A little background on me, I grew up working at a mill that my grandfather owned that was passed down to him by his father. Grandfather came down with bad health and sold his groundhog mill and a year after that he couldn't stay away and began building a new mill. His plans this round was to teach me to run the mill and pass it along to me. We were about 75% complete when my grandfather passed and my grandmother was low of funds so again we had to sell the mill. I have been away from sawing lumber now for close to 6 years and it is driving me crazy!! Me and my grandfather use to cut railroad ties from 6 am to 6 pm, aghh the glory days! I miss the mill and am looking at getting something small and easy to learn on. I have looked at several different mills and cant seem to choose. I have a friend with a woodmizer and I love to watch it run. I am looking for something that is decent but not too pricey. I saw that woodland mills offers a beginner mill for like 2800$ and that would fit my budget. Any other budget mills out there that are worth taking a look at? I am also not against used. I plan to use the mill to cut lumber for myself and some for the public.
Welcome to FF, Wallee. Can't help you out with your questions, but a lot of people will shortly. A lot of information can be learned here at FF with a few laughs thrown in for fun. Quint
Welcome to the board , check the for sale section , there is often something there that may interest you . Good luck .
Welcome Wallee. :)
"Best" is a hard thing to pin down. Budget, capacity, production, reliability, resale? What matters most?
Yes the Woodland mills are good value, and will have you a useful and reliable sawmill for a very reasonable outlay. The cost is in the "hobby" range. Heck I could go and spend that much on a computer or a camera lens. :-\ Many of the mill manufacturers make a comparable mill, Woodmizer's LT10, Baker "woodbuddy", EZ Jr etc They all basically "work as advertised" ;)
Definitely check for used mills. Either someone bought a LT15 class mill, and wanted to upgrade, or they decide millings not for them and want to sell. Either way, useful machine with plenty of life left in it.
Sounds like you caught the sawmill bug at an early age. There is no cure :D You WANT a sawmill, go and find one you can afford and start sawing. If it needs some repairs or tuning, then so be it. All sawmills need that at some point. :D
Ian
Welcome wallee and welcome quebenz also. Wallee, Please fill in a bit more back ground for us, if you would? Where are you located, what do you intend to do with the lumber you are cutting, where are you planning on getting the logs, are you a land owner? Because you are looking for an entry type mill I guess you're not planning to cut ties 12 hours a day with it. Definately do NOT rule out buying used. As ianab mentioned, Woodland Mills comes highly recommended...as a hobby class mill. When I was shopping, I looked at them hard thinking I would probably push the mill over it's limit from time to time. Instead, I found a 14 year old Norwood MK 4 that has twice the HP and many more features the previous owner installed for under the "hobby mill" new price.
If you are ready to purchase now, now (does that qualify for a Tom Double :) sorry wallee, you'll get that inside joke soon enough) is a good time to look for used. Used mills can dissapear from the market fast, but I found eary spring to be decision time for upgrading sawyers and wannabe sawyers to make the decision on letting go of their smaller or unused saw.
The sites are out there for finding something used, and it takes a lot of looking, maybe some travel too. I was preparing to drive to MO or KY when I heard about my mill word of mouth. I drove 45 minutes south and started Knocking on doors in Amish Country, I wasn't gonna get anywhere on the phone :D.
3rd door I knocked on, nice gentleman in a hat and a short walk across the road later...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30938/2nd_pic_of_mill.jpg)
Flat tires, rusty blades on the wall, mud dobber nests...it was love at first site :D
They're out there Wallee, Good luck with the search
mark
Wallee,welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Wallee!
Definately look around for used mills too, not just new.
You can sometimes buy a used mill for around half the cost of a new one, I did!
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Wallee. There are many of us here "driving" used sawmills. :)
Quote from: m wood on February 27, 2014, 04:52:48 AM
Welcome wallee and welcome quebenz also. Wallee, Please fill in a bit more back ground for us, if you would? Where are you located, what do you intend to do with the lumber you are cutting, where are you planning on getting the logs, are you a land owner? Because you are looking for an entry type mill I guess you're not planning to cut ties 12 hours a day with it. Definately do NOT rule out buying used. As ianab mentioned, Woodland Mills comes highly recommended...as a hobby class mill. When I was shopping, I looked at them hard thinking I would probably push the mill over it's limit from time to time. Instead, I found a 14 year old Norwood MK 4 that has twice the HP and many more features the previous owner installed for under the "hobby mill" new price.
If you are ready to purchase now, now (does that qualify for a Tom Double :) sorry wallee, you'll get that inside joke soon enough) is a good time to look for used. Used mills can dissapear from the market fast, but I found eary spring to be decision time for upgrading sawyers and wannabe sawyers to make the decision on letting go of their smaller or unused saw.
The sites are out there for finding something used, and it takes a lot of looking, maybe some travel too. I was preparing to drive to MO or KY when I heard about my mill word of mouth. I drove 45 minutes south and started Knocking on doors in Amish Country, I wasn't gonna get anywhere on the phone :D.
