I Am Frustrated!

Planman1954 · June 19, 2019, 06:52:40 PM

Hello all. I have not posted in a while, and thought I might vent about my Lumbermate 2000 blade diving. I know this an old and worn out topic, but I am ready to ditch my mill and buy a harbor freight! Anyway, I was merrily cutting cypress lap siding on my mill last month, and suddenly the blade took a U shaped dive between the rollers. I HATED wasting my log, since it was so hard to get to my mill, and so I quickly stopped to figure it out. It is a manual mill. The first thing I messed with was tracking. I also have tried multiple sharpened blades...same result. I even took the heavy log off the mill and tried a smaller log...same result. I adjusted and adjusted and adjusted until...well. The next thing I tried was buying new rollers...did that for $150, thank you very much. Same result. The mill was then taken apart around the tension arm area and checked. The only thought was the looseness of the idle wheel with no blade on, as there was some play in the housing. Today, I spoke to a Norwood fellow who told me that is normal. So now, I'm getting a new drive belt in the morning. My last resort is an old timer from Norwood is scheduled to call me back tomorrow, and I hope he has a bright idea to try. I am ready to sell the thing, and buy a new mill...even a harbor freight would beat what I'm going through since I don't use it too often. Ok...vent over....carry on.

Southside · June 19, 2019, 06:58:51 PM

Are those sharpened bands or new bands? I have messed up set on bands and had them dive when I KNEW I had set the band right. Turns out I didn't. How are the bearings in your band wheels?

Planman1954 · June 19, 2019, 07:01:54 PM

Sharpened by woodmizer resharp. The bandwheels are smooth turning with no play. I hope tomorrow, changing the drive belt might help. I think I might as well change the idle belt too.

Oddman · June 19, 2019, 08:16:55 PM

Have you checked that your blade is indeed flat with the bed of the mill with a blade alignment tool? Are your bandwheels plumb with the bed?

RAYAR · June 19, 2019, 08:49:56 PM

I was going to suggest the band wheel belts, but see you're onto that now.

beav · June 19, 2019, 09:18:53 PM

Maybe you thumped a shroud/cover/bit of the mill and it is contacting the blade just enough to take the sharpness/set out of one side of the blade causing the dive?

Planman1954 · June 19, 2019, 09:27:34 PM

That is a good point beat....there is one place where it barely clears, and I wonder if it hits when cutting....I'll check that too!

Southside · June 19, 2019, 10:02:27 PM

Also check to be sure your bands are not riding so far back on the rollers the set is being knocked out of them.

barbender · June 20, 2019, 12:12:04 AM

A loose drive belt can cause a bad dive. Something mechanical is amiss, don't get too frustrated with the mill. Norwoods are well built, and what you are fighting with could happen on any brand of mill.

bandmiller2 · June 20, 2019, 07:39:25 AM

PM54, If your mill was cutting well and suddenly started diving you most likely hit something in the log or bark. Before you start twisting wrenches put on a new band not just a resharp. Grit in the bark, often unseen, will play hob on any band also. Its human nature to go to the most extreme expensive fixes first when its usually something simple. Frank C.

Percy · June 20, 2019, 10:27:17 AM

Quote from: bandmiller2 on June 20, 2019, 07:39:25 AM
PM54, If your mill was cutting well and suddenly started diving you most likely hit something in the log or bark. Before you start twisting wrenches put on a new band not just a resharp. Grit in the bark, often unseen, will play hob on any band also. Its human nature to go to the most extreme expensive fixes first when its usually something simple. Frank C.

Aint that the truth :D :D Ask my wallet how I know this....

ladylake · June 20, 2019, 01:56:30 PM

Some Possible causes

Dull blade
Not enough set, softwood like more
Belt slipping
Lugging the motor down too far
Not enough down pressure on the roller guide
Slipping centrifugal clutch
Losing tension in the cut

A Harbor freight mill would be a step in the wrong direction. Lots of people cut good lumber with Norwood mills, just need to figure out what's going on. Steve

Planman1954 · June 20, 2019, 02:53:08 PM

Thanks everybody for the great suggestions! I feel a LOT better today! Its not completely resolved, but after replacing both belts with new ones that sat too wide in the pulley groove (ugh), I put the old ones back and decided to start over with tensioning. I went to the drive wheel and turned the tensioning way off. Then i went to the idle wheel and got it tracking right after a bit of back and forth. I took a cut. It worked better! Ahah! I have always mini-adjusted tracking. What evidently happened is the large log yanked the wheel in a BIG way to move tracking significantly. Anyway, pineywoods is going to help me fine tune it now, along with checking the downward pressure of the rollers. All is somewhat well!