I am new here and looking for some advice.
A little back story, im am 50 and retiring from the Navy in November 2020. My plan right now, if my wife will let me, is to get a good job for about 5 years to help us be debt free. In my first year after retirement, I will be looking for land that is heavily wooded with mature trees that i can fell and mill to build a home, pole barn and other buildings as needed to start our forever homestead. I will be building a solar kiln to dry my wood and will actually start with the pole barn first, adding a little apartment too it. The house I have designed is 2700 sqft and the pole barn will be 1200. I plan to buy little to no wood and mill it all myself. Building old style by using milled planks for subflooring, siding, and the base for my roof under metal. So a lot of wood to mill.
So to my advice currently needed. I dont want to buy a mill, only to have to replace it before im done. I dont want to spend an arm and a leg for it either. I want to be able to mill at least 17' trees to get good 16' boards. I plan to get a tractor to use to load it so I dont need hydronic. I have looked at several mills and just honestly am at a loss. What mill would you recommend and why?
Thank you for your help.
Greetings, you really need to get input from folks with manual mills it seems. At 50 you could be in great shape or... not so good. What are your plans after you finish your projects as to the mill. If you dont plan on continuing using it, consider having someone saw your logs for you or buy a pretty good mill, maybe even one with hydraulics and then sell it when you are finished. If you buy wisely you will be able to recoup a good share of your investment. Chech out the sponcers of this site. I'm 64 now and if I didn't have hydraulics, I would not mill. Banjo
Welcome aboard! Pour a coffee and pull up a stump. I am not a sawmiller so will leave that to others but wonder what you will be cutting. Hardwoods or softwoods? What style of mill would meet your needs? What is your budget? Are you looking at a basic chainsaw mill or something more sophisticated thus less labor intensive?
You can certainly load logs without hydraulics. A tractor and a log deck work well for that.
Hydraulics are really beneficial for a lot of other hard work that goes with sawing logs. Like Banjo said, it's easy to resell later and get your money back.
I've got a manual mill and would love to have hydraulics. I don't saw anywhere near the amount of lumber you're talking about, but I still plan to upgrade.
Checkout the thread by @EOTE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=44084) On doing something like your talking about.
Welcome and thanks for your service.
On a manual mill
Ez boardwalk 40
It 15 wide with trailer pkg
It 28 Woodmizer
Or a Turbosaw manual swing blade
My 2 cents
WM probably has the greatest parts inventory and several manual mills to choose from.That's not to say other mfg.'s are not to be considered.
I would strongly suggest finding saw mill owners in your area that you can visit and perhaps work with.No substitute for eyes and hands on experience.
Don't be afraid to buy used, the Sawmill Exchange is a very reputable source for used mills.Buying a used mill that is still being made is also recommended.
Welcome to the Forum.There are many clever people here who are willing to share.
Navyvethomestea:
You are not specifying where you plan on purchasing and doing this or where you are now.
My advice to you would be to try and visit some FF members and see their set-ups and ask lots of questions.
If you are in my area for any reason and have some time let me know and if we can agree to a date & time I'll show you my rinky-dink operation. I can show you bad stuff and good stuff. Note: I do not have a kiln.
Custom-Sawyer has a shindig in the spring (because of the virus he had to cancel this year) that is very educational.
I went to it in 2018 and was wanting to go again this year.
Get as much education as you can. Tuition for education is not cheap, but it is cheaper to visit operations and speaking with owners. Bring gloves and hearing protectors. Off bearing for a couple hours is very educational.
GAB
Quote from: NavyVetHomestea on July 03, 2020, 02:16:15 PM
I am new here and looking for some advice.
