head shake

[logman 219]

how do you control head shake when sawing ??what is the cause of it???

[SawyerTed]

Can you give a little more info?   What mill?  Timing in the sawing when the shake happens?  Is the shake new?  

[Magicman]

This is a good reason to add your sawmill and even your location to your profile so that questions can be answered. 

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah, you need to give us a lot more details if you want some good answers otherwise we will be guessing util the cows come home. What wood, what mill, and what blade? Those would be the startup questions.
 Just or fun, I'll take a guess and say you are using a 4 post manual mill, with 10° blades and the wood is maple. How close did I get?

[Magicman]

I went through 46 replies and found where logman 219 has a BMST50 sharpener/setter, so I am thinking a bit larger than an entry level sawmill. 

Still need to know before answering. 

[Cedarman]

the time it was worst for me was resawing Brazilian King Wood with a blade that had too much set and too much tooth angle.  Man did it shake when going down the cant.

[SawyerTed]

If the head on my Woodmizer LT 50 is shaking other than initial engagement of the blade, something isn't right.  It's time to shutdown and figure it out.  The shake form engaging the blade is momentary and settles before the blade enters the cut.  

[logman 219]

norwood 2000 mill , riper 37 blades , 10* hard wood  logs 16" to 28" dia !!! shake only i in short spots!

[Old Greenhorn]

So my guesses were pretty close. Assuming you have no alignment issues and all else is to spec, then I would switch to 4° blades and I bet your issue disappears.
Best of luck, let us know how it goes.

[logman 219]

what does 4* blades have to do with it??? my cbn wheel is 10* , don't really want to buy  another wheel!!

[Old Greenhorn]

It has a LOT to do with it, along with the HP of your mill and the rigidity of the construction. A 10° blade is fairly aggressive in grabbing a good chip, this puts the load back through the head and translates into shake as the blade grips and releases. With a 4° blade you reduce this 'grab' for a big chip and there is less load going back into the system.
 I had the 'shake issue' really bad on my mill, trying everything to fix it, but since switching to 4° blades it is completely gone in all types of wood. You may have another cause and effect, but all I know is what worked for me.

[Magicman]

I have never even seen a Norwood 2000, so I can not address any possible sawmill issues, but common questions are; Possible belt slipping under load?  Do you have blade guide rollers or pads? 

Your shaking question still lacks any supporting information that could lead to any diagnosis, i.e.:  Has the sawmill sawed without shaking or is this something new?  Does it shake with any/all log species?  Does it shake with a new blade vs resharps?  It there any sawdust buildup on the blade, drive belt, or under any belts?

[Old Greenhorn]

Lynn, that mill is a fairly classic 4 post design manual mill but has the saw head just out in front of the posts. It is a robust and pretty dang stiff design and I think 13 HP was standard on it. Not made since 2010 but a good mill with many FF users I have seen over time. It's a stronger mill than my HudSon. But the low HP and the 4 post design just make the physics be what they are. I know I suffered a long time until I switched blades and life just got SO good for me, it was like a new mill. It did take me a while to finally come around too.

[Nebraska]

Similar to the  experience I had with my Ez Jr mill 13 hp. 4 degree blades improved cut quality immensely.  I kept with mostly all 4 degree when I bought the bigger mill as well. 

[ladylake]

I've been running 4 degree for over 20 years , they work better.   Steve

[Magicman]

Lynn, that mill is a fairly classic 4 post design manual mill

Tom, I am and have not given any advice nor suggestions.  Just asking questions.  ??