The Forestry Forum

I'm wondering if anyone has experience running both machines (logosol ph260/ph360 or Woodmizer mp260/360)?  I've been running a PH260 for 13 yrs.  I've run more MBF than I care to remember and know the machine inside and out.  It works great when kept within its limitations.  I'm considering upgrading to a 360 and i'm looking for thoughts on it.  

Currently i'm preplaning 1 1/16" roughsawn hardwoods at least once, sometimes twice depending on the quality of the wood before finishing to 3/4" T&G through the logosol.  Is anyone running hardwood flooring right to 3/4" in one pass on a 360?  That alone would probably make it worthwhile to me.  I already can run 1" pine in one pass.

The big advantages I can see on the 360 are:
Wider
More Power
Easier to adjust the depth on the bottom cutter(260 is terrible at that!)

Anything else i'm missing?  I'd love to here from 360 owners, what you make with it and how it has worked out for you.  FWIW i'd probably go with Woodmizer this time, I've had more luck with Woodmizer service than a certain U.S. Logosol distributor.

@Percy (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=profile;u=599) has a 360. I can run 1 1/16" hardwood straight through my WM4000 and make 3/4" T&G. I do run it through my 725 first because not all 1" rough sawn lumber is 1" and it makes things easier that way.

I know what you mean, I can for the most part run straight 1" roughsawn hardwood through the 260, but it goes much easier pre planed. I guess that was really my question for 360 operators, does it have enough extra power to handle those thicker pieces without really beating the machine up?

The woodmaster looks like a good machine in-line with the 260.  Im already invested in the logosol stuff so I'm inclined to stay with that. 

FWIW the Woodmaster is actually beefier than the 360.  I don't remember all the specifics between the two but I did have my hands on a 260 and 360 one time.  

Do you need to SLR or edge rough boards before running them through the WM4000?  How much variation will it tolerate in thickness and width?  Looks like a nice machine.  Do you find yourself taking advantage of the 18" width on it often?

Yes I always straight line my rough lumber ahead of the moulder. Some of the older / industrial machines will hog off enough not to do so but none will at this level. I use my edger and get both sides at the same time. 

3/16" over your bottom removal is the thickness safety trip, so if you were taking 3/16" off the bottom then 3/8" would be too much of a variable. 

I hardly go that wide with it since I have a 25" planer. Most of my flooring, siding, etc is 8" and under.