I spoke with Norwood this morning and there are only about 200 of these new mills across North America...
Is there anyone here that is 1 of the 200? ;D
Would like to check one out, but there isn't one any where close to me.
Looks like a pretty nice mill.
LT10 guys speak up too. I'd like to hear opinions.
Thanks :)
Let me know what you find out. My boss just bought a Turner, and we'll see how it does as a first time portable mill for both him and me. Eventually I want to get one of my own, so I'm still watching the whole scene wide-eyed with the future in mind.
I'm going to take a look at the LT10 at logging congress.
Norwood won't be there.
I have read a lot of good things about the EZ Boardwalk also.
Choices, choices, choices. :D
i could tell you all the good stuff about ez boardwalk but i aint got that long to eat lunch.pc
I've had an LT10 for almost 2 years and it's been a great mill. Cut many a 24" logs on it ;D. It does best in the 10-20" range, 11' max although I have got 12' out of it.
If you decide on that, definitely get the 10hp!
How accurate is the LT10?
Looks like there might be a little wobble in the head.
How have you got along with the log clamp?
Some reading I've done, this has been an issue.
Can you move cants around on it with out worrying about the carriage frame etc.?
I haven't had problems with the head wobble. If you have your tensioning cables set properly it isn't a problem. The clamp I had replaced once, for free. It seems that dropping cants and logs on it while it is raised tends to wear it out pretty quick (users fault). I have my mill on 4x6's which in turn sit on 3" beech planks, one under each crossmember, and those sit on the ground. It's leveled with shims. I've turned 16" cants on it, sure there is a loud slam and I try not to do it, but I have done it without harm. I probably wouldn't do it if the mill was on concrete.
Obviously this isn't a production mill like WM's bigger mills, but I push it's limits all the time and it does well.
inspector,
i was about a whisker from buying the lumberlite 24 but they were taking it offline. i looked hard at the ml26 and i'm sure its a good mill--beefier base. but i decided to go with the lt10 during the promotion this spring.
i'm with ty on the wm lt10. its basically a very solid, well designed mill. it fits in my nissan truck. 8) if you set up your base properly this mill will make excellent lumber. as for production, its a manual and i feel that the only thing slowing me down is manual log handling. on several days i rolled 16 logs across it in 6 hours (9 to 14 inches), producing about 400 bd ft of 2x4 and 2x6 material. if these logs were a little bigger, say 12 to 20 inches, i think my production would have been in the 700 to 1000 bd ft range. i think i could reach this even sawing 4/4 because this mill will go through stuff about as fast as i can push it for the most part. its more the log size, set up, clamping and rolling that sets limits on your production. once you have that cant made up on there its relatively easy going. the clamp is a bit of an issue and takes getting used to. its more of an issue for me when i get down to the cant but by then i can push the head with one hand and i tend to keep a hand on the cant as i go. i'm using 10 degree blades wm blades and i'm using 500 bd ft as a rule of thumb for changing. i did almost 800 bd ft with a blade in the spruce without any trouble but towards the end i could see more tear-out and some boards became more wavy. haven't had any problem with head wobble either. just follow the instructions on setting up cable tension and make sure head is dead square to the mill. i have the 10 horse by the way and i would definitely recommend it, if you're going to push this mill a bit. i'm going to be sawing quite a bit more this fall i hope. and i'll be posting some pictures of my projects. good luck with your decision-making process. i took a lot of time thinking things over, reading here, etc. i have no regrets in going ahead with getting a mill. its good honest work, it will keep you in shape, and one way or another lumber has value. just depends on your goals/plan. best regards. stormyweatherman.
Thanks for the info! :)
I'll keep that in mind and take a closer look at things when I'm in Green Bay.