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Author Topic: bottom cut  (Read 12759 times)

Offline Plowboy

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bottom cut
« on: September 09, 2015, 09:09:06 AM »
Hi

I am new to milling and to my mill (Canadian Board Master). The mill sat for the past 8 years outdoors and needed some work. I am now trying it out and find with the head all the way down my final cut leaves aprox. 1 5/8". Do you need to shim the bed in order to get 1" on the last cut. Is this normal or just my mill?

Thanks
Arnie

Offline Tom the Sawyer

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2015, 10:05:52 AM »
Plowboy,

I am not familiar with your mill but I think most mills have a point at which it can't cut any lower without striking something like a stop, a clamp, loading arm, etc.  Is there a physical limitation that is preventing it from going lower?  My Timberking B-20 has welded on stop blocks that are about 5/8" high and the log stops are just under that when fully down.  It also has an electronic limit switch which limits how low it can go but that is at about 13/16" (and that it cutting it pretty close).  I feel comfortable taking it down to a 1" board but it will go lower.

I would lower it as far as it goes and advance the carriage for the length of the mill while closely watching your clearances.  It may have an adjustable stop (mechanical or electronic) and if the previous owner was milling dimensional lumber he may have had it set to 1 5/8" to always leave a 2x.
Timberking B-20, log arch, F350 flatbed dump,
20' Trailer w/ log loading arch, Princeton forklift, Bobcat S250 w/ Frostbite grapple.  Nyle L200M kiln.

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2015, 12:48:28 PM »
When the head is in the down position as far as it will go and resting on the bottom tubing of the carriage. At this position it is still 1 5/8. This saw has a square carriage with 4 corner posts riding on 4 V wheels. I believe it is normal to set the blade guides a little lower than the natural path, but you couldn't lower the blade this much. If the carriage wheels where replaced with larger diameter ones. this would raise the carriage, but I dought that happened.

Offline Tom the Sawyer

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2015, 02:40:41 PM »
Plowboy,

Again, without being familiar with your particular model of mill, an alternative would be to raise the bunks (log supports) by about 3/4". If they are welded in place perhaps you could beef up the top side.  Photos would help greatly.

Is the mill manufacturer still in business?  I couldn't find anything about them on a Google search.  If so, have you contacted them or obtained an owner's manual.  Perhaps my assumptions are incorrect but it doesn't seem that someone would design a mill that would only cut down to 1 5/8" above the deck.  1" (25mm) seems to be pretty common.
Timberking B-20, log arch, F350 flatbed dump,
20' Trailer w/ log loading arch, Princeton forklift, Bobcat S250 w/ Frostbite grapple.  Nyle L200M kiln.

Offline bandmiller2

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2016, 08:20:31 PM »
Plowboy, can you raise the bunks the cant rests on.?? My homebuilt band mill will cut down to 1" Frank C.

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2016, 06:16:18 AM »
I believe I have found most if not all the problem. My wheel v belts are worn down to where the blade is almost touching the wheels. I have not bought the new belts but bet this will add at least a 1/4".

Offline bandmiller2

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2016, 07:03:21 AM »
Plowboy, Tom brought up most of the solutions, a mill that won't cut to 1" will waste a lot of lumber unless you want thick boards. What do you have for saw guides?? and how are they adjusted??. The guides should push the plane of the cut down 1/4". The best guides, I believe, are the flanged rollers as in operation they only extend about 1/4" below the band. Not seeing your mill, adjust the guides as above and lower the head to the bottom of its travel and see what hits or limits you from getting a one inch board. Probably the easiest is to raise the bunks. My homebuilt has shim adjustable bunks, if yours are welded solid you will need to add a piece on top. Ifen you could show us some pictures we could be a lot more help. Frank C.

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2016, 05:42:00 AM »
Thanks
My guides are carter micro precision model 20 guides. I have never seen them on another saw but that is what came with my saw. the blade runs through two plates with a wheel behind to keep the blade from getting pushed back. I have been adjusting them to the natural position of the blade because I knew I could not go 1/2" lower. Now that I will probably gain at least 1/4" with new belts I can probably now lower the guides to get down to 1".