A little back story, im am 50 and retiring from the Navy in November 2020. My plan right now, if my wife will let me, is to get a good job for about 5 years to help us be debt free. In my first year after retirement, I will be looking for land that is heavily wooded with mature trees that i can fell and mill to build a home, pole barn and other buildings as needed to start our forever homestead. I will be building a solar kiln to dry my wood and will actually start with the pole barn first, adding a little apartment too it. The house I have designed is 2700 sqft and the pole barn will be 1200. I plan to buy little to no wood and mill it all myself. Building old style by using milled planks for subflooring, siding, and the base for my roof under metal. So a lot of wood to mill.
So to my advice currently needed. I dont want to buy a mill, only to have to replace it before im done. I dont want to spend an arm and a leg for it either. I want to be able to mill at least 17' trees to get good 16' boards. I plan to get a tractor to use to load it so I dont need hydronic. I have looked at several mills and just honestly am at a loss. What mill would you recommend and why?
Thank you for your help.
Hi NavyVetHomestea(d), Your story sounds vaguely similar to mine and your plans sound like a fun way to live out the next phase of your life. By joining FF, you've come to a wealth of knowledge, experience, and good folk that are willing to reach out and help you with advice and more. Check out my thread Building our Dreamhome a.k.a. Delusions of Retirement (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=108689.0) as I have a) bought a nice wooded piece of earth, b) bought a sawmill, c) milled all my own lumber, d) built a barn, sawmill house, and drying house, e) am in the process of building our retirement dream home.
I can offer a lot of lessons learned but I have also learned from a lot of the FF members as well. I hope you enjoy the FF and please feel free to ask any of us your questions. Advice is free and sometimes useful. :D ;D :)
I'm with several of the others here who suggest you go look at other mills in your area. Many of us love to talk and show off our mills. I especially agree with @btulloh (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=29962) that the hydraulics are not just for loading logs. They are great tools for turning, clamping and leveling logs. I use my hydraulic loader arms as a work station and toss my flitches on them while sawing then lift them back up and slide them against the cant or side supports to edge them. Saves me taking saw horses or such out to the site and lots of double handling of the wood. Often I saw a large cant to the rails then raise the rear toeboard and use it as a roller to roll the heavy lumber to the end of the mill and directly on to the bed of my trailer or forks on my FEL and never lift both ends of the board saving me time and energy. Don't dismiss the hydraulics out of hand till you have seen them in action.
You need to spend a day around a hydraulic mill and a manual mill so you can understand what is involved with sawing lumber. The sawing part is pretty minimal, turning logs, cants, using toe rollers to level logs, adjusting clamps all become "rest time" when you have a hydraulic mill. If you plan to produce good lumber you will be moving logs and cants a lot.
I was going to buy a manual mill at first but my wife talked me out of it, one of the best moves I ever made. I would have quit my "hobby" of sawing and never built my business had I started with a manual mill.
My first thought is where is this land? Even before selecting a sawmill you need to know the building codes. Because where the land is located will determine how much of your dreams can come true without jumping through lots of hoops
Some locations don't have building codes that require inspected/graded lumber for construction. Other locations do have codes that will require inspected framing lumber for the residence but not for outbuildings. Other places will require everything to be graded and inspected.
It's possible to get your sawmill lumber graded and stamped for construction but it's a process. In my county trying to get sawmill lumber approved for residential construction does nothing more than irritate the building inspectors. It's not good to have irritated building inspectors when you are trying to build something.
So my .02 worth is make sure of your building codes for where your land is located.
Others have done it both ways. It's possible but you need to be well informed on the build codes. I usually play dumb and the inspectors tell me all I need to know to get something approved.
I had a manual mill, and cut alot of wood on it. It was time consuming and and ton of work. Then i bought a used 2003 lt40 with hydraulics, it was then that i realized how much the hydraulics were worth. So my advice would be to buy a used mill with hydraulics. I paid 26k for a lt40hd with a 33hp diesel, 12 ft extension, resaw attachment and, a twin blade edger. Everything was in great condition. I have sawed enough to pay for it and i believe i could sell it for what i paid 2 years later. I just finished this bunch for a 28x32 garage. (6000 bf) Hydraulics are worth every penny, your back will thank you.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54611/20200517_171254.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593819984)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54611/20200517_171254.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1593819984)
You did not post what part of the country you live, I bought a used Cooks mill 15 years ago, manual, but would have liked to have gotten a hydraulic mill. Cooks makes tough mills, so don't count them out. Timberking, builds a good mill in KC. They have hydraulics on their 1600 mill, my neighbors have one and like it. Look at what is for sale in your neighborhood. Assume there are suitable trees growing in the area where you plan to build.
