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Finally bought "my" mill, after a 3 year trial period!

Started by Piston, March 27, 2013, 11:30:06 AM

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Piston

A little over 3 yrs ago, a good friend of mine bought an LT-15.  I didn't even know he was going to, he just showed up at my house with it on the trailer.  It was still on the pallet that it was packaged on from the factory.  I was almost week in the knees I was so excited  ;D

This was the next best thing than buying my own.  I wasn't in the position to buy a mill at the time, and I wanted one BAD!  So seeing this mill drive into my yard was pure ecstasy for me!




The one hiccup in my friends plan, was that he had nowhere to keep it, no house, no land, no plan.  Here is where I come in and save the day  ;D  I told him he could leave the mill at my place, and we could use it there, anytime he wanted.  We used it together a few times but after a short time, the excitement of having a mill slowly faded away.......for him  ;)

I on the other hand, only continued to get more and more excited each and every time I opened up the first face in a new log.  I am still fascinated with the idea of turning a tree into usable lumber.   8)

While my interest in sawing grew deeper and deeper, his interest lessened and lessened.  It got to the point where I was the only one using the mill.  He's only gone through about 6 blades on his own.  There was a time where he let another friend borrow it for an entire summer, however, the "borrower" didn't realize just how much work a manual mill was, so it sat the whole summer. 

I picked it back up last fall and set it up in it's original location, although this time, I cleared a little land around it, and leveled off the area better (except for one large boulder that apparently doesn't ever want to move  >:()

Finally my friend has admitted defeat, and realized it probably wasn't the best purchase for him to make.  He wanted to sell it and recoup some of his investment, although he still has an itch every now and again to make a little sawdust, and of course, I couldn't let him sell it to someone else, I mean after all, it was pretty much my mill for the last few years. 

Him and I made a deal, he sold it to me for a good price, with the understanding that he can use it at my house whenever he wants.  Now I don't have to worry anymore about using "someone else's mill". 

I'm the proud new owner of a sawmill I've had for 3 yrs!  I can't tell you how good it's going to feel to mill my first board on the mill that I can now call all my OWN! 
8) 8) 8) 8)


-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Dave Shepard

Congrats! I know the feeling, I had to run "my" mill for four and a half years before I got to finally own it. :D
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Piston

Thanks Dave.  My first modification will be the addition of the shiny new Tiny Tach/hour meter that you passed on to me! 

After that, I will add a 4th extension, and I'm starting to think about the autofeed.   ???

Does anyone have any experience with the autofeed on the LT15? 


Quote from: thecfarm on March 27, 2013, 11:54:06 AM
The mill that came back home. ;D
smiley_thumbsup
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Ga Mtn Man

That's a great story with a happy ending for all involved.  Congrats on the "new" mill. 8)
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

clww

A great historical account to read here. Congratulations on YOUR mill. :)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

Peter Drouin

A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Jemclimber

Quote from: Piston on March 27, 2013, 11:55:50 AM


Does anyone have any experience with the autofeed on the LT15? 


Quote from: thecfarm on March 27, 2013, 11:54:06 AM
The mill that came back home. ;D
smiley_thumbsup

I think the autofeed is great, I've had mine since it was new. Ask WDH how he likes his? He's had it for a short time now.

Where did you get the hour meter? Does it just plug in?
lt15

MEMountainMan

Great story!!! I remember seeing the pic of it on the trailer before it was unloaded in a previous post. Looks like the diesel engine?
LT15 30 feet cap., John Deere 850 tractor with a loader bucket and backhoe, John Deere 1010 dozer. some husky saws, a 5ft Logrite cant hook, a 3ft mill special, and a 30" hookaroon. A shop full of tools and 108 acres of trees to make things out of.  Done building homes for others now it's my turn

Tree Feller

Congratulations! It seems that patience and a good friend paid off well. I think it's great that you own the mill and your friend still gets to use it, too. That's a win-win situation in my book.
Cody

Logmaster LM-1 Sawmill
Kioti CK 30 w/ FEL
Stihl MS-290 Chainsaw
48" Logrite Cant Hook
Well equipped, serious, woodworking shop

Piston

Quote from: Jemclimber on March 27, 2013, 12:30:21 PM
Quote from: Piston on March 27, 2013, 11:55:50 AM


Does anyone have any experience with the autofeed on the LT15? 


Quote from: thecfarm on March 27, 2013, 11:54:06 AM
The mill that came back home. ;D
smiley_thumbsup

I think the autofeed is great, I've had mine since it was new. Ask WDH how he likes his? He's had it for a short time now.

Where did you get the hour meter? Does it just plug in?

Jemclimber,
Thanks for the thoughts on the auto feed. Is there any kind of auto kickout when it gets to the ends of the track?  Or would it just keep trying to move the saw head until you manually stop it? 

The tach I got is called a tiny tach. I think their website is www.tinytach.com but if not you can find it in google.
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

Piston

Quote from: MEMountainMan on March 27, 2013, 01:09:03 PM
Great story!!! I remember seeing the pic of it on the trailer before it was unloaded in a previous post. Looks like the diesel engine?

You remember correctly!  In fact, it actually worked pretty well on the trailer while I was milling up there. I've often thought of buying a larger deckover trailer and putting the mill on there for portable jobs (although I've never done one :))
I was thinking I'd be able to load the mill, then straddle it with the tractor over it if my inside tread width was wider than the mill. That would make a pretty nice portable setup!

It is the 10hp Yanmar engine as you noticed. I love this mill, and a lot has to do with that engine. It's amazing how it just chugs along all day with no hiccups, and only on 1.2 gallons of deisel at that!

