A new mill.....

davidmw · December 27, 2017, 06:42:38 AM

I'm new to posting here, but have definitely spent many hours reading this site. After 2 years of pondering and waiting, I recently got a Woodland Mills hm126 with a 6' section of extra track. I have assembled the head unit and the track in my garage but havent got it setup outside yet. Hoping to be making first cuts this coming weekend.

Getting a Woodland Mills was an easier decision in the end than I thought it would be after a few years of looking at different mills online, and even visiting a friend of a friend who has a big WoodMizer, which is an amazing machine big time. I just need a personal mill tho. I wont be looking to sell quantities of lumber or any at all except maybe to some woodworking pals of mine here n there. Without having access to any of the more affordable personal mills to look at first hand, the one with the most/best reviews and the best internet/youtube presence won hands down. That was the Woodland. Their support videos are great and very well done. They have a bunch of users who post video, pics and info. In my mind, it was basically a no brainer for being in my situation of having to pretty much order online. I felt like I was able to learn a lot more about their machines from home than a lot of the others.... if that makes sense...

So I have very little in the way of support gear yet --cant hooks, etc. Have a massey gc1710 small tractor with a bucket and backhoe, and an old farmall 504 I think that needs fixing. Tons of construction tools, but the only peavey I have is an old bass guitar amp in my basement! I've been looking at peaveys and cant hooks, and was wondering if its even worth it to buy a cheap $45 cant hook of amazon, or go ahead and get something better? I will be close to the 26" diameter on my sawmill fairly regularly, if that makes a difference. Also other than a little angle on the end, is there any other difference between cant hooks and peaveys, and which one is preferred working around sawmills? Sorry if thats a dumb question, but at least it shows you guys where I'm at with my experience lol.

WDH · December 27, 2017, 07:25:57 AM

Do not waste you money on a cheaper wooden cant hook. They are can't hooks. Go ahead and get a LogRite 60" for your first one. You actually need two when you are turning a really big log and need a helper to help you turn it.

YellowHammer · December 27, 2017, 08:33:23 AM

Yes, there are lots of decisions to ponder when getting a new mill and your feet wet, but a cant hook isn't on of them. Get a Logrite, and think about other things.

rjwoelk · December 27, 2017, 08:41:50 AM

3x the logrite. I bout a local have everything peave . The wooden handle is ment for someone with twice the hand size as me. That said it was all i knew about at the time. I have 2 logrite now. Way better and half the weight and they do hook.

btulloh · December 27, 2017, 08:53:21 AM

4x the Logrite. There is no other choice.

If you are in a hurry, you can get one from your Stihl dealer. The Stihl cant hooks are made by Logrite and painted orange. The price is a little higher, but factoring in shipping it's about the same.

If you buy a $45 cant hook, you can save a lot of time and aggravation by just throwing the $45 in the fire first.

Good luck with the HM126. I have one and it's worked well for me. We're here to help when you need it.

Welcome to the Forestry Forum!

Magicman · December 27, 2017, 08:54:36 AM

Congrats on getting the Woodland Mills.

Absolutely "bite the bullet" and get a Logrite 60" Cant Hook. LINK As WDH said, you may need two (2).

Tell Tammy that the Forestry Forum sent you and she may be able to tweak things a bit. Incidentally, the cant hook pictured on the left in the advertisement linked above is actually a picture of mine that I sent to Logrite.

samandothers · December 27, 2017, 08:59:20 AM

Welcome and x5 or is it 6 on Logrite.

davidmw · December 27, 2017, 09:08:41 AM

Ok that sounds like a no brainer. 2 logrites for sure then. I have a good helper. Thank you all for advise. I was about to pull the trigger on 2 cheapos but it sounds like a waste of money. Glad I asked first!

ChugiakTinkerer · December 27, 2017, 11:02:35 AM

The pointy end on a peavy is useful for getting between a couple of logs and spreading them apart so you can get the hook set. If you'll be doing all your log movement with a tractor you may not need a peavy. The cant hook is perfect for positioning the log on the mill. If you'll be doing some manual movement of logs you'll probably want at least one peavy.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new mill!

fishfighter · December 27, 2017, 11:26:44 AM

Quote from: WDH on December 27, 2017, 07:25:57 AM
Do not waste you money on a cheaper wooden cant hook. They are can't hooks. Go ahead and get a LogRite 60" for your first one. You actually need two when you are turning a really big log and need a helper to help you turn it.

This for sure. Like to break a hand due to a cheap cant tool.

Welcome to the cub of Woodland Mills. I have the 126 fixing on three years. Overall very happy with it.

Oh, if you look at the left all the way at the bottom, you will see a red tool box. There is some very good info there that will help you down the line.

jbjbuild · December 28, 2017, 07:42:55 AM

Congrats on the new mill! I just got the HM126 a month ago and have sawed about 6 logs so far. I am extremely happy with it, especially for the price. Be sure to follow the directions on setting the tracking and guides for the first time. I have heard that some people ignore that and that leads to problems.

thecfarm · December 28, 2017, 09:13:07 AM

You will like it. And welcome to the forum.
Some like a peavey,the one with the point and some like a cantdog. I myself like a peavey to pry the logs apart and than I can put the point in the ground and it will stand up by itself.
I don't think you are going to be moving your mill? Something that I should of done,but I want to do. Build a roof over the head of the sawmill. A member built a small building at the end of his track to put the head into to keep it out of the weather. A very good idea.The building was not much bigger than sawmill motor part,but it's all you need.

btulloh · December 28, 2017, 09:42:20 AM

A shed for the mill head is a good thing. There's lots of stuff that goes along with sawing, and laying it around on the ground is not efficient. Things tend to start out bare-bones and progress over time.