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2016, 05:44:35 AM »
That is a different topic but I would like to get you experienced folks thoughts on the carter micro presicion guides.

Offline mountainlake

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2016, 05:59:14 AM »
 

 I don't think you can put down pressure with those guides, they would heat up fast.  Steve

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #10 on: June 20, 2016, 06:17:14 AM »
that is what I was thinking they are have sharp corners unlike the normal wheel type. Any idea why the previose owner use them? Maybe they where original with the saw. If I cannot lower the guides I do not believe the new belts will get me down to one inch so I still have the original issue.

Offline bandmiller2

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #11 on: June 20, 2016, 06:32:45 AM »
Plowboy, I believe the Carter 20 guides are designed for a shop vertical bandsaws. there is supposed to be a couple of thousands of an inch clearance between the band and wear blocks. That is different from most bandmills that use rollers and 1/4" down pressure. I'am not saying theirs anything wrong with the system but it requires different procedures for adjustment. Some of the woodmizers used guide blocks if any of the guys here have them please chime in on adjustment procedure. Carter is very much still in business I would give them a call on proper adjustment on your application. If you can brake through the sales people firewall and talk to engineering you will get real info. I think your 1" boards are possible with some adjustment and fiddling. Frank C.

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #12 on: June 21, 2016, 06:28:09 AM »
I feel I should change at least the leading guide to a roller. Looking at the Cooks retrofit with the bottom control. Not sure if I really need all of the adjustments, don't have any now.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Offline HaroldCR - AKA Fla.-Deadheader

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #13 on: June 21, 2016, 07:35:56 AM »

 Get a pair of the Cooks roller guides. They ARE adjustable. How would you adjust for only 1 roller? I never found a use for anything under the rollers.

Offline Plowboy

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #14 on: June 21, 2016, 07:50:07 AM »
What I have now is a 3/4" shaft wich has another 3/4 round stock welded to it. One shaft is held in place by a hole in the tubing slides back and forth and holds the guide, the other shaft holds the guide.  This allows you to adjust up and down by rotating the shaft. Do you need an adjustment to level the blade?

Offline HaroldCR - AKA Fla.-Deadheader

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #15 on: June 21, 2016, 01:30:42 PM »
Absolutely you need to level the blade to the bunks. Anything sliding on the blade or that the blade slides across, will heat the blade a little and loosen the tension, leading to all sorts of adjusting that would not be needed if using roller guides, once set up correctly.

Offline bandmiller2

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #16 on: June 21, 2016, 06:43:47 PM »
Plowboy, as Harold said you need two rollers. I use Cooks roller guides on my bandmill with nothing under the rollers. If a band is going to dive its due to its sharpness or set, trying to restrain it only leads to more problems. Frank C.

Offline HaroldCR - AKA Fla.-Deadheader

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Re: bottom cut
« Reply #17 on: June 22, 2016, 07:13:07 AM »

 To add to Franks statement about blade control, I have seen several roller guide wheels that were severely tapered from running hard against the spinning blade, to try to control blade track in the cut.

 A mill REQUIRES as perfect a setting as possible, to get maximum effect cutting logs.

 Down here, we have wood MUCH harder-dense than anyone in the USA/Canada area. Having cut some of this tropical stuff that was acquired in Miami Fl., from people planting "old mother country" species, I can tell you, we learned mighty quickly how setting those guides were to be able to cut stuff that just chattered the blade.

 If y'all think shagbark Hickory is tough to saw straight, you haven't even seen hard wood.

 Yeah, I get overzealous with comments, but, the OP needs to look very closely as to why he can't get that final 1" board. Actually, the standard for rough sawn hardwood is 1-1/8 to allow for planer cleanup. We saw to 1 1/16 and never had a bad comment from what customers we had, in the USA. Down here, 1" is what is used to build with, and, most builders used 7" disc sanders to clean up the chainsaw cut boards. Now, anybody worth a damn has a planer of some sort, even if hand held. YEP, Primitive Pete is alive and well in CR.  ;D