesel.  I sawed 15 or so logs into 1x's and had it set to a very slow drip.  The blade stayed clean and I got a lot of mileage out of the blade.  The diesel level in the tank did not noticeably drop.

I know some of you run diesel all of the time and some don't use it at all but I like having the option to use either tank depending on what we are sawing and it takes less than a second to change from one to the other.  This is simple and with all of the first generation OMC variable ratio outboards that were sold, these tanks should be readily available.  They already have a fuel line, bulb and they fit just right on top of the fuel tank.

We need to do the hydraulics anywhere mod.  
Caveman

YellowHammer

Nice mod.  Diesel does a good job, but after awhile, all I can smell is diesel.  I tried yesterday, straight diesel in the lube tank, turn the Lubemizer to its lowest setting and by the afternoon, the whole place smelled like a truck stop.  

So I refilled the tank with the odorless Spundle Cleaner and water mix.  

Having a quick shot of diesel on demand like you've got would be nice.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

DR_Buck

Quote from: YellowHammer on July 25, 2019, 10:12:40 PM
Nice mod.  Diesel does a good job, but after awhile, all I can smell is diesel.  I tried yesterday, straight diesel in the lube tank, turn the Lubemizer to its lowest setting and by the afternoon, the whole place smelled like a truck stop.  

So I refilled the tank with the odorless Spundle Cleaner and water mix.  

Having a quick shot of diesel on demand like you've got would be nice.
I still don't understand the need for diesel.   smiley_headscratch   I nearly 15 years I have never used diesel.  I mostly use Pinesol.   When a blade starts to gunk up and needs a little more cleaning I just engage the blade, turn the Lubmizer on full, and flip on the mill head control to forward with speed reduced to zero.  In 15 to 30 seconds the blade is completely clean.        
Been there, done that.   Never got caught [/b]
Retired and not doing much anymore and still not getting caught

Chuck White

I do the same as Dr Buck, with good results!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

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