I was looking at swing blades today and didn't realize that they made swing blades to compete with the small bandmills seems like a good thing on their part. One is the M-6 Turbo-saw, for under $5k US 2016 pricing and I think Peterson makes a small one also.
You looking to add one ??
I have a Lucas and am pleased with it,
they also produce a 6" mill.
Cost wise, a small band is appreciably less expensive.
M-6 with Honda power is 2018 is $11k in the States
Lucas 6" is about $9K
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I don't think you are going to get a swingblade down to the price of a basic band mill. The alloy rails cost more $$ compared to a simple steel track. You need a gearbox, blades are initially more expensive, and you usually get 2, and a diamond wheel sharpener needs to be thrown in too. All those things add up.
The price on the M6 would be the chainsaw powered version, you need to supply your own powerhead, but no gearbox is needed as the saw swings with the blade.
So ~$10,000 seems to be about the minimum the manufacturers can get them down to (without going Chinese anyway)
But for that money you get a more capable mill then an entry level band mill.
As I did a little more looking they don't make it anymore. The smallest is a hobby mill for about $8500. The ad was a facebook add from 2016. I ques they couldn't afford to sell at that price, to bad I would have bought one had I known.
They offer the basic Hobby mill they call it for 5K and it is electric powered, but can be configured for chainsaw power. It will easily outdo a LT15 sized mill on straight production and can take in oversized logs. The blade maintenance is simpler and way less expensive than changing a band every couple hundred bd ft. If you are going to cut a lot of 1x12"+ and wider boards though a band mill will be a better bet. If you want to set one up for live edge slabs and occasional wider boards you could get the Alaskan slabbing cradle, but then you have to figure the cost of the Alaskan if you don't have one , around 300 bucks, plus the cost of the cradle which is posted on their site. I am very pleased with my mill. It does all I want and much more, plus it is very portable and versatile.
The JP Peterson is about 10K, or was a year ago when I got mine. The entry level band mills are considerably less money as you know but comparing them to a entry level swinger is comparing apples to oranges. A swinger is a very productive machine even in entry level form. At the shootout the entry level 6" Lucas was done sawing, lumber and waste stacked, folded up and ready to haul away when the entry level band mills were about half done sawing. Racing is racing and sawing is sawing but none the less it was impressive. A nice thing about the entry level 6" swingers is they are light. I am 62 and have no trouble handling the track and rolling the saw head in and out of the shed. The 6 Lucas is just as easy,,well almost, ;)
Lucas used to have a 4" mill as well. Not on their website now though. Guessing it was discontinued.
The swingers got a lot more affordable for a while there (and may still be) when the US dollar strengthened compared to the Austrailian counterpart.
I think the 4" cut is just too limiting. I've got a JP as well, and sometimes wish it would do an 8" cut, but I can live with the 6" and occasional double cutting. Going to a 4" cut would mean a big loss of versatility, with only a small reduction in cost.