Your mills origin, the beginnings

[D Hagens]

Hi guys, I have a few questions for you all.
I've been looking at mills for a few years now, tried a few, almost bought one but yet I'm still looking.
I've received information and videos on many a mill and I'm very impressed with the many different features on each and every mill.
I've had phone calls and e-mail from a lot of manufactures and I've been impressed with each and everyone of them.
I'm a photographer part time and I'm going to assume that mills are like cameras, we all have our favourites' so I'm not going to ask anyone that question as it could turn ugly!
The questions will be like this: When and where did your mill manufacture start and in what year? I see through the brochures all the great things but I can never see the actual start day and info like that. Like the real start up stuff, things that they don't advertise but yet a true mill owner would know.
The other thing is have you and people you know in the past been 100% happy with the customer service? This can be a simple yes or no answer as I'm sure along the way there's been a few boo-boo's along the way on both sides.
So here's a topic where the blue, orange, yellow, green. Red....am I missing a color.......mill owners can share some knowledge
Thanks!

[backwoods sawyer]

I bought a mill from a well-established builder, they had been around since the mid 80's, however, the mill that I bought was the very first one of its kind, a proto type, and was build in December 2001. Being a proto type, I have had a few customer service issues that other mill owners from the same manufacture have not had.

[DanG]

My mill was built by a company that began building sawmills in the mid to late 1950s.  They are generally considered to be the pioneer in portable, one-man sawmills.  Their machines progressed in sophistication in the manner you might expect until the mid 1980s, when my mill was built.  Since then there has been little advancement in their design, save a few minor innovations.  Basically, their new mills look identical to my 1986 model, though they seem to sell all the mills they can produce.

I have been very happy with the services they have provided, though some people have had some difficulties in that regard.  There seems to be some scuttlebutt along the owner grapevine that the health of the company hinges on the health of the company's owner, which hasn't been that good lately.  It is cause for concern for some of us, as there are a lot of proprietary parts that can only be obtained from there. 

Overall, I'm very happy with my choice of mills.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

One of my mills is built by a company thats been running since 1902 when they started building flour mills then moved into the production of sawmills about 2to4 years later they still build the same models today as when they started along with a larger model and whole range of sawmilling equipment   ;) They are a custom builder so you can spec things how you like and its easy to upgrade to hyd/auto from a manual mill  ;D
Reliability they are Bullet Proof ! Simple and Rugged as they can airfreight parts half way around the world in a couple of days usually so downtime isnt realy an issue as you always order things before you need them apart from that the only other complaint ive heard in my life is that you break the odd hyd hose which we all know is only a trip to the local hyd shop  ;) :D as my familys installed an ran them since the early 70s to 2001 firstly in PNG and my grandfather had the dealership for the pacific area and imported the first mill into aust in March 1984 which is the mill im rebuilding at the moment which ill never sell  ;) ;D 8) 8)

My other mill is Australian Made Simple and Rugged once again  ;) They started in 1994 and built their 10000th mill this year  ;D 8)  Their Backup support and parts is excellent They export all around the world and build 6 diferent models now  ;)  ;D 8) 8)

My other two mills where Father & Son co built in our driveway between 93 and 98  ;) :D ;D ;D ;D 8)

as for color Two are Red n Black  ;) ones Green & Yellow and the other ones Black Mate  ;)  ;D :D :D :D :D ;D 8) 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[bandmiller2]

Band and swing mills are fairly new on the landscape,probibly in the last 25-30 years.Its hard to pin down exact dates as most started as cottage industries in a guys back yard.Then it was like Dodge City everyone and his brother was building and selling.Things have settled down to several major manuf. and a few ma and pa builders.Circular mills have been around for hundreds of years,probibly a few have had arrow heads stuck in the wood frame.Many here have built their own mills.Most mills are good and most manuf. are very attentive to their mill owners because their still small industries where you can call and talk to the owner

[D Hagens]

backwoods sawyer, DanG, Meadows Miller, bandmiller2 

Excellent answers! That's exactly what I've been looking for, the meat and potatoes of portable mills and the guys that have been there and seen the history over the years.

  Anyone else have experiences to share?

