How to Adjust the Blade Guide Rollers?

Blade guide rollers are an essential component of the sawmill head. Wood-Mizer sawmills are equipped with two blade guide rollers: a fixed one on the drive side and an adjustable one on the idle side of the sawmill head. By following the instructions below, you can correctly adjust the blade guide rollers.

To ensure a smooth adjustment process, use original Wood-Mizer replacement parts.

Remember that blade guide roller adjustments must be done after you regulate the blade wheels. 

1.    Before adjustment, install the blade and then apply the correct blade tension.

2.    Set the proper pressure of the rollers on the blade:

• Using a measuring tape, measure the distance between the sawmill bed and the blade edge (let’s assume it is 250 mm).
• Adjust the position of the rollers so they press on the blade, reducing the distance between the blade and the bed by 6 mm (in this example, the target measurement should be 244 mm).

• Take another measurement to verify the achieved deflection of the blade relative to the sawmill bed.

3.    Adjust the blade guides in the vertical plane, ensuring that the blade is not tilted upward or downward (check for blade parallelism).

• Move the blade guide arm away from the machine. The distance to its farthest position should be 15 mm.
• Use a special adjustment tool (included with every sawmill) by attaching it to the blade next to the guide roller. Always place this tool between the blade teeth. Ensure it does not rest on the blade tooth and fits snugly against the blade. 
• Using a measuring tape, measure the distance between the sawmill bed and the lower edge of the adjustment tool.
• Move the sawmill head along the bed so that the front end of the tool is positioned over the location of the previous measurement, and repeat the process.
• The measurements must yield identical results. If they do not, loosen one of the lateral clamping screws according to the illustration below.

• Move the sawmill head in another direction so that the rear part of the tool is positioned over the measurement point, and repeat the measurement following the above instructions.
• The distance measurement at the rear end of the tool must match the two previous measurements. If it does not, adjust the blade guide roller position according to the illustration above.
• Place the adjustment tool next to the second guide roller and repeat the above procedure.
• After adjustment, recheck that the blade deflection relative to the sawmill bed is 6 mm. Start the blade drive, and after stopping it, verify the guide alignment once again.

 
4.    Adjust the distance between the guide roller and the blade:

• Position the blade guide so that the flange of the guide roller is approximately 1.5–3.0 mm from the rear edge of the blade.
• Loosen one lateral and one upper clamping screw to achieve the correct distance between the roller flange and the blade, as shown in the illustration below.

• After completing the adjustment, tighten the clamping screws and perform the same adjustment on the second blade guide roller.

 
5.    Adjust the blade guides in the horizontal plane:

• Move the blade guide arm to position it in the center.
• Place the adjustment tool centrally against the front surface of the guide roller, as shown in the illustration below.

• Measure the distance from the rear edge of the blade to the adjustment tool (distance B as shown in the illustration).
• Measure the distance between the rear edge of the blade and the other end of the adjustment tool (distance A as shown in the illustration).
• The blade guide roller should be set parallel to the blade or slightly tilted in the horizontal plane, as depicted in the illustration. If this is not the case, adjust the roller’s horizontal alignment using the lateral clamping screws on the guide.
• Check the alignment of the second blade guide roller by repeating the steps outlined above.

If, after adjusting the blade guide rollers, cutting irregularities persist, the issue is most likely related to the blade itself.

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