Changing my mill to 1 1/2" band

[ozarkgem]

SO on the LT 70 you are running B groove pulleys and what diameter are they? I would have thought they would have been wider.

[pineywoods]

I had a couple of 1 1/2 blades brung to me for sharpening. Just for grins and giggles, I put one on my wm LT40, with no changes to any adjustments. Cut just fine, but keep in mind my mill is only 25 hp, so I can't push the blade very hard. My normal use blades are 1 1/4 .045 10* doublehards.

[AlaskaLes]

Hey Ozark,
It's me...the only other Mighty Mite miller here :D :D
That being the case, I would say that our input is directly related to your question.
We changed over to the 1 1/2 bands about 2 years ago after reading a lot of opinions that it would work well.
The 1 1/4" wheels work just as well as they ever did and I can see absolutely NO bad wear, stress or ill effects.  So, I wouldn't waste your time changing the wheels.
We did install the 1 1/2" cooks guides which I am very impressed with.

At the same time we bought 20 each of the .045 and .050(could be .055, I can't recall for sure) Cooks Supersharp blades.
It was recommended that we use the .045 for Summer and the .050 for Winter.
I haven't seen any real benefit to using the thicker blades, but I can tell that the mill cuts a bit slower when cutting the thicker kerf.
In conclusion:
I would change to 1 1/2".
I wouldn't change the bandwheels.
I would definitely change to the Cooks 1 1/2" guides.
I would stick with the .045 kerf only.
HTH,Les

[ozarkgem]

Les thanks for the info. The only reason I was thinking of changing the band wheels was to make the blades last longer. I have some 26" wheels sitting here. How much did it up your production? What hp is your diesel engine?

[Brucer]

Where do you track the blade Brucer?  I was told it was best to track a 1-1/2" blade coser to the teeth than centered.

3/16" from the face of the bandwheel to the gullet. Never a problem.

[Magicman]

Jim, how much more will those oversized (longer) bands cost?  It could be that the additional blade cost might outweigh any longevity savings. 

[ozarkgem]

Jim, how much more will those oversized (longer) bands cost?  It could be that the additional blade cost might outweigh any longevity savings.

I don't know. To really find out would take very controlled scientific study with all parameters being equal. Maybe someone has ran both size wheels and bands and would know from experience. Agreed, longer blades would cost more but also should
last longer since it would take  longer for the band to make one revolution hence cutting more distance per revolution equaling more BF per blade. I think?  You have presented a conundrum. Best thing would be emulate the big mill builders since they have more experience in the testing area. I believe it a given that bigger wheels make blades last longer.
   What bands do you use?
    I really don't know why I worry about this. I don't saw for a living and sometimes don't saw for a month. But I have this obsession with production, probably since I was in manufacturing for so many yrs. When I use a machine I want it to do the most it is capable of doing. I guess it would be like an obsession with climbing Mt Everest , nobody understands but you. Plus I like the challenge of tweaking things.
My friends call me Jim the tool man. MORE POWER. 
   Another question that could be ask, can you push a .055 1 1/4 and hard as a .045 1 1/2?

[Magicman]

My LT40 has 19" bandwheels and uses the 158" blades.

There is no question in my mind  that larger bandwheels would reduce flexing and would add longevity to blade life. 

Of course it would be my luck that I would install that brand shiny new longer & wider blade and I would never consider sawing into a side support because we all know that the blade always loses.   ;D   :D

[AlaskaLes]

I don't know if I'd say I've ever really done enough milling to even track production.

I do know that I saw an immediate improvement in blade tracking.
The blade tends to run very true now...right up until it starts to dull.  This has now become a very good/consistent indicator for my blade changes.

It was stated somewhere, when I was researching for this change, that it would also help reduce cracking in the gullets due to the larger cross section of the blade.  This makes good sense in the world of metal as it is bound to be stiffer.

My mill is running an Isuzu diesel that is rated at 25hp...27peak hp.
I can relate to the Tool Man thing...I have to work hard to control my desire to rewire things!! 

[ozarkgem]

My LT40 has 19" bandwheels and uses the 158" blades.

There is no question in my mind  that larger bandwheels would reduce flexing and would add longevity to blade life. 

Of course it would be my luck that I would install that brand shiny new longer & wider blade and I would never consider sawing into a side support because we all know that the blade always loses.   ;D   :D

Its amazing how far they will cut into a piece of steel. What thickness of blade do you use?

[ozarkgem]

I don't know if I'd say I've ever really done enough milling to even track production.

I do know that I saw an immediate improvement in blade tracking.
The blade tends to run very true now...right up until it starts to dull.  This has now become a very good/consistent indicator for my blade changes.

It was stated somewhere, when I was researching for this change, that it would also help reduce cracking in the gullets due to the larger cross section of the blade.  This makes good sense in the world of metal as it is bound to be stiffer.

My mill is running an Isuzu diesel that is rated at 25hp...27peak hp.
I can relate to the Tool Man thing...I have to work hard to control my desire to rewire things!!

Maybe a Cobra engine on the mill?

[Magicman]

I use .045's.  I am really liking the 7° Turbo blades.  I tried .055 Turbo blades but they did not work at all.  They sawed good but the breakage rate was high. 

Back to your questions, the bigger wheels/longer blades would have many more teeth, so the run time before dulling should be proportionately longer.   

[sandsawmill14]

i have 30" band wheels on the s&w and can tell no difference at all between the 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 bands in the .045  but the 1 1/2  .055 are great ;D  on the timberking it has 18" bandwheels and the 1 1/2 .045 seems to be a little better than the 1 1/4 but not alot i have not tried the .055 on the small wheels yet but plan to after the first of the year both mills bandwheels are b groove and the s&w is supposed to run 2" bands but i havent tried them yet but it has really wide guide rollers the 1 1/4 bands run somewhere between 3/8 - 1/2 inch from the back of the roller

[AlaskaLes]

Hmmm...Cobra Engine 8)...Now that would be the sweetest sounding mill ever built!!
I'd never want to shut it down!

I do agree that the larger wheels would provide longer cut life between sharps and less stress due to flexing around the wheels.

I think one of the best byproducts...not sure if it's been mentioned yet...would be the larger cant that could be processed.   Mine right now will do about 18.5" tall cant.  Yours would be pushing 25" tall, that would be nice!

[ozarkgem]

I use .045's.  I am really liking the 7° Turbo blades.  I tried .055 Turbo blades but they did not work at all.  They sawed good but the breakage rate was high. 

Back to your questions, the bigger wheels/longer blades would have many more teeth, so the run time before dulling should be proportionately longer.

I was going to try some 55 turbos but I have a custom length and by the time everything was added up I was pushing 40 bucks a blade. I passed. I do have some Timber wolf 45's that I will try the next time I fire up the mill.

[Sixacresand]

On the LT 40, I can hardly get the 1 1/4 blades in and out of the tight space between the blade cavity and mill support.  I can imagine  the 1 1/2's would be even harder to get in and out. 

What Magicman said earlier about the shiney new blades.  Side supports are not always our friend. ;D