Best mill

welderskelter · June 29, 2019, 09:04:58 AM

I built my own mill but I noticed most sawyers on here it seems prefer the wood mizer mill. Cooks is the one I have been patterning after on some things. Not too familiar with WM. Is Woodmizer a better mill. Harold

Magicman · June 29, 2019, 10:07:29 AM

Quote from: welderskelter on June 29, 2019, 09:04:58 AMIs Woodmizer a better mil

Absolutely.

Of course my answer is based on the fact that I own a Wood-Mizer and have no experience with any other manufacturer's sawmills. Very few sawyers will change from a brand that they are familiar and comfortable with and go into unfamiliar territory. Same with trucks.

The best answer is for you to visit sawyers with different sawmills, get a "hands on" feel, and form your own opinion. I would be more than happy to have a potential sawyer visit as would most all of the other brand owners here on the FF. Heck, you might even get a Chicken Dinner or a Spam Sammich.

Oddman · June 29, 2019, 11:25:58 AM

The best mill....who knows? The best mill for me is different than the best mill for another. I think the manufacturers, generally, are all doing their best to make the best mill they can while keeping their business profitable. I think it's a loaded question and not one that's not got an answer that fits across the board.

chet · June 29, 2019, 11:54:24 AM

My mill is da best one. ;D It's payed for itself many times over, owes me nothing, and still runs and cuts flawlessly.

GAB · June 29, 2019, 02:00:16 PM

MM wrote: "The best answer is for you to visit sawyers with different sawmills, get a "hands on" feel, and form your own opinion."
I would suggest that you off bear for a couple of hours on each that you visit. This will give you a better feel for the ergonomics of a mill's design.
GAB

nativewolf · June 29, 2019, 02:05:34 PM

Cooks is a fine mill BTW.

Pabene · June 29, 2019, 02:40:45 PM

I don't have an orange mill. I have a background as toolmaker (metal shop). When I bought my mill 15 years ago I soon discovered a lot of week points in the mill. Most of it is fixed now. Now I know what just I would like to see in a band saw mill.
I like when a mill has a "big opening", wide between guides, good height from its blade to the top blade cover.
Stop teeth and clamp teeth on each bunk. I prefere electrical motor and a stationary mill, installed on a concret floor.
I want to cut logs, I can accept some minor dimension errors in that step. Then when the boards and cants is dried most all of it is different animals from dimension points. I have not the money to invest in the tools like planers and so. I want to use a so fantastic tool as band saw is to make the next step. A correct adjusted band saw, with a sharp blade, will cut an absolutly stright and flat cut in a dried cant. What you need, to take advantage of that, is better clamp system than I have seen on the mills on the market.

KenMac · June 29, 2019, 03:45:53 PM

Quote from: nativewolf on June 29, 2019, 02:05:34 PM
Cooks is a fine mill BTW.

I have a Cook's AC 36 mill and bought it because it meets my expectations for wide cut (36"), power (67 hp Perkins diesel), and easy to service. It was designed to last a long time and be repaired with off the shelf parts- not proprietary parts for the most part. It is way more capable than I am at this point. I'm very satisfied with it, even though I only have a few hours on the meter.

Tom the Sawyer · June 29, 2019, 06:29:04 PM

welderskelter,

That question is like standing next to your burn barrel, while holding a 5 gallon can of gas...

Dana Stanley · June 29, 2019, 07:41:01 PM

Like some have said it depends on how you are going to use it. WM may not be the best slabber, as I believe there are mill that cut wider! My mill is an entry level, or hobby mill, but it was the best for me, as it fit the budget, and does what I need it to do. I would love an LT40 if I had the need, and the money. Cook vs WM is like Caddy vs Lincoln!

APope · July 01, 2019, 05:24:43 PM

Do you want a ball peen, framing, finishing or auto body hammer? They will all drive a nail at the end of the day though each is better suited for their particular task.

I bought an entry level sawmill in a Frontier OS31. It is allowing me to learn to saw. I can already see that I'll have a hard time quarter sawing large logs or just making some 2X10 in simplest fashion. But I feel the need to learn a skill set and to ensure that sawing is for me without breaking the savings account...