First timer here. Norwood HD36 or Cooks MP-32

[NoDak64]

Hello all!

Im Going into the sawmill business with a partner. We have a buyer for 4000-6000 BDft of oak a week.
I have found a supply of logs and am ready to start this venture.
We need to saw 1" by 6" by 8 footers.

Now I know it will be slow  going to start but im wondering what you guys think would be the better mill option.

The cooks could be similiarly equipped with a 23.5 hp engine and electric feed for about 8000 cheaper than the norwood and its hydraulics.

What are your opinions on these mills? Electric vs hydraulic?

The cooks can have the feed options added later just like the norwood can right?


Thanks for  your thoughts.

Also if anyone is selling a similar mill used within 500 miles of western WI I would be interested. I originally wanted to go used but other that an old Kasco 2b I have found nothing. I really wanted to keep this under 10k and have the ability to add power options later

Thanks again

[ladylake]

 

If you are sure the 4 to 6 thousand a week is going to last get as many hydraulics as you can, should pay back fast unless your selling to cheap.   Steve

[NoDak64]

If you are sure the 4 to 6 thousand a week is going to last get as many hydraulics as you can, should pay back fast unless your selling to cheap.   Steve

Noted and thanks. I have great confidence in the buyer lasting, my bigger question is log supply down the road.

[NoDak64]

A friendly fellow on here showed me a 1999 lt40 in my price range. I was wondering what compatibility problems that might have with adding WM hydraulics in the future? It's a 25 hp model if that matters

[NoDak64]

Any opinions on this?

http://www.sawmillexchange.com/view_product/15243/

[thecfarm]

Nothing a matter with homemade,but you did not make it. Can it be adjusted to make good lumber? Maybe when it was built an adjust was not thought out or maybe did not realize that will matter later on. Sometimes it takes 2-3 builds to get all the kinks out of it.

[pineywoods]

A friendly fellow on here showed me a 1999 lt40 in my price range. I was wondering what compatibility problems that might have with adding WM hydraulics in the future? It's a 25 hp model if that matters

NoDak, I considered doing that. Bought a nice lt40 manual, figured I'd buy the hydraulic parts from WM and just bolt them on. Really not practical for a couple of reasons. The electrical system on a manual mill isn't robust enough to support the 12 volt motors on the wm hydraulics. Some of the options would require some welding on the mill frame, not a good idea. Unless you really know what you are doing, easy to warp the frame and mess up a good mill. Better to trade up..I couldn't go that route, so I cobbled up a homemade hydraulic system that uses a 110 volt motor for power..

[47sawdust]

pineywoods,
If it has an external alternator I would think that the electrical output would be sufficient,maybe I'm missing something here.

[pineywoods]

47, it depends on the age of the mill and what engine. The older manual mills had no alternator, adding one wouldn't be much of a problem. But would need a bigger battery, heavier wiring, and solenoids to handle the current. Such an upgrade is certainly possible, there's a couple of guys on here have done it. When I looked at all the bits and pieces, it just didn't look practical.

[Bandmill Bandit]

When I bought my mill in 07 I looked at a couple of used LT28 woodmizers and B20 timber king. fo band saws and the a D&L double cut and a mobile dimensional circurlar swing saws.

I talked to woodmizer about doing the power up grades and got component prices from them. The cost of doing those power upgrades was such that it just didn't make sense as a new LT40HDG28 was about 500 bucks less then doing the upgrades not including my shop time to do them on used mills.

So I went to the LT40HDG28 and I still tease Garry that they undersold me. I should have bit the bullet and gone with the LT40HDD34 Super. I ended up pretty much upgrading mine to a super any way. The only thing left not super on mine it he up/dwn motor and doing the conversions cost me about 1500 more than if I had bought the Super right at the start.

IF you KNOW you have a solid sale for the lumber as you say and you can get logs to fill those sales then you really will hurt your self on the front end by not doing the best set up you can afford. An LT40HDD35 super will deliver very good service and reliability for you. If your not going mobile an Electric would be a very good choice.

I know I would not be afraid to take on that kind of an order long term with no one to help me at the mill but I wouldn't want to push to far beyond that.

I know there are 2 of you but will there always be two of you?