How many board feet per hour on an LT40 hydraulic?

[backwoods sawyer]

The big advantage to the cantalever design is when you are handling the larger logs, when the mills with 4 post design like the Cooks and Baker say 36" they meen 36" or you are using a chainsaw. where you can fudge a bit and mill 42" on the woodmizer.
The previous owner of my Cooks mill got a 37" oak log 12' stuck between the uprights, spent half the day trying to cut it free before making it an 8' log, Customer was not happy bringing in a 12' log and getting 8' lumber so they called me in with the woodmizer to mill his other log that was 40"

Never had an issue with the up down with the wm design, The four chain lift system on the cooks has been a bit finicky and I keep a constant eye open for a chain to jump sprocket and tilt the head. The single feed chain design just needs to have the slack adjusted out, where the two chain design of the four post mills need to be adjusted with equel tension to avoid the shimmy.

I agree with delaware jack about setting up portable. I just use a 6" level to get it close front to back and side to side, sawing down hill is better then sawing up hill. Setting up and moving the Cooks mill is a lot more involved getting all four corners leveled then leveling then rest, a water level helps, but much more time consuming. being portable I have set the WM up in many sites that the Cooks mill could not be set up in due to side hills and slopes but the wm can be set up "close enough to level". 

I like both mills when set up semi stationary just prefer the WM for portable milling.

[ladylake]

On the TK 2000 there is 44" of clearance between the bed and mill head so just put the ugly part of the log up, 37" between the posts so don't try and wedge a 37" wide through.  Also 32" between the guide rollers.  And no TK mills don't have to be perfectly level , side to side or end works just fine just so long as the side to side is the same front and back as with ANY mill WM included. Steve

[xlogger]

Steve is correct. it takes me about 15 minutes to set up my TK2000. I do get it level as I can but it not hard with the six crank jacks. I've never seen a Cooks mill setup so I'm not sure about them. Ricky

[glassman_48]

MesquiteSawyer,
Thanks for this post, I have been looking for a portable sawmill (have never owned one)  so this is one of the best posts I have seen to help me make a decision.   

[red oaks lumber]

i have owned both types .4 post and monorail. i would quit sawing if i had to go back to the 4 post design ;) wood mizer has really put a lot of thought in user comforts around the mill.

[ladylake]

 I won't even bother giving my opinion about the faults of mills.   Steve

[Dave Shepard]

I won't even bother giving my opinion about the faults of mills.   Steve

Why bother? They all have them. :D

[red oaks lumber]

i'm just curious ladylake, have you only ran your mill or have you run others? a couple logs dosent count as running.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I won't even bother giving my opinion about the faults of mills.   Steve

Why bother? They all have them. :D

My Grand-Paw ran a GRITS MILL......No faults with it at all. Folks came from as far away as Wisconsin and Maine just to get his Grits. (not is goat).  :D

[ladylake]

i'm just curious ladylake, have you only ran your mill or have you run others? a couple logs dosent count as running.

I've had 3 other mills cut for me before I bought mine and was not impressed by the design , mostly over complicated and a hard time turning tough logs.  After over 9500 hours with very few break downs I'm glad I bought my 4 post TK.  I see very few problems with Cooks or Baker show up on here also.    Steve

[Dave Shepard]

As I've mentioned before, there are more WM mills than all others combined. Simple logic will tell you that there must be more breakdowns with WM mills, but not more breakdowns per X number of mills. If there are comparatively few TK mills out there, then you are going to see comparatively few TK breakdowns.

BTW, you don't happen to have a YouTube handle, do you?

[ladylake]

 I sure do watch you tube and have watched  the WM rolling wreck vid by Al, hard to believe how much was wrong with that WM mill in not that many hours, I run the snot out of mine and I expect it to work everyday.  In 9500 hours I've had to call TK less than 5 times.   I saw on comment from a WM owner a couple years ago that he didn't like to saw on Sat as WM wasn't open, not really much confidence in a mill. Around 100% of my customers like my TK better that the WM they used to have saw for them but I don't piddle around on a custom job either, most tell me I'm a lot faster.  Steve

[Peter Drouin]

   I don't piddle around on a custom job either, most tell me I'm a lot faster.  Steve

What kind of jobs do you do with your TK?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

I think you all will agree......a lot of the tear ups and break downs are from lack of common sense.
There are some people that have mills that I wouldn't dare let them get behind the controls of mine.
No what I mean Vern?

[Dave Shepard]

I was actually inquiring as to your account name on YouTube due to comments referencing WM and the Forestry Forum.

