I'm one of those people you mentioned at 3:55 who cut out those bars to keep sawdust from clumping. I didn't know then that those bars are designed to contain the blade if it breaks. Without those bars, it is possible for a broken blade to shoot out of there at high speed. Leave 'em in, folks.
Hi Sandy! If my old abuelo said it once he said it one hundred times, "take care of your tools and they will take care of you." What I have always done, at the end of the workday, is clean and do a basic maintenance check of the tools I was using. Your video provides a good bit of the checklist for doing this with the blade portion of the sawmill. Bravo, bud!
Great video Sandy-glad to see someone emphasizing the real purpose and positioning of guide block and guide bearings, easy to forget that as you're going through your log you're pushing an 800 lb mechanism with a 14 hp motor attached to it. You're 100% correct in saying that if all else is tensioned and aligned properly those blocks and bearing should only be called on to "help out" if you hit some gnarly knot. In a perfect world we should check them every time we change a blade. FWIW I also don't use lubrication-or at least not yet as I am milling green logs. Always surprised by the amount of lube that is being shot out of the sawdust port on Norwood and Wood Mizer videos in particular. Videos are informed and informative-keep up the great work.
Thanks Sandy for this video. Very informative. Just bought a HUD-Son Sawyer Freedom line mill. It has been a challenge to get this mill finished. I found this video very helpful. Thank you very kindly!
Nice detail video and you talked about all very important things and I agree with the lubrication these mills seem to do better with very little or no lubrication with green logs see you on the next one Sandy
Excellent discussion on why the blade may pop off. I am on the other side of the spectrum, I use a fair bit of liquid soap and have the valve open for the water to flow fairly heavy. I have it adjusted so that the majority of soapy water flow contacts the blade teeth. I think this keeps the blade cooler and reduces friction. I have never had a blade pop off (knock on wood) in the 2 years that I have had my mill.
Great tip! Yesterday I fired up my HM 126 for the first time in a couple of months. I checked my tracking and then adjusted the guide blocks. I used to have problems with the blade jumping off until Woodland Mills sent me updated information on setting the tension. My instructions said to turn it in until the crush washers made contact then turn two more times. I ended up damaging three blades. They replaced them and sent me new instructions for tensioning the blade. Works great! Cutting a pine log was very enjoyable with no problems. I’ve been watching your videos for quite awhile and the spring of 2021 I purchased my first mill based on what I viewed in your videos. Thanks!
Isn't great that Woodland Mills gives such support! It is one of the reasons I purchased their product due to so many people declaring their exceptional support(and they were right).
Very helpful & timely advice, thanks Sandy. I have had a 126 for just about a year, and have had the blade jump off far too often. No matter how much I adjusted the follower wheel, the tracking was always just a little off - fractionally further forward on the tracking side, which is where it would inevitably fly off. After around 7 blades ruined (in only 10.6 hrs on the clock!), I mill in fear if that dreaded clunking sound & things grinding to a halt. Finally worked up the nerve to tackle adjusting the drive wheel, in tiny increments until I could manually rotate the blade and see that it was staying true. Not declaring victory just yet, but I’m hopeful. It’s the only issue I’ve had.
I have the smallest mill by woodland Mills and this was something I noticed almost immediately. So I got on the phone and tried to contact someone with technical experience. And they advised me to adjust the drive wheel , much success has been had following a slight adjustment
Great information! I asked you about a month ago about why my tracking kept messing up and you told me to replace the belts. Turns out the blade was riding on the band wheels and kept moving forward because of it. I replaced the belts like you suggested and now everything is running great! Thanks for the help and the awesome videos!
I agree on the lubricant. I have 4 hours on mine. Have milled 3ash, 2 oak, and 1 hickory. Water tank is empty. Have had no problems. Thanks for the great info!
On my third drive belt, but never had to change the follower belt. luckly i have not had a blade pop off. the wheel alignment has not been touched since new. blades are always checked prior to sawing ( well, Almost always). keep an eye out for potential problems and you should be good. keep up the informative videos Sandy.
Another great video.. the quality and content of your videos just keeps getting better. You are absolutely correct in that alignment is critical as well as the positioning of the guides. There is no need for them to be touching the blades during normal operation. I would encourage you to give pine sol another try. I use a concoction of Dawn soap,Pine sol and water on my mill and love it. (never had a belt pop off, at least not for alignment issues or too much lubricant.) I have had one pop off by pulling backwards, when I shouldn’t have. Cutting Ash the lub is set to a just shy of a steady stream. This keeps the blade clean shiny and cutting straight. That said I have not had a lot of issues cutting pine, however Spruce,Ash, or Walnut can be troublesome with buildup on the blade without a lubricant .
Great to hear first hand account of the pinesol mix you use Rick. I will for sure give it another try after hearing the good success you've had with it
Great informative video! When I was setting up my sawmill I had a tracking problem right from the factory and the small adjustments are the right way to go. I have had a blade come off and it took out the yellow blade guard and the black plastic piece it slides in. Now I check everything you have said in the video as a pre startup routine.
My 126 drive side was out of wack as well, love the do not touch sticker they put on it, that plastic block was also damaged very quickly and replaced it with a 3/4” plywood coated in wood glue which holds up very well to impact and easy to duplicate.
