# Still having problems



## FJH (Jul 17, 2007)

WELL ,I thought i had it all under control but somthing is still amiss here I started out with a new blade to day Did four nice cuts 2 slab cuts one 2 inch slab cut fliped the log 2 more of the same Got my cant almost to size and so I though I d start making boards got about 6 ft in and noticed the blade roller had stoped on the adjustment side and went around to look and sure enough it had pulled down a 1/4 inch Looks like I'm back to fighting this thing Have you had band rollers cause problems like this?The roollers look fine and feel fine ,I checked the blade for square and straight away its all as it was when I talked to you last The log is dead clean I packed it from the stump to the mill so I highly doubt I hit anything! and the band is too new to be having crowning problems I have speed the wheels up sum since we last talked should be running approx 5000 bfpm 850 
on 23.75 wheels !I just cant fathum what could cause it to cut great one minute then start diving other than hitting a nail or somthing!I'm not sure of the hours on the rollers but it was a thought.

Any ideas???


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## scottr (Jul 17, 2007)

Fred , maybe a warm band streched and the tension changed or maybe some wavy grain around a knot . Is the band still sharp and what kind of wood are you cutting ?


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## FJH (Jul 18, 2007)

Sharpe as a tack I was working it pretty hard but nothing unusual i'm cutting douglas fir!
the last log off this tree went fine!i'm at the 18 inch portion right now !The butt end was a tough go but they always are ,I swear it has to do with somthing on the mill when this last dive started i stoped backed the mill out of the cut and checked it for straight away as Tim calls it, It was perfect! Tension could be the issue but Ive been setting the saw as I always have tighten till the spring is colapsed and back off 1/4 turn.Question If You have a consistantly diveing blade and you suspected it was a tention problem would you tighten or loosen the blade???IT seems to happen worse on the adjustable side of the roller guides the other thing Ive noticed is the adjustable side roller does not turn as fast as the driven side like theres not enough down preasure Its always been like this thou.Tim offers a lower control jaw for these rollers and Im really thinking serious about one of these for the adjustable side roller .This is driving me NUTS!


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## gene1605 (Jul 18, 2007)

*bandsaw problems*

FJH I have built and adjusted many bandsaw mills, If I could see your mill I know that I could help,But I'm in Alaska. I will try and help anyway.
If I remember right your mill uses aluminum wheels if the wheels have become polished and as the blade starts to dull the extra drag may cause the band to slip. A slow speed band will dive sooner than than a fast one.
I suggest you get A new band , have it set and sharpened and put it on,when the band that you are using fails.
I would like to know the length and width of your bands, also you stated that the adjustable guide wheel sometimes turns slow, if the bearing is good and if the band is not diving I believe the guides should be set lower, they should be at least 1/2 in below the bottom of the wheels, with your 24 in wheels I would try3/4 or 1 in. I know the blade company's wont agree but you can sometime lower the guide bearing and run less band tension and get better band-life and overall performance. Another thing if you are bottoming out your band tension spring then backing off 1/4 turn your spring may be over stressed and losing tension


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## mountainlake (Jul 18, 2007)

Gene Do you think 1/2 or 3/4" down pressure is hard on the blades, too sharp of a bend around the guide rollers? I've been running way more down pressure (a little more than 1/4") than the factory recommends, but have been scared to go much farther. Sure cuts a lot straighter with more down pressure. Fred, if your guide wheels aren't spinning full speed it sure sounds like not enough down pressure. Steve


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## FJH (Jul 18, 2007)

> I believe the guides should be set lower, they should be at least 1/2 in below the bottom of the wheels, with your 24 in wheels I would try3/4 or 1 in. I know the blade company's wont agree but you can sometime lower the guide bearing <Tim sugested 1/4 was max But you know I have yet to break a band I don't push the band that hard I can see how much preasure I'm puting into the wood by watching the peasure gauge on the flow valve I also can feel how much preasure i'm putting into the hand crank to move the head rig!I have observed that the preasure starts at say 250 - 400 psi to just turn the wheels it takes 300 psi or so to cut wood 1000 psi or above your pushing too hard! You can see the band pulling down bt can rarely see it on the blade,Somthing else I have noticed Is the ADJ roller tends to load and pack with saw dust for some reason possibly cause its not turning fast enough??? The worst part of this whole thing is It all worked before!!!! Now its not working Why??? The polish on the wheels is a possible but they don,t apear to be making a line on the edge at the back that would be there if it were slipping I can pop the releif valve if I want with out the wheels sliping!


