Plans for putting my Woodmizer in a building.

[Northmizer-10]

Okay, I have recently purchased a 1993 Woodmizer LT40 HD, I want to put it inside a building, on a cement slab.  Wondering if anyone has a good setup they would share? Ideas for a good operation? Thank You... ???

[Magicman]

I just noticed a nice shed on another thread:  https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,41233.0.html

And Welcome to The Forestry Forum.

[Bro. Noble]

What will work best for you won't be the same as for others.  It depends on what products you will saw,  the support equipment you have,  if you have helpers,  as well as your mill.  These variables changed for us as we grew and we had to add to our building.

I would suggest visiting as many operations as you can,  you'll learn something useful at every one.  You may want to consider any changes you may want to possibly make in the future so that your original building can be add on to to accomodate changes.

Where do you live,  I'll bet you get some invites for a visit. ;D

[Piston]

I was thinking about the same thing for putting up a mill shed.  You certainly need to think of what you will use the mill for.  For instance you have an LT 40 now, but what if you end up buying one of those 12' or 24' extensions for it?  Then how do yo get a 30' log in the mill shed you just built for a 20' log or so? 

This is the dilemna I'm in.   Does anyone with a really long capacity mill have they're mills under cover?   How do you deal with getting really long logs in the mill shed? 
I supposed you could just build a shed over one end of the mill, then have the track out in the weather???? I'll be curious to see any pics people post for you.  (hint hint :D)

[Bibbyman]

Welcome to the Forum!

You say shed.  Do you mean an enclosed building you can work in?  A pavilion like building (much like ours) that will just pretty much cover the mill but be open on all or most side?  Or maybe a cantilever overhang that works well for some people?

If you intend to go with a building you can close up and run the sawmill, then it's going to have to be big.  With doors high enough to get a tractor/loader under and wide enough to get logs in, slabs, edging, and lumber out.  I don't think there is such a thing as too big.  I'd like to have a Wal-Mart Super Center building myself.

We have our LT40 Super in more or less a pavilion.   Its 40' long and 20' wide with 19'-6" openings on the long side and 12' on the short sides.  12' wall height.   The original idea was to be able to pull the mill into one end and out the other.  We could saw at home or hook on and take it mobile.  We don't do mobile any longer.  Now we find the doors in front and back are not wide enough for some of the 18'-20' logs we sometimes saw.  We have to bring them in sideways.  It's always a struggle.   The 20' wide don't allow for much room around the mill.  We have some tight spots.

A cantilever overhang on an existing building (or new constructed) works well if you just want to cover the mill and be out of the sun and rain most of the time.  You've got pretty good working conditions on the loader side, and ends but will not be able to do much on the backside against the building.





The original 20x40 was built in 1994.  We added sheds on both ends.  And then we took off the north shed and built this 32' extension in 2005.  It gives us room to run our edger and stack lumber all under roof.





We've also added a live deck and a cutoff saw in the building.  So now its super tight.

Oh yea,  if you go to the "Forum Extras" above and then to the photo gallery,  you can do a search on "shed".  It'll come up with 60 pages of pictures of sheds.  If you key in "sawshed" you'll come up with three pages of pictures - most of the mine.  I guess I'm nearly the only one that says "sawshed" as one word.   :-\

[Banjo picker]

I just have a shed...weather not too harsh down here....its 30 x 105   and 17 ' tall ...the 3 middle bays ar concrete.  Tim

[Piston]

I just have a shed...   ....its 30 x 105   and 17 ' tall ....  Tim

Just a shed?   :D

[ljmathias]

Banjo: love to see a barn you build...   :D

Back to the topic: I cut some with my LT40 outside when i first got it- hated it.  Built a shed around it (literally- Woodmizer tuner-upper guy came before I got the roof on) and love sawing in it, although being somewhat distractable, I sometimes have hand-picked pieces (as opposed to all the other hand picked pieces I cut) standing upright next to the front and rear of the mill- just waiting for me to do something special with as they are mostly one-off's with a pronounced bend (for table and bench legs) or extra thick with a delicious live-edge on one or both siides... whatever.  Point is: bigger is better so just follow Banjo picker's example and build something big enough to park school buses in. ;D

Lj

[Northmizer-10]

Thank You for your replys, (this is the Wife) Husband is outside clearing a spot for the Woodmizer.
He currently put the Woodmizer undercover in our picnic spot.  It has a 3-phase motor, and since we do not have access to 3-phase where we live it is going to be changed to a Kohler 28HP gas engine.  Should be here in a week.  First project is to build a sawshed because Maine winters can be brutal...
I will keep you updated to his progress if he doesn't ...
Bigger is Better, he will like that advice I am sure...