Hi Sandy. I agree about the pine-sol...perhaps we added too much as others use it without issue but my blade would pop off as well. Another aspect that people should watch out for(if not using a torque wrench) is to make sure that however they are tensioning their blade, that it is consistent. Once tracking is set, the blade generally will always track the same. BUT...if you say add even a little bit more tension than normal, the blade will creep out on the idler wheel...less tension it will creep inward. Even an extra quarter of a turn on the t-handle will do this.
Hopefully my sawmill will arrive by the first week of September, everthing has been on backorder. Thanks for all your advice and expertise, I'm hoping by watching and learning from you that I may avoid some problems.
good video. only thing i have to add is fully tighten to over 20 lbs be fore you check tracking and if it's a little off go to 25 and check again that may fix it like you said only adjust when you have too. you are right to much lube of any kind can make a blade come off.good video every body needs to watch this video that has a woodland mills. if you are thinking about buying a lx type woodmiser people are have a lot of trouble with them. sandy and other's were the reason i got my 130 max if it hadn't been for 14 month wait i may had ordered a lx type woodmiser. thank you for all your video's.n take care, be safe and well.
@@sawingwithsandy Yes sir it's going good very hot these days but i get in the mill everyday i got 300 logs to saw in the next 2 weeks. soon putting on the lap siding rig. soon be making lap siding. take care
Howdy Sandy- great information! I’ve never had trouble with tracking but I’m having a bit of shaking in the head and have to come to a stop and start again and cut slowly. Been trying to figure it out. Hope you have a great weekend. God bless
I"m wondering if the white-coloured bushings that run up and down the steel posts to keep the sawmill steady are worn a bit or need to be pushed inwards a bit to prevent shaking?
When I encountered that situation with my HM 126 it was due to warn out sleeve bushings . It was allowing excess play that caused the whole head to tilt and made the blade walk. It was also causing jumpiness in the head when attempting to feed steadily. The kit is only $10.00 u.s., if you are running a wood lane mills.
Sandy I helped a friend set up his hm126 and the problem he had on his tensioner side was the tensioner bolt is filed to a point and that point sits in a dimple in the tensioner axle but it wouldn't seat all the way in properly...we would have to give the wheel a good bump or 2 with the palm of our hand and here it pop in then retention it... customer care said that we weren't the first to report that issue...after afew good weeks of running it that issue went away...cheers
On my 2011 Norwood MX34 the band wheels have a some sort of poly belt on them, they aren't lose like yours or Wood-mizer. I wonder why Woodland dont use same idea as Norwood, and wonder which way is better? To me it looks that sawdust will get under your belt easier then Norwood, which in my mind not ideal. for keeping right blade tension, yes no maybe........ I do have same ceramic blocks as you do but but. Lot of people dont like them because they say that ceramic blocks lets blade wander and cause wavy cuts, but I'm not sure if thats true......... I replaced those poly belts several times and they go on extremely hard, they are tight fitting belts that are pried on with screwdrivers. When blades keep popping of, usually it's because of those tight poly belts have developed some soft spongy spots around the wheel. So when they come off they usually rip into the plastic band wheel covers, which cant be replaced and now have some bad cuts in covers. A year after I bought my mill. Norwood decided to cancel the MX34 only after fer years of production, and replaced with HD36, which makes it harder to get parts. I'm not happy about that, it BLANKED me off. When I buy an expensive equipment I expect to get all parts at least for the next 50 years, but since I'm 70 that would be my grandkids.......
Another good video, thank you very much. I have watched your videos for several months and in one of those videos you say that the blade has to be even with the back of the follower side. Now, when I try to adjust the blade, the drive side has no edges. When the follower side and the drive side are even, both in the back, the blade is about an eighth or a little more. Will it be okay like this? My sawmill is new, I haven't used it yet.
Hey Sandy, I finally decided to make a UA-cam channel. I have a HM130 Max Woodlander just like you do, only I have the extension. Your videos are what pushed me over the edge to go with Woodland. Just wanted to say HI and to keep making great videos! Hopefully I can get as many subscribers as you have on here. I left Instagram with around 50k followers (It was my old business that I sold last year) - So now I'm starting over, GoPro will be here tomorrow. Anyways, have a good one!
Sawing with Sandy is the reason i settled on a woodland mills. I was watching all of your videos and its like having a neighbour to teach you. I got my hm126 setup and sawing last weekend, and you just answered a few more questions i had with no need to bother woodland mills customer service. I second the stump grinder for review!
Good morning Sandy I did have a problem with blade popping out but it was my fault I am cheap my running belt was fine but my idle belt needed a change so I changed ge only that one but after reading again every thing in the book it says to change both belt at the same time
Change both side at the same time after doing it that way the problem was gone You mention a few time by having to much lubricant may cause that blade to jump out I had my lub open all the way many time and never had a problem the only problem was not keeping the tar from the yellow pine of the blade and belt and I use pine sol only with the yellow pine I think at one time the yellow was use for a type of tar glue it is very sticky well have a great day
Yeah I've heard good things about lots of water and good things about very little. I think sometimes things end up being just a bit different with each mill
I agree with you completely. My one and only blade jump on my HM126 was due to using too much water which causes the blade to hydroplane. It jumped off the second the blade contacted the wood. The blade was trashed and I scared up the inside of the housing. On an unrelated question, what do you use for lubricant when it is below freezing? I used auto windshield washer fluid last winter but that is pretty soapy.
