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Custom Sawyers

Started by etkoehn, April 15, 2010, 10:46:30 AM

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etkoehn

Questions to all you custom Sawyers.
  On average how many board feet do you saw a month?
  How many board feet can you saw in a good day?
  What brand and model of mill do you use?
  How much do you charge?
  Is it just you or do you have a helper?
Farm Boy

Jeff

What you are going to find out is that there is no standard answer that you can go away with to emulate. Each question on its own has a multitude of answers, but then, when you group them all together, you will get such a large variety of answers that the odds of even two of them being the same as a whole are greater then picking a winning lottery number.

Remember that the search button above is your friend.  Al of these questions have been covered in depth over the years and every bit of that information is still at your fingertips. :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Tom

Quote from: etkoehn on April 15, 2010, 10:46:30 AM
Questions to all you custom Sawyers.
  On average how many board feet do you saw a month?
  How many board feet can you saw in a good day?
  What brand and model of mill do you use?
  How much do you charge?
  Is it just you or do you have a helper?

I aimed for an average day of 1300 board feet. My monthly total depended upon the number of logs with which I was presented.  Some customers had one and some customers had 100.

I could saw 1300 with an effort that didn't wear out my help.  With good setups and good logs, cutting one inch material of 4 to 8 inch width, that same effort could get me to 2000 board feet.  I've had many 2000 to 2400 board foot days and have cut as much as 6,000.   I don't want to do that often.

I started with a Woodmizer LT40HD and my last Mills were Baker 3638's.

My last price increase was to 20¢ a board foot with a $20 setup fee, inside of my 60 mile radius of operation.

My operation was just me, my mill and my truck.  The customer was responsible for felling, bucking,  ramping, off-bearing, lumber stacking, slab disposal and clean-up.

While some operations are close in configuration, you will find that none are alike.  It all depends on the sawyer, his goals and his market.

DanG

ET, there's a pretty good example that illustrates what Jeff is saying, right here on the first page of this board.  In the thread entitled, "How do you make a living?" there are currently 17 responses with about 10 wildly differing answers to one of your questions.

However, this is a discussion forum, so we'll discuss it. ;)  I had a limited amount of custom sawing work in my brief period of business, four or five years worth of part timing.  My operation is stationary, so folks would bring the logs to me, but I would do all of the work myself.  I had the advantage of no travel time or expense, plus I was set up for efficiency and had everything I needed right here, so I charged the same as the portable guys around here.  Started out at 20ยข, and eventually increased to a quarter with no objections.  I also cut special orders from my own logs and cut for inventory so I had lumber to sell.  I sold good average pine for twice my custom sawing price(mostly from free logs) a little more for nice pine and a bit less for the crappy stuff.  I got quite a bit more for hardwoods, though my custom sawing rate for them was the same.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Magicman

Since I am a (part time) Custom Sawyer, I'll throw in a few answers.  I never try to saw over 2 maybe 3 days during a week.

Daily bf depends upon the logs and what the customer wants.  Sawing 1" generally runs 1500 to 1800 bf daily.  2" framing lumber will run 2000 to 2400 bf.  I have sawed over 3000 bf in a day.

My mill is listed in my Signature.

Saw prices advertised in Mississippi run from $160 to $300 per thousand.  My prices fall in the midpoint.  I saw for a set price, no matter if it's for 1" or 2".  I don't negotiate my saw price.  Cedar is sawed by the hourly rate.

The customer furnishes and pays for the helper.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

etkoehn

Magicman why do you saw Cedar by the hour instaed of BF
Farm Boy

ljmathias

etkoehn: MM probably likes the aroma so much (I know I do) that he just takes his time sawing cedar- better to get paid by the hour when you're just loafing along enjoying life... which is what sawing is all about for me at least.

Sawed up some poplar yesterday that just turned out beautiful- logs had been on the ground for a couple months while I finished up a house I was building so I was worried about rot and bugs but turned out fine. Summer hasn't hit hard yet with all the assorted 'benefits' it brings like mosquitoes, beetles and log-eating molds of various kinds.

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

Magicman

Quote from: etkoehn on April 17, 2010, 12:05:58 AM
Magicman why do you saw Cedar by the hour instaed of BF  

Note that I am sawing Eastern Red Cedar.  Not the same as your cedar.  Every Sawyer has to establish his own rules to match his own sawing conditions, logs, and customers.  There is not a "one size fits all" in this business.

