homemade bandsaw mill, help

[valley ranch]

Did you say your daughter is an EYE Doctor? Go see her, she'll love you coming. Taking a couple shots of whiskey was good too. But, go see your daughter and tell us what she says.

[gww]

kb
If you click on the attachment it will say what you said but if you scroll down it will say "click here to add photos to post.    Clicking that will open the gallery window and you can add a new gallery folder.  After you type in the name of your gallery, you hit select  album and pick the name that you typed for your gallery.  Then select upload file.  Then select brouse and load your picture.  Then when it shows in your gallery hit add to post.

I at first thought it was pretty bad but when I didn't have to resize my photo I decided it was ok.

Again,  I hope this helps.  comunication is not my strong point.

On my mill.  I had issues again today.  I am pretty sure the waves I had in my cuts are due to a poor cutting rail.  I broke a belt and had to finally buy a proper size belt.  I feel kind of stupid cause I replaced an idler pully that had locked up so I could use the other belt.  The proper size belt was $22, the idler pully I no longer need was $24.  Now you guys know how I gethered enough stuff to build this thing.  I end up with extra handy things cause my brain only works part time.

Cheers
gww

[gww]

vally
The eye doctor is the one who had the baby.  I figured she was busy enough at the moment.  I am good enough now.  I just need to keep in mind the safty glasses that where mentioned earlier when I start welding again.  I have did some welding (I call it that) before and have never noticed an issue.  I will probly do so again even if I haven't got the safety glasses though I am a bit scared after my recent experiance.
Thanks
gww

[InterMechanico]

I should have explained the safety glasses. The UV A/B protection blocks almost all of the harmful radiation that causes welders flash. I imagine you can still get it if you're not careful, but the chances are greatly reduced.

julian

[gww]

interm
Mostly I understood and magicman made sure there was no mistake.  I don't know how careful I will be.  I only go to the store on haft to basis and I don't always remember to look for things I need later.  I have some safety glasses at home but am pretty sure they won't meet the standards.  I have a feeling my cheap auto dark solar powered hood doesn't help but I don't plan on going back to the pure dark hood cause welding is so much easyer with the auto dark.  I had too many days in a row of welding and don't see any really big jobs.  I have a feeling it was a cumulative type thing.

I do appretiate the suggestion.
Thanks
gww

[Kbeitz]

Trying again.........



 

[Kbeitz]

The USB Microscope is also great for finding splinters .
The old eyes dont work so good anymore.
They are also very inexpensive.
Another trick I learned is if you get a peice of metal in your eye is to take one of E-bay super magnets and suck it back out of your eye.

[Magicman]

Congratulations on the picture !!! 

Also thanks for showing that USB Microscope.   I had no idea ??

[gww]

kb
Thanks for being persistant.  Also thanks for posting the magnet trick.  Magnets are expensive, I know as I have built a couple of wind turbines.  I do however have a strong magnet around due to the above.  Number one, why didn't I think of that?  Number two, will I remember when needed?
Thanks for the suggestions.
gww

[beenthere]

Thanks for the USB magnifier pic. Had no idea. Hope to see some pics of yours using the magnifier.

Wonder how it would work to get a digital pic of the end grain of wood prepared very smooth. Suspect great pic. Anyone done that? 


I've used the magnet when getting steel piece in the eye. Wasn't a super magnet, but one I had nearby and could feel it pop out the steel piece and be attached to the magnet.  One of those moments when a split second before it happens the brain says "put the safety glasses on!"

A good source of very powerful magnets is in a computer hard drive. If you don't want an old hardrive anymore, tear it apart and get two very powerful magnets.

[Ox]

I thought of the magnet trick a few weeks ago when I had what I thought was a piece of steel from grinding stick into my eyeball.  Turns out a strong magnet didn't do a thing so I figured it was a piece of the grinding wheel.  I tried every trick up my sleeve but to no avail.  After a few hours I couldn't take the needle in the eye feeling any more so up to the hospital we go.  A few drops to numb the eye, a drop of dye and a black light so they could see and a Q-tip to scrape it out.  1 1/2 hours total time to the tune of just under $3,700.  This country is in dire straits...

[Rougespear]

Darned safety glasses!  I live in the things all day and still get stuff in my eye, and they're the real close fitting type too!  I have to learn to squint just a little bit when I'm grinding.

[Hilltop366]

Hard to beat a flip down face shelf for grinding.

[Kbeitz]

I really good strong magnets will also take metal splinters out of your hands.

This is a snap I took of a small chunk of metal in my eye.
There was no way I could see it without the scope.

