Newbie here with a question on setworks. I am thinking of getting the Timberking 1400 and was wondering if setworks is worth the money. Being that I vave never milled, how hard is it to be accurate without it ? Thanks Pat
You can be real accurate without setworks, not near as fast without setworks. If you don't care about production go without setworks. . Steve
My old mill does not have setworks and I am dead on accurate. And over time I have become pretty quick because I have learned how my mill's controls respond and as with anything, practice makes perfect. (Old saying) If high production is a must, than go with setworks but if you have no need for speed then don't worry about setworks because you will get to where you are pretty DanG quick even with out setworks.
One thing to consider is re-sale value should you decide to upgrade, sell out, etc. Mills without setworks have a disadvantage in the used market. Would you order a vehicle today without A/C? Maybe you don't care about production but what if the guy with money in his pocket looking to buy a mill does? If someone were to ask me what options to get with a mill I would say setworks, debarker, and hydraulics, even if they think they don't need them now and never want them, you suddenly find that they were the best investment you made.
Get the setworks
Quote from: Southside logger on March 17, 2019, 01:41:07 PM
If someone were to ask me what options to get with a mill I would say setworks, debarker, and hydraulics
I have a B-20 TimberKing, a 2000 bought in 2002. Has hydraulics, does not have setworks, or a debarker but can see the advantage. Another thing I've wondered about speeding things up is a Dragback. Even with a tailer at times I just wish that board would move itself!
Quote from: crowhill on March 17, 2019, 09:01:06 PMAnother thing I've wondered about speeding things up is a Dragback.
Makes an amazing difference, even if it's not faster (which it is by a long shot), it's less labor so you can work longer, be more productive, or maybe feel better at the end of the day!!
In addition to what southside said, setworks when working properly is a big time saver. With my old lt40, I became very proficient at getting to the next cut. But after watching setworks in use by a competent Sawyer, my opinion changed 180. Assuming equal feed rates, the mill with setworks had about a three foot head start on the second cut of the day. If I made 100 cuts in a day, I would be 300 feet of cutting behind the mill wit setworks in the same timeframe. I know there are other factors which could change my assumptions but it gave me a grasp of what setworks was all about. For a guy who is cutting table slabs and taking his time getting the most figure and such out of unique logs, set works is not needed imo but making lumber, even the most basic setworks options are an advantage imo.
Quote from: Percy on March 18, 2019, 12:34:41 PM
In addition to what southside said, setworks when working properly is a big time saver. With my old lt40, I became very proficient at getting to the next cut. But after watching setworks in use by a competent Sawyer, my opinion changed 180. Assuming equal feed rates, the mill with setworks had about a three foot head start on the second cut of the day. If I made 100 cuts in a day, I would be 300 feet of cutting behind the mill wit setworks in the same timeframe. I know there are other factors which could change my assumptions but it gave me a grasp of what setworks was all about. For a guy who is cutting table slabs and taking his time getting the most figure and such out of unique logs, set works is not needed imo but making lumber, even the most basic setworks options are an advantage imo.
I would have to agree with Percy. When my setworks broke I was still able to saw accurate lumber however it took a bit longer because you have to do the math yourself. With having my setworks back I am able to just push buttons and not have to think. Example I can drag a board back and once past the cant I can hit the button and the heads dropping while moving backward. Once the head settles I'm moving forward sawing, almost no lag between backwards and forward movement. That little lag make huge differences at the end of the day, a difference of finishing the job in one day or having to go back.
I'd probably stop sawing if my setworks died and could not be fixed or replaced. Yes, you can cut good accurate lumber without it but it is so much easier to consistently cut the same thickness every time using setworks. Also use of a cheat sheet with my setworks likely saves me an extra cut off every cant and does not leave me with a thick or thin dog board off every cant.
My vote, setworks and dragback. Here's a video I made with my slowpoke LT40, 5 red oak boards in 1 minute and 36 seconds, or 19 seconds ber board, sawn and cleared off the bed. You can see how the setworks is automatically dropping the head as I'm advancing because I know the head will be dead in when the band hits the wood.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YpO3njUNe4g (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YpO3njUNe4g)
Impressive video. That slowpoke LT40 is cranking out some lumber.
I'm not sure on the setworks question. With my TK-2000 the up down is so fast it makes it near impossible to hit a scale mark on the first attempt. For that reason alone setworks is the only option for my mill.
With a mill that is slow on the elevation it is easy to hit a scale mark on the first try with a little practice. No jogging allowed. I'm not familiar with the 1400, but would assume its on the slower side. If so, I would go with manual setworks and eliminate the upfront cost and future maintenance expense.