That feeling of nice paint being all scratched up sure is a pain isn't it. I know that feeling. In the winter I use car washer fluid but mostly I find the logs I am harvesting and sawing in the winter are frozen and so they are quite slippery for the blade as they are so I don't use a lot of lubrication in the winter if any
Hi Sandy I enjoy your channel! very informative! However do you ever try to improve the design of the mill for example I see your idler belt being loose personally I think that sawdust could get in and this would cause the belt to defect the blade off? sort of common sense. I think putting a belt tight will keep it clean! another thing is I run a hard wood block at the back of mine so if the blade for some reason moves back the hardwood block keeps the blade from popping off. I was having problems of it doing that and of course the wheels needed to be aligned. but it is a small improvement to keep the blade from popping off and getting damaged. Because being human we don't always get it right! Right? I have a lumber mate 2000 which is similar to the woodland mill and the frontier! Another modification I want to make to mine which I think will improve the design is putting on a double idler pulley up and moving the motor back and running a secondary belt from the motor to the double idler pulley I think running two belts will get more life out of the belts. I will let you know if it is more efficient! I mentioned it to Jerry bigelow of Jerry BIgelow woodcraft another great channel I like to follow! He thought the idea was interesting! I am currently building a new design of sawmill which will try to post in the coming future! Thanks for your content Have a good one! Marc G.
Hey Marc! Great idea with the wood block. I haven’t touched the follower belt just because woodland mills designed it to run loose. I haven’t had any issues yet with it like that. I like your wood block idea. I’m thinking I may have to try that sometime. I like the other improvements you mentioned. I think with time I may have to try some of theses
I think if it's only 4 blades it could very well be the blade was just worn out or a manufactuering error. If every other blade was breaking I'd think it was an issue with the sawmill
Looking for help!! My tracking bearing on the drive side is to high so the blade isn't contacting the bearing guide. Any ideas? I've been two days trying to use my HM122 and had the blade thrown off a dozen times.
I had two problems when starting. The clutch was engaged and I couldn't rotate the wheels to check blade alignment. The drive wheel is one centimeter further forward than the follower. Both problems are factory quality issues in my mind. The manual for the HM122 is faulty or leaves out essential information so thank you for pointing out the torque specs for the blade tensioner. On my band wheel alignment problem, besides adjusting the tilt of the follower wheel, can I tap the shift outwards so the two wheels are in alignment?
It appears there is a pivot pin through the drive shaft preventing its forward motion. So the only remaining option is to adjust the shaft on the drive wheel. Comments?
Curious why the follower belt is so loose my 126 follower tire is tight, have to admit there was a WTF moment there, love your videos keep up the good work.
Hey Jeremy! I think some of the newer model sawmills have a loose-fitting belt on the follower wheel now on purpose whereas the older models had a orange-coloured belt that fit tight. Not sure why the change but that's atleast what I noticed going from my 2017 to this 2022 model
Hey Sandy. Great video. I may have missed it , you should probably check the tracking before you make any blade guide adjustment? Also the blade is supposed to protrude a certain distance past the back of the drive or follower pulleys ? Thanks in advance.
Hey Terry! Yeah I normally only look over the blade guide adjustments and wheel tracking adjustments if the blade isn't tracking well but the blade guide is worth a look regularly for sure. The amount the blade is supposed to stick past the wheel should be the same as the amount it overhangs the back of the wheel
I am pulling my hair out trying to keep blades on my hm130. I’ve adjusted the wheels and check the blade after every cut and it looks fine. Then ll of a sudden it jumps off. Blades tensioned at 25lbs. Starting to hate this machine.
Those wheel belts, the one on the left, why is it so loose ? I have a shop woodworking bandsaw, my belts are not loose at all, just wondering if that was normal for your saw. Ok you just answered my question,....
Yeah I thought the same thing when I first saw it John. It is supposed to ride loose which goes against everything I’m used to but so far so good with my sawmill
When cutting very hard Elm ere are slight ripples the surface of the cut board. Is this a sharp blade issue or a blade tracking issue. Thanks so much. I've just started sawing recently wnd watch your videos continuously.
Appreciate you tuning in Tom. I'd say the issue is one of the teeth on your blade is slightly out of set (bent slightly differently than the others) and so as it cuts the one tooth creates a vertical line on the board. I'd say try and a new blade and see if that goes away.
In 5 years I've never adjusted the drive side wheel tracking on my Woodland mill. Just adjust the follower wheel to get even tracking. Just use water, only problem I had was pushing a dull blade too hard causing blade to jump off. Operator error I won't make again.
As this is not affiliated to Woodland Mills, Cooks made a nice video about this. As he said: "It should look like a thin pencil line, if it "wobbles" tracking is off." If "driving wheel" is off the "free wheel" can't be aligned. I know that there are full metal crowned wheels on the AC-36, but I think that the basics are the same...
Sandy if you would have bought a mill from valley made in Canada you would not have a problem with the blades coming off mine is a green monster made by Pascale metal I do big trees allot of big hard wood s I slabed a big cepriss 50 inch wide and 20 ft but as long as I keep the pressure up on tincture it is good but I don't have a hydraulic
I use cooks blades and it is just like your mil right now but I'm going to switch to the cooks wheels they don't have to have the fan belt it's soled the blade runs on the wheel that is prefit and true it works allot bedder go on there channel and check them out they make the best sawmill on the market but I can't justify owning one I just cut for my own place I have a small farm and I always have to make something for the farm and do like you and harvest the dead trees own my land have a blessed day and keep making the videos there's a lot of people out there who need to learn how to do it
My hm126 throws blades often. Feel like I’m fiddling with it more than I’m cutting it really kills the joy of the hobby. I’ve been on the phone with WM many times with this issue and no resolution. Wheels are aligned and tracks fine, but 3-5 cuts in, it pops off again. I had no problems with other mills I’ve owned, but this one has been a pain.