[Kbeitz]

I don't know what I'm doing...
I pretty good at working on computers but I spent 20 min trying to put in another picture.
I uploads fine... Just wont show.
Out of all the places I hand and post pictures this place the picture uploading sucks.
Very unfriendly...

 

[Kbeitz]

20 trys and I got it....

Wow.....

[beenthere]

It may not be this site that is the problem...  ;D  just sayin.. Keep on workin the bugs out. ;)

You are gettin it.

I can "see" where that USB magnifier could be very handy to have.

[Ox]

I'm guessing that's a picture of your eye with something foreign in it.  Pretty impressive the magnification you can get at home with today's technology.  Looks kinda like what I remember in my farmin' days when a fresh cow would cast her withers (uterus inside out on the floor) after freshening.  Like some kinda demented pepperoni pizza...

[gww]

Ok,  I am on my third blade.  I don't have the lumber to show for it.

I finally brought up another log.  Some kind of oak.  It had dead leaves on it I am guessing from last year.  It was about 18 inches butt and 13 small side top.  I cut it just under nine feet long.  The next up small logg look doudy.  This one looks solid.

I had to reset my blade guides wider and everything went down hill from there. 

When I retensioned the blade the tracking was off and needed adjusted.  I cut with the blade riding a bit forward on the wheels and the blade started diving. 

Then my motor quit.  It has started in no more then three pulls everytime.  I took the breather off and the little black thing that the gas goes to and shook it and it is running great again but took some time and must have some dirt floting around or something.

I brought the log up with my dads kobota so that part worked great.

I tried to cut and the blade dived till it would almost stall the motor.

I put a new blade on and the saw cut like butter.  I have made the track stronger by legg bolting it to some railroad like ties.  Maby 6x8s or so.

The saw cut perfectly on getting rid of the bark on two sides then the Idler pully bracket broke and by the time I welded it back it was getting dark.

Now for the issue.  I must be losing blade set fairly quickly on the tires.  This is my third blade and I have barily cutt enough wood for one blade though I did have other issues.  The last blade going so quick surprized me.

I still havn't got a board from the last log but the saw was cutting great and I really speeded up my cut without the motor being very stressed.

How can I adress the blade riding on the wheel and losing set?

The wheel have 37 pounds or presure in them now by my tire guage as far as it can be trusted.

Would putting 45 or 50 lbs in then round them up or do I need to find some way to shave them rounder?

Anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks
gww

[MikeZ]

gww- You might try re-reading my reply #14

[fishpharmer]

Have you examined the blade to see if the set is noticeably different on one side from the other?  It may not be that the bandtires are pushing out the set.  Possibly your blade roller guides are not aligned correctly.  A search should yield some threads about guide alignment.

[fishpharmer]

Not disagreeing with you MikeZ, just want to eliminate the roller guide alignment variable.

[MikeZ]

That's ok. it's just my 2 cents worth of been there done that. I originally thought having new radial tires would negate this problem but it didn't. The reason I went with tires was 1/4 of cost versus steel band wheels. Reading his posts is like reliving my experience. Used three brand new Lennox bands cutting maybe ten feet. Got rid of some rubber where the teeth ride and lots of troubles left.

[gww]

Mike
Just how did you trim where the teeth were riding?  What did you use to do it?  I saw a you tube vidio where a guy said he used a hand planer to garentee his wheels were true round.

I did remember the post and knew I may have to do that, I am not sure how yet.

Changing the drive wheel did seem to help with the other blade cut.

Fishp..

The blade guide have turned out to be very fickle on this mill.  My desine sucks but I still don't see a better way to do it.  I will admit that I may have ruined a blade while messing with the blade guides.  If that is not the case that I ruined the blade that way then it has to be the tire.  I put the last new blade on and did not readjust the guides and it cut perfectly.  I did install my guides poorly however, which is why I couldn't just move it sideways when I widened the cut area.  I didn't get it welded square so every adjustment in or out means also doing a whole adjustment.  I also only have a bottom plate on one blade guide and it is a bit long as the gullot of the blade is actually inside the bar of metal.  It needs shaved shorter.  My last cuts where really good just like when I used the other blade while new on the two little cedars. 

I will say that I don't know what I am doing and what tha cause and effect is.  I find with four traking adjustment bolts, that I turn the wrong one the wrong way more times then not, so getting the tracking correct is a time consummer.  I had it tracking correctly with no adjustment for ten times and then I greased the bolt and it must have turned easier cause today I had to adjust tracking after tensioning.  I don't discount any suggestion cause I know I am green.

Thanks
gww

Ps mike I just moved back to MO after spending the last four years in kokomo IN.  been back here for going on two years.

[gww]

Fishp...
To answer your question, I did look at the blade but couldn't see a differance in set but I don't own a caliper guage and would not trust my eyes.
gww