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THoughts on "upgrading"

Started by Downhill Cutter, April 21, 2019, 11:06:06 AM

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Downhill Cutter

I'm pondering selling my Mobile Dimension saw, as I'm not that interested in producing dimensional lumber.  I AM interested in producing live edge slabs and quality quarter-sawn material, and the MDS can do the latter very well.  What's really bothering me is future availability of parts for the MDS.  

Up to this point, I've been slabbing with an Alaska Mill on a Husqvarna 3120 with  a 5' bar.  Pretty brutal in the summertime in western central Tennessee.  Just caught wind of the Baker 72 band saw slabber;  also interested in the Peterson Dedicated Wide Slabber.  I could keep the MDS to cut dimensional quarter-sawn, and slab with the Peterson.   Any thoughts from the more experienced?

Thanks in advance,

DownHill Cutter  
If you do what you SHOULD do, WHEN you should do it, for Long enough . . . Pretty soon you'll be able to do what you WANT to do, WHEN you what to do it, For the rest of your life (within limits).

terrifictimbersllc

Have you thought about the new Woodmizer LX250, $25K 53" band mill, for stationary slabbing?  
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

47sawdust

If you can afford it,I would keep the MD and buy one of the new slab specific mills.It seems everyone is building them now.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Downhill Cutter

Thanks, TerrificTimbers and 47Sawdust.  Excellent thoughts.  I'll continue researching
If you do what you SHOULD do, WHEN you should do it, for Long enough . . . Pretty soon you'll be able to do what you WANT to do, WHEN you what to do it, For the rest of your life (within limits).

seaview

DownHill Cutter- at 66 yrs of age, like you are, no way I would purchase anything w/o hydraulics. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am just coming off a LT15 Wide and the experience has been brutal on my bones. Mind you, we are are here on the west coast of Canada in a temperate rainforest and our trees grow BIG! Recent windstorm brought down some real giants! Yup, definitely get the hydraulics and may I suggest the Woodmizer Wide models from the LT40HD WIDE and up; I pick mine up in two weeks!! (opted for the larger EFI 38HP GAS too; 'watch out yo big o' cedars!- Mr Big and Wide is comin' to town')

Downhill Cutter

Thanks, Woodman.  Hydraulics sound almost like cheating.  I appreciate your counsel.  At our age, there's a lot to be said for trying to use brains, not brawn.  Old age and treachery will always triumph over youth and enthusiasm. ;D


Please put up some photos of your new wood-slayer/slabber 
If you do what you SHOULD do, WHEN you should do it, for Long enough . . . Pretty soon you'll be able to do what you WANT to do, WHEN you what to do it, For the rest of your life (within limits).

YellowHammer

Hydraulics aren't cheating, they are more like survival when doing big slabs.   :D  
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Dana Stanley

If I were milling for anything more than a hobby, I would definitely get Hydraulics, Likely WM. 
Making Sawdust, boards and signs.
Woodland Mills HM-126
Kabota B-7800 with backhoe and loader
Ford Ranger, Husqvarna 455 20", Mac 610 24", other chainsaws 14", 23 ton log splitter
Matthew 3:10

Percy

Quote from: Downhill Cutter on April 22, 2019, 03:22:12 PM
   Hydraulics sound almost like cheating.  
I read this quote on the dash of a stock car years ago. It read..."Win If You Can, Lose If You Must....but Always cheat" Not something Id wanna teach the young folk but.....us coffin dodgers can use all the help we can get.. ;D ;D ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Crossroads

Quote from: Percy on April 22, 2019, 11:20:54 PM
Quote from: Downhill Cutter on April 22, 2019, 03:22:12 PM
  Hydraulics sound almost like cheating.  
I read this quote on the dash of a stock car years ago. It read..."Win If You Can, Lose If You Must....but Always cheat" Not something Id wanna teach the young folk but.....us coffin dodgers can use all the help we can get.. ;D ;D ;D
I used to race go karts and I guess cheating was pretty well accepted, because if anyone cared, I was under weight and over powered for the class I was in, but I always had a grin on my face and I rarely won. Back to the topic at hand, there's been some sound advice offered above, especially the hydraulics 
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

BLink

I just picked up a Husqvarna 3120XP and he tells me it needs a piston & cylinder.
Where is a good place to get them?
There are a lot of Old Loggers.
There are a lot of Bold Loggers.
But there ain't a lot of Old, Bold Loggers!

Stihl 034, Stihl 009, Husquvarna 3120, 540 Allis Chalmers Loader, International T1340 Crawler Drott 4in1 Loader, JCB 1400B, Cat IT14F

richhiway

I have a LT 40 with a manual deck. The manual log turner will turn large logs with ease. It would be OK with a helper but alone you really need hyds. You waste a lot of time walking around the mill. I do it for mostly a hobby, hyds would probably double what I could get done in a day so they would pay for themselves in a hurry if you are doing it for income. I don't know your budget but any of the wider bandsaws should do 90% of the logs you slab. If you get super huge logs you can still trim them with the saw.
Woodmizer LT 40
New Holland 35 hp tractor
Stihl Chainsaws
Ford 340 Backhoe

Magicman

Hydraulics will certainly help you to get from 66 to 75 and it ain't cheating.  ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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