Those that have been to my place have seen that I go through some blades. In 2008 I started with the Cooks sharpener and setter. It did okay but the consistency is dependent on how well I dress the wheel. In 2010 I bought the Pro Series CBN WM sharpener and it did great for about 4 years. Then the circuit board started going out. Well WM decided to redesign the sharpener by then and no longer had parts for the Pro Series. I had to put light switches and other stuff on it to bypass the circuit board. Two years ago I bought the BMS 250 sharpener. I never really liked it as it didn't seem to have enough power for me to get a proper grind. I know many of you have them and are well satisfied with them, but I wasn't. At the end of last year I bought the BMS 500. It took me 3 months to get it dialed in the way I want it. With some help from gmmills. I'm going to share some of what I have learned about this sharpener, and point out some things I changed.
This is the old Pro Series sharpener.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000008910.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358885)(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000008911.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358884)
Notice in the above pictures how the oil hose comes up to a T and feeds oil to both sides of the CBN wheel.
In the next picture, notice how close the oil is being applied to the part that contacts the blade. This is on a 5" CBN wheel.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000008917.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358888)
These next pictures are of the BMS 500. First disappointment was that the oil hose was damaged in shipping and WM had to source it from Poland. I don't understand why. So I went to TSC and bought 25' of hose for about $30.00. Then as I'm assembling it, I started noticing more things that I was going to have to fix. These pictures will show that now the oil is only coming in on one side of the 8" CBN wheel. There are holes drilled in the shoe that goes over the wheel but I don't feel like it is getting enough oil to the side that grinds the face of the tooth. The shoe is also up a little higher from where the wheel contacts the blade, and I don't know how much oil is slung off before it contacts the blade.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000008918.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358887)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009122.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358933)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009123.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358935)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009124.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=358934)
I learned that WM had put a smaller pump on the 500 and was only putting oil in one side of the shoe. So I sourced a bigger pump and added a manifold with lines going to both sides of the wheel. As it is making contact with the blade.
I have more to add to this but will have to do that later, as customers are pulling in the yard. Y'all can give me your thoughts and I'll try to answer any questions you might have when I can get back to the computer.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2krxakueQ_U?feature=share
Looking good Jake!
That blue snap hose you are using is called 'Loc-Line' and I used to work with that company a lot going back to the 70's when they were still a father and daughter operation making all their products in a garage. Nice folks. Not sure where you sourced your stuff and if they carry the full line of products but Loc-Line makes a wide variety of nozzle types I have used over the years. HERE IS A SAMPLE. (https://www.grainger.com/product/1DXT3?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:6VHHZD:20500801:APZ_1&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8IfABhBXEiwAxRHlsO0TZFjAFgLrsY8XHefpVpQwv-OpiI-gLt0ikwK4MX9VCf5BZXEyzxoCQYYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) They also make a set of pliers for assembling and disassembling the parts which work really well and save a lot of bruised knuckles. Well worth the cost. People kept stealing mine because I was the only guy in the shop that had them and we had that hose everywhere.
Anyway, I thought a couple of those small fan pattern nozzles might work better for you on that grinder. Being plastic, they are easy to modify for you needs. Can't wait to see what else you did to it.
I was thinking about this some more this morning (I don't know why :wink_2: ).
It's important to understand that the oil or coolant on grinders serve two main purposes. First, it keeps the grinding wheel clean, that is, it keeps the swarf from clogging the wheel pores up which would 'dull' the wheel and also drive the heat way up. Heat is bad and the the second purpose, it cools the blade quickly r keeps it from getting hot to begin with which prevents work hardening and heat cracks. In some applications, such as surface grinding it also keep the work free of excess swarf that could be 'reground' under the wheel, but that doesn't really apply here.
Another consideration is that when you use oil instead of a very thin water soluble solution, the oil requires a bit more pressure than the water based becasue it is thicker and harder for it to penetrate into those small pores on the wheel at that high RPM (actually SFPM)
What surprises me here is that WM has not only downsized the pump, but also the oil delivery points. The old mechanics adage applies here: "grease is cheaper than steel". It doesn't make a lot of sense to me from an engineering point of view From a sales and marketing pint of view it makes a little sense (cheaper to manufacture and sell) but not a lot.
Following that line of thought will lead us right back to a conversation we have had many times before about the state of the companies we buy from these days and how they respond to their customer's needs.