3rd door I knocked on, nice gentleman in a hat and a short walk across the road later...
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/30938/2nd_pic_of_mill.jpg)
Flat tires, rusty blades on the wall, mud dobber nests...it was love at first site :D
They're out there Wallee, Good luck with the search
mark
I have a log truck and fel, I cut and clean up trees from time to time so I always have logs laying around. I am located in north Mississippi. I own my own land, and am looking to use some lumber around the stables and sell some. Probably build a hay shed soon too!
Welcome Wallee! It's in the blood, huh? Good for you.
Best of luck on finding the right mill!
Pete
See my comments under "burgertime's" very similar thread from a few days ago. I have a Hudson HFE-21 and liked it very much.
Quote from: SawyerBrown on February 27, 2014, 10:05:35 AM
Welcome Wallee! It's in the blood, huh? Good for you.
Best of luck on finding the right mill!
Pete
Thanks and yes! It's in my blood for sure, nothing better than fresh cut wood smell. I use to love cutting cedar! And pine had a nice smell as well ha ha. And Mattj I will go check it out!
Welcome to the FF Wallee. Ask your questions and the members will help you out. Best of Luck!
I built a Linn kit with trailer for about $3k, elec lift and winch powered carriage.
Web pricing for an WM Lt10 is $4k
The WM Lt15 is $6700.
I really like the Norwood HD36, just seems to have some great features and ergonomics for $7900 with a 23 hp engine.
But that is getting up there for a hobby expenditure.
Anyone have experience with the harbor freight mill or the hfe 21 HUD son?
The harbor fright mill might work fine but thy only stand behind it for 60 days or so i would not go with that one my self I am looking real hard at the Woodland for the price I think its a good deal
Welcome to the Forum from another North Mississippian. You are welcome to come for a visit anytime. Always like to talk sawmilling.
Wallee, it would be helpful answering questions if you add your location to your profile. :)
Quote from: Magicman on February 27, 2014, 05:38:25 PM
Wallee, it would be helpful answering questions if you add your location to your profile. :)
Updated Profile! BTW guys I am from Mississippi. Glad to hear there are some locals on here Wwsjr! I will have to come out and see your operation soon for sure!
Welcome to FF Wallee. Only new mill I own, I built. Others were used.
Good luck on your search.
Quote from: Wallee on February 27, 2014, 02:49:12 PM
Anyone have experience with the harbor freight mill or the hfe 21 HUD son?
Welcome Wallee, I have one of the harbor freight mills, It is a good mill. If it is still on sale you can get it for under $1600 with the discount coupons. They are made a lot better than one would think. the parts that wear out are off the shelf items. The 9hp engine is enough to saw with but if I ever wear it out I will replace it with the 420cc engine. I just put one of them on my towable backhoe I made and it has a lot more hp. It can be bought for 269.00 with the coupons. Mine is only a couple of months old but I would order another one in the morning if I was still looking for one. For hobby use it is the best bang for the buck.
Quote from: Wallee on February 27, 2014, 02:49:12 PM
Anyone have experience with the harbor freight mill or the hfe 21 HUD son?
Welcome to the forum. I purchased the Hudson HFE-21 this past summer and am extremely happy with it. Mine came with a 7hp Robin engine and it will easily cut a 21 inch log as advertised. So far I have been able to cut a 26" diameter x 10' walnut with the help of a chainsaw to trim a couple of flats on it. The biggest issue I have had is I didn't like working on the ground so I built a trailer to raise it up. Have pics on here do a search for HFE-21 and you will find more info about this mill. It is also made in the USA. With the low HP don't expect a small mill to cut fast for a production operation, but they are great for supplying a homeowner / woodworker with all the wood they can possibly use while being simple and fun to operate. I think you will get a better mill and warranty service by avoiding Harbor Freight and purchasing a mill made by a reputable business that specializes in mills that will stand behind them in the future with a good warranty and replacement parts. The one accessory I recommend you buy with the mill is a LOGRITE cant hook as it will be needed from day 1 with any manual mill. Hudson from time to time has demo mills available that they can give you a break on with a full warranty.
Quote from: 21incher on February 28, 2014, 07:55:58 AM
The one accessory I recommend you buy with the mill is a LOGRITE cant hook as it will be needed from day 1 with any manual mill
Or with any hydraulic mill, as far as that goes!
Luckily I have some nice can't hooks passed down from my grandfather! I use the when I'm cutting logs all the time! Will post pics of my 1966 c60 log truck soon!
Cant go wrong with the HM126. I love it! Staff is very helpful as well
Quote from: JamieT on February 28, 2014, 12:32:18 PM
Cant go wrong with the HM126. I love it! Staff is very helpful as well
Looking at this one, also I seen the timber king one but I don't see a price on their website?