Customers generally want cedar as wide as the log will allow, and many times different thicknesses.  These odd dimensions make scaling the lumber very difficult.

Also, and just as important, is the quality of our ERC logs.  Many contain rot that may be just on the end or completely throughout.  Very often, these conditions  are not seen until the log is opened/sawed.  You can turn the cant and "box the rot", but that's time spent.  You easily can spend time sawing it and the customer gets nothing.   It's hard to scale rotten lumber.

Sawing by the hour, the customer gets what you sawed from his logs.  It completely eliminates any possibility of you not getting paid for your time sawing.  It also eliminates the customer feeling that he paid for something that he didn't get.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

sgschwend

East cost prices are lower than West coast prices.  

A good example:  small beams or posts (8X8 size) go for $1/bf here.  That puts the cut charge in the $.50/bf range.

Other products might be a bit lower but not that much.

I think the cost of living has a lot to do with the difference, so the prices here may vary too.
Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

Magicman

Yup, there is no "one size fits all" answer to sawing and pricing.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

etkoehn

Thanks for the comments. I'm learning that there is no one size fits all but i'm hoping that with all the info i get i can make a size that fits me.
I do however have another question. How hard is it to saw 2x4, 2x6 ect.. on a bandsaw? To me it seems like it would take skill and a lot of practice to get the most from a log
Farm Boy

Chuck White

Up here in the N.E., board footage rates for custom sawing range from 15ยข to 17.5ยข per bf

Any more than that, and the customer may as well go to an Amish sawmill and buy their lumber.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Tom

QuoteHow hard is it to saw 2x4, 2x6 ect.. on a bandsaw? To me it seems like it would take skill and a lot of practice to get the most from a log

It does......  on any saw.   Operating the saw is just a small part of sawing.  Reading the log and handling/drying the lumber  is more difficult.  Like driving a car, the mechanical things on a sawmill all work the same way each time.  Every log is different, the same as every road is different. 

Your expertise as a sawyer will be judged on your consistancy (stick to the job), knowledge of your equipment, customer relations and uppermost, your knowledge of wood.  Be prepared to spend many waking moments reading and learning, as well as many sleeping moments dreaming.  Yes, you will saw in your sleep and dream of how you could have cut specific logs differently the day before.

Being a Sawyer isn't all about sharp teeth and horsepower.

Magicman

Quote from: etkoehn on April 17, 2010, 03:40:44 PM
How hard is it to saw 2x4, 2x6 ect.. on a bandsaw? 

Tom's answer was "straight up. smiley_thumbsup   It's more than overcoming difficulties and gaining skill.  It takes practice.  It takes knowing where your blade is going to be on the last cut before you make the first cut.  In other words, know where you are going before you leave home.  Your target is always that bottom board.

I'll post a couple of pictures of a cant being sawed into dimension 2X4's.



Excuse the camera angle.  Here you see that the 1st, (bottom) 2nd (left) and 3rd (top) faces have been opened.  The cant is then split into three equal pieces.  When the top board was removed, it left a cant exactly the right thickness to be evenly split.



Again, excuse the camera angle.  Notice that the 3 slices are now vertical as the 4th face is opened.  2X4's are now being sawed.

Notice the small amount of wasted log.  The second cut on each face produced a board that made 2X4's.

I hope that this helped you to visualize what took place when I set this log up to saw 2X4's.  The exact same process takes place, no matter what dimension lumber you are sawing.  Other sawyers may do it different.  I'm just offering my way.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

etkoehn

Thanks Tom for the advise. Do you know of any good books to read for a wannabe sawyer?
Thanks for the pictures Magicman visual aids are always helpful to me.

What log scale do you guys use for scaling logs?
Farm Boy

Tom

Not too many good sawing books.  Member "Been there" posted a sawing book one time and it's in the forum somewhere.  Perhaps He'll remember.  I always go to the Wood Handbook.  It's link is in the Knowledge base.  Government publications are good.  Go to the library.  Visit other mills.  Talk to cabinet makers, wood workers of all kinds and discover what they want.  Look at my website. Look at Bibbyman's website.  Read the forum, read the forum, read the forum......   Arkansawyer started a commercial mill and you will learn of the finances and problems he ran into. Others are modifying or building mills.  Study books on tree identification.  Go into the woods and do it.  Read about the uses of each wood. 