@@sawingwithsandy thank you. It send the problem may sloppy bearings. It was really frustrating because I would get it tracked, tighten down the jam nuts, then test it again only to watch it walk off the wheels.
If you are old like me you might remember setting points with a matchbook cover… that would get you somewhere between .016 and .020 in Understandable 🤣😂
I have tried almost everything to keep the blade from walking and jumping off and have watched many of your videos and still can’t seem to get it to stay on even with a single rotation of the wheels. Is there any way I could call you and pick your brain?
I don’t have a sawmill but I was watching another video where someone was setting up a woodland mill, he said the spring loaded washers just on the inside of the T handle should be flush with the housing and that means it’s torqued correctly. Torque wrench I assume is a way more accurate torque, just curious if it mentions the washers in the owners manual?
My MH122 is new; instructions say to tighten T bolt until two casings are flush. At that point the torque is 33 ft-lbs, too much pressure on the wheel bearings. I'm ignoring the instructions and using a mark at 25 ft-lbs to tension the blade.
@@sawingwithsandy I suspect a worn belt is behind my woes…. But with only 12 hours on the mill it’s hard to believe It would make a good episode/series
Cooks sawmills are steel wheels with no rubber on either wheel and dont fall off.. Its not the rubber that keeps the blade on, its tension and tracking.
Yeah I’ve seen those wheels and they work quite well. These wheels on the Woodland Mills are designed a bit different with the groove for the belts to ride on
@@sawingwithsandy yes sir they are. I saw allot of bigger pine, 18+ inches with my hm 122. The larger logs show the limits of the rubber belts/vgrove wheels. Keeping the correct tension as the belt wears and is compressed is key.
I'm one of those people you mentioned at 3:55 who cut out those bars to keep sawdust from clumping. I didn't know then that those bars are designed to contain the blade if it breaks. Without those bars, it is possible for a broken blade to shoot out of there at high speed. Leave 'em in, folks.
Yeah I haven't had it happen but can imagine that it is possible
Hi Sandy! If my old abuelo said it once he said it one hundred times, "take care of your tools and they will take care of you." What I have always done, at the end of the workday, is clean and do a basic maintenance check of the tools I was using. Your video provides a good bit of the checklist for doing this with the blade portion of the sawmill. Bravo, bud!
Think that's a great reminder for me for sure. Keeping tools in great shape keeps them working well into the future. Great point Terry
Great video Sandy-glad to see someone emphasizing the real purpose and positioning of guide block and guide bearings, easy to forget that as you're going through your log you're pushing an 800 lb mechanism with a 14 hp motor attached to it. You're 100% correct in saying that if all else is tensioned and aligned properly those blocks and bearing should only be called on to "help out" if you hit some gnarly knot. In a perfect world we should check them every time we change a blade. FWIW I also don't use lubrication-or at least not yet as I am milling green logs. Always surprised by the amount of lube that is being shot out of the sawdust port on Norwood and Wood Mizer videos in particular. Videos are informed and informative-keep up the great work.
Thanks for that Kire!
Thanks Sandy for this video. Very informative. Just bought a HUD-Son Sawyer Freedom line mill. It has been a challenge to get this mill finished. I found this video very helpful. Thank you very kindly!
Glad it was helpful Ron. You'll really enjoy sawing once you're up and running!
Nice detail video and you talked about all very important things and I agree with the lubrication these mills seem to do better with very little or no lubrication with green logs see you on the next one Sandy
Great to hear you liked the video Jeff. See ya on the next one!
Excellent discussion on why the blade may pop off. I am on the other side of the spectrum, I use a fair bit of liquid soap and have the valve open for the water to flow fairly heavy. I have it adjusted so that the majority of soapy water flow contacts the blade teeth. I think this keeps the blade cooler and reduces friction. I have never had a blade pop off (knock on wood) in the 2 years that I have had my mill.
I figure if it works for ya then you’ve got it dialed in and I wouldn’t change it either
Great tip! Yesterday I fired up my HM 126 for the first time in a couple of months. I checked my tracking and then adjusted the guide blocks. I used to have problems with the blade jumping off until Woodland Mills sent me updated information on setting the tension. My instructions said to turn it in until the crush washers made contact then turn two more times. I ended up damaging three blades. They replaced them and sent me new instructions for tensioning the blade. Works great! Cutting a pine log was very enjoyable with no problems. I’ve been watching your videos for quite awhile and the spring of 2021 I purchased my first mill based on what I viewed in your videos. Thanks!
Great to hear you’re enjoying the videos and you have been around the channel for so long! Keep on sawing my friend!
Isn't great that Woodland Mills gives such support! It is one of the reasons I purchased their product due to so many people declaring their exceptional support(and they were right).