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## gene1605 (Jul 18, 2007)

*blades*

FJH 
Increase your band tension if you start breaking blades back off a little, a tight dull blade will cut straight longer . When you are haveing this kind of problem dont trust new blades, have them set and sharpened first.
On the adjusting band guide when it is adjusted in for small logs you have very little downforce .
Mountain you are wright more dawn force cuts straighter If your not breaking blades you can lower the guides more , but keep in mind the distance between the contactpoint of the band on the band wheel and the guide should be considered, eyeball the cureiture of the band as it goes around the guide bearing it should be no less than a 8 in radious.


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## FJH (Jul 18, 2007)

Gene My consern with tighening the band to tight Lies here in the fact if the wheels arn't true I have the huge draglink spring in there for that reason and I also tension the way I have done also for that reason ,Tight and back off 1/4 - 1/2 turn, Realize also that this dam thing worked before I milled a fair jag of wood and now I'm having greif new or resharpe blades Why?I have tryed tightening made no diffrence .I also think you may be right about the set and sharpen thing new or not I may try having a new blade set at least checked.I know the blades are sharpe but don't know about there set or flatness!!! I'm toying with the idea of sending the blades back to the place of origin and have them give me an answer. heres a little advice from Tim cook
Bare in mind he is adimit on his band roller as a cure all and that he may or may not be correct He is a very smart and experianced person BUT the only way for me to find out is to spend 1000 bucks I don't have and if he is wrong O WELL!I'm out 1000 bucks and no further ahead!I'd love to have one but Unless I know its going to solve the problem I can't afford That pricey of an experiment at this point!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fred,
When I see a blade dive , I grab my straight edge, (staight edge razor for a box cutter works good) and check the flatness of the blade. 

If I were to predict what you will see on this blade. I would predict the the blade will have a hump (high in the center by .001 to .003) on the slab side and a very light dish on the log side. this will make the blade dive as you have described.

A diving blade is not the fault of the roller guide, unless qualified by a comment written below. The guide will stop turning when it dives.

This is why I try to promote the band roller. If you had a band roller you could adjust the blade in about 5 minutes and be right back sawing.

There are a couple of things that can make a flat blade change quickly. 1 is bandwheels out of round. #2 is roller guides with flat spots which makes it out of round . The roller guide is spinning 8000 + rpms and a flat spot is like a hammer which expands the micro-surface and cause the blade to raise a hump at a rapid pace. A hump in the blade of any amount will cause a blade to drift down as described.

Also there are times that the band looks flat and is shipped to the customer and will saw a short time and then need rolling, and afterwards will cut for 2 to 4 hrs very well. I have dealt with all types of bands and steels and there are no bands available that are exempt from the problems you have described. The solution that puts you in control is to have a bandsaw roller so you may correct the flattness immeadiately when needed.

There could be 1 more problem: the bandwheels could be tilted too far forward at the top. I would not consider this untill I could verify the flatness of the blade.

I know this sounds finicky but it is the truth of the matter. I have seen machines that make the blade change quickly and I have seen machines that did not make the blade change very fast. Regardless every machine causes the blade to eventually become a diver. If a person intends to consistantly saw accurate he must have a band roller. I have proved this 1000 nds of times.

I can assure you that when a blade is sharp, Set , flat , guided straight away, and the wheels aligned vertically correct. it will saw straight away. 