One set of books you might find in a library is Utilization of the Southern Pines (Peter Koch). It is an expensive two volume set but full of information on trees and sawing equipment. (How a saw tooth works)

There are even posts on the forum where others have asked for books and magazines.  This forum is probably the best place to find general Forestry and sawmill knowledge.  Use it all up before you worry too  much about looking elsewhere.   Check out the used book stores and publisher clearing warehouses where they sell overstocks, etc.  Not too many of those anymore, but there are some.

ljmathias

Magic: nice posting- still true that a picture is worth a thousand words...

One question: what did you do with the first and second slabs cut?  I can see a board from the first just like for the third but it seems the second slab was cut pretty heavy to get squared up- did you lose the 2X4 that is in the middle like you got from the last face when you turned and starting cutting 2X4s?

About to start cutting framing for my oldest son's house now that number two's is done (well, almost done- still got to caulk and finish the porch ceiling...) and we'll be doing both 2X4 and 2X6 for the walls plus floor and ceiling joists.  How wide do you normally cut ground floor joists on a raised foundation?  First house I built with a  raised and crawl space we over-built using 2X10's and the floor is rock solid.  I'm trying to find the best compromise between support post and beam spacings and joist thickness.

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

Magicman

Quote from: ljmathias on April 18, 2010, 07:01:47 AM
One question: what did you do with the first and second slabs cut?  I can see a board from the first just like for the third but it seems the second slab was cut pretty heavy to get squared up-  Lj 

Lj,  actually each face yielded three 2X4's.  If I'm figuring correctly, that was a 17" log that yielded 28 2X4's. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

zopi

Quote from: Tom on April 17, 2010, 04:13:49 PM
QuoteHow hard is it to saw 2x4, 2x6 ect.. on a bandsaw? To me it seems like it would take skill and a lot of practice to get the most from a log


Being a Sawyer isn't all about sharp teeth and horsepower.

No but being my wife is....:D

It does take awhile to learn the art of sawing...the science can come pretty quick...but consistently reading a log takes alot of practice...even the best ones get caught up with a nasty one every so often...
Got Wood?
LT-15G GO chassis added.
WM sharpener and setter
And lots of junk.

DanG

Quote from: Tom on April 17, 2010, 04:13:49 PM
  Yes, you will saw in your sleep

I can verify this.  I have actually heard Tom sawing in his sleep.  In fact, almost every time I've been in the presence of any slumbering sawyer, they were doing it.  Apparently, dream saws are noisier than real saws though.  Mine even wakes me up sometimes. ::) :D

As a side note here, hard work like that seldom goes unrewarded.  My wife was so impressed with my dedication to sawing that she gave me my own bedroom. 8) 8) 8)
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Cedarman

To figure out what you can get from a straight log, (sawing crooked logs is at another level of expertise) you need to become very familiar with the Pythagorean formula.  A calculator with square roots is almost a necessary tool.  Knowing the diameter of the log , it will tell you what size rectangles or what size square you can get from the log. For example a 17 " log wil square to a 12" x 12" square.  Play on paper before sawing the log.  Use different diameters and see what rectangles will fit inside the circle.  Geometry is fun.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Dave Shepard

Keep a framing square around the mill. Move it around on the end of the log until the corner is on the edge of the log and look at where the edge lands on the tongue and blade. That will show you what shape you can get for a square, like an 8"x8", or a rectangle, like a 6"x8".
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Tom

One of the handiest things to do is measure the length of a finger, distance between knuckles (looking for an inch), your palm width, handspan and your boot length.  As you progress, you will be dependent on these guestimate measurements  rather than getting out a tape measure all of the time.  You will also find that your "eye" will develop and you will be able to just look at the log on your sawmill bed, put the blade up against it and know.

