First post -- Introduction and Questions/Comments...

[bear.23]

Might as well start with an introduction from the Great (not so White anymore) North.. I've got 100 mostly wooded acres N/E of Bancroft Ontario.. (The town name is Boulter)  use  the link below zoom out as needs be so you can get some idea as to where I am...map

I started building a sugar shack (just a little one 16X32) last spring with the intentions of doing syrup but I got sick and was diagnosed with MS in July... I started on medication in August and I'm back to about 90% of what I was. But I am about a bit behind on finishing the Sugar Shack..  This year was so weird for syrup it didn't bother me... I'll get some pictures on my website at some point...

I have 30 bee hives, I will have 800 taps into the maples next year as well as a couple of other small businesses...  Oh yeah and I'm employed full time as a computer programmer too (I telecommute! (2 way satellite))

I figure logging and lumber are the norm up here and getting logs shouldn't be that difficult I buy tandem loads for firewood so I figure sawing should be no different...  Can probably even work a better deal... I have lots of small projects underway and the price of lumber is nuts... I've spent almost 5 grand on lumber in the last year and it isn't about to stop.... We have 3 buildings and a greenhouse yet to put up...Plus the basement and Shop to finish.... And If I buy a mill somewhere to put it!!!!


I saw a bunch of these mills at Timberfest in Bancroft last year and it planted a bug ... I've gotten the brochures & DVD's from Baker, Norwood and Wood Mizer... Clarke doesn't have a DVD but they did send me their info pack..  I got something from Hudson but I don't remember it having a DVD... 

*** Note to Vendors DVD's are fabulous marketing materials!!!***
Now if money was no object the Wood Mizer I'd buy one without a doubt but unfortunatly I'm sorta poor.....  There were a couple things bothered me about the WM material.. Even though I specifically asked for a price list all I got were the package prices... And they seem to treat the folks in the US better then they do up here (several services that say US only!)... the Baker and Hudson just don't do anything for me...  The dogs on the Baker turned me right off looks very antiquated...

The Clarke looks OK but there promo material leaves something to be desired and the pricing was a little on the high side as well... So that sorta leaves me with the the Lumbermate not that I mind The product looks great...  Although I'd love all the bells and whistles.I can probably live without them...  Has anybody used their power feed option... They say it's cable driven???

My questions (I know finally! Do I rant?)
Is horsepower only going to speed up things or are there other benefits.. IE the quality of the wood it produces (limited blade flex etc)...
Have I missed any manufacturers? Have I been overly harsh with my selection methods???
Blade life... Is a sharpener necessary? How long to blades last in softer woods (Pine, Spruce, Cedar)?

What options are have to haves and what are the nice to haves? Power feed, log roller, toe rollers,etc?

I'd really love to hear from any LM owners in eastern Ontario... I do have to see/use one in action before I'm spending any money...

[Doc]

Welcome aboard!

I have been asking alot fo the same questions. All the answers you are gonna get will make sense, so it may make it harder to make a decision. I know it has me.

Doc

[Quebecnewf]

I see you live in Ont I know you are aware that Baker bought out Enercraft up there in Ont. I have my second Baker/Enercraft . Its a 20 hp (don't get less) and mine has Hyd drive all log handling and turning are armpower. It more than meets my needs. If you are sawing for yourself you don't need a lot of bells and whistles. If you plan to saw large trees you are going to work. The best size trees for arm power are about 12 to 14 inches at top after that it gets hard. For your own use a week of sawing will get you a lot of lumber. You need a sharpner or a sharpining service. Blades get dull. There is one thing for sure dull blades give bad lumber. Any fool can saw with sharp blades

Paul

[Bibbyman]

Now if money was no object the Wood Mizer I'd buy one without a doubt but unfortunatly I'm sorta poor.....  There were a couple things bothered me about the WM material.. Even though I specifically asked for a price list all I got were the package prices... And they seem to treat the folks in the US better then they do up here (several services that say US only!)...

First ...Welcome to the Forum!!!    8)

I too would have liked a price list of all options and features when we upgraded the last time.  The old catalogs had them.  You could "What if?" youself sick.  Then they went to an insert with prices and then I think they quit all togeather. 

I think there became too many models with too many choices to keep up with. With some options included other options or some options were only available with some other option or model.  On and on...  You had to talk to a salesman and have them work up a quote - then change a few things and see what that did to the price... 

Looks like it'd be a good thing to put on-line on their web site.  You can price up trucks and such that way - why not a mill?

[beenthere]

Bibbyman
Might work that way if the WM mills were coming down the assemblyline when the order came in. Add or leave off as the buyer wished. But I suspect (don't know) that there are mills in their warehouse in certain configurations, and they would like to sell them that way without knocking parts off and adding other parts to meet an order. Probably saving some on the cost of the end product.

I've found with cars (at least with the Montana van that I have) that they used to have lots of options (when the model line was first introduced). Now, I'd like to get a new one and find a number of the options (like lumbar support in the seat, which my wife needs) are no longer available. Guessing they figured it wasn't a sales attractant, so just decided to drop it so they could build and supply vans without it (and its probably expensive to have the dealer add a lumbar seat later and end up with an extra seat without lumbar at the dealer with no van to put it in). But again, just a guess on my part.

i.e can't open the bag of jelly beans at the store and remove the black ones and just buy the rest.

[Part_Timer]

welcome to the forum

I've never used what you are looking at but be patient.  Seems like between everyone on here everything is represented. 

[tnlogger]

welcome to the forum bear.23

as parttimer said between evryone on the forum there are but a few mills that are not represented here.
and each and every one of them are great peaple. 

[RacinRex]

Welcome,
There are a good number of Norwood guys here that will help you out. I've seen a couple in person and can say without doubt that they are well built machines. I'm one of the few other geeks in the room but I am a lowly net admin. Horsepower is good, more is better.

Have a great day!

[fstedy]

                            Welcome bear.23
Timberking is a good mill with a nice selection of models and reasonably priced. They are a sponsor of this forum give them a holler for some literature. I have a B-20 and am very pleased with it.

[bear.23]

Unfortunatly TimberKing doesn't appear to have a Canadian presence...  No sense in Buying a Mill that I' can't get parts for without duties

[twostroke_blood]

Hello Bear, welcome .... I'm new myself, lots of info here. Good luck with the sugar house. Its been a tuff year for sugar makers here in Vermont. Most of the guys I talk to say they have about half of a normal crop. Except of course for the guys running 30 lbs of vacuum, sucking that stuff out in good shape.

[leweee]

bear.23 welcome....I own a Clarke Model 100 manual mill / 20HP Honda. Richard Clarke is a good man to do business with(it's worth a drive to Lindsay to check them out.) 30+ years making bandsaw mills has to tell you something about the product. If the price is bothering you...... It's twice the mill the LM could hope to be jmo ;D