My main gripe though, is there is no good way to shut the engine off. You either have to turn the fuel off until it spatters to a stop, or press the decompression lever which is what I do, although it isn't relly good for the engine.
Does anyone know any tricks to solve this problem?
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

MTrim

I've had the lt-15 with the 10 hp yanmer for 4 years.  I also have auto feed.  You should be able to shut down the engine by pushing straight up on the black triangle shape idle adjustment screw.  The auto feed is nice...not perfect but certainly better than the hand crank.  I usually sort of lean on the saw head as it travels as the auto feed needs slight assistance sometimes.

Holmes

Hey Hey there Piston  Congratulations on the mill. :)  Sounds like you need a mill warming party. 8) ;D
Think like a farmer.

dukndog

Congrats Piston!!

I have the PowerFeed option on my LT15 and love it. It does not stop at either end, but can be controlled very easily. The reverse is full speed back when you flip the lever...that takes some getting used to. I am looking into putting flat metal plates at the end of the tracks just to insure it doesn't "walk" off. I'll try to post some pics later when I get them installed.
WM LT-15G25 w/PwrFeed, Mahindra 3510, Husky 385xp, Stihl MS261 and a wife who supports my hobby!!

Chuck White

~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

customsawyer

Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Migal

Congratulations! Piston sound's like a great story and for someone that enjoy's it.Hope you have many years of saw dust to come.
Stihl learning and picked up my Log Master LM2 Cat 34hp 02 21 12! 230MF+ the toys that go with it! MS361 MS271 Stihl PB500 Echo 48" LogRite 16ft Bass Tracker Pro' Abua Garcia 5600 bait caster, Wood working equipment' Lake Lot never enough time! oh don't forget the fridge with ale! Loving Wife Rebeca

POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

WDH

Piston,

The power feed on the LT15 is the best thing since sliced bread  :D.  It is wonderful.  I sawed for 11 years without one, and now I cannot imagine sawing without one.  It is a huge productivity increase for me.  Best money that you will ever spend (along with LogRite cant hooks  ;D).

Congrats for making the mill honest!
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

mad murdock

Congrats on the mill ownership! As far as the engine goes, what does it hurt to use the decomp to shut it down?  Mechanically speaking, it is not causing any damage to the internals, we have a Komatsu forklift with an Izuzu diesel in it that shuts down similarly, a manual shutoff, that does not shut off fuel.  It either blocks airflow or releases compression. Most diesels either have a manual or electromechanical fuel shutoff, which would be similar to you shutting off the fuel valve. Either way, there really is no other way to put out the fire in a Diesel engine, you have to remove either the fuel, air, or both by using a decompression valve. 
Turbosawmill M6 (now M8) Warrior Ultra liteweight, Granberg Alaskan III, lots of saws-gas powered and human powered :D

thecfarm

I found that out on my Kubota.  ::) I shut the key off and the motor kept right on a going. I played around with the switch and it was still a going. I thought no big deal,I'll just unhook the battery. Never had a diesel tractor that did not shut off with the key. Any of you that know anything at all know that didn't work. I was just about to shove a rag into the intake on it,but thought I might just as well call the guy on the other road that knows about these things. He shows up about 10 minutes later and reaches in and works the solenoid by hand and the motors stops the way it should.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

POSTON WIDEHEAD

The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

YellowHammer

Way to go!  Great ending 8) 8) or I guess it's the beginning 8)
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

Piston

Quote from: Jemclimber on March 27, 2013, 12:30:21 PM
I think the autofeed is great, I've had mine since it was new.

Quote from: MTrim on March 27, 2013, 03:46:29 PM
I've had the lt-15 with the 10 hp yanmer for 4 years....The auto feed is nice...not perfect but certainly better than the hand crank.  I usually sort of lean on the saw head as it travels as the auto feed needs slight assistance sometimes.

Quote from: dukndog on March 27, 2013, 06:00:32 PM
Congrats Piston!!

I have the PowerFeed option on my LT15 and love it.

Quote from: WDH on March 27, 2013, 09:08:59 PM
Piston,

The power feed on the LT15 is the best thing since sliced bread  :D.  It is wonderful. 

Well I guess that about sums it up for thoughts on the powerfeed option  ;D 
It would be nice if it had some sort of automatic kick out, but I suppose I'm gonna be walking along next to it anyways as I'm always keeping an eye on the cut, so it's not that big of a deal.  I'll start saving up for it  8)



Quote from: Holmes on March 27, 2013, 04:08:40 PM
Hey Hey there Piston  Congratulations on the mill. :)  Sounds like you need a mill warming party. 8) ;D
Dana,
That's such a nice offer, so I guess that means your hosting?  Just tell me when to be there.  :D :D


Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on March 27, 2013, 09:07:52 PM
A 3 year trial? What did you do?  :D

Congrats!  smiley_thumbsup
It takes me a while to figure things out, I just couldn't make up my mind  :D
I used to think I was a fairly indesicive person, but I don't know, now I'm not so sure.. ::)  :D


Quote from: WDH on March 27, 2013, 09:08:59 PM
Piston,
Best money that you will ever spend (along with LogRite cant hooks  ;D).

I have the 48" cant hook covered, along with the 60" peavey.    ;D
I may add a 24" mill special at some point though.  Frank (bandmiller2) showed me how convenient they are and I've liked them ever since.  ;)

Thanks again for the congrats guys! 
-Matt
"What the Lion is to the Cat the Mastiff is to the Dog, the noblest of the family; he stands alone, and all others sink before him. His courage does not exceed his temper and generosity, and in attachment he equals the kindest of his race."

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