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Baker Edger

Started by YellowHammer, February 08, 2018, 08:48:12 AM

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YellowHammer

After much research, pestering, considering, delaying and rethinking, we ordered a new Baker edger last week.  I investigated  pretty much every edger I could, new and used, and tried to find one that would fit in with our production scheme.  I wanted horsepower, very straight, wide and thick cuts, variable feed, safety, reliability, and company support.  I was not sold on either belts or rollers, and looked at both.  I needed at least 3" of depth of cut, and the ability to work with green or dry wood, so I wanted to be able to change blade teeth count, and have a supplier that could provide me different blades.  I looked at old iron, and even the larger, production grade edgers. 

The edger I ordered is a stationary belted Baker, with quite a few of the optional upgrades.  I am having them install a 20 hp 3 phase electric motor with the 12 inch split blades which will give it the ability to edge 3 inches thick.  I also ordered the extended infeed belt and roll case to stabilize longer boards and also provide straighter cuts on standard 8 footers.  It will have a remote mounted hydraulic blade shift, infinite hydraulic variable speed feed, and twin lasers.  It also has a dust collection pan and chute.

I intend to use it for both edging straight off the mill, but also as a post drying edger.  With all the quarter sawing we do, all the slabs we have been selling and other stuff we have been going, I need tool that can grind wood in a hurry.  Our SLR works great, but has only one blade, and I can't run green wood on it, or its cast iron bed will rust.  Baker has the ability to get me different tooth count blades if the standard ones give me issues in the dry, thick wood.   

I've read how the blades are difficult to change, but this machine was the only one that could meet almost all of my requirements, so I will have to deal with it best as I can.

The bad news is a three month wait to get it built.  Oh, well, I wanted 8 months for my tractor, so it could be worse.

   
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Darrel

Good deal!  The ability to edge a 3" slab would be a must for me as well. Heck, when it comes to mantles, 4" would be nice.

Congratulations for a growing business and all the hard work that's gone into it!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

xlogger

congrats on the edger. I believe you made a good choice.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

Peter Drouin

Lets hope it will do all you want. :)
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

PAmizerman

Sounds to me that with all those upgrades there are likely to be some bugs that need worked out.
So just have it shipped to my address and I'll contact you after I get them all worked out!!!
Seriously though congrats. I've been eyeing up an edger as well. That's on the back burner for now though. Next equipment I'm getting is going to be a sharpener and setter.
Woodmizer lt40 super remote 42hp Kubota diesel. Accuset II
Hydraulics everywhere
Woodmizer edger 26hp cat diesel
Traverse 6035 telehandler
Case 95xt skidloader
http://byrnemillwork.com/
WM bms250 sharpener
WM bmt250 setter
and a lot of back breaking work!!

POSTON WIDEHEAD

You can't do nothing with a man with money!  8)
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

PA_Walnut

Congrats! I have a Baker with a diesel. It's awesome.
You'll wonder how you ever managed w/o it when your quartersawing!

Thinking about going electric mill and edger later this year. Is your mill electric too?
I own my own small piece of the world on an 8 acre plot on the side of a mountain with walnut, hickory, ash and spruce.
LT40HD Wide 35HP Diesel
Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber
Kubota M62 Tractor/Backhoe
WoodMizer KD250 Kiln
Northland 800 Kiln

JB Griffin

Congrats on the great new edger you'll love it.
2000 LT40hyd remote 33hp Kubota with 6gpm hyd unit, 150 Prentice, WM bms250, Suffolk dual tooth setter

Over 3.5million bdft sawn with a Baker Dominator.

moodnacreek

The variable feed option should make the difference. I have 4 speeds on my edger and in creeper I can follow the guide lite by hand on a thick difficult piece. However I can not do thick dry both sides, too much chatter, but my saws only have 14 teeth. The most important thing on an edger is the diameter of the mandrel, the thicker the better and a lot more $. With slow feed and fine tooth saws I think it will do the dry for you.

JB Griffin

Baker runs a 2" mandrel I believe.
2000 LT40hyd remote 33hp Kubota with 6gpm hyd unit, 150 Prentice, WM bms250, Suffolk dual tooth setter

Over 3.5million bdft sawn with a Baker Dominator.

4x4American

Boy, back in my day..

Southside

Funny thing was yesterday I saw a Baker Edger go by on the back of a trailer - I about drove off the road careening back when I realized what it was. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

PAmizerman

Quote from: PA_Walnut on February 08, 2018, 09:04:00 PM
Congrats! I have a Baker with a diesel. It's awesome.
You'll wonder how you ever managed w/o it when your quartersawing!

Thinking about going electric mill and edger later this year. Is your mill electric too?
If you end up going electric and sell the edger let me know. I'm not to far from you
Woodmizer lt40 super remote 42hp Kubota diesel. Accuset II
Hydraulics everywhere
Woodmizer edger 26hp cat diesel
Traverse 6035 telehandler
Case 95xt skidloader
http://byrnemillwork.com/
WM bms250 sharpener
WM bmt250 setter
and a lot of back breaking work!!

