Milling on the LT35HD

[DanMc]

First log on the LT35HD!  I'm not knocking the HM126, it was a wonderful mill to start out with, but to mill a 12 foot 20" red oak log on a manual mill would have been a major task.  With the LT35 it was effortless.   

The only challenge I had was tripping the debarker breaker 3 times.  I was careful to make sure the motor was running before I brought it in, but the cutter stalled several times and it tripped.  I'm a little surprised that it's that sensitive.  Otherwise the first log was easy, just like watching the YouTube videos for the past 1 1/2 years.  



 

[mike dee]

Looks good!

How square are the cuts out of the box?

[DanMc]

I checked the cant with a combination square and could not detect any out-of-square corners.

[SawyerTed]

The LT 35 is a fun mill!   Congratulations!  

My 35 debarker tripped the breaker often to begin with but it seemed to settle down.  I figured it was user error on my part.  It did have to be running before swinging it into the log.  If it hit the end of the log much, it was sure to trip.  I had to make sure it hit the bark side.  

Good luck and enjoy!  Maybe the breaker issue will settle down for you as well 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yeah the breaker issue is normal. Mostly it occurs when you're sawing from the little end and you don't notice the increasing size. Or you hit a knot/swell. In either case you'll soon learn to feather it in and out to adjust the tension.

   Now let us know when you leave the rear toeboard/roller up and make your first long wedges, saw into the side support or saw the tip off your claw and when you roll the log completely across the bed because you forgot to raise the side supports. Of course none of us have ever done that : and none of us have ever rolled the head to the end before putting the landing gear down which "I've heard" will cause the front end to raise 8' up in the air. :

   On a more serious note be dang sure to fasten the safety chain to the head once you lower it on the pivot point when traveling. Also remove that fender before raising the lifting arms.

[DanMc]

"Now let us know....."  Stupid things will happen!!!!

OK, here's a little catching up from the HM126:
Hit log stops: something like 8 times.  Two of those times were with brand new blades.
Hit log clamp: One time.
Started cutting without tensioning the blade:  Blade came off and was all bent up.  This of course was a new blade.
Hit 1/4" eye bolt in the log.  Another lost blade.  At least it wasn't something stupid.

I know that the stupidity will continue with the LT35.  First stupid thing here was trying to figure out how to get the hitch off the ball.  On my trailers I have a jack to lift it off.  Took me a few minutes to realize to put the head on the other end with the jacks a couple inches off the ground and watch it lift off on its own.  

[DocGP]

I found another way to trip the breaker quickly the other day.  Used my log turner to help hold a BIG on in place and, yep, hit the claw with the debarker.  Scared the pee-wattle out of me!!   :D :D :D

Maybe I should have put this in the "I did something stupid today" thread.

Oh yeah, great saw!!  Love mine.

Doc

[Resonator]

I know that the stupidity will continue with the LT35.  First stupid thing here was trying to figure out how to get the hitch off the ball.  On my trailers I have a jack to lift it off.  Took me a few minutes to realize to put the head on the other end with the jacks a couple inches off the ground and watch it lift off on its own.  

I added a hand crank trailer jack to the front of my LT 28, one of the best things I did for my mill. Not only is hitching an unhitching no longer a problem, but it works great to level the mill end to end.

[SawyerTed]

To lift the tongue for hitching and unhitching, I use the outrigger closest to the forward log lift arm.  It worked with the LT35 and works with the FAOs on the LT50.  Works best with the head on the travel pin. 

That outrigger gives better vertical travel of the hitch coupler than the one on the tongue.  I  had situations early on where the outrigger on the tongue would not lower the tongue enough to hitch.  A plus is it is most accessible and on the driver's side. 

[Southside]

Moving the head to the rear and then un hooking the hitch has resulted in a couple of sawyers being painted by fighter jets when it suddenly appeared that a howitzer was deployed, armed, and ready to fire, in a remote location without proper clearance.   :D  If you go that route put down the rear outrigger leaving it just a couple of inches off the ground to prevent being fired on.

On a positive note if you are into mapping stars and such, assuming you survive the sudden catapult launch off the tongue, you will have a great start to creating your very own sundial.  

Of course this is all just things I have heard, never done it myself or anything.   ;D

[ladylake]

"Now let us know....."  Stupid things will happen!!!!

OK, here's a little catching up from the HM126:
Hit log stops: something like 8 times.  Two of those times were with brand new blades.
Hit log clamp: One time.
Started cutting without tensioning the blade:  Blade came off and was all bent up.  This of course was a new blade.
Hit 1/4" eye bolt in the log.  Another lost blade.  At least it wasn't something stupid.

I know that the stupidity will continue with the LT35.  First stupid thing here was trying to figure out how to get the hitch off the ball.  On my trailers I have a jack to lift it off.  Took me a few minutes to realize to put the head on the other end with the jacks a couple inches off the ground and watch it lift off on its own.  

Be careful the mill doesn't roll ahead when you do that or your tailgate won't like it. Steve

[slider]

This is a good thread ,i have done it all and my de-barker is still tripping .