I can assure you that if one of these things are wrong that the blade will not cut straight

Hope this helps

Tim


The band roller ad

Blade Roller 
This is simply a piece of equipment that will change your sawmill operation! Quit dealing with the headaches that come with diving or rising bands. 
With the Cook’s Band Roller you can change the curvature of the band blade body to fix any problem you are having associated with blades. These problems can’t be fixed by changing hook angle or tooth set; they can only be changed by manipulating the body of the blade! Take a diving blade and change the hook angle and you still have a diving blade, take a diving blade and change the tooth set and you will still have a diving blade. Take the same blade and run it through our band roller and you can turn it into a straight cutting blade or if you wanted to you could turn that blade into a riser! It’s all in the body.

Sawmillers nation wide are experiencing the benefits! 



Cook's Band Roller Only$895.00 $850.00 



Online Special http://www.cookssaw.com/shop/ On the left scrolie look for blade roller

Larger picture 
75.00lbs
Tim,

I want to brag on you for awhile. We got our band roller yesterday and we ran some bands that would not saw and now they saw like new. The band roller will really save us money on bands we had to discard.

Thank-you & God Bless, 

Bruce and Betty Kemp


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## FJH (Jul 22, 2007)

Gene After talking with Tim some more ,He mentioned that they mount there wheels intentionaly hi on the adjustable side to address the wider throat area of the saw ! (I did not do this) When you built mills did you allow for this?In the mean time I will lower the guides some as you have suggested and see if this helps I,m at 1/4 I will drop too 3/8 or 1/2 and see if the situation improoves!Thanx for your input!I have 6 blades at the fuss and sharpen shop now and 6 more ready for it And 5 new 1 1/2 -1 inch pitch bands that I would like to try on here Im hoping the 1 inch gulet will provide for more saw dust room than the 7/8. we'll see!Also In the statment above what exsactly do you meen by this > eyeball the cureiture of the band as it goes around the guide bearing it should be no less than a 8 in radious.< The bands Are 16 '- 6" inches long by 1 1/2

Heres some pictures of both of my mills the chain and the band mills!
http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/viewshow/7685528731-1172719178-38857/preview/page/

Thanx agian guys!


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## gene1605 (Jul 22, 2007)

FJH
I know how it feels to have a mechanical problem that you cant solve, I feel for you. You are probably going past the real problem looking for something complicated, slowdown and back up a little.
Put sharp blade on your mill , Cut with it , when it starts to dive, stop, back up to where the cut is straight, then saw very slow, if it cuts straight, stop and add tension to the blade, then saw at normal speed. Its best to start with a new blade that has been set and sharpened.
Make sure that your band wheels are clean and use very little oil on the band.
I would like to know the engine size, the band speed, the hours or board feet you have got in the past per sharpen'ing , and how long one band would last, did they break or just run out of set.
If your mill has ran well in the past and your blade life has been acceptable, then there is no need to change to change the guide placement. If you have been cupping the blades , you may think about lowering the guides and running Les band tenson. Let me know.
Gene
ps check the bands with a straight edge for cupping


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## FJH (Jul 22, 2007)

gene1605 said:


> FJH
> I know how it feels to have a mechanical problem that you cant solve, I feel for you. You are probably going past the real problem looking for something complicated, slowdown and back up a little.
> Put sharp blade on your mill , Cut with it , when it starts to dive, stop, back up to where the cut is straight, then saw very slow, if it cuts straight, stop and add tension to the blade, then saw at normal speed. Its best to start with a new blade that has been set and sharpened.
> Make sure that your band wheels are clean and use very little oil on the band.
> ...



---------------------------------------------------------------------------Gene 

Done these things so far!On this last dive insodent,Tring to follow logic here but SUMTIMES MAN I just don't I don't know?
I missed out on 2 low bed decks cause of this so far ,ticks me off, I don't dare try to cut anything big right now!

>Put sharp blade on your mill , Cut with it , when it starts to dive, stop, back up to where the cut is straight, then saw very slow, ->Did that same results ! 