[Bibbyman]

Too bad you plan to change out the 3ph motor!  We don't have 3ph power either but we installed a phase converter.  It makes 3ph power out of single phase service.

Keep the motor and starters and such.  You may just change your mind and want to change it back to 3ph.

[Banjo picker]

What I ment was that it didn't have no sides....sheds water though ;)  Tim

[laffs]

im building a shaed for mine now 28x 30 im limited on room or i would have made it bigger. so far i have the slab done. im mackimg mine timber frame. il post some pictures in a few weeks.
brent

[Northmizer-10]

I did mention to my Husband to look into a converter, BUT he wanted to use the mill right away and is concerned about the electric motor being out in the elements.  He said he will keep the motor and store it for possible future use.  The mill has never seen "the outside" until we moved it 5 days ago. It was a stationary mill, we borrowed a friends woodmizer trailer/tires to move it home. It is still Bright Orange and I am amazed what good shape it is- it has 1300.00 hours on it.  We have use of the trailer for a few weeks at most.
 Tried to post a picture, not having any luck!

[r.man]

Bibby, are you using a rotary phase converter and if so what size? Hooked up one a few months ago that was a ten hp rotary that was designed to start a 7.5 hp table saw or planer and a 6 hp doweling maker. Really, really simple construction. Basically a contactor and a number of capacitors as well as a regular 3 ph motor. I'm going to start gathering up a few 3 ph motors since the converter part would be so cheap to make.

[Bibbyman]

Bibby, are you using a rotary phase converter and if so what size? Hooked up one a few months ago that was a ten hp rotary that was designed to start a 7.5 hp table saw or planer and a 6 hp doweling maker. Really, really simple construction. Basically a contactor and a number of capacitors as well as a regular 3 ph motor. I'm going to start gathering up a few 3 ph motors since the converter part would be so cheap to make.

We have a 50 hp Ronk converter.  It will start and run our 25 hp LT40.  At the same time it will run our edger with 10 hp and HD pump with 7.5 hp.   It can run up to a total of 50 hp but can only start 25 hp max at one time.

Here is the whole story..

https://forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/tips/tips.cgi?display:1048263552-19768.txt

[Magicman]

Tried to post a picture, not having any luck!  

You have to set up a picture gallery and all pictures uploaded to it.  There is a tutorial explaining how to do it.

And good luck with the mill setup.  

[thecfarm]

Welcome to the forum. Where abouts in Northern Maine? Ever been around a sawmill before? Probaly going to cut trees off your land? You must have a tractor to move the logs? What's all the lumber going to be used for?

[r.man]

Thanks for the thread link Bibby, just what I like, lots of detail. The phase converter that I installed was a commercial model that used an actual 3 ph motor. Some of them use a modified "motor" that has no external shaft. Sounds like you made a smart business decision for the longer run. The idler motor I wired was also put up high out of the way and it too resonates loudly so I think that that is probably a common mistake. Thanks for the info.

[Northmizer-10]

For cfarms questions: Yes husband has been around mills before, but never run one. His father run a skidder when he was growing up. He has two brothers that worked in the woods also.  Funny husband has not though?
We have 150 acres.  Some fields some wood, (beautiful wood)  some massive trees! Yes, we have a tractor with a bucket, he is going to convert to tongs after we get the gravel spread on the spot we are putting the woodmizer.
Going to build a saw shed first, then Garage, storage shed, an outhouse for my dad's camp, and then he can start cutting to sell...
We have a few leads on buyers already. 
Wood on our land includes, tamarack, cedar, spruce and fir, cherry, etc..

[Peter Drouin]

I have a 24 x60 foot wood building with 43 foot door steel header  For my 24 foot extension  It works good go big! pete

[Magicman]

Welcome Pete.  Tell us a little about yourself.  Sawmill??

[Piston]

Welcome Pete.  Tell us a little about yourself.  Sawmill??

Ya and post some pics of that setup  8)


......I mean, please. ;D

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

and welcome to the forum North Mizer and Peter  ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D 8) 8) 8)

Mill sheds I aint got no bloody shed    :'(  ;) :D :D i resolved after last winter i was going to have one yet its been raining the past few days and ive just stayed in the workshop fixing afwew things ill  be back out tomorrow rain hail or shine milling some 27 foot 10x10s and 10x8s on the lucas  ;) ;D 8) 8) Ive gone 16 years without one most of the time and had no real dramas without one    ;)

with mill sheds you realy want about 2'+ longer opening on atleast the infeed side of the mill than the longest log you can saw and a width of atleast 20' plus the eaves with the operators end you need atleast 10to12' with both sides closed in  with 6 to 8' plus from the opening on the far end to keep you dry ;)

Regards Chris