Hi, new guy here and have a question about a couple of mills.
I have been doing a lot of research (driving me crazy) on bandsaw mills. I wanted to see what you thought about the LM2000 and TK1220?
Both have trailer packages which is a must because I need to go to the logs. My father-in-law has a very old tractor we can use to pull it across the dry creek bed and up the hill, which is why I need to get the mill as close to the logs as I can, so we can mill them right there.
Both mills suggest doing the milling off the wheels which if fine since the change over doesn't take to long, BUT does the TK1220 have a manual winch option to get the logs on the bed like the LM2000 does? The capacities are about the same on both mills so I wanted to see if anyone has opinions on one or the other. Both are about same price.
Right now we have about 25-35 logs to cut up that came down due to a storm but I can only do this on the weekends when I get down there (2 hrs away), and plan on cutting them up into boards for woodworking. Right now just thinking it will be for personal use.
Thanks for any suggestions or help.
Welcome to the Forum.
Sorry, I don't have any personal experience with either of these mills so I can't help you there.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10368/UM7captain.jpg)
http://www.logrite.com/mainarch.html
Money wise, maybe it'd be less expensive to invest in some kind of log arch that you can use to pull the logs out to a place where you could hire a mobile sawyer to come in and saw them all up at one time?
"Money wise, maybe it'd be less expensive to invest in some kind of log arch that you can use to pull the logs out to a place where you could hire a mobile sawyer to come in and saw them all up at one time?"
No really Bibbyman, did you mean that??????????? otherguy NEEDS a mill!!! Practicality has nothing to do with it :D
otherguy,
I had a Lm2000. It saws just fine. I had the trailer package and that worked well also. It sits very close to the ground with the tires on it, so consider ground clearance when moving it around off road. I don't think I would have been able to drag mine over very rough terrain.
mh
Hi otherguy! Both of those mills have several owners on this forum, and they speak highly of them. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the little loading winch too much. You can parbuckle the logs onto the mill with the tractor a whole lot quicker, anyway. Thats the way I would do it, even if I had the winch. ;)
Welcome Otherguy. Everyone needs a Mill. :D
Quote from: DanG on June 10, 2009, 11:13:42 AM
Hi otherguy! Both of those mills have several owners on this forum, and they speak highly of them. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the little loading winch too much. You can parbuckle the logs onto the mill with the tractor a whole lot quicker, anyway. Thats the way I would do it, even if I had the winch. ;)
Thanks for the tip on the winch, I was just trying to use his tractor as little as possible because its very old. If we can just get the logs close I think the two of us can use cant hooks and get them up on the mill since neither one sits very high off the ground. Just thinking the winch might be easier, called TK and they don't make for the 1220.
Quote from: moosehunter on June 10, 2009, 08:24:17 AM
otherguy,
I had a Lm2000. It saws just fine. I had the trailer package and that worked well also. It sits very close to the ground with the tires on it, so consider ground clearance when moving it around off road. I don't think I would have been able to drag mine over very rough terrain.
mh
The path up to the logs is cleared a little from where he drives the tractor through there sometimes, not ruts or anything, can barely make out the tire tracks really. Its mostly just up hill not "rough" so I am hoping either one would make it. There is another field he had a few miles down road with a couple of trees, so having a trailer or it on wheels is what I need. Just have to decide between the two.
Otherguy, just how old is that tractor? Seriously, parbuckling a log onto a ground-level mill requires almost no energy at all. You could do most logs with a riding lawnmower if you're set up right. ;)
otherguy,
a log loading deck is very easy to build. I cut 6x6s 14 feet long and blocked them up to mill deck hight. I had two "bridges" so I had enough room to work around the mill.
Doing it again the only thing I might change is to go to 8x8s.
mh
Welcome Outherguy,if that old tractor is green and has two cylinders it will outlast most of us here.Have you considered a swing mill like a Lucas or Peterson easy transport and storage,no need for expensive sharpening and setting equip.Frank C.
Quote from: DanG on June 10, 2009, 10:26:24 PM
Otherguy, just how old is that tractor? Seriously, parbuckling a log onto a ground-level mill requires almost no energy at all. You could do most logs with a riding lawnmower if you're set up right. ;)
Guess I need to brush up on my terminology. I was expecting you to use terms such as, push, pull, roll, drag. :D Parbuckle??? I will admit I had to look it up, now just gotta find some illustrations of it. ;D
Now someone is trying to make me look at the TK1600...great.
OG, it sounds like you have stepped in a pile of cow flop and can't get it off your foot! :D :D :D I invented parbuckling, and then I found out that the Grecians had also invented it back in Aristotle's time. One day, I was leafing through one of Mr. Webster's fine books, and the term caught my eye. Bless Goodness, there was a picture of it, right there in the dictionary! :o :o :D
Basically, you just lay down a rope, cable, or chain and get the log on top of it in perpindicular fashion. Anchor the end that is under the log, and pull on the end that goes over it. It tends to make the log into a really wide wheel that will easily roll up an incline. Zip up to the top of this page and find the search button. Click on that and enter "parbuckling" as a keyword, and you will be greeted with a plethora of drawings and photographs. ;)
Both the mills are great for the money but if you cant build a piece
of 5 foot black iorn pipe with a heavy duty boat winch or a 12 vlot
3000 lb on it. I think i would buy a mill that came ready to saw on
Not one that came in 12 boxs that took me 3days to asembel if
you are lucky just my input
In all fairness to the Norwood that comes unassembled, thats exactly how I would want a mill if I knew nothing about it. As you assemble it you learn where every nut, every washer and every bolt goes. You learn how each and every piece goes and what it does. You get to learn how to adjust and make the mill saw accurate uniform lumber. You get to do all of this while the mill is brand new. And besides that you have Norwood behind you as well as the members of this forum if you run into any trouble. I think the learning experience of putting that mill together is of great value to the new sawyer.