-Make sure that your band wheels are clean (Tis so) 
-and use very little oil on the band
I use water and a wipe of hydralic oil!
>I would like to know the engine size ->(40 hp! BUT remeber I'm using hydralics to turn it), the band speed,- aprox > (4800 to 5500 bfpm) ( Note the speed is infinatly adjustable to 6000 bfpm downward)
- the hours or board feet you have got in the past per sharpen'ing 
->Aprrox 3 hours per blade Cooks blade yeilded approx 5 hrs cutting
-and how long one band would last -> up to 4 sharpes on sum blades now, 
-did they break or just run out of set. 
->Dull or run out of set or hit metal of some sort out of stupidity or bad luck  Have never had a band break yet !!)
-ps check the bands with a straight edge for cupping ->Did this on the last dive insodent everything looked as it should! new blade out of the box!

Just a few other notes My band wheels are flat ,they have NO crown ! The blades do run against the back flange of the guide rollers on a constant basis And I do need to revamp the adjusting roller set up as the angle changes on the adjusting guide roller when it is repositioned so I have to change the guide roller angle when I move it to much!
That may or may not have any bearing on this issue right now as it all worked before ,There appears to be lttle or no wear that I can see on the wheels ,no ridge where the band runs anyway, there is however a little wear showing up on the leading edge of the drive wheel!I would like to at least have one of the wheels crowned some at some point to aleaviate having the roller guide wearing at the back of the blades .(Future endevors)


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## gene1605 (Jul 22, 2007)

FJH If the back of the band is pushing hard on guide bearing, with large logs or dull blades it starts to ride up on the bearing , adjust alignment of band wheels.
When you adjust the band wheels be careful not to over adjust one wheel and compensate by over adjusting the other
Gene
let me know how you do


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## FJH (Jul 22, 2007)

gene1605 said:


> FJH If the back of the band is pushing hard on guide bearing, with large logs or dull blades it starts to ride up on the bearing , adjust alignment of band wheels.
> When you adjust the band wheels be careful not to over adjust one wheel and compensate by over adjusting the other
> Gene
> let me know how you do



Gene

The band wheels have also been like this since the begining They are square to each other And the band is just barely rubbing the flanges its also done this since the day I put them on!The saw is set as I Tim explained in a previous post 1/16 to 1/8 lead on the top of the wheels with the band rollers squared to the deck!It cut one log fine like this, new log changed the band and having problems with the next band!OR the log or the mill????What the hell?works fine one time, not the next? I'm STUPID I guess!  

Fred


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## mountainlake (Jul 23, 2007)

Fred I just got a new box of Simmonds that cut like crap. The first one I put on wouldn't cut straight at all, put a old sharpened on on and it cut great in the same log. I olny had 2 old ones with so I had to use the new ones again (60 miles from home and a 11 hour job) The rest didn't cut as bad as the 1st one but not like they should, had to change often. I think they were just dull out of the box, I sharpened a couple the next day and they seemed to cut fine. I know Gene, sharpen the new ones but I've never had to in the past. Steve


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## FJH (Jul 24, 2007)

Bike Gene put me in touch with his saw guy!He thinks its the set out of the box to low for what I'm cutting!He put me in touch with sum hot shot sharpener dudes about an hour from me I'm carting one or two blades down there tommoro Including a new one and see what they got to say about em!
Mean while i got 6 blades at my resharpe guy I'm half thinking i'm going to have them check his job as well!

We'll see


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## FJH (Jul 25, 2007)

Well Gene is correct about the out of the box bands I did the trip to the saw guy!He Checked a couple of used bands condemed the one as the hook angle was toast and would be to much work to get it back into shape the other was just plain dull cut a nail with that one!The big news is the one in the box never seen the saw yet the set was every where from 21 to 25 thou 26 being perfect according to him having said that ,Genes guy said 28 is high spec He set it for me no charge and said to try it!I left the other three blades with him to set and the other to sharpen .
I also got my 6 resharpes back from my saw guy he said he set em at 30 :jawdrop: we'll see how that goes as he claimed know one else was having a problem (but in the next breath), but just finished setting somone elses blades at 30 a week or two back and the guy told him to keep doing it that way they worked fine !???????? If He wasn't having a problem why did he change to 30 for the other guy?
Anyway I have no idea if its all going to fix my problem till I try em tommoro, tommoro will tell the tail and if it works or dosent I'll keep ya informed!
One thing for sure don't assume new blades are perfectly set
It may be worth your while to set em before ya use em!

