Lubemizer worth it?

[moandrich]

As our mill gets closer to delivery we are second guessing wether we should add a lubemizer. We kept it off originally we the thought that it would be another thing that could break. Anyone out there have thoughts on this?  Also can you use your own fluid mix?

Thanks 

[Old Greenhorn]

Hard to tell from your previous posts, but what mill are you buying and how are you using it? LT40?
I run a manual mill with a drip feed and recently began running an LT50 with a lubemizer in more of a production environment. I find a couple of things, first: your lube tank life will be longer because it is only on during forward cuts and shuts off all other times. Second: the flow rate adjustments work much better than a drip system for various milling conditions and log species. Third, having the pulse verses flood is very handy. I run pulse almost all the time at varying pulse rates, but can switch to flood for a board or two if the blade starts loading up. Forth: you get the opportunity to really tweak in your settings on longer run jobs and maximize your output. Fifth: and this is just my feeling, I believe having the controlled but forced fluid keeps the nozzles cleaner, but I clean them off with at least every blade change, it's just a habit.
Yes, you can change out your recipe for fluid as you like. The lube is another part of your cutting formula, so having it controllable and repeatable are always helpful. IMHO.
Good luck.

[Southside]

The only downside is that you need to freeze proof the system at the end of the day if you are running a lube that will freeze.  It's not a big deal at all, just needs to be done.  Otherwise I would not want to be without it, for all the reasons OG explained above.  The pressurized component of it and the fact both sides of the blade are cleaned make a tremendous difference by itself.  

[Magicman]

No, money wise it is not worth it but I added a LubeMizer to my sawmill within the first year that I sawed with no regrets and it has now been faithfully squirting for 20 years.  Convenience has value.

I use a "Winter" mix in the Winter and also purge the system with -20 windshield wiper fluid at the end of each sawing day.  I use ~2oz. of Cascade or cotton picker spindle lube per gallon of water as my mix and as stated, add windshield wiper fluid to my mix in the Winter.

[Dan_Shade]

I added one to my LT-40 several years ago, I like it.

Buy once, cry once.... 

[YellowHammer]

Yes, get it.  

[stanmillnc]

Is it a DIY job to add the Lubemizer system, or does it a require a WM service tech? I've got a LT40.

[YellowHammer]

I upgraded my LT40 from drip to Lubemizer.  Pretty plug and play, even the wires are in place, they are just tucked away not used.  There is a little box that gets mounted to the left side with a knob to control the amount of spray. 

Unlike the drip system the lubemizer forcibly sprays onto both the top and bottom of the band instead of just dripping onto the top and bouncing off.  

[trimguy]

Does the lubemizer cut down on the width that you can saw ?

[Magicman]

Mine does not reduce the cutting width.

Wood-Mizer will check your sawmill's issue number and verify whether it is wired and plug-n-play.  All of the wiring on mine was tucked inside of the wire bundles.  Everything was straightforward and it was a relatively simple installation.

[barbender]

You fellas that upgraded, do you use less lube with the upgrade? I was wondering if it would use less due to spraying it directly where needed, instead of bouncing off as mentioned with the drip system.

[Southside]

BB my 35 has the drip system and obviously cuts slower than the 70, it probably uses three times as much lube in a day. 

[Magicman]

I was constantly emptying my jug in a day's sawing with the drip even with the auto-shutoff solenoid.  Now with the LubeMizer, I seldom use even ½ jug and most times ~3+ day before refilling.

As I mentioned previously, the Lube-Mizer is not necessarily an economical upgrade, but for me more of a convenience.  Sorta like the Auto-Clutch.

[YellowHammer]

The Lubemizer significantly reduces the amount used.  It also lets me fine tune how much I use for different species.  The drip system just kind of splatters where it wants.  The Lubemizer has two nozzles, top and bottom that spray a wide fan from the from of the band to the rear.  This keeps the teeth clean and just as importantly, lubricates the back of the band so during heavy cuts when the band is running against the guide wheel shoulder, it's lubricated contact, not metal on metal.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I've had it on both of my mills  for 20 years, am nervous about going out without it.  Hickory, Ash, sometimes Pine, heart Pine Beams, White Oak, some  others leave buildup on the blade, which can affect sawing, as I have experienced on occasion when the nozzles get clogged. Heart pine build up situation would shut me down on those jobs or have me scraping the blade with a utility knife or using diesel in a squirt bottle.

I think everyone works through his or her own formula for the lube mixture. In the last year or so I have been using John Deere AN 114022 crop cleaner, about 10 ounces per 5 gallons, this white milky suspension keeps the blades slippery and clean with all the woods I have been cutting. It was a special order from the Plainfield John Deere dealer. No cotton around here in our state.

That's another benefit of having a clean blade- you don't have to clean them when you go to sharpen.

I dont regard lube-mizer as a complicated to maintain option.