hey guys- I only just joined this forum so I hope this goes alright and my message gets posted. not too smart on computers. there are lots of tips and useful info on this site though. I have been reading a lot of these posts and I could use a little help with my 94 model b-16 timber king. I am hoping someone has solved a problem that I am having. I have steel wheels and cant get it to track right consistently. I gave $8500 for it and don't know how many hours it has on it, as there is no meter. guessing its pretty used. first, I set it up with a Hilti brand laser level, they are very accurate. got the frame level end to end and side to side. then I got the blade wheels plumb. I had to prize out on the drive side wheel to plumb it as there are no saw head adjusting bolts like they have on the 96 and newer models. there's a tilt plate on the idle side though. then I went through all adjustments with the guide bar and rollers and I think they're ok also. then it was very hard to set tracking. finally got it where the blade was 5/16 from back side of wheels when I turned wheels in both directions. I then cut a dead hickory log, a small one, about 12 inch diameter, and it worked really good. cut some oak and blade got dull after a while, and when I changed it I lost all my tracking. took forever to get it right again. I have talked to mike and Jason at timber king and they spent a lot of time with me trying to help. talk about customer service, those guys will go to any length to help you. so now it seems to me that the band wheels need to be machined. or maybe the bearings may be bad. I'm not sure. couldn't feel any slack on drive side and maybe very small amount on idle side. Jason didn't seem to think that would hurt. so, I'm wondering if anyone has solved this problem and maybe what they had to do to get it tracking right? I could option for the belted wheels but kind of didn't want to put lots of money in it if possible. I hear they track a lot easier. I have friends with sawmills and they say its a one time set-up for them. I wonder if anyone has had their steel wheels turned and had success with their tracking problem? I can get that done for $20 for each wheel and I hear the belted ones are real pricy. can anyone advise me on this matter? it would sure be appreciated. then I can start having some fun. thanks.
HMM, so you aligned everything and it sawed OK, now it doesn't track. BY any chance did you do the alignment using a new, known good blade ? Metal wheels are real picky about a blade being perfectly flat, your blades may need rolling...Belted wheels mostly don't care..
I think TK used flat steel wheels back then which were hard to track right, I'd get them crowned like Cooks uses on their machines. On my mill most blades track close to the same but the well used ones will track a little farther to the front. Also check the head to frame mounting bolts, once in a long time one will break or come loose and that will make it track bad. Steve
Mike , so when you change band it changes setup? Are you letting tension off when not using? On my shop band saw the non driven wheel is set so the band runs against the guide rollers. Will TK send a manual? Or no longer aval?
On steel wheels the first thing to check is bearings, which you've done. The next thing to check is the crown on the band wheels. Take a straight edge and place it across the wheel and take a look. The center should be high if not, spend the $20.00 each and get them turned.
Good luck and welcome to Forestry Forum!
Since no telling how many hours I would go ahead and replace the bearings. They are usually not that expensive. While doing that I would check the bearing fit. As a general rule for a stationery shaft and rotating hub the bearing should be a press fit in the hub and a sliding fit on the shaft. Double check with TK.
$20 seems like a real bargain to crown the wheels. I would want to know the machinist is competent before committing. I've done crown jobs on several shop bandsaws but with rubber tires. A good crown makes a big difference.
I had a Kasco with steel wheels. My problems were all bearing related. When sat up proper tracking was excellent.
I had a crack in tracking plate on idle side one time and it only showed up under full tension. It was a head scratcher til I found it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/22539/2903/44_%281%29.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1297348058)
$20.00 is not a bad price... It's very easy to cut a crown with
a lathe. Chucking it up is the hardest part.
I got bit on my woodmizer by bandwheel bearings. Idle side uses 2 pressed in bearings. If one goes bad, the wheel will do strange things under load, but look OK without a load..Change em both.....
Definitely change the bearings, and I believe TK has new guide bearings for most of their machines. Upgrade both, and then align. TK has outstanding customer support, but I'd visit a local b-20 or b-16 owner for their guidance. I believe the only difference between the two mills was the track length?
Good luck,
;D