Thanx you guys!


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## FJH (Jul 27, 2007)

FJH said:


> Well Gene is correct about the out of the box bands I did the trip to the saw guy!He Checked a couple of used bands condemed the one as the hook angle was toast and would be to much work to get it back into shape the other was just plain dull cut a nail with that one!The big news is the one in the box never seen the saw yet the set was every where from 21 to 25 thou 26 being perfect according to him having said that ,Genes guy said 28 is high spec He set it for me no charge and said to try it!I left the other three blades with him to set and the other to sharpen .
> I also got my 6 resharpes back from my saw guy he said he set em at 30 :jawdrop: we'll see how that goes as he claimed know one else was having a problem (but in the next breath), but just finished setting somone elses blades at 30 a week or two back and the guy told him to keep doing it that way they worked fine !???????? If He wasn't having a problem why did he change to 30 for the other guy?
> Anyway I have no idea if its all going to fix my problem till I try em tommoro, tommoro will tell the tail and if it works or dosent I'll keep ya informed!
> One thing for sure don't assume new blades are perfectly set
> ...



So the cutting is back to normal again The new blade reset worked good have yet to try the resharpes at 30 thou but heeres for hopen! think we may have it!??? If not well :chainsawguy:


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## mountainlake (Aug 3, 2007)

Fred Are the resharps cutting good? Were the blades the cause of your problems from the beginning or was something else out of adjustment? Steve


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## FJH (Aug 3, 2007)

Steve I'll post when I use em!The blades were definatly a problem the set on the new blades were all over !The resharpes haven't been used yet !I'm taking one of these up to the action guys today to have him checked before I use em and see if My guy is doing what he says hes doing!I beleive he had a problem and wasn't admitting to it!The Action guys check their set gauge one a week I wonder if my guy is cheking his gauge!I'm gona get a gauge and start checking them my self!Trust noone I guess! ??


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## FJH (Aug 28, 2007)

FJH said:


> Steve I'll post when I use em!The blades were definatly a problem the set on the new blades were all over !The resharpes haven't been used yet !I'm taking one of these up to the action guys today to have him checked before I use em and see if My guy is doing what he says hes doing!I beleive he had a problem and wasn't admitting to it!The Action guys check their set gauge one a week I wonder if my guy is cheking his gauge!I'm gona get a gauge and start checking them my self!Trust noone I guess! ??



Sorry about taking so long to repost! been busy with other things!
Anyway I put the first of the resharpes on this weekend the resharpes are working great as well The old saw sharpener guy set them at what he thought was 30 thou I had em checked by the new sharpener guys they checked out at 33 thou never the less the high set makes a big difrence in the cutting!I'm cuting cedar at the moment which I find is easier than the doug fir to cut but the mill is working good!I've converted to straight hidralic oil instead of water on the blade and this also works OK I may cut it a bit with some diesel as I still get some sawdust build up on the wheels!
Thanx to you guys for your coments and ideas It really helps to talk things over with others when strugling with problems lke this!

Thank you again for all the help!


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## mountainlake (Aug 28, 2007)

Fred Nice to hear your problem is fixed. That last box I got were sure junk, first they didn't cut good so I sharpened them and they cut good but over half broke on the first sharpening. I think they were too brittle as the old ones I had weren't breaking left and right. I'm sending a couple back to see what the company thinks. It could be something on the mill but then the old ones worked fine. I'll be checking the mill over anyway. Steve


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## FJH (Aug 28, 2007)

Steve ! I WILL NOT use them from the box again with out checking the set period.I need to find a set checking device or make one! one exception would be MAYBE The cooks blades they even ask which direction the mill turns before they send em!They lasted me six hours on the first go!What brand were the blades that broke?How is your blade tensioned?By what device?Hydralic?