Your experiences with your mill is pretty much the same as my experiences with my mill. Thanks good to know things are normal sometimes. 👍
Thanks Del. Hope your sawing is going well out there
Very helpful & timely advice, thanks Sandy. I have had a 126 for just about a year, and have had the blade jump off far too often. No matter how much I adjusted the follower wheel, the tracking was always just a little off - fractionally further forward on the tracking side, which is where it would inevitably fly off. After around 7 blades ruined (in only 10.6 hrs on the clock!), I mill in fear if that dreaded clunking sound & things grinding to a halt.
Finally worked up the nerve to tackle adjusting the drive wheel, in tiny increments until I could manually rotate the blade and see that it was staying true. Not declaring victory just yet, but I’m hopeful. It’s the only issue I’ve had.
I’ve got my fingers crossed for ya Andrew. Certainly takes the wind out of ones sails when the blade won’t stay put
I have the smallest mill by woodland Mills and this was something I noticed almost immediately. So I got on the phone and tried to contact someone with technical experience. And they advised me to adjust the drive wheel , much success has been had following a slight adjustment
Great information! I asked you about a month ago about why my tracking kept messing up and you told me to replace the belts. Turns out the blade was riding on the band wheels and kept moving forward because of it. I replaced the belts like you suggested and now everything is running great! Thanks for the help and the awesome videos!
That’s great to hear. Nothing worse than not being up and running when ya just want to be cutting
I agree on the lubricant. I have 4 hours on mine. Have milled 3ash, 2 oak, and 1 hickory. Water tank is empty. Have had no problems. Thanks for the great info!
I can relate there Bill. Good to hear things are going well on the sawmill front for ya
One good tip I stumbled upon. Those disposable blades many of us have in our utility knives are in fact 0.5 mm. Perfect spacer for those blade guides.
Great tip!
@@sawingwithsandy Maybe I can get Tactical Keychains to send you a TUKK XL so you always have it handy ;)
On my third drive belt, but never had to change the follower belt. luckly i have not had a blade pop off. the wheel alignment has not been touched since new. blades are always checked prior to sawing ( well, Almost always). keep an eye out for potential problems and you should be good. keep up the informative videos Sandy.
sounds like you’ve got a good system down Paul. I appreciate your support on the channel
Another great video.. the quality and content of your videos just keeps getting better. You are absolutely correct in that alignment is critical as well as the positioning of the guides. There is no need for them to be touching the blades during normal operation.
I would encourage you to give pine sol another try. I use a concoction of Dawn soap,Pine sol and water on my mill and love it. (never had a belt pop off, at least not for alignment issues or too much lubricant.) I have had one pop off by pulling backwards, when I shouldn’t have. Cutting Ash the lub is set to a just shy of a steady stream. This keeps the blade clean shiny and cutting straight.
That said I have not had a lot of issues cutting pine, however Spruce,Ash, or Walnut can be troublesome with buildup on the blade without a lubricant .
Great to hear first hand account of the pinesol mix you use Rick. I will for sure give it another try after hearing the good success you've had with it
Great informative video! When I was setting up my sawmill I had a tracking problem right from the factory and the small adjustments are the right way to go. I have had a blade come off and it took out the yellow blade guard and the black plastic piece it slides in. Now I check everything you have said in the video as a pre startup routine.
Glad it was a good video Scott. Happy to hear everything’s up and running well for ya
My 126 drive side was out of wack as well, love the do not touch sticker they put on it, that plastic block was also damaged very quickly and replaced it with a 3/4” plywood coated in wood glue which holds up very well to impact and easy to duplicate.
@@jeremyscott6641 I agree with the do not touch sticker. My hm130 max woodlander was no where close when I got it!
Hi Sandy. I agree about the pine-sol...perhaps we added too much as others use it without issue but my blade would pop off as well.
Another aspect that people should watch out for(if not using a torque wrench) is to make sure that however they are tensioning their blade, that it is consistent. Once tracking is set, the blade generally will always track the same. BUT...if you say add even a little bit more tension than normal, the blade will creep out on the idler wheel...less tension it will creep inward. Even an extra quarter of a turn on the t-handle will do this.
Thanks for sharing that Mike. Consistency is key for sure
Hopefully my sawmill will arrive by the first week of September, everthing has been on backorder. Thanks for all your advice and expertise, I'm hoping by watching and learning from you that I may avoid some problems.
Great to hear you're liking the videos Bill. You'll really like sawing for sure!
great advise. I still have my hm130 from 2017. Still making great lumber
Sounds like you're having the same great lumber cutting as I did with my 2017.
good video. only thing i have to add is fully tighten to over 20 lbs be fore you check tracking and if it's a little off go to 25 and check again that may fix it like you said only adjust when you have too. you are right to much lube of any kind can make a blade come off.good video every body needs to watch this video that has a woodland mills. if you are thinking about buying a lx type woodmiser people are have a lot of trouble with them. sandy and other's were the reason i got my 130 max if it hadn't been for 14 month wait i may had ordered a lx type woodmiser. thank you for all your video's.n take care, be safe and well.
Great point there John. I appreciate the well wishes and happy you're liking the videos
I don't have a sawmill, but maybe one day thank your for this helpful information.
Happy to have ya along for the ride. Thanks for being a regular viewer on the channel!
Thanks for the video Sandy i am with you with sawing just with water. it works for me. have a great evening
Thanks Wallace! Hope your sawing is going well
@@sawingwithsandy Yes sir it's going good very hot these days but i get in the mill everyday i got 300 logs to saw in the next 2 weeks. soon putting on the lap siding rig. soon be making lap siding. take care
Great video on blade tracking. Your comment at the end should be actually 3 cents worth now due to inflation!