I have a manual mill, That is why I say, If I Don't Do It, It Don't Get Done. A manual mill is A LOT of work. WORK and TIME. I only saw for outbuildings. Some on here saw in a week what I saw in a year. Than you are cutting down trees and sawing them. More time. More work. I am very fussy with my woods. I cut a tree down and take out the logs and use the rest for firewood. That all takes time. Yes, go see someone saw. There is a lot to sawing and a lot to drying. I don't dry my lumber. I go from stump to building most times the same day day, sometimes the same morning or afternoon.
What state do you live in?
I bought a woodmizer because they are 1) the most popular and 2)known to be good.
Being popular they
Have a high resale value
Have a good service and parts availability
Have a good resharp service
They are known to be very good as can be attested by everyone here.
You have to answer some questions to know whether to go manual or hydraulic, and whether you need portability or not. You can cut probably two to three times the material as a manual mill in the same amount of time working alone. Hydraulic loading arms will let you stage logs so you can continually cut instead of stopping to load logs. I use a manual mill and can be slow going if by youir self comparatively. You also need to understand your use. Will you need the wide capacity? If it's just a nice to have, and you won't be doing a lot of wide milling, then you can focus on a standard mill and pay less.
Your project is ambitious if doing by your self and therefore will take much longer than you probably think. You might consider a much larger pole building for storing materials and possibly milling inside so you can easily mill year round (not sure where you are). Your wood will not fare well if sitting outside for years, and it will likely be years. Life will go much better if you have indoor storage. Maybe you can rent a polebarn from a neighbor as an alternative??
Similar to you, I am 50 and new to the game. Wanted to buy a mill for a hobby. Bought a Woodmizer 15wide in March. It is now all I think about. Building a barn right now for it. Many plans to build more stuff (maybe even a house like you). I researched mills for about 6 months and it always came back to Woodmizer. I see why, it is a solid well built machine. Not having hydros is ok for me. I definitely feel it when I saw for a few hours, but I like that. Probably upgrade at some point when I get a bit older. Listen to the guys on the forum with all the trees under their name, they know their stuff! Good luck
Listen to the guys on the forum with all the trees under their name, they know their stuff.
That's good advice as well as pretty funny.
My advice. Buy the best mill , used , that you can afford. Hydraulics are worth every penny you spend on them and then some. Production differences alone make it worth the money , not to mention your back. Personally , I have owned eight woodmizer mills and other support equipment. Others I know have Baker and Cooks and they have been happy with them. There are many reasons I have stuck with woodmizer , resale value is an important one. Most of my mills have been bought new , they are easy to finance if you were to go that way .However , a good upgraded used mill is a better use of your dollars than buying a new manual.
Good luck.
We had a manual lt-28 and it served us well and was as reliable as the sun. It shares a head design with the lt-15 and lt-35. These have swing open doors and a single mast which make blade changes a snap. The lt-40 and lt-50 have a mast in front of the blade covers that make blade changes a little more of a hassle.
I am your age and do not mind working hard but with the hydraulics and Accuset 2 setworks, I can produce a lot more lumber in less time than with the manual lt-28. Even with a hydraulic mill there is plenty of manual labor to make you feel like you put in an honest day's work when you are done. We bought our lt-50 used and I think we could sell it for about what we paid for it or possibly a little more.
