LT40 Or LT70?

[Meadows Miller]

The other thing you must do is learn to operate the mill efficiently.

Jim Welcome to The Forum  ;D ;D 8) 8) Your Spoton There Mate   ;) Alot off sawmills rarely make it to full production potential 

[Bandmill Bandit]

I have an LT40HDG28. I love it!

How ever, I will either continue down the road os turning this one into a "modified super" or I will buy a new super and do my mods to it.

This next comment comes for a very reliable source that I will not identify but that has many years experience with quite a few mills most being Woodmizer. "Log for Log $ for $ the LT70 doesn't give you the MBF per hour that the LT40 Super will and it is some what higher maintenance machine.

I think if we took a poll we'd  find that the most common woodmizer in service for people making a living with their sawmill, it would be an LT40SHD with some where around 40 HP on it.

The chain turner would be nice but I know that I would not go to a 70 to get that. A  50 maybe but I have a concern with the log stops on both those models. I dont see how the seals can last in those rams and I would not be making lumber when they need to be replaced. I have talked to a couple of owners that have had this issue with not a lot of hours on the mill so for me I'd stick the LT40 Super.

As Jim H says, the help has more effect on production than the mill once you make the jump to hydraulic.

How you stage your milling area has just as much impact.

I can tell you that with the box heart lodge pole pine 6"X12"X20' beams I cut Wednesday for the current job, I only have to load the roll way twice a day with about 20 to 24 (12 to 18 inch) logs at a time.  That roll way cuts loading time to seconds in stead of minutes. I think I will probably be able to get about 12 to 15 by 22"+ logs on that roll way.



looking north east current job site.


Looking north west

My mill site is divided into to 2 half circles. The operator side gets the finished lumber piles the hitch end around to the roll way gets the slabs, waste/firewood etc. End of the roll way is kept clear for a equipment access with mill ready logs about 80 to 100 feet from end of roll way. Area to the tail end of mill is kept clear for truck/loading unloading area. At worst I am generally about a 200 feet max from the furtherest point in that circle. in good 2" by 12' finished material coming out od 22" and bigger logs I have no trouble making WoodMizers production rates and minimum 20% to 25% higher. The help is the bigest factor.

Power will help feet per minute feed rate but the ability to move logs quickly is a bigger advantage IMHO.

If my help is good enough that I can park my butt in the Operator seat and not have to get off it, I can cut a lot of wood in a day. If I have to get off and on then the seat comes off cause it slows me down. I will take a couple more pics on Monday and post them here as well.
 




   

[038magnum]

On the 40 vs 70 blades. Because the 70 uses 24" wheels and the blades are bigger. Will they last longer? Also how many times can you sharpen blades. Will they eventually just break or not be able to sharpen again?

[Bandmill Bandit]

On the 40 vs 70 blades. Because the 70 uses 24" wheels and the blades are bigger. Will they last longer? Also how many times can you sharpen blades. Will they eventually just break or not be able to sharpen again?

Not sure how much difference the bigger wheels make on blade life but I would expect there would be some advantage but I dont think it would be that much.

On sharpening cycles, I get and average of about 7 or 8 per blade and they just break around that point. Most cycles I have had was 11. I find that running right around the 2000PSI mark on the tension gauge and changing blades  earlier rather than later helps blade life quite a bit.  Least was 1 broke on the first the first log it cut.

I am using the 045X1.5 10* double hard WoodMizer bands. I use the CBN grinder and a single tooth setter that I modified in to a dual tooth setter. I set the teeth both before and after sharpening. With the dual tooth setter it is so quick to set that the extra set cycle is worth it. I have noticed a good improvement in quality of cut and reduced wavy lumber issues as well.

Just my 2 bits worth. 

[Kansas]

The bigger wheels on the LT70 makes a difference if you decide to go with thicker blades. We tried the .055 on the LT40; they didn't last many sharpening cycles. With the bigger wheels on the 70, I would say you can get the same number of sharpenings as the .045 would get on the 40. Stability seems to be better on the .055 on the 70. But its pretty well splitting hairs. On a per board foot basis, I don't see where there is enough difference. We never really studied it,  but on a board foot basis, I would guess you would be talking only a part of a penny per board foot. So much depends on the mill, what you are cutting, how fast you pull the blade. Its been our experience that blade cost per board foot is negligible, unless you are encountering a bunch of metal.

The cost if you get 3000 feet out of a 38 dollar blade is .102 of a penny. If you can get multiple sharpenings and get 8000 feet, you are talking .004 of a penny. But in either case, that cost is the least of your worries.

[paul case]

I just couldn't understand your numbers. $38 divided by 3000 is $.013. and divided by 8000ft I come up with half a penny a foot. Is there something I am missing? PC

[Kansas]

No, you are correct. I should not have added "of a penny" and I transposed the first numbers as well. For rounding purposes, you are completely correct.

[paul case]

That is some pretty good return/life from a blade. I got to figuring last night on how much I get from my 1 ¼x.042x7/8 blades. They cost me about $18 and I usually get an average of 300 ft per sharpening or a little more and 7 sharpenings or so. that works out to 2100 ft per $18 blade, which is $.009 bdft. Thats making your bands pay. PC

[customsawyer]

Bandmill Bandit the side supports on a LT70 are not rams on a hyd. cylinder they are just supports. Thus no seals to replace. As to operating cost if the mill and all the log/lumber handling is efficient then the production is there to offset the cost. I do agree with you that it is more important to master how you handle the logs, lumber and to have your setup in such a manor that you are able to keep the blade in the wood. I try to teach my help that if we figure out a way to cut 1 second out of the production of each board it will give us some extra logs at the end of the day. You made some very valid points. I said it before but I don't see any way to get the production out of a LT70 on portable jobs. IMHO this mill is best in a stationary operation. With edger, log deck and extra help.

[Cypress Sam]

I would say the 50 It's going to be alot easier to set up on a job site. I have ran my neighbors 70.  its great but it never moves. the best rule of equipment  is buy one size bigger than you think you will need.  I have a 35 and should have gotten a 40 shd. 

Sam

[Bandmill Bandit]

Yea CS

I never thought of a comparison in those terms and it is not an apples to apples comparison to compare mobile to stationary. The LT70 is better suited to a stationary set up where the added infrastructure is available to compliment the mill to maximize production. While similar infrastructure will add productivity to an LT40 Super the LT70 will still out produce the LT40 super. Probably by quite a bit.

It is just not practical to haul that kind of infrastructure around the country in a mobile operation.

An important consideration when deciding on a mill! IMHO

Im mobile so those are the terms I think in.

Good point and well taken here.

[backwoods sawyer]

I run a LT-70 100% portable.
Log handling at the site and lay out of milling site are big factors, but the LT-70 with the chain turner speeds up handling of the logs while they are on the mill allowing me to keep the saw in the wood more, as does the accuset 2 which allows you to drop into the cut and have the saw to speed when it reaches its mark, and you are back into the cut with no hesitations.  The accuset 2 is available on both mills and is a big asset for production.  The .055 saws have more beam strength allowing for slightly faster feed rates. 
What it boils down to is, if a half ton truck will fit your needs get a half ton truck, but if you need a one ton truck get a one ton truck, yes it cost more to operate and maintain a one ton truck, but if that is what fits your needs you will be happy with your decision.