You may still need a commercial measuring device for detail work, but knowing lengths of body parts lets you think about a log before it ever hits the mill.  You see, logs aren't always round. :D

Hilltop366

I don't know about that Tom , I've heard that guys arn't very good at using body parts for estimating length...it seems that they are always over estimating. :D

Tom

That's why the finger works pretty good.  ;D

backwoods sawyer

I got ahold of a log the other day that would have most of use scratching our heads and wondering if the customer was going to get what he wanted out of it. It was a 23" (small end) butt cut Doug fir log that had some large canker knots with black pitch seams and plenty of soft wood, along with ring shake. It graded as a #3 saw log on the verge of being a cull. The customer wanted three sound 3"x 12"s for lowboy decking. I found five 3"x 12"s in the log for him to choose from. Some logs just do not make good wood and these marginal logs can give you many headaches. Keep in mind the better the log, the better the lumber. Not to mention that a good log is a lot nicer to work with then a junk log.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

captain_crunch

B_K_W_S
All I cut is what we get raped by mill for. Sometimes I see why  ;D ;D ;D They don't pay S^^t fer anything under 36'X12 "(2 mill or better) so I been fighting 18' X30" long butts thru mill and am amaized at how well tht little Bellsaw does with em
M-14 Belsaw circle mill,HD-11 Log Loader,TD-14 Crawler,TD-9 Crawler and Ford 2910 Loader Tractor

customsawyer

I have learned not to turn my nose up at ugly logs as some of them make very pretty lumber. The lumber may not have strength for some jobs but they can have some great grain patterns.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Bro. Noble

Quote from: Hilltop366 on April 18, 2010, 07:01:01 PM
I don't know about that Tom , I've heard that guys arn't very good at using body parts for estimating length...it seems that they are always over estimating. :D

I overestimated the length of my legs one time when crossing an electric fence :o :( :'(
milking and logging and sawing and milking

backwoods sawyer

I over estimated how far in the blade on a lawn mower was while unplugging it. Now I have three fingers that are shorter, so which finger do I use for estimating Tom?  ;D
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

ljmathias

Backwoods: why would you want to be measuring Tom?  I think that might be a job better left for family... :D :D

Nice thing about cutting out on my land is that there's no one around but family. Not unusual to see a couple of the grandsons (3 and 4) go whizzing by totally naked- I'd try it but then the body parts would certainly get caught somewhere in the mill and I'd hate to lose any of an already too short .... well, body part. :'(

I've tried the body part measuring idea, but the only one that  works reliably for me is the step-out: I've learned to adjust my stride so that one step is pretty much one yard.  Sure handy for bucking logs when I'm out cutting and didn't bring my tape (which I would lose anyway and just have to buy another one).  Does look real funny though walking up a tree to get heights so I can plan the fall better. :)

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

Magicman

Quote from: ljmathias on April 20, 2010, 07:05:34 AM
Does look real funny though walking up a tree to get heights so I can plan the fall better. :)  Lj 

It'd be easier if you ate more grits.  Makes your feet stick better..... ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

ljmathias

Ah ha!  At last a use for grits that I can identify with: use them for glue!  Would they work as well on wood?  Maybe we could start a little business on the side: Grits Glue: beats the Gorilla kind sticky side down! ;D

Lj
LT40, Long tractor with FEL and backhoe, lots of TF tools, beautiful wife of 50 years plus 4 kids, 5 grandsons AND TWO GRANDDAUGHTERS all healthy plus too many ideas and plans and not enough time and energy

etkoehn

Haha. This has turned into a funny crazy post. Been kinda busy to comment on here past couple of days one of them i worked 24 hours. I started to fall asleep standing up. That scared me :o :D.

As far as using body parts for measuring, my boots are real close to 1 foot. Which is good because i can only stick on foot in at a time anyway. :) The past few years as I'm working with more measurements is i try to train my eyes to have better judgment.

Question.
How much better are electric mills(up/down forward reverse) instead of manual mills?
I would love hydraulic but i think it is out of my price range for the time being.
Farm Boy

Magicman

One thing that you will find to be generally true.  Well maintained mills tend to hold their values.  There is nothing economically wrong with buying and using what you can afford.  Then as you grow your business, trade up.  I bought "used" as did many other sawyers.  My mill today (8 years later) is easily worth what I paid for it.

There is a For Sale board down below and these folks list many types of mills for sale.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

nas

Personally I wouldn't pay extra for electric feed and head up down.  The real killer is trying to turn huge logs by hand, and that is solved with hydraulics. 