If I were set on buying a manual mill today I would probably buy an lt-15 and whatever track extensions needed to cut the lumber length needed. Build a good log deck, buy some good canthooks (Logright), have a scissors jack for leveling logs and learn to use the indexed wheel setworks (the parallax on the magnetic scale sometimes will result in thick/thin boards).
All of the mills mentioned have been bandsaws. There are others. Dang has a Mobile Dimension which I understand is quite a machine. Some of the sponsors to the left also have some options. @DanG (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=74)
Just looked at sawmill exchange. There is a manual LT 40 in Illinois there. It has power feed. Wonder if you had that mill, if it would be economical to add hydraulic power and a few things to make it easier to run? Power feed is a big deal. Thinking of adding cooks power feed to my MP32. Getting harder and harder to push the head. This getting old is not for sissies. I still have a lot I want to accomplish.
Thank you everyone for the overwhelming responses. I see a few of the same questions ask and comments and will elaborate more here.
As of now, I am in san diego California. So if any of you are near me, I would love to come out and get you talking and show me your setup. My wife and kids are currently in texas, with my oldest in college at KSU. So they want to move out to North east Texas on the outskirts of Dallas. So as far as where I'm looking that is where I'm starting. How do I find out about the different codes in that area and qhat I can and can't do?
At this time, I dont have a job lined up anywhere in the country due to still having about 5 months left in the Navy. I am concerned about codes and will be looking for an area that doesn't have many if not any for me to be able to build what I want to. The first thing aside from the kiln that I will build is a 40x80 pole barn. Some of you may say dang that big, but I have designed it so it will truly be a useful building. On the back end it will have about a 25x40 3 bedroom 1 bath living area. Something I can rent out after the house but also a place for my family to live in. Additionally, since this wherever property will be a homestead, on the right side going down the rest of the 80', i will have a full side designed sticking into the barn about 13'. It will have a chill room, then a slaughter/butcher room and then at the end a room to place my sawmill. The leftover empty space will be used to store the lumber after it has dried in the kiln until used as well as for my tractor and feed storage.
I can see the benefits and advantages of the hydronic and as for a budget, my initial thought is i was wanting it to cost less for the sawmill than all the lumber I would have to purchase to build my building and house with. Basically, my wife will say, "well if its cheaper to buy the wood than get the mill why bother just buy the wood." I'm sure yall know that feeling. Lol But I never thought about doing a resell of it. I guess I could get a bigger better one to mill up what I need initially, sell it and if I see needing more stuff, buy something much cheaper for the little jobs I come up with.
Thanks again to all who have given me input, I look forward to getting more advice and learning from this forum.
You should PM EOTE, as he is in the middle of a similar project in Texas. Zoning regulations are what you need to avoid. Here in Kansas, the state has required zoning in the counties, and what a pain they are. Think you would be better off in Texas or Oklahoma as far as state government goes. Kansas, by the way is losing population as it is one of the highest tax states in the country. Sucks to live here. If I were younger, would sell my farm and buy one in Oklahoma or Texas.
if you price out a barn that size and a house.. your way under the cost of buying a nearly new hydraulic mill.. thats a ton of work on a full manual mill.
I purchased a 8 month old Woodmizer LT 35 last month which runs about 25k new out the door with debarker and spare belts/blades.. and I paid 17k with the spare parts still under warranty.
its alot faster and easier on your body.. and safer having the hydraulic mill vs a std mill.
Quote from: Durf700 on July 05, 2020, 02:28:35 PM
if you price out a barn that size and a house.. your way under the cost of buying a nearly new hydraulic mill.. thats a ton of work on a full manual mill.
I purchased a 8 month old Woodmizer LT 35 last month which runs about 25k new out the door with debarker and spare belts/blades.. and I paid 17k with the spare parts still under warranty.
its alot faster and easier on your body.. and safer having the hydraulic mill vs a std mill.
