Sawmill recalls?

[Macgyver]

Hey Everyone...again
I'm wondering if anyone's ever had a recall on a sawmill?  I've got a small manual bandmill, and have a few issues with it that have been covered under warranty (up until a recent one that I'm not thrilled about).  Any time I call in about an issue though, it's like they've known about it all along, and they'll usually comment that the problem is not unusual.  I'd rather not call the mill out by name because it's one of our sponsers, and for the most part they've been great to deal with and have some great products.   I'm just wondering if anyone's had a manufacturer admit their mistakes before an issue arises, and act accordingly.

On a side note, are there any discussions out there listing known issues to watch out for on mills?  Example: Had I known the screw that holds in my ceramic guide comes loose and the guide can fall out on occasion, I probably would've added that to my list of things to check. 

[homesteader shane]

One day I had a phone call form Norwood and they told me about a mistake in the manual with the  throttle cable. They told me over the phone how to reroute it the way it should have been done and it worked good
If a company has a problem with a product they're selling they should notify the customer buying it and make it right. I have GREAT RESPECT for companies that do this

[Cypressstump]

I think my mill should have a recall on it,,, it keeps spitting sawdust out on one end....

You make a good point. I deal with outboard motors alot,(personal use) The manufactors will often send out service bulletins on issues, and sometimes actually send the bulletins out BEFORE the things noted fails.

[MotorSeven]

I wouldn't worry about naming names as long as it is constructive criticism. Stuff fails and hopefully gets redesigned all the time. I bet everyone of us here has a small beef about one part or another on every brand made. I see a lot of posts suggesting fix's or changes and having the Mfg's here on the forum is a huge asset. I know they read all of our whining, may or may not comment here, but I bet they discuss it between themselves. It just gets everyone thinking and that's the first step to solving anything.

[Ianab]

Sawmills by their very nature have parts that wear out, or break, even if it's not a manufacturing fault.

It's annoying when it happens, especially if the mill is new.

What sets a good manufacturer apart isn't that their mills never break down, it's that they have the expertise and parts on hand to help you get it running again. If it's new mill, then at no cost. If it's out of warranty, then at a reasonable cost.

You can be very sure that the guys with high capacity automated mills that have cut millions of bd ft have done a lot of service on those mills over the years, replaced quite a number of parts, and know the machines pretty well by now.

I'd be VERY wary of any manufacturer that said their machines never break down. The one thing that says is they have no idea how to fix them, WHEN they do.

Ian

[bandmiller2]

Recalls admit a problem and most manufacturers don't want to do that they will qiuetly take care of complaints hopeing it will go away,and they won't have to modify all the machines in the field.Automotive recalls cost them  but relieve them of alot of liability.In outher words their worried someone will get hurt and litigate. Frank C.

[customsawyer]

I have received a few parts from WM and they would say that this part is not up to there standard and I need to replace it with this free part. This has happened on different mills. If the company is doing there best to make it right than there is no need for a bad rap. If it is the other way around then the rest of us would like some warning.   

[MartyParsons]

Wood-Mizer has been in business for 30 years and there have been safety recalls. I have access to a data base that has them all listed. WM has been proactive on safety and improvements and modifications to models through out the years. Even though I am not an employee of WM, we keep in touch with our customers in our area and report any issue and it gets resolved. I can fill out a report in a data base and it gets top attention.
Hope this helps!
Marty

[hamish]

Well its the foresty form and any mention with disrespect to any of the sponsors mills is dealt with a severe blow, so yes you are better off keeping quiet, so much or an open forum!

faults you have found or encounterd , till such time as you state them are not worthy off a recall or are just regular wear and tear items.

Is it your doing or the manufacures.....its a fine line, what are the pros of the mill?

[Brucer]

I received two recall notices from Wood-Mizer on my 2006 LT40 hydraulic.

One was in regard to a wiring mistake, where a wire had been connected to the wrong terminal inside the control panel. The notice was for a specific range of serial numbers so it looks like Wood-Mizer had identified the problem and exactly when it had occurred. The mis-connection didn't effect the operation of the mill but I figured out that there was a potential for it to burn out part of the speed control board under certain conditions. That was a simple fix.

The other was in regard to the drive pulley on the motor being too far out on the shaft on some machines sold in  2006. This would have put excessive bending stresses on the motor crankshaft and could have caused the shaft to fail. It turns out that mine was installed correctly.

In both cases there were very clear instructions on how to check for the problems and how to correct them.

[hackberry jake]

Well its the foresty form and any mention with disrespect to any of the sponsors mills is dealt with a severe blow, so yes you are better off keeping quiet, so much or an open forum!

I disagree. I have seen derogatory posts about a few of the sponsors products, and nothing was said by moderators. If you are being disrespectful, they will warn you about it. Everybody with a mill has been mad at it at some point. People vent. I can see where the forum wouldn't want people talking smack about the companys that fund this site, but I can also understand, just because you fund the forum doesn't mean everybody has to keep their mouth shut about problems with the machine. I stated my biggest gripe about my mill was that the extensions don't bolt to each other, just the mill. My mill was made by a sponsor and I didn't hear anything from "behind the scenes". I was just venting and warning future buyers about that issue. I wish somebody had warned me. On boardwalks behalf, they did offer to trade my two five foot extensions for a teen footer free of charge.

[Migal]

wee  8) 8) 8) I like teen footers too!!! longer then 8 but still removable by hand  :D

[medic]

You don't want a 'teen footer'.  I have one and they're too expensive to feed 

[Jeff]

Well its the foresty form and any mention with disrespect to any of the sponsors mills is dealt with a severe blow, so yes you are better off keeping quiet, so much or an open forum!

faults you have found or encounterd , till such time as you state them are not worthy off a recall or are just regular wear and tear items.

Is it your doing or the manufacures.....its a fine line, what are the pros of the mill?

In a way you are right. If you treat a sponsor with disrespect as you mention, you will be warned or worse. If you are asking for help with a problem respectfully, well that is what we are here for. We've also stepped forward and taken care of business when a non-sponsor is disrespected by someone coming on simply to rant and complain.

With that being said, disrespecting the Forestry Forum, which is disrespecting its members administrators moderators and me, will get you some undesired attention as well, so I suggest you tread a bit lighter  with your slanted remarks.