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

laffs

i used to saw on the road but no more. most of the people i sawed for  never had an ideal setup. they piled logs on hills if they piled them at all. they didnt use skids. they drug them through the dirt at least once sometimes twice.if it used to be a tree they thought everything was a log. most were pine and they held onto them 2 yrs
most everyone was pleased with what i sawed at .20 a ft , i only avrage about 800 sq ft a day mostly due to poor logs and poor stacking of the logs. if you saw on the road figure only sawing 3 days a week. 2 days of estimates moving and setup of the mill. now il let the mill sit idle before il saw cruddy logs on the road and beat the crap out of my mill for little return.
i  work by myself and sticker and stacked it also.
in my opinion you have to be stern with people and tell them exactly what needs to be done before you take on the job. most of the people didnt have the means to set things up right. and i couldnt realy take my excavator and my tractor over and set it up on my dime.just my 2 cents. it was a real horror show so il just stay home and see if i can find a niche right here for now.
brent
timber harvester,tinberjack230,34hp kubota,job ace excavator carpenter tools up the yingyang,

Magicman

Unless sawing on the road is what you want to do.  I just let the "hide go with the hair".  Don't worry about it.  Sometimes the logs are a real mess.  Folks just don't know.  Since so many of my customers are repeats, they know what to do "next time"..... :)



A mess.



Another mess.



But sometimes, really nice.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

laffs

the best repeat customers i have are the ones i work for free .
seems like everyones is venting lately.
i let this one guy take advantage of me. i had an old dump truck worth maybe 4 thousand,gave it to him. sawed 2 thousand ft for him and had to work my regular job the guy says he sawed bofore. so i tell him if he pays to sharpen blades he can use the mill while im gone(i know big mistake)2 weeks when i get back he sawed 8 thousand mill hasnt run right since . then he used my trailer to move 100 round hay bales.and thats not the best part. never returned the trailer.someone else wanted to use it and i said sure,you go get it and return it to me when done. comes back with no lights no ramps and no jack.
so il just keep my equipment to home and they can bring me their logs.and even thats not a sure bet of being taken advantage of .
brent
timber harvester,tinberjack230,34hp kubota,job ace excavator carpenter tools up the yingyang,

etkoehn

Nas why do you say that you wouldn't pay extra for electric?

Magic man, i have been looking for used mills closer to me but haven't seen any in my price range that looked decent. I don't really want to buy used if i can't go look at it. Did that with a old truck once and just once. :D I'm not buying today so i'm keeping my eyes and ears open and have been to that website many times:). Do you know much about the electric up/down forward/reverse? My plans are to buy something a little more manual with a little power options and if things go well sell and buy one with hydraulics. But plans change and so do circumstances so we will see.

Laffs that is pretty scary. I don't like dealing with people much but this will be good for me. Help me get out of my box. I want a nice sawmill and have to justify it somehow :D :D :D Don't let anymore people jip you.
Farm Boy

nas

I just don't think that electric feed will increase your production rates at all.  The big things you need are engine HP and log handling ability.  If you can find a Norwood or an LT15 or 28 or some other manual mill, the cut speed will be the same as the same HP mill with electric feed.  I went from a Norwood to my LT40HD and the biggest difference for the production rate is the log handling speed with the hydraulics.  For a manual mill I would definitely recommend the Norwood.  Best bang for your buck. :)

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

etkoehn

Pushing buttons seems a lot easier then pushing it back and forth. least to me anyways :D :D
Farm Boy

Dan_Shade

Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

Chuck White

Power feed will definately make your back feel better at the end of the day.

I would think that the "push-through" mills would cost both time and comfort, thus decreasing production.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

nas

Quote from: etkoehn on April 22, 2010, 08:17:17 PM
Pushing buttons seems a lot easier then pushing it back and forth. least to me anyways :D :D
yebbit if you are on a budget I would take HP over power feed any day.
Quote from: Chuck White on April 23, 2010, 09:00:29 AM
Power feed will definately make your back feel better at the end of the day.

I would think that the "push-through" mills would cost both time and comfort, thus decreasing production.
Actually Chuck, the one thing my old Norwood would beat my LT40 on is the head raising and lowering, and head return.  As to how much work it is to push it, it is not much more than walking along with the head on my LT40.  It is less work than the Woodmizer manual clutch. :)

Nick
Better to sit in silence and have everyone think me a fool, than to open my mouth and remove all doubt - Napoleon.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.
2002 WM LT40HDG25
stihl 066
Husky 365
1 wife
6 Kids

Chuck White

Hmmm...... Didn't realize that NAS.

I helped a BIL saw with a push-through and it seemed like a lot of work to me.

Don't remember what brand of mill he had, but it was painted brown.

I know my mill outshines his.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

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