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woodmizer lx55

Started by tlbrooks, January 31, 2020, 08:07:16 PM

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tlbrooks

I know the  lx55 is a newer mill but does anyone have one that can give any advice on the mill?

KenMac

I'm no Woodmizer expert by any means, but you might check out "Outdoors with the Morgans" on Youtube. They have an LX150 and have many videos of it. Hope this helps.  :-\
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tlbrooks

ill check it out. I ordered a lx55 while they were on sale .

samandothers

Hope you enjoy the mill!  Where from in Va?  We have some land we enjoy not too far south and west of Roanoke. 

tlbrooks

extreme western part of va. cant wait to get it but its a few weeks wait they said. 

samandothers

Congrats!  Carolina Woodmizer?

tlbrooks

yes nc woodmizer . does anybody have a good idea on mounting the mill to keep it portable? maybe a 4x6 timber or 2x3 or 2x4 x 3/16 metal tube frame under it. I wanted to be able to slid it in my trailer to haul it.

woodnut

tlbrooks, I picked up a LX-55 in Indianapolis on March 5th and started to piece it together in Fort
Wayne at my Fathers home where the logs were at. It took us days to put it together I'm not proud to say. Some of the printed instructions were not clear to us and were slowing us down. I'm real happy with the way it is cutting wood. We cut 10 or so walnut logs 12 to 20 inches wide and 8 feet long. It took a few blades though. But to answer your question about the portability of the mill. I will be putting some runners on the bed to make it more stable for moving because when we dragged it on the feet with some wood pieces everything in the back half loosen up and we had to realign level and tighten stuff. I hope this helps.

Patrick NC

I have a timbery m100 which is a very similar mill to the lx55. Track is almost identical.  I reinforced an old boat trailer and mounted it. I've had some 22" yellow pine on it and it is very solid. 

 
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tlbrooks

I got mine together  with my son helping in about 10 or 12 hours over a couple of days and finished yesterday. work weather yard mowing its hard to find enough time to do it all. im searching for a cheap trailer now.

woodnut

That is a nice set-up Patrick. Thanks for the post!  Enjoy the mills Patrick and tlbrooks!

Billmaz

Took me at least 10 hours. Directions were not good. Missing parts had to make 2 holes bigger. Not "portable " at all. I got the electric but apparently my electric can't handle it. Do you have an electric?

tlbrooks

mine is 14 hp gas. woodmizer was very helpful on a few questions i had about the head stop bolts and i mention i was 2 or 3 bolts short the guy said ill send you 5 bolt  with nuts and a day or two they was in my mailbox. mine cuts excellent lumber but im still learning about it. i need to try different blades to see what works best for me. if i was buying a small msanual mill tommorrow it would be a lx55. 

Patrick NC

Quote from: tlbrooks on June 19, 2020, 07:22:08 PM
mine is 14 hp gas. woodmizer was very helpful on a few questions i had about the head stop bolts and i mention i was 2 or 3 bolts short the guy said ill send you 5 bolt  with nuts and a day or two they was in my mailbox. mine cuts excellent lumber but im still learning about it. i need to try different blades to see what works best for me. if i was buying a small msanual mill tommorrow it would be a lx55.
I've also got 14 hp and I spent quite a bit of time and money trying to find the right blade. Had pretty good results with wm 9 degree double hards, but have finally settled on kasco 4 degree. The first one I used was the straightest cut I ever made. A lot of people on here told me that 4 degree was best for lower hp mills, but I was hard headed and had to try a bunch of others before I got the 4s. They work really good for me in both hard and softwood. Hope this helps.
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tlbrooks

i was going to order some of the double hard and try them. do they have them in 4 degree? i saw mainly oak and would like to cut some walnut but i need some more saw time before i cut some 26 inch walnut i have. whats the price of the kasco blades?

Patrick NC

I can't remember the exact price on the kasco blades but I think with shipping they were less than the wm blades before shipping. I've never tried the wm 4° double hards, but I've been thinking about trying one. 
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woodnut

I also have the 14hp with the LX-55 and have used double hard 9 deg. They have cut up to 14" boards just fine until maybe the 3rd log and you know its time to change them when they wander around. I haven't tried a 4 deg.

JMR-TBAY

I'm reviving this thread after searching and not finding anything more recent. 

I'm currently shopping for my first mill. I'm located in rural NW Ontario. The only local dealer is Woodmizer. 

For a while I've been set on the Woodland Mills HM130max. It seems to balance budget, features and quality pretty darn well. I recently learned about the LX25 and 55 models. 

After comparing the specs between the hm130max and Lx55, I'm having a hard time figuring out why anyone would pay more to get the LX55. Perhaps just to get the Woodmizer name/reputation? It seems the only feature the LX55 has that the HM130max doesn't is the roller bearing blade guide. The Woodland Mills comes with and has available several features that either cost extra on the Woodmizer or simply aren't available such as the toe board, electric start, adjustable blade guide etc. Not to mention the HM130max's significantly larger log cutting width and board cutting width.  

Everything I've heard about Woodland Mills customer service has been impeccable. The minor issues their budget sawmills occasionally have seem to be rectified very quickly.  

I called up my local Woodmizer dealer yesterday. Other than being told that Woodmizer "is the best", they didn't do a great job of trying to sell their product. 

Can anyone help me understand this?

tacks Y

Around here there are more WMs than all others combined that I am aware of. I am on my 3rd mill and have not owned a WM, I was going to see one but it sold. WM may think they are the best, me not so sure but maybe. They are the most popular IMO (best marketing maybe). There are things I do not like about them and things I do like. The same is true on the 3 mills I have owned. I have seen a WM run and hired one years ago.

You are on the right track, research and make your own choice.     

rusticretreater

Woodmizer and WoodlandMills have two different outlooks on the markets they serve.  WoodlandMills was started to specifically service the low end market with a quality product.  Woodmizer has been making big saw mills for a long time and has a large array of saw mills and other products. 

The Woodmizer name certainly has much to do with it.  When you have a huge customer base, you will have brand loyalty.  But based on your comment about talking with Woodmizer, you also have experienced some large corporation complacency.  Also, the Lx55 is a fairly new saw design.  You have to do the research to find out what folks are saying about it.

I have the HM130Max and love it.  But its also the only sawmill I've owned.  And as you know, that's the end of the line with Woodland Mills.  To upgrade, you have to go somewhere else. Woodmizer folks see a clear path in upgrading.

For a newbie, Woodland Mills customer service is a great plus.  On the other hand, the knowledge in this forum can help you with any problems you have with a Woodmizer or other brand if company service support is crap.

And so the arguments will rage on and on.  Rest assured, whichever mill you buy it is a great investment.  

  
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SawyerTed

 Ford? Chevrolet? Ram? 

Wood-mizer? Woodlands? Norwood? Hud-son? EZ Boardwalk? Baker? TimberKing?

All debates that will go on and on.

Each person has to judge what fits your needs and budget best. That means doing one's own research.  If the Woodlands fits best then go for it.  

I do not know anything about Woodland Mills at all.  I'm sure they are a fine company and their mills fit a segment of the market very well.

What I do know is the Woodmizer reputation is well earned based on my experiences.  My dealer experience has been great from beginning to shop for an LT15 to purchasing an LT35 to purchasing an LT50. Support has been great to the point of a couple of good will replacement parts after the warranty expired.
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

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