sharpener question - blade sliding backwards

[Dan_Shade]

I just picked up a used woodmizer sharpener.  Every now and then, when the forward arm pusher thingy is going back to catch the next tooth, the blade will slide back towards it a little bit, which makes the grinder take off too much metal, and ultimately messes up the tooth height, etc...

anybody know whats wrong?  am I missing a piece or anything?  I don't have a positive stop to hold the tooth in place, though I don't think it would be too hard to add one. 

[Tom]

When mine does that, it is because foreign material has gotten into the clamp and the clamp can't hold the blade.   

The first order of business I would suggest is to take the clamp off and clean it real good.

You may also find that the blade supports are applying pressure to the blade in a binding fashion and adjustment of them might help.

The advancing arm shouldn't be encountering much/any resistance in moving the blade. 

[Dan_Shade]

how tight should the clamp be?

I gots no manual, so i'm figuring this out the old fashioned way (asking somebody).

[Tom]

Tight enough that the blade can't be pushed through it either way when it is closed.  I don't know how many pounds of pressure that is, but, tight.   If the clamp is clean, it'll probably be tight enough.

Most of wear of the clamp would be where the bottom of the blade rides and that wouldn't inhibit clamping pressure.   You'll probably never see that be bad enough to bother you anyway.

[Dan_Shade]

thanks Tom, I was hoping you'd be online, back to the rarity of me doing something worthwhile....

(and avoiding giving my stinky dog a bath.)

[Bro. Noble]

I get a buildupbetween the jaws of the clamp.  Just as soon as the blade starts slipping back I take it apart snd clean it with an old file.  I also use an old chainsaw file to clean the holes where the guide pinsfit through.  I guess if a guy was really smart,  he would clean the DanG thang just before the blade started slipping :D

[Tom]

Ya don't fix what ain't broke, Noble.  :D

[Dan_Shade]

I took a wire brush, and cleaned her up right pretty.  worked like a charm.

I wasn't using the clamp properly, i got that all figured out, did a few bands on it.

another question, though:

how do you set the feed thingy, and how deep the stone goes?

do you set the feed thingy in a sweet spot and leave it there forever?

do you gradually lower the stone down over time?

I need to call woodmizer too, the magnetic shutoff switch is broken.

[Tom]

The depth knob on the top of the sharpener (above the stone) hasn't been used since woodmizer quit making flat gulleted bands.    The advance rod has nuts on it that are used to lengthen and shorten it.  This causes it to leave the tooth in a place were the stone just barely kisses the face when it drops.

The knob under the cam controls the depth of cut.  If the cam fits the blade, you want to kiss the face, round the transition area, clean the gullet and ride up the back of the next tooth where the bulk of the sharpening is done.

The shape of the stone that you created, along with the cam make the blade be the shape it is to be.


Unless you have a regimen and all of your bands are worn alike, you will be making these adjustments on every band.   It doesn't take long.

[Dan_Shade]

I have 20 bands or so

i ran 3 or 4 through it this evening, just kind of tinkering around.  I'll try to remember to call woodmizer tomorrow about getting a replacement switch, and seeing if they can send me a manual.

i'll get the hang of it, it ain't rocket science (though how the wood chip rides its way out in the gullet may be)