Quote from: Jeff on June 14, 2009, 06:30:12 PM
In all fairness to the Norwood that comes unassembled, thats exactly how I would want a mill if I knew nothing about it. As you assemble it you learn where every nut, every washer and every bolt goes. You learn how each and every piece goes and what it does. You get to learn how to adjust and make the mill saw accurate uniform lumber. You get to do all of this while the mill is brand new. And besides that you have Norwood behind you as well as the members of this forum if you run into any trouble. I think the learning experience of putting that mill together is of great value to the new sawyer.
smiley_clapping Very well put smiley_clapping
Absolutely agree with Jeff's post. 8)
Hello everyone! Another new guy here...
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I've been reading and researching bandmills so long, I'm seeing cross-eyed.
I bought a nice little homestead in Summers County West Virginia. It's populated with nearly all hardwood- mostly yellow poplar, maple, oak, hickory, cherry, and walnut, with occasional elm and ash.
I'm an absolute sawmill virgin- watched many vidoes, but never touched a real one. I'll be working alone most of the time, with the intention of cutting post, beams and framing lumber for a new house. Getting the logs to the mill isn't a problem; I have a back hoe with forks and a grapple, and a tractor that can do most of the grunt work.
I've closed in on the idea that the mill for me is a WM LT-15. I'll add a bed extender, and be out the door at just under $7K ($5900 base price until June 30th).
What's the experienced sawyers take on my selection?
Should I keep the base engine, or go with the diesel, or electric option? I don't expect to be moving the mill often, if at all.
Will I outgrow the small mill?
Thanks in advance for any insight provided.
~Mark
Otherguy, I've had a Lumber Mate for years now and it has been a great saw. No real complaints at all.
I don't intend to confuse the topic. But I am in the same situation and have been following all the forum I can for a while. I was wondering if anyone has been around a EZ boardwalk Jr. Model mill. The capacity on the Jr. model is 30" x 12.5' with trailer package for 4K. I was mostly interested in this mill due to price and simplicity. Plus I am only 100 miles from the manufacturer.
That EZ really sounds like a buy, but of course bigger is always better. These amish mills are probably very well built. Had heard the EZ turns the logs so they only have to deal with bark on the first cut.
I have a manual Cook mill, mp32, bought used, very good heavy built pretty trouble free mill, and know there are others also well designed and built. Only thing is, if you get a manual mill, cutting is a lot of hard work. And a skid steer with forks is a life saver. You can pick up a log out of the crick, haul it to the mill, and roll it right on, and if it's too big to turn, use the forks to turn it. Then back it up a little and load the sawed lumber onto the forks and take it to where you can stack it in the shed.
Quote from: moosehunter on June 10, 2009, 08:24:17 AM
otherguy,
I had a Lm2000. It saws just fine. I had the trailer package and that worked well also. It sits very close to the ground with the tires on it, so consider ground clearance when moving it around off road. I don't think I would have been able to drag mine over very rough terrain.
mh
Could you buy larger wheels if I had to?
Quote from: EmannVB on June 16, 2009, 09:22:26 AM
Will I outgrow the small mill?
Thanks in advance for any insight provided.
~Mark
Mark, that is my concern as well. This weekend or next I am going to a farm close by and look at a TK1600 that someone operates. He is going to show me how it works and advantages/disadvantages of it. Granted its a larger mill, more money, BUT its something I wouldn't outgrow. I still might stick with the small ones I mentioned but have to see.
Norwoods: I know you walk on the other side from where the sawdust shoots out. I have heard that walking through the sawdust is good because you are not walking through mud after going back and forth a few times. True??
Otherguy, Emann, and Fill-Dill,
These are the same questions most everybody else has asked themselves and others before buying a mill.
1. Price
2. Capacity -log diameter vs. length vs. h.p. vs. your time available for sawing
3. portability -sounds like you all want to saw primarily for yourselves, -stationary.
4. What about parts after the initial purchase? They all chew up a bearing now and then, can you buy parts locally or have to go back to the manufacturer?
As for me, I purchased a TA Schmid and think it's a great investment for the money. -At the time I purchased -9 years ago- it had a large capacity for a manual mill (36 inches by 16 feet log length). All wearable spare parts are available through local bearing supply houses. I didn't get the trailer package, the mill stays at home.
I've never seen anyone on any message board say anything negative about the Norwood, and think it's also a good investment, but know nothing of the maintenance/replacement side of business.
my two cents.
I've got a TK1220 and like most of the mills from the sponsors it's a good mill for the money.
The 1220 sits close enough to the ground that I can load logs with very little trouble using a cant hook. I have a winch set up for the max size logs but unless I'm coming close to the mill capacity it's easier to just do it by hand.
One thing to consider is how often are you going to move the mill? The 1220 is not designed to saw with the transport package in place. You have to remove the wheel carraige to cut. If the saw stays stationary most of the time (like mine) and only moves occasionally (like mine) this isn't a big deal. With a little practice you can install/remove the wheels in about 15-20 minutes.
As is mentioned frequently when the "which mill do I buy?" question comes up, get as many hydraulics and as much power as you can afford. The first hour of loading logs and cutting with a manual mill compared to one with full hydraulics is no big deal but if you have an occasion to cut 8-12 hours a day for several days then the lack ''accessories'' really makes a difference.
Also, look at as many mills in action as you can, preferably in a place where you can help run them.
Most importantly-----Have fun.
scott