[SawyerTed]

Here's an image of my optional diesel lube tank on my LT35. It was a supplement to the water/dish detergent lube. 

I plumbed a second lube line to the blade parallel to the main line.  Pressing the sprayer button would give a quick shot of diesel when I was sawing sappy wood. 


 

[DanMc]

That diesel lube shot looks like a good idea.  

I sold the lumber from that first log to the carpenter doing work on the house here in NH.  NICE!!!!!

On the topic of stupid, my accomplishment yesterday:  Before starting my first cut on the cant left on the mill overnight, I brought the blade forward and wanted to get the SimpleSet ready to cut 1" boards.  As I lowered the blade down I was puzzled at how there was a pretty dramatic angle between the blade and the top of the cant.  I didn't take the cant off or make any adjustments since that last cut the prior day.  Very weird.  So I figured I'd run the blade down the length to see if it was like that the whole way down.  As the head moved along, it stopped moving forward.  Well that's more weird.  Then it wouldn't back up either.  I checked the track for wood debris getting in the way, nothing.  So I gave it a good push, and then TWANG!  The blade tensioner lever was hanging down and hitting the bed, and it just popped off whatever it was hitting.  I had feared that I bent it, but thanks to WM, it appears to be made out of some pretty strong steel and did not bend.  But I have a scratch in the knob.  I left my first mark on the new mill.  

The debarker breaker tripped again.  I'm glad that I left the cover off.  I think I'm going to work out some kind of little linkage so I can pull or push a little tab of some kind to reset that breaker while the cover is on.  Maybe once the debarker blade dulls a little, it won't bite in so much.  It's all part of the learning curve.

[Dan_Shade]

Does the debarker throw chips towards the hitch end of the mill or away from the hitch? 

[WV Sawmiller]

Mine throws them away - away from the sawyer. I warn my helpers to stay clear accordingly.

[DR Buck]

Does the debarker throw chips towards the hitch end of the mill or away from the hitch?

It depends on the debarker.   The debarker on my 1st mill threw toward the hitch.  But my 2nd mill with the wide head threw away.    That bothered me because it made it unsafe for customers that were helping.   At the time Wood Mizer offered me a mod that reversed the direction of the debarker.   You had to reverse the power leads to make the motor go the other way, but the spindle had to be changed also so the nut was reversed and would not come loose during operation. 

[Dan_Shade]

Do all of the mills throw chips away from the tongue now? 

Mine throws chips at the tongue, and if you hit lump in the log, it will swing out away from the mill. 

I've rarely popped the debarker breaker. 

[MattM]

Either I have a faulty debarker breaker or everyone else has a wiring issue causing excessive amp draw. In the past couple of months I've milled about 25k bdft and I've never tripped my LT35hd's breaker. Ive stopped the motor hitting knots and the end of the log from time to time and I just swing it out an inch and it starts spinning again.... Maybe I should book an ampmeter up to it to see if it's pulling more than it's supposed to when it stops :P

[WV Sawmiller]

  There's only 2 wires going to the motor. If you reverse them does it reverse the direction of the spin on the blade?

    If it's spinning towards you looks like it would be digging in and more likely to bind.

[MattM]

What I meant by wiring issues is bad connections causing resistance in the circuit which would cause more power to be pulled in order to power the motor.

[Magicman]

Sorry MattM but your description above does not follow Ohm's Law.  Resistance in the circuit would cause less current flow.

[DanMc]

I'm reluctant to mention this, for fear of turning this thread into a parallel stupid things, but I hope I can remind people of what's common on this machine.  

Yesterday I changed the blade - and we all know that this is when thing go wrong.   Anyway, on the second cut with the new blade, I started the cut and then noticed that the log stops were too high.  So that's not stupid - noticing that they were too high cancels out the stupid of starting the cut with them too high.  But I was past the copper strip (now that IS stupid).  The wood was closing the kerf left by the blade, making it impossible to back up.  I didn't have a wedge or any tool to open up
It up.  Anyway, I ended up pulling the blade off the wheels.  Thankfully, it didn't bend up the blade or scratch up the inside of the covers.  

Stuff did go wrong, but a lot went right.  I milled out 200 bd feet of  1x6x8 to be made into shiplap siding, about 9 1x12x12' oak boards.  And a bunch of stuff milled up at a friend's place.   

[MattM]

That's my bad MM, what I meant to type was bad wiring causing voltage drop...not resistance.

@DanMc you should definitely have a wedge (or 5) in your milling kit as well as something to smack it into the log. It'll save you a ton of time in alot of different situations, especially when you need to back the head up to avoid hitting something or because the log is to wide. I used to buy the plastic chainsaw wedges but now as they all wear out (from chainsaw contact : P) I replace them with homemade oak one 6 and 8 inchs long and 1inch thick.

[DanMc]

@MattM: I know.   I need a few accessories.  I had a wedge up at the house, but that's 1/3rd of a mile away.  A mill shed would also be nice.   All in good time.