YellowHammer

Quote from: Peter Drouin on February 08, 2018, 06:20:46 PM
Lets hope it will do all you want. :)
Me too ::)

I'm running 20 tooth 12 inch blades in my SLR and they eat through the 3 inch wood plenty fast.  I'm hoping the Baker will do the same.  I talked to several companies about my needs and it was interesting getting the different responses.  Most were "take it or leave it" and one was even "Sorry, our machine can't do that." Baker was the only one I talked to who said "You tell us what you need, we will build it." BTW, the Woodmizer commercial series are fine machines, and were runner up, they just could not get me the depth of cut I needed. 

PA, my mill is a Diesel, and has never given me a hint of trouble, but if I had to do it over again, I would deifinly go electric.  I can't get 3 phase, but since I installed the phase converter and have been using the bigger electric motors with my other tools, I've have gotten used to the benefits of electric.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Southside

YH - funny what you just said about Baker. I have been talking with Luke about a mill this week and he said the same thing, tell us what you need. He even asked a bunch of questions about my operation so they can evaluate what I am trying to do and see what might fit best.
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

tmbrcruiser

Congratulations on the upgrade, I don't think you will be disappointed. I have a Baker edger with 20 hp electric and love it. All of your upgrades sound like the cats meow (sorry for the oldie). One word of caution the kick back fingers on my edger were spaced 3/4" and the tips were thin enough to curl. I took out the spacers and put finger side by side , problem solved.
Once you get sap in your veins, you will always have sawdust in your pockets.

YellowHammer

Good suggestion on the fingers.  Do you know how many new ones you had to put on?
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Dave Shepard

WM does offer an edger that will cut 4" thick, but you'd need two 4x4Americans with LT70 Supers to keep it fed.  ;D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

B@kerLuke

YellowHammer, thanks for the order!  You won't be disappointed, and we look forward to hearing your stories of success using the edger.  It's great to hear that our products perform well and get folks excited when they see them, let's just try not to run off the road while being mesmerized! :D  Stay safe out there, and keep sawing!

4x4American

Quote from: Dave Shepard on February 09, 2018, 09:03:34 AM
WM does offer an edger that will cut 4" thick, but you'd need two 4x4Americans with LT70 Supers to keep it fed.  ;D




:D :D :D 


Hey I need two 4x4americans over here!!! 
Boy, back in my day..

longtime lurker

Quote from: 4x4American on February 10, 2018, 01:47:04 AM
Quote from: Dave Shepard on February 09, 2018, 09:03:34 AM
WM does offer an edger that will cut 4" thick, but you'd need two 4x4Americans with LT70 Supers to keep it fed.  ;D






:D :D :D 


Hey I need two 4x4americans over here!!!

Send me a couple too will ya!
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

longtime lurker

I like the look of Baker gear - looks like serious solidly made equipment with some thought attached -
they've got a couple machines that would fill a few gaps in my sawline pretty well methinks. Sadly I was broke when the exchange rate made sense to do it and (story of my life) you can bet I'll be back to broke again by the time it swings back that way again.


Quote from: YellowHammer on February 08, 2018, 08:48:12 AM
Our SLR works great, but has only one blade, and I can't run green wood on it, or its cast iron bed will rust.   

We run green timber on cast iron beds all the time with no problems. Just blow them down at the end of the day, and give them a wipe over with a rag with a touch of petroleum jelly or paraffin wax melted into turpentine. And a bit of hard paraffin rubbed on the tables as you're sawing to keep them slippery through the day means they get a hard slippery surface coat that protects them both from wear and corrosion.

My cast iron tables are old, but aside from normal wear and tear they're in perfect condition and the tops of them let wet wood slip like a well waxed dance floor.



 

This one here is the oldest of them - and new to me - shes a big old 2 man breast bench. Tables a bit pitted from sitting in the weather but not bad considering the foundry that cast her went bankrupt in the great depression and she's been worked (and modernized every few decades) ever since.... I dont quite know why I brought it home because its more suited to a historic display or boat anchor but I wasnt going to let it go to scrap. At that size she wont have ever seen anything but wet wood.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

PA_Walnut

Great tips! I need to do better about wiping down my mill, etc. I lube and maintain religiously, but since my 11 year old daughter now "clocks in" at the mill to earn some cash, I think she can keep 'er tip top, make some mall money and everyone wins!! :D 8)
I own my own small piece of the world on an 8 acre plot on the side of a mountain with walnut, hickory, ash and spruce.
LT40HD Wide 35HP Diesel
Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber
Kubota M62 Tractor/Backhoe
WoodMizer KD250 Kiln
Northland 800 Kiln

YellowHammer

Thanks for the tips.

hey, if you guys are handing out 4x4's, send a few of them this way.   :D :D :D.
How much do they eat?
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Dave Shepard

They eat 3,500 feet of logs, 8 gallons of diesel, four Turbo 7s, three Big Macs, a large order of fries and a Coke.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

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