Haha
Howdy Sandy- great information! I’ve never had trouble with tracking but I’m having a bit of shaking in the head and have to come to a stop and start again and cut slowly. Been trying to figure it out. Hope you have a great weekend. God bless
I"m wondering if the white-coloured bushings that run up and down the steel posts to keep the sawmill steady are worn a bit or need to be pushed inwards a bit to prevent shaking?
When I encountered that situation with my HM 126 it was due to warn out sleeve bushings . It was allowing excess play that caused the whole head to tilt and made the blade walk. It was also causing jumpiness in the head when attempting to feed steadily. The kit is only $10.00 u.s., if you are running a wood lane mills.
Sandy I helped a friend set up his hm126 and the problem he had on his tensioner side was the tensioner bolt is filed to a point and that point sits in a dimple in the tensioner axle but it wouldn't seat all the way in properly...we would have to give the wheel a good bump or 2 with the palm of our hand and here it pop in then retention it... customer care said that we weren't the first to report that issue...after afew good weeks of running it that issue went away...cheers
Thanks for sharing that. I didn’t know about that
I refuse to comment..,oops too late.
I haven't had any issues with the blade coming off on my hm126. Now I'm doomed jinxed. Love your channel.
Haha fingers crossed for ya Rick
Professor Sandy of the sawmill
haha I don't know about that but am happy you liked the video
Another great video and load of good info thanks sandy
Great to hear you found the video helpful. Thanks again for watching
Thanks Sandy
Thanks for watching Chris!
On my 2011 Norwood MX34 the band wheels have a some sort of poly belt on them, they aren't lose like yours or Wood-mizer. I wonder why Woodland dont use same idea as Norwood, and wonder which way is better? To me it looks that sawdust will get under your belt easier then Norwood, which in my mind not ideal. for keeping right blade tension, yes no maybe........
I do have same ceramic blocks as you do but but. Lot of people dont like them because they say that ceramic blocks lets blade wander and cause wavy cuts, but I'm not sure if thats true.........
I replaced those poly belts several times and they go on extremely hard, they are tight fitting belts that are pried on with screwdrivers. When blades keep popping of, usually it's because of those tight poly belts have developed some soft spongy spots around the wheel.
So when they come off they usually rip into the plastic band wheel covers, which cant be replaced and now have some bad cuts in covers. A year after I bought my mill. Norwood decided to cancel the MX34 only after fer years of production, and replaced with HD36, which makes it harder to get parts. I'm not happy about that, it BLANKED me off. When I buy an expensive equipment I expect to get all parts at least for the next 50 years, but since I'm 70 that would be my grandkids.......
Another good video, thank you very much. I have watched your videos for several months and in one of those videos you say that the blade has to be even with the back of the follower side. Now, when I try to adjust the blade, the drive side has no edges. When the follower side and the drive side are even, both in the back, the blade is about an eighth or a little more. Will it be okay like this? My sawmill is new, I haven't used it yet.
Hey Sandy, I finally decided to make a UA-cam channel. I have a HM130 Max Woodlander just like you do, only I have the extension. Your videos are what pushed me over the edge to go with Woodland. Just wanted to say HI and to keep making great videos! Hopefully I can get as many subscribers as you have on here. I left Instagram with around 50k followers (It was my old business that I sold last year) - So now I'm starting over, GoPro will be here tomorrow. Anyways, have a good one!
Great to hear. Hope it gets off and running well for ya and thanks for supporting my channel
Thank you! Good info for newbies.
Appreciate the support!
With all the videos you do about your sawmill, Woodland Mills should send you a stump grinder to review.
Sawing with Sandy is the reason i settled on a woodland mills. I was watching all of your videos and its like having a neighbour to teach you. I got my hm126 setup and sawing last weekend, and you just answered a few more questions i had with no need to bother woodland mills customer service. I second the stump grinder for review!
I wouldn't mind giving one a go for sure. Seems like a solid piece of equipment but hopefully I can put my hands on one to show it up close one day
Thanks for the support on the channel John. Great to hear you're liking the videos
very informative video
Thanks Billy
Sandy - I think you might have as many red flannels as I have blue flannels 😂 🤣
Hahaha it’s like my uniform
@@sawingwithsandy I'm with you! It has been a challenge with the heat this year... but I'm not backing down!
Hahaha me neither
Good morning Sandy I did have a problem with blade popping out but it was my fault I am cheap my running belt was fine but my idle belt needed a change so I changed ge only that one but after reading again every thing in the book it says to change both belt at the same time
Change both side at the same time after doing it that way the problem was gone
You mention a few time by having to much lubricant may cause that blade to jump out I had my lub open all the way many time and never had a problem the only problem was not keeping the tar from the yellow pine of the blade and belt and I use pine sol only with the yellow pine I think at one time the yellow was use for a type of tar glue it is very sticky well have a great day
Glad you got it all sorted.
Yeah I've heard good things about lots of water and good things about very little. I think sometimes things end up being just a bit different with each mill
Thanks man.
Great info
Thanks Ben
I agree with you completely. My one and only blade jump on my HM126 was due to using too much water which causes the blade to hydroplane. It jumped off the second the blade contacted the wood. The blade was trashed and I scared up the inside of the housing.