I don't think it's fair to base your opinion of WM on  A: your experience with one or two hired sawyers, who may or may not have know what they were doing. B: no personal experience owning or operating a WM for any length of time. C: one beat up mill that Electrical looked at.  There are people that can own a piece of equipment, whether it is a mill, vehicle or whatever, for years, and keep it in excellent repair. Then there are other people who can destroy something in such a short time that it is mind boggling. Just because that mill was almost totalled, doesn't mean it is a design flaw. If I sat on top of your TK with a D-8 CAT, would the subsequent damage be my fault, or could I use your logic and blame TK for not anticipating that someone might do that?

You are often dancing around the edge of insulting WM, but not enough to constitute an actual attack. I can understand that many people may feel a bit outnumbered by the number of WM owners on the Forum, but I don't think that is any reason to feel insecure about your sawmill. WM owners tend to be very supportive of their mills, and I see no reason that owners of other mills shouldn't also, whether it is TK, Baker, Cooks etc., but that is no reason to perpetuate what amounts to propaganda put forth by some people who do not have actual experience with WM mills.

I really enjoy running, owning and being part of the Wood-Mizer family. I do like to promote their products. But when a question comes up on the Forum, I try to be as impartial as I can when giving advice. I don't believe there is any instance where I say that anyone should only by a WM because they are the only mill worth owning. I like to hear about other mills, learning about their differences, and what people are doing with them. It doesn't matter to me if someone runs a TK, or a Woodland mill. I'm just glad they are running a mill.

I'm very glad that the Forum is a place where anyone with a sawmill can come to talk about what they own, what they might like to own, or even what they are just dreaming about. Constant digs from one camp really don't look good for the whole group. I have extraordinary strong opinions about the equipment I run, but I don't go out of my way to disparage someone because they like John Deere, whereas I like Kubota, or to run down Ford, when I would never buy one. There are many manufacturers of different kinds of equipment. This is great, competition keeps everyone on the level, and gives us choices.

[ladylake]

You are often dancing around the edge of insulting WM.  Constant digs from one camp really don't look good for the whole group. ( Mostly coming from the WM camp against any other mill)

That is right but you WM owners have no problem insulting other mills and it should STOP.   I know my TK mill works great and I don't like being insulted!    Steve

[Dave Shepard]

When have I insulted another brand of mill? I'm sure there have been some comments made that were excessive towards many other brands, but you seem to have taken it upon yourself to make up for any and all transgressions by bashing WM specifically. I know there have been "cheerleading" comments made from the WM camp, but I don't recall a post lately that is specifically insulting.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for your milling experience, and your willingness to share it, but your attitude towards WM is bizarre.

[Peter Drouin]

Do you cut crane mats too? Do you sell lumber? Do you cut for a big mill like some do here?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Its intermission time......get ya a Coke and a box of Popcorn and take a break while we listen to the hit song from
Mel Tillis called "SAWMILL". 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_VWSD5U0nY

[ladylake]

When have I insulted another brand of mill? I'm sure there have been some comments made that were excessive towards many other brands, but you seem to have taken it upon yourself to make up for any and all transgressions by bashing WM specifically. I know there have been "cheerleading" comments made from the WM camp, but I don't recall a post lately that is specifically insulting.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for your milling experience, and your willingness to share it, but your attitude towards WM is bizarre.

How about I would quit if I had to run a 4 post mill????
  WM is what it is but the arrogance of some owners rubs me bad.   Steve

[Peter Drouin]

Where do you think the word sawbuck came from? :D :D :D :D 8)

[tule peak timber]

Has anyone mentioned the logs going on the mill in the first place? Lots of awesome pics on the FF of beautiful logs decked all over back east that don't look anything like the "chicken wings' in my deck! My BF rate per hour stinks- but so do a LOT of my logs to begin with. >:( Rob

[ladylake]

Do you cut crane mats too? Do you sell lumber? Do you cut for a big mill like some do here?

No I don't cut crane mats yet, I do cut for a big mill, I sell a lot of lumber plus a lot of custom sawing.  What does all of this matter??     Steve

[ladylake]

Where do you think the word sawbuck came from? :D :D :D :D 8)

I got no idea, you explain.     Steve

[ladylake]

When have I insulted another brand of mill? I'm sure there have been some comments made that were excessive towards many other brands, but you seem to have taken it upon yourself to make up for any and all transgressions by bashing WM specifically. I know there have been "cheerleading" comments made from the WM camp, but I don't recall a post lately that is specifically insulting.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for your milling experience, and your willingness to share it, but your attitude towards WM is bizarre.

Nothing bizarre here, I'm just sick of WM owners arrogance.    Steve