Opinions on new mill, Woodland HM130 or Norwood MN26

[brombones]

Hi, first post here from a new guy.  Looking for some opinion on brand/model of a new mill.

Recently bought a 25 acre property that is 2nd growth forest, and has a nice mix of cedar, hemlock, pine, spruce, and some red alder & birch as well.  Some really nice straight saw logs &  and plenty of unique furniture wood.  I'll be milling to stockpile lumber for when we eventually build out there.  The largest trees average 20'' with a handful around 25-26''.

I've narrowed it down to the Woodland HM130 and the Norwood MN26, both are around $5300 shipped which is right on my budget.  I would also look at the Norwood LM29 for, though it's 7-800 more.

Looking for opinions from guys who own either model - customer service, quality issues, parts stock availability, etc.  Anything that can help a new buyer decide.  I'm familiar with Norwood quality on their previous mills, my dad has been running one (MK4 model I believe) for 20 years without issue.  The newer models I am not familiar with.

I hear great things about Woodlands customer service which is great, also heard of some quality issues though it sounds like they have worked out a lot of bugs as well.

Thanks in advance for any help. 

[goose63]

Welcome to the FF brombones I've had the 126 going on 5 years now for what I do its great mill

[ronwood]

Welcome to the forum.  I never been around any of the mills mention.  Sharp blades and good maintenance are important with any mill that you purchase.
Ron

[ladylake]

 Ronwood is right plus no mill is perfect, knowing how to and willing to fix one is real important. Some have a simple to fix problem but aren't willing to do it.  Steve

[Tin Horse]

I owned the Woodland mill a few years ago. The service is great. However I think they are suited to very light use. I had a few issues but they sent new parts. A clutch and fuel cap. My back told me too much manual labour. If I was looking again I'd look at the Norwood. You can add hydraulics later if you wish. I came across a Enercraft 30 HTL so I sold the Woodland.
Good luck.

[SawyerTed]

Welcome to the forum!  I too am unable to offer specifics on the mills you are looking at.  What little advice I can offer above what has been offered, is below.  For the most part sawmills are like pickup trucks.  Some are smaller, some are larger, some have basics, some have nice options, will they all hauls stuff yes some more than others.  Are there any much better than the others, not really.  Find what you want and what suits the jobs you need to complete.

1.  Ask questions of the different dealers or manufacturers, see who is most responsive.

2.  Find out how quickly you can get replacement parts - no matter what you WILL need parts.

3.  Find out about support.  No matter what you will need support.

Just a short story about my experience.  I broke my sawmill the first day I had it-pure rookie mistake.  It was a very small part that left the log lift inoperable.  The part was next day shipped.  Once installed the log lift didn't work.  A 2 minute call to the service guy at the dealer had me operational.  That kind of support is extremely important or you will become frustrated.  That would be bad especially if you have projects or customers waiting.j

[thecfarm]

Welcome to the forum.
Seem like you know about Norwood. Stick with them.

[brombones]

Thanks for the advice.

I've put in some inquiries with both outfits on support, common failures or wear items, and parts stock/availability so we'll see.

As far as repairs, I have no problem fixing or modifying if needed.  I have a fully equipped service truck which will come in handy, especially for the initial assembly and setup.

Pretty excited to get one here and get milling, although the 4 ft of snowpack will slow things down for a bit.

[starmac]

I only know what I have read, mostly on here about either one, but if adding hydraulics may be in your future, check out availability if using factory parts. I seem to recall they are available for the bigger norwood, but not the smaller. I would assume they can be fabricated for any of them though.

[brombones]

Ritchie is going to auction off a woodland mill in a few weeks.  Just thought I'd mention it since the mill is in BC and I'm way over on the SE coast of the US.  

Thanks, checked it out and it is the 126 model, not a bad mill but the 9.5hp is a little small I think.

Just as a note, a Woodland sales rep got back to me within an hour - they detailed some previous issues on the mill and the upgrades they've done to prevent them.  Let me know what parts they commonly stock and gave me some good info on sourcing parts locally when needed.  Pretty respectable.

No response from Norwood.

[brombones]

I only know what I have read, mostly on here about either one, but if adding hydraulics may be in your future, check out availability if using factory parts. I seem to recall they are available for the bigger norwood, but not the smaller. I would assume they can be fabricated for any of them though.

From what I see the only hydraulic option is the bottle jack toe boards.  
I plan to eventually build some hydraulic toe boards, using a porta-power hand pump and a couple hydraulic rams.  That way I can mount the pump outside the frame, rather than reaching under the log to pump up a bottle jack.

[Kbeitz]

I found that the scissor jack works great for toe lift. They make BIG ones for campers. You can put a long handle on them so it comes all the way out to the front of you'r mill. 

[staker]

I think you should always by the bigger more robust mill you can afford. As I have learned the hard way by buying things cheaper not built for the job needed but could get by with and end up busting something and getting frustated and buying what I should of bought in the first place and costing more in the long run. There are lots of mills out there some made in Canada some not. Timber King make a nice small mill so do Wood-Mizer. I think the bed is important to be made as robust as possible, as it seem to takes most of the stress.