On an unrelated question, what do you use for lubricant when it is below freezing? I used auto windshield washer fluid last winter but that is pretty soapy.
That feeling of nice paint being all scratched up sure is a pain isn't it. I know that feeling. In the winter I use car washer fluid but mostly I find the logs I am harvesting and sawing in the winter are frozen and so they are quite slippery for the blade as they are so I don't use a lot of lubrication in the winter if any
Hi Sandy I enjoy your channel! very informative! However do you ever try to improve the design of the mill for example I see your idler belt being loose personally I think that sawdust could get in and this would cause the belt to defect the blade off? sort of common sense. I think putting a belt tight will keep it clean! another thing is I run a hard wood block at the back of mine so if the blade for some reason moves back the hardwood block keeps the blade from popping off. I was having problems of it doing that and of course the wheels needed to be aligned. but it is a small improvement to keep the blade from popping off and getting damaged. Because being human we don't always get it right! Right? I have a lumber mate 2000 which is similar to the woodland mill and the frontier! Another modification I want to make to mine which I think will improve the design is putting on a double idler pulley up and moving the motor back and running a secondary belt from the motor to the double idler pulley I think running two belts will get more life out of the belts. I will let you know if it is more efficient! I mentioned it to Jerry bigelow of Jerry BIgelow woodcraft another great channel I like to follow! He thought the idea was interesting! I am currently building a new design of sawmill which will try to post in the coming future! Thanks for your content Have a good one! Marc G.
Hey Marc! Great idea with the wood block. I haven’t touched the follower belt just because woodland mills designed it to run loose. I haven’t had any issues yet with it like that. I like your wood block idea. I’m thinking I may have to try that sometime. I like the other improvements you mentioned. I think with time I may have to try some of theses
I’ve had four blades break on me in the past couple years. Haven’t had one pop off yet though. Wondering if I’m tightening too much.
I think if it's only 4 blades it could very well be the blade was just worn out or a manufactuering error. If every other blade was breaking I'd think it was an issue with the sawmill
@@sawingwithsandy appreciate the advice and quick reply.
You the man Sandy! ✌️
Ok Sandy I am having trouble throwing blades, just put new belts on from woodlandmills. My drive belt is popping off . I've never had this.
I'm wondering about a bad bearing in the band wheel?
Looking for help!! My tracking bearing on the drive side is to high so the blade isn't contacting the bearing guide. Any ideas? I've been two days trying to use my HM122 and had the blade thrown off a dozen times.
Have you done a video yet of different types of blades and sizes? My 130 Max is not here yet but I ordered an inch and a half ripper blades for it.
Great question Jason. I haven't used any other blades but the ones Woodland Mills sets. I would like to try a set of some of the other brands though
Thanks
Thanks for that Jim. I genuinely appreciate the support
If one thinks of the belts as solid rubber tires versus belts, it might help them better understand their function and what wear to look for.
I had two problems when starting. The clutch was engaged and I couldn't rotate the wheels to check blade alignment. The drive wheel is one centimeter further forward than the follower. Both problems are factory quality issues in my mind.
The manual for the HM122 is faulty or leaves out essential information so thank you for pointing out the torque specs for the blade tensioner.
On my band wheel alignment problem, besides adjusting the tilt of the follower wheel, can I tap the shift outwards so the two wheels are in alignment?
It appears there is a pivot pin through the drive shaft preventing its forward motion. So the only remaining option is to adjust the shaft on the drive wheel. Comments?
Hi Steve. I'm not too sure about whether the shaft moves forward and back unfortunately. I don't believe so however
I'd likely want to double check with the tech support at Woodland Mills to see if they've got a good solution.
Curious why the follower belt is so loose my 126 follower tire is tight, have to admit there was a WTF moment there, love your videos keep up the good work.
Hey Jeremy! I think some of the newer model sawmills have a loose-fitting belt on the follower wheel now on purpose whereas the older models had a orange-coloured belt that fit tight. Not sure why the change but that's atleast what I noticed going from my 2017 to this 2022 model
Hey Sandy. Great video. I may have missed it , you should probably check the tracking before you make any blade guide adjustment? Also the blade is supposed to protrude a certain distance past the back of the drive or follower pulleys ? Thanks in advance.
Hey Terry! Yeah I normally only look over the blade guide adjustments and wheel tracking adjustments if the blade isn't tracking well but the blade guide is worth a look regularly for sure. The amount the blade is supposed to stick past the wheel should be the same as the amount it overhangs the back of the wheel
Do you clean brand new blades off with anything prior to install? I assuming they ship with a light coating of oil? Thanks for the video
Great question. I have not cleaned off the light film of oil before
I am pulling my hair out trying to keep blades on my hm130. I’ve adjusted the wheels and check the blade after every cut and it looks fine. Then ll of a sudden it jumps off. Blades tensioned at 25lbs. Starting to hate this machine.
Excellent
Thanks again for the support each week
Those wheel belts, the one on the left, why is it so loose ?
I have a shop woodworking bandsaw, my belts are not loose at all, just wondering if that was normal for your saw.
Ok you just answered my question,....
Yeah I thought the same thing when I first saw it John. It is supposed to ride loose which goes against everything I’m used to but so far so good with my sawmill
When cutting very hard Elm ere are slight ripples the surface of the cut board. Is this a sharp blade issue or a blade tracking issue. Thanks so much. I've just started sawing recently wnd watch your videos continuously.