The measuring stick I used was calculating how much wood I would need to build my home and then looking at the cost of it at a big box store. I also decided to make my own shiplap instead of using OSB or plywood to follow traditional framing from a hundred years ago. So I ended up calculating the need for about 50K board feet of lumber. Priced that at the big box and the new sawmill I wanted looked pretty cheap. However, listen to your wife. I took my wife the the WM demo and she chose the next model up with all the bells and whistles because she saw how much work it would be with the mill I was looking at. So I ended up with an LT40 instead of the LT35.
NavyVetHomestea, When it comes to picking out a piece of land, obviously your future job will play an important part of where you settle. If you are looking for wooded land, keep in mind that hardwoods grow much slower than softwoods like pine thus less yield per acre per year. We have 30 acres of mostly pine in East Texas and some mixed hardwoods like Red Oak and Elm. I can probably cut safely 30 large trees a year plus any that die and maintain a completely renewable lot. My outbuildings took a lot of lumber as well plus the learning curve took some (not all trees are going to produce the kind of lumber you want...some will produce good mulch or firewood at best). My land was completely undeveloped so we ended up clearing about 2 acres of all trees for our barn and home site. All those trees got turned into lumber as well. That's another thing...tree size can vary greatly with location. Most of my pines are in the 80' to 120' range and I've had 2 trees that produced over 2K board feet per tree. In the Dallas area, you will be looking most likely at hardwoods that are shorter in the range of maybe 40' to 50' so significantly less yield. Last, we originally wanted to only buy a 5 acre lot but found that the price per acre was much better when looking at 30 to 100 acres instead.
Thank you also for serving. My son was a Navy MA. I am a former Army MP and my dad was also an Army MP. Good luck on your new journey.
Quote from: NavyVetHomestea on July 05, 2020, 12:47:30 PMThe first thing aside from the kiln that I will build is a 40x80 pole barn. Some of you may say dang that big,
Honestly - that may end up being too small for you. It's simply amazing how much space you need for a mill, tools, support equipment, lumber, etc. My 36x48, which didn't include the 30x30 worth of another building the moulder and planer are in, is in the process of growing into a 68x88 at the moment and that really leaves no space for lumber other than temporary/work space storage.
thats even better! I was just saying that a hydraulic is much easier if your looking to do much on your own and definitely worth the upgrade and way below the cost to purchase all that lumber.
X2 on the size. A 40x80 pole barn is certainly not too big. It's a good starter size, with an eye on expansion later or another pole bldg. No such thing as too much covered space.
Quote from: btulloh on July 06, 2020, 11:28:42 AM
X2 on the size. A 40x80 pole barn is certainly not too big. It's a good starter size, with an eye on expansion later or another pole bldg. No such thing as too much covered space.
I originally was going to build a 30 x 40 barn and decided on twice that size based on the price. I should have gone bigger. You can never have enough room.
The higher you build the roof, the more you can expand off of it later. The easiest way to gain space is by adding on to an existing building. I don't think we have a single building here that I haven't added on to, at least once each. Some, I wish I'd built the original building taller, for that reason.
That's also a good reason to plan well on where you put it.
When I bought my place, it included a 26x66 pole shed. Decided to make that into my wood shop. Should have just taken it down, and built a bigger wider building, kind of crowded.
Buildings of all sizes are great. But when you have finished concrete that's the icing on the cake. Everything can be on wheels or rollers. One recommendation go as wide as you can on your building. To many people regret not going wide enough
If your a mechanic and can run stationary, get a circle mill. A lot of work to rebuild and set up but then you have something. Unless you only have small pine and cedar you never have enough iron. Visit other set ups that saw alot and have been for some time .
Ok so I have been doing a lot of research and I can agree a hydraulic mill would be better. In looking at them, though, I find I am more inclined to go 4 post over the ones like WoodMizer. So I am looking at the TimberKing 1600 but would love the 2000, then I find the Cook's Saw HD3238. Does anyone have any comments on these different saws, since the Cook's is more comparable to the TK 2000 but has the price of the 1600.