[Jeff]

Band and swing mills are fairly new on the landscape,probibly in the last 25-30 years.Its hard to pin down exact dates as most started as cottage industries in a guys back yard.Then it was like Dodge City everyone and his brother was building and selling.

This isn't entirely accurate. 

From one of the books in my collection.

Title: Lumber
Author: Ralph Clement Bryant,Manufacturers' Association Professor of Lumbering.
Yale University

Published by: New York John Wiley & Sons, Inc  1922


Found in Chapter III titled Sawmill Equipment.

located on Page 86 

[D Hagens]

Hi Jeff, I see you read books too. In Ft. Langley we have this little tiny library where I go to when I want real history about what's gone on in my town and surrounding areas.
Most of the major mills that were here are now all but shut down but the history is preserved in books and the words of the older guys that used to work in them.
The big sawmills have been around for years but I wonder who came up with the concept of a one man stationary saw where a guy could be on his own and enjoy his own company and make a living at it?

[bandmiller2]

Its pretty hard to come up with an idea that hasen't been tried many times in the sawmill industry good or bad.When I became interested in milling in the late 70's I'd never heard of a small portable bandmill,or swingmill.If you wanted to mill logs you set up a circular mill.I had heard of the big west coast bandsaws but had never seen one.We're lucky today theirs so much available at every entrance level.Frank C.

[Hilltop366]

OK Jeff..... Who's going to tell that guy to put some guards on that thing!

[woody1]

The old sawyer I purchased my mill from was a farmer. Like alot of farmers in our area, he purchased a circle mill back in the '40s to subsidise his income when farming was slow. He started out with a wood frick. He tells of saw doc's and sawmill suppliers coming to the mill on a regular basis. On one trip they had a special..you could trade up to a steel mill. He took the deal they came in tore out the old frick and replaced it with a new stell American mill. As he got older, the mill wasn't used anymore. It Layed unused in the woods for years. The old mill shed fell in and broke some things. Stuff was stolen.
I heard about the mill, went and talked to him. We made a deal and the rest is history.

[paul case]

my mill is blue like this screen. made by a ma n pa mfger in MO. dont know how long they been in bussiness but i am sure of 5 years. they make only manul mills and sell a wider and longer standard cut than most for a little less $.   
i was not new to sawing when i bught the bandmill. i had worked with a neighbor who had a crossbred mill. part corley and part meadows powered with a 671 detroit,52'' blade. he could really make that old mill sing. i purchased a m-14 belsaw with a metal frame and 26'' blade pto powered. used it for a year. the neighbor passed away and i purchased his mill but had to move it. i never got it set up. i sold both of the circle mills and bought the bandmill about 15 months ago. i have cut about 14000 bd.ft on it and i couldnt be happier. my wife is pleased with the mill as it was first used to cut out our new house and now it is one of my farm ''subsidies''. if i have any kind of trouble the maker is as close as a phone call. i bought A  mill and gained a friend. he even called me a time or 2. i believe my mill was made by folks who use them so they are well thought out and simple to operate. efficient too. i can cut for 8 hours pretty steady and not use 5 gallons of fuel.
maybe the screen wont be blue when this is posted?  replyscreen blue .    thats what color mine is!  pc

[paul case]

my belsaw m-14 had a 40'' blade not a 26''  my bad.  pc

[D Hagens]

 I've never seen a circle mill up close, just in pics. I thought I saw a post the other night where a guy in B.C has one, am I right or way off track on this?

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Hagen firstly ill say that  i agree with Franks statement that We're lucky today theirs so much available at every entrance level.  ;) ;D 8) 8) and that most mills are good at what they are dsingend to do  ;) I think circs are great allround machines esp in mixed grade and a bit more forgiving on the operation and maint side of things in a production situation for a novice sawyer  ;) and the thing i like with bands is that they are great custom sawing machines and give a more marketable finnish on you timber on higher grades when you have your band maint spoton and like all things its not to hard to learn how to do it  properly  ;) ;D 8) 8)

Jeff I like the look f that band mill ive got a pic of one like that in a book i have had since i was 14yo called Grimshaw on Saws but the heads static and has a flatop carriage it also as a pic of a vert band with a carriage like an american Mate  ;) ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[logwalker]