Appreciate you tuning in Tom. I'd say the issue is one of the teeth on your blade is slightly out of set (bent slightly differently than the others) and so as it cuts the one tooth creates a vertical line on the board. I'd say try and a new blade and see if that goes away.
Thank you!!!!!!
In 5 years I've never adjusted the drive side wheel tracking on my Woodland mill. Just adjust the follower wheel to get even tracking. Just use water, only problem I had was pushing a dull blade too hard causing blade to jump off. Operator error I won't make again.
I’ve also had a blade pop off by pushing too hard. I’ve lived and learned
As this is not affiliated to Woodland Mills, Cooks made a nice video about this. As he said: "It should look like a thin pencil line, if it "wobbles" tracking is off." If "driving wheel" is off the "free wheel" can't be aligned. I know that there are full metal crowned wheels on the AC-36, but I think that the basics are the same...
Sandy if you would have bought a mill from valley made in Canada you would not have a problem with the blades coming off mine is a green monster made by Pascale metal I do big trees allot of big hard wood s I slabed a big cepriss 50 inch wide and 20 ft but as long as I keep the pressure up on tincture it is good but I don't have a hydraulic
Yeah they look like good sawmills. I"m not too familiar with their blade tracking system though
I use cooks blades and it is just like your mil right now but I'm going to switch to the cooks wheels they don't have to have the fan belt it's soled the blade runs on the wheel that is prefit and true it works allot bedder go on there channel and check them out they make the best sawmill on the market but I can't justify owning one I just cut for my own place I have a small farm and I always have to make something for the farm and do like you and harvest the dead trees own my land have a blessed day and keep making the videos there's a lot of people out there who need to learn how to do it
I've seen what looks like a pretty gringing blade for bark removal can I get on for my HM126
I'm not too sure Steve
I've talked to Woodland Mills and they told me they know what I'm talking about but as of now don't offer it, maybe later
I like to keep one door closed when spinning manually as a precaution.
That’s a good idea. I may have to start doing that
My hm126 throws blades often. Feel like I’m fiddling with it more than I’m cutting it really kills the joy of the hobby. I’ve been on the phone with WM many times with this issue and no resolution. Wheels are aligned and tracks fine, but 3-5 cuts in, it pops off again. I had no problems with other mills I’ve owned, but this one has been a pain.
If you need some help feel free to email me. It’s a learning curve but once you get it dialed in it will work well for you
@@sawingwithsandy thank you. It send the problem may sloppy bearings. It was really frustrating because I would get it tracked, tighten down the jam nuts, then test it again only to watch it walk off the wheels.
If you are old like me you might remember setting points with a matchbook cover… that would get you somewhere between .016 and .020 in Understandable 🤣😂
That would do the trick haha
I have tried almost everything to keep the blade from walking and jumping off and have watched many of your videos and still can’t seem to get it to stay on even with a single rotation of the wheels. Is there any way I could call you and pick your brain?
MM77 Approved 👍🏼👍🏼
Right on!
I don’t have a sawmill but I was watching another video where someone was setting up a woodland mill, he said the spring loaded washers just on the inside of the T handle should be flush with the housing and that means it’s torqued correctly. Torque wrench I assume is a way more accurate torque, just curious if it mentions the washers in the owners manual?
I believe there is talk about the washer method of tightening the blade as well. I haven't used that method but I"m sure it's a good option for sure
My MH122 is new; instructions say to tighten T bolt until two casings are flush. At that point the torque is 33 ft-lbs, too much pressure on the wheel bearings. I'm ignoring the instructions and using a mark at 25 ft-lbs to tension the blade.
Hi Sandy, Are you using 1 1/2" blades? I hear that they last twice as long as 1 1/4 blades with very little deflection.
Great question. I haven't tried the 1 1/2" blades. Sure would like to some time though
Been fighting a jumping blade since a blade change….
6 hours chasing tracking woes. 2 blades destroyed
Does Sandy make house calls?
Haha although I’d like to say yes I’m running around like crazy behind the scenes
@@sawingwithsandy
I suspect a worn belt is behind my woes…. But with only 12 hours on the mill it’s hard to believe
It would make a good episode/series
Could operating at 38•C. Cause belt wear?
Gordon @ WM helped me out
Suspect bad torque wrench
Cooks sawmills are steel wheels with no rubber on either wheel and dont fall off.. Its not the rubber that keeps the blade on, its tension and tracking.
Yeah I’ve seen those wheels and they work quite well. These wheels on the Woodland Mills are designed a bit different with the groove for the belts to ride on
@@sawingwithsandy yes sir they are. I saw allot of bigger pine, 18+ inches with my hm 122. The larger logs show the limits of the rubber belts/vgrove wheels. Keeping the correct tension as the belt wears and is compressed is key.
I think Woodland Mills blades are Lenox brand blades.
I think you’re right there Ray
i saw the bottle!!!
Sludge bottle?
A Like & A Comment For The Algorithm.
Thanks for the support Tony
Well I made it 1.8 hours with my new mill sandy and slung the blade destroyed about 6 teeth on it 😢
Darn. Sorry to hear that. Hope it gets back up and going before long
The sound and video is slightly off.
I just double checked and it sounded ok on my end. Sorry to hear it didn’t come across quite right
@@sawingwithsandy Okay on my end, too.