Tom, you are right on point. That is why I add a larger pump and the extra lines. I don't remember how much the 8" wheels are for this machine but I'm thinking close to $400.00. I want to do everything I can to extend the life of them.
I don't want folks to think that I'm bad mouthing WM. I'm not. There are lots of companies that I question. Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Sthil, Husky, and many more. I just don't understand why some things are done the way they are. Why do I have to wait close to 4 weeks to get a few feet of hose from Poland? Why are they putting in a smaller pump, and restricting the way the oil can get to the wheel. I'm not an engineer. I know there are some very intelligent folks on this forum, and I'm hoping some of you can explain it to my small brain.
There are some ways they have really improved this machine and I will be sharing them in the future as well. If I had to do it again, I would still buy this sharpener.
Edit: I went to their website and the wheels are $325.00
We have the BMS 250 sharpener. We do not really sharpen enough blades for it "to pay for itself" (most stuff really does not pay for itself, we do), but so far, it does a good job of providing sharp bands. Usually, we run the blades through twice with two light passes.
I don't really understand why they (WM) put so much electronic equipment, circuit boards and such, on this machine. It would seem to me that it would not need so many of the things that have given folks trouble. In my little brain, switches to turn on the feed motor, grinder motor, pump and a potentiometer for the advancement speed would be adequate with a fuse to protect overloading the motors.
With as many folks who have these machines, I'm surprised many more have not chimed in.
Caveman, these sharpeners can pay for themselves in other ways. Like when you get one of those tough Live Oak logs. You can step in and put a new edge on your blade. Or you can go in and change the tooth angle, and that will make the difference.
Bingo, those two factors have made our sawing much better and faster. We run more set than most, especially on the live oak, longleaf pine and the south Florida slash pine (seems to be more resinous than the slash pine north of here).
As I said earlier, I also want to point out some ways that I think WM has improved on this sharpener. One of the first ones is the slight double tap added to the cam. It lets the grinding wheel make two light touches to the blade surface. (note the video I posted earlier.) I think this gives a better cutting edge on the blade. Another major improvement is how the oil/grindings flow.
In this picture I'm pointing out the small tray that you pull out to clean the grindings out. It's on the left side of the machine as you're facing it. The oil flows out a hole in the back left corner into the tray, and takes most of the grindings with the oil. The tray then drains oil into a tank at the bottom right where the pump is installed. The grindings stay in the tray.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009375.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=359400)
Here is the tray pulled out and you are able to clean probably over 90% of the grindings from here.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009376.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=359401)
Under this tray, that is at a slight angle, is several banks of magnets. These catch and hold grindings in the tray.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11861/1000009377.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=359402)
This makes clean up 100% easier, and also keeps less grindings from getting to your pump. This should extend the life of these pumps by a good bit. I'm confident that I will still need to clean up the area under the grinding head from time to time but it will be a lot less often. I've done over 100 blades and it is running well. I actually don't mind sharpening as much as I used to.
Sometimes more IS more!
Two significant improvements. I wonder if they sell the double tap cam for my sharpener?
I wonder if it would be as beneficial with the smaller wheel. Do you have an engineer around that you could ask? ffcheesy
Quote from: YellowHammer on May 22, 2025, 12:20:49 PMTwo significant improvements. I wonder if they sell the double tap cam for my sharpener?
Let us know if you find out. I seem to remember that sound from my former shop series LTAGA but don't think I've heard it recently on the BMS250.
I was looking at the cam some last night, because of this question. The cam on the 500 is a lot bigger than the cam on my old pro series. I don't remember how big it is on the 250 sharpener. I think the larger size is giving them the surface area to be able to do the double tap.
I find on my BMS 250 that I can get the double tap. if its to heaver of a grind no, but a bit lighter and it will. My machine is from 2018.
My initial impression from your discussion on the changes between the two grinders is to ask the question, who is doing the designing? The addition of all the circuit boards etc. is the new school of designing instead of relying on years of experience and time tested/field proven design. Sourcing a tube from Poland tells me the unit is built there and something about their contract says the parts come from there too.
That is no excuse for not having the most needed repair parts on hand at the WoodMizer warehouse. Bad customer service it is, and is the bane of many companies. It is just easier to ignore the problem and go on. Especially when the business is profitable and you still have a good reputation.
We should be pushing these observations and issues back to the companies who sponsor the forum.