My mill is orange and they have been making them for a long time. The customer service is excellent and I am a happy man. The mill has close to 6000 hours on it. I will sit down now.  ;)

[fishpharmer]

I should probably avoid this post altogether.............
First of all, I have some serious issues with customer service on my mill...can't seem to get anything repaired by the manufacturer in a timely manner.   My mill is green and yellow (not unlike a JD tractor) in color.  My mill is a band mill with rather large dimensions and a modestly sized 18 hp engine.  It is all manual, except for the 12V sawhead raise and lower mechanism.

The manufacturer began in 2005 without the first bit of sawmill experience.  I would call it a prototype.   The mill has really fulfilled my greatest early expectations.  Now that I have come to learn more about mills (primarily through FF) my level of expectation has risen. 

Back to the mill......the greatest asset of my mill manufacturer most certainly is the outsourced internet accessible  24/7 technical guidance department.  I really cannot say enough good things about that. ;D 

[Meadows Miller]

[quote author=fishpharmer link=topic=40571.msg583775#msg583775

Back to the mill......the greatest asset of my mill manufacturer most certainly is the outsourced internet accessible  24/7 technical guidance department.  I really cannot say enough good things about that. ;D 
[/quote]
James Ill second that one Mate  ;D 8) 8) 8) and another pluss is that you dont feel like your the only bloke in this game as alot of us work on our own  ;) and its nice to talk with other blokes who suffer Timber Addiction  ;) :D :D :D ;D  ;D ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Regards Chris

[bandmiller2]

DHagens,the one man mill was pretty much started by Belsaw.Belsaw sold a light duty affordable circular mill marketed to farmers,it was the model "T" of sawmills.One man can operate any mill but its always more productive ,and safer to have anouther person especially one who know what he's doing.Frank C.

[jpgreen]

I rescued my mill from a drug infested enviroment ...  ;D

The prior owner somehow lost his way and went from Woodmizer sawyer to Harleys and crank. Had to send my Kawamizer to rehab. He's all better now and sawing happily for over 3 years ...:D

[Magicman]

My mill happens to be orange.  From day one, I've always felt like the technical support folks genuinely cared about me and my problem or question.  I'm sure that other manufacturers are the same.  Must be the sawdust......

[paul case]

those belsaw circle mills were affordable and did a good job. they became foley-belsaw and then timberking. T K stoped making the one man circle mill in 99 i think. the ones i have seen used the same design old to new. i guess if it works dont mess with it. kinda tells the story that things are going away from the big blade when a company that made circle mills for 40 plus years now makes only bandmills.(someone will probably tell me thats wrong but im used to it . my wife says that so much it dont even hurt anymore. tk told me that they dont mfg these circle mills when it tried to order stuff for the old m-14) pc

[pineywoods]

My mill (orange) was purchased by a friend of mine to saw lumber for his retirement home. When the house was done, the mill didn't go away. Seems we've all heard that story many times. He found himself running a full time sawmill job. I got involved doing offbearing and some maintenance for him. Even added a home-made hydraulic system. At around 4500 hours, he figured the mill was worn out, parked it under a tree and bought a new one. I bought the old wore out mill, brought it home and did some re-building. It just turned 7100 hours and is still going strong. I have never told him it wasn't wore out, just needed a little maintenance. ;D With proper maintenance, I don't think it's possible to wear out them orange mills. I ran across one nearby that has 17,000 hours on the meter and is still running full time 6 days a week.

[Mark K]

I bought my mill which is orange about 13 years ago. We hired a guy in to saw out our new pole shed. To make a long story short we ran it more then he did. He wanted to up grade to a hydraulic so I bought that and the sharpener. No major problems until the other day, we had a build up of carbon in the motor which held the intake valve open. Tore it down and cleaned the carbon out but couldnt find a head gasket anywhere. Our NY dealer came through and got me the gaskets 8). I put it together today and it runs good. We'll be sawing tomorrow.

[Planman1954]

My mill is orange too, but it ain't the same as pineywoods. So I'm confused again. Typical.