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## mountainlake (Aug 29, 2007)

Fred They are Simonds which I,ve been running for over 3 years with no problems untill this box. It could be something on the mill, I checked the v belts and the guides which looked good. Tension is a spring with a hyd gauge set at 1100# . I also measure the sping length at 1-7/8" when tight so thats the same. Jim at the Rice Blacksmith Shop told me if the front edge of the guide wheel protrudes past the front edge of the blade into the gullet that will cause the to break from the front which they were. When I got home I checked for that with a older blade that had been sharpened several times and the guide wheel front was past the front edge a little bit (that blade doesn't have any cracks and the mill was set the same with it on) so I'm thinking it's just a box that got over heat treated or something. These blades were maybe lasting 2 hours, 1 hour befor getting dull and another hour befor breaking. Steve


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## FJH (Aug 30, 2007)

mountainlake said:


> Fred They are Simonds which I,ve been running for over 3 years with no problems untill this box. It could be something on the mill, I checked the v belts and the guides which looked good. Tension is a spring with a hyd gauge set at 1100# . I also measure the sping length at 1-7/8" when tight so thats the same. Jim at the Rice Blacksmith Shop told me if the front edge of the guide wheel protrudes past the front edge of the blade into the gullet that will cause the to break from the front which they were. When I got home I checked for that with a older blade that had been sharpened several times and the guide wheel front was past the front edge a little bit (that blade doesn't have any cracks and the mill was set the same with it on) so I'm thinking it's just a box that got over heat treated or something. These blades were maybe lasting 2 hours, 1 hour befor getting dull and another hour befor breaking. Steve



Thanx Steve , I only have one simons blade I ordered 2 one was too short by 2 inches the other too long by 2 inches (you can see what happened here) I sent it back and havent heared from them other than they wanted to just add (weled in) the 2 inches they left out I told them to keep there blades .Having said that the blade works well holds its edge well but their sirvice sucks!Lenox service is great the blades are iffy wood miser blades are ok but don't seem to hold their edge as long, Cooks blades a great But for the oddball gulet profile!Don't know what to think!


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## mountainlake (Aug 30, 2007)

Fred I guess if I got one bad bunch in 3 years I won't quit buying Simond's. I get them from Rice Blacksmith Shop which is only 25 miles from me. They weld them up there ( I even got to watch a little) and charge $14.90 each in a box of 10. Now if I got another bad box it might be a different story. This morning I sawed 500bf with one old blade which didn't break. About the only thing different was I decreased the down pressure 1/8 of a inch, I don't think that mattered. Also yesterday I got my remote throttle control working good, that sure is sweet. Steve


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## FJH (Aug 31, 2007)

I wish I could get my blades that cheap ! I would pay 45.00 for a blade for my mill 16 ft 6 long!


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## mountainlake (Aug 31, 2007)

Fred I see you live in Canada where everything cost more. The blades I run are 12' 6" by 1-1/4 by 42 thousands. 7/8 spacing but I think I'm switching to 3/4 spacing. Steve


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## FJH (Aug 31, 2007)

I run 11/2 x 7/8 I got some 1 inch I'm going to try!
By the way
I just finished a ceder log with the resharpes and the 30 thou set does leave the wood a little more rough looking but an acceptable finish for fence material thats what i'm cutting it for.I'm real interested to see how the 1 inch does! The saw guys said they heared the 1 inch worked great its mainly because most guys are set up for 7/8, woodmiser and the lot mostly use and sell the 7/8 pitch and most guys are set up to sharpen 7/8.When you think on it a bit the 1 inch has more gullet area.


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## FJH (Sep 2, 2007)

*Found this Trouble shooting guide*

Steve! I found this trouble shooting guide on the suffolk site that may be of intrest to you, myself and others here.
you guys may of seen it before but these some interesting stuff diffrent sets for diffrent wood yada yada.

