blade installation & adjustment help

[gdingee]

As a new sawmiller, I am wondering what are the tricks to installing and removing a blade without banging the tips against all the metal parts on a WM LT40 HD

Keeping the blade guide rollers aligned is area where I am having difficulty. What advice is available? how critical is it to have a  space between the back of the blade and the flange on the guide rollers? Right now my blade is pretty much touching on the idle side and perhaps 1/16" space on the drive side. Is this okay?

I read somewhere that operating too slowly can shorten blade life more. Not sure yet what a comfortable speed is to work at. So far I am being cautious and taking time travelling through the logs.

thanks for all the help.

G dingee

[Gilman]

Welcome!

Istalling a blade:
Pinch the blade with your left hand int the middle of the blade so that the blade forms a stretched out 8.  If you have a debarker, pull it towards the mast.  Push the blade between the debarker and the saw head and then feed it through to the drive wheel.  Guide the blade with your right hand.

Your flanges will wear out quickly if the blade is touching them.  You want 1/16" on the idler side and a little more than 1/16" on the drive side.

Blade life.  The tip of the teeth on the blade don't know if they are cutting 1/64" of material or 1/32"(1/64" and 1/32" are just for reference).  The tip will wear each pass through the wood.  If you are only cutting 1/64" your blade will dull in half the time it would have it were cutting 1/32"

Cut as fast as you can, or what your motor can handle.  Once you start getting wavy cuts back off a little.