Also, I took into consideration everyone's comments on the Pole Barn and made some adjustments, ok, a lot of adjustments. lol I increased the size to 60x120, has a 28x60 3 bedroom apartment in the back to live in while I build the house and then can rent out or use as a guest house. There is a 20x30 slaughter/butcher room, a 10x20 chill/refrigerator room, a 20x50 sawmill/wood storage room, a 12x20 wood shop area and a 12x20 room set up as a brooder room and quail cage room. This leaves an area about 40x92 for feed, tractor and other storage. I made the exterior walls 16' but above all the inner rooms, except the sawmill room, the walls are 8', which allows me to have extra storage area above them.
Let me know what yall think of the sawmills and of my pole barn changes. And I would also like to hear what type of chainsaw you would recommend to use felling so many trees.
Thanks again.
@EOTE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=44084), I tried to send you a pm but says I can't. Was wanting to reach out and ask some questions.
Quote from: NavyVetHomestea on July 22, 2020, 01:13:01 AM
@EOTE (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=44084), I tried to send you a pm but says I can't. Was wanting to reach out and ask some questions.
I believe that is a security thing in the forum software to prevent spammers and others from joining then immediately PMing members with solicitations, etc. It will go away after you have a few more posts under your belt, but I don't know how many. What you have done here by tagging him will bring him out, but I do not recall seeing him make a post in the last day or two, so likely he is up to his neck in his project. He will be back shortly, I am sure. We need an update. ;D
The downside of a MP32 is the log diameter size, the 32" diameter log. I have to cut bumps off logs with my chainsaw to get the mill by big logs. The TK 1600 will cut a 36" log. Only one over 36" is to get a wide, or the EZ 40, which will cut 40". Depends on the size of logs on the property you are looking to buy. MP32 is a fine mill, very sturdy built, don't want to put it down.
Quote from: farmfromkansas on July 22, 2020, 07:30:27 AM
The downside of a MP32 is the log diameter size, the 32" diameter log. I have to cut bumps off logs with my chainsaw to get the mill by big logs. The TK 1600 will cut a 36" log. Only one over 36" is to get a wide, or the EZ 40, which will cut 40". Depends on the size of logs on the property you are looking to buy. MP32 is a fine mill, very sturdy built, don't want to put it down.
I did see that on the spec sheet for the 1600 and the 2000 says 38". However when I watch a video going over the 2000, the ceo actually measured the throat and said it was 32" so not sure if their spec sheet is wrong or what. Hence my concern. I think ill call them just to ask and get a clear answer. Right now, not having the land, adds a level of uncertainty. Im not sure what size trees i will have. Of course im not planning to buy the sawmill until after i have bought the land.
Ok so TimberKing has upgraded the 1600 and the 2000 making them 20's now. The 1620 is 36" cut and 2020 is 38" cut. So the only differences I can see with the 1620 and the MP3238 is the cut throat, the MP has hydraulic log stops the TK doesn't, TK comes with set works MP doesnt. Ugh decisions lol im in san diego, if anyone is not to far away that has one of these brands I could come visit, let me know. I'd love to see one in action to help decide the brand.
Quote from: NavyVetHomestea on July 22, 2020, 12:08:52 PM
Ok so TimberKing has upgraded the 1600 and the 2000 making them 20's now. The 1620 is 36" cut and 2020 is 38" cut. So the only differences I can see with the 1620 and the MP3238 is the cut throat, the MP has hydraulic log stops the TK doesn't, TK comes with set works MP doesnt. Ugh decisions lol im in san diego, if anyone is not to far away that has one of these brands I could come visit, let me know. I'd love to see one in action to help decide the brand.
I have a Cook's AC 36. I believe the frame and beds are the same as a 3238 HD. Mine has 26" wheels where the 3238has 19" wheels. You can get all hydraulics on the 3238 and setworks also. They are very strong and well made saws.
Check out youtube for Cook's videos. They have videos for each model and go into detail about their features.