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/troubleshooting.asp

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/six_rules.asp


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## infomet (Sep 2, 2007)

How far are the guide rollers below the rims of the wheels? When they are barely below the rims, it is very easy to push the blade edge vertically. I have no iead of the "correct" spec, but I'd think it would be something like an inch. It's the upward force of the band on the roller that provides the friction to turn the roller AND the vertical force to oppose diving. I'm guessing your band dives more often than it climbs, because as soon as it starts to climb it meets the roller, generating resistance.

I don't own a mill, but have worked with a hired Woodmizer for many hours and never had a diving problem. The blade was solid up against the roller at all times and I could see the angle it made with the horizontal as it went around, thus the inch I suggested. Obviously you don't want to be too low, because the bend around the roller contributes to fatigue.


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## mountainlake (Sep 4, 2007)

Fred It looks like a lot of good info on those sites, thanks. Wilson, on my machine they only recomend 1/8" downforce but I run a little over 1/4" as it does cut straighter with more. I think 1" would be too sharp of a bend around the guide wheels. Steve


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## infomet (Sep 4, 2007)

Another thought:
How about skewing the carriage a bit, so the blade is not at 90 degrees to the cut direction? This would put a small component of the blade tension in the direction of the cut. When the blade is perpendicular, the tension force is perpendicular and does not help pull the blade forward, into the cut. I know this is a small effect, but who knows?

Do the manufacturers of mills give a spec for this angle, between blade axis and cut direction?


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## FJH (Sep 4, 2007)

Wilson I believe your speaking of pitch???? My pitch angle is 10 ( 
If you read thru some of that info It describes it and its effect on milling IE: lifting into the cut for six inches or so then straight.Item 2 in the trouble shooting guide below!I also had that symtom at one point That seems to have gone with the new highset aswell! 

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/troubleshooting.asp

It provides at least some insight to some of the problems!


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## infomet (Sep 4, 2007)

No, I'm not talking about the blade at all, but the angle made by the blade to the axis of the log. I'm thinking it's better not to have the blade at 90 deg to the log. That is, it might be better for the blade to start cutting on ons side of the log first, just as you would do when starting a cut across a board with a handsaw. The idea is to minimize the pushing of the blade into the cut by the flanges on the guide rollers, which I believe will tend to buckle the blade and allow it to twist a little and start the dive. Of course the twist could be upward too, causinig a climb. 

This is all theory on my part, of course, since I don't have a mill. I'm sure, however, that the geometry of the system is not great for pushing the blade into the cut. I think the idea of the hook angle is to make the tooth bite into the log and actually develop some force that pulls the band forward into the cut...each tooth pulling forward a little.

Is there any way you could put a few degrees offset on your blade? Any way to skew the wheels relative to the carriage? I just realized that you could do this experiment by clamping a log down at an angle to the dogs. Just put a spacer between the log and the dog on one end. Maybe try a two or three inch block to start. Seems like you've done most everything else!


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## mountainlake (Sep 4, 2007)

Wilson I think if you slanted the blade at a angle it would just make it feed easier, it would help with a push along mill. Most of us have power feed so it wouldn't't matter Steve


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## FJH (Sep 4, 2007)

Wilson!
this is how I'm set currently!(Tim Cooks set Recomdations)And the mill is working well with it!
The band wheels are tipped forward at the top aprox 1/8 of an inch!24 inch wheels. the band rollers are set square to the log deck I have 1/4 down preasure on the driven side 3/8 on the movable side the saw is working fine now with the heavy set on the blades 30 + thou!I have to think my sharpener guy was messing up on the blade set Unwitingly not checking them after he set them.And the new blades out of the box are set to low and are not perfectly set either!
That is why Im thinking I may have to have a checking device my self to double check what he is doing!I'm NOT GOING thru this again I was pulling my hair out unessarily cause I was trusting in his work!I'm wondering if I can use a vernier caliper for this???? AT least to get an idea how things are.


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