I purchased my mill in 2007 when I was 51 and that was after 2 years of serious research and tail gunning all the different mills I could find.
Internet Mill websites had me set on a a circular swing mill(1st), 4 Post (2nd) Wood mizer (3rd).
Then I started tailing the mills for 3 to 4 days per mill.
First was a swing mill and that didn't take a half day to cross the Swing mills off the list. Just didn't fit my needs AND sawdust waste was ridiculous.
Next was LT28. Love every thing about it but it was manual and I didnt like that.
The next was a 4 poster and that took less time to go in the garbage can then the swing mill idea. There some decent built 4 posters but they are still a 4 post and that is their biggest problem. It is a logical design but that doesn't make it a great design.
The last one was a LT40 super, AND that is what I SHOULD have bought.
I bought an LT40 Hydraulic and that decision was driven solely by the price difference between it and the super which was a mistake on my part.
As far as general mill quality goes the cantilever design and the quality build of the Woodmizer products is head and shoulders above anything else on the market. For my part you couldn't pay me to take a 4 poster in the band saw category.
I have written a much more detailed post on this in another thread. ill find it and link to it here.
My 4 post mill is great, cuts LOTS of quality lumber in a day and not much finicky electrics to break down. Cut 13 logs in the first hour today including setup, just squaring them up. Plus my TK mill is the highest quality in my opinion. Very seldom breaks down even after 15000 hours. Steve
I have never had "finicky" electrical issues of any kind in 2000+ hours.
Hydraulics have their place but I'd much rather deal with electric control systems myself. Not near as messy and a lot less costly to keep operating effectively.
The cantilever head with trapezoid bed design is just so much easier on an aging body as well.
Quote from: Bandmill Bandit on July 22, 2020, 02:26:19 PM
I purchased my mill in 2007 when I was 51 and that was after 2 years of serious research and tail gunning all the different mills I could find.
Internet Mill websites had me set on a a circular swing mill(1st), 4 Post (2nd) Wood mizer (3rd).
Then I started tailing the mills for 3 to 4 days per mill.
First was a swing mill and that didn't take a half day to cross the Swing mills off the list. Just didnt fir my needs AND sawdust waste was ridiculous.
Next was LT28. Love every thing about it but it was manual and I didnt like that.
The next was a 4 poster and that took less time to go in the garbage can then the swing mill idea. There some decent built 4 posters but they are still a 4 post and that is their biggest problem. It is a logical design but that doesn't make it a great design.
The last one was a LT40 super, AND that is what I SHOULD have bought.
I bought an LT40 Hydraulic and that decision was driven solely by the price difference between it and the super which was a mistake on my part.
As far as general mill quality goes the cantilever design and the quality build of the Woodmizer products is head and shoulders above anything else on the market. For my part you couldn't pay me to take a 4 poster in the band saw category.
I have written a much more detailed post on this in another thread. ill find it and link to it here.
What if he likes the LX450 😂😂
Hydraulic are not at all costly at all on my mill. all hyd mills have hydraulics. I sure read about a lot of electricals problems on here. Even with the few electric systems on my mill almost all of the problems are electrical. Most of my customers like off loading off my TK better. Steve
I would get an LT 40 WM These seem to be the workhorse of the industry. Not cheap but you can get your money back later, they hold their value and sell fast. If I were younger, and had a plan to build a homestead, it is what I would have. I think you would find this would be the most productive, best support, and again best resale Machine.
Quote from: Walnut Beast on July 23, 2020, 01:29:11 AMWhat if he likes the LX450 😂😂
Woodmizer value for the money is top of the market and the resale value along with demand for used Woodmizer mills proves that value over and over again. There is reason Wood mizer doesn't, as a rule, take trades even of their own mills. They don't have too! The used mills sell that well.
I mentioned that I may think about selling my mill to one friend and in 2 weeks I have had 5 people stop and ask if it is really for sale.
I may actually have to decide on a price to discourage the inquiries but I am afraid someone will write me check if I do that.