A beginner

Alabama_Mill · July 29, 2020, 09:13:19 PM

I figured I would introduce myself since I've been lurking around trying to get some good info.i did get a local guy to saw up my logs for me but he has been trying to convince me for a few years to go ahead and get me a mill. Well we had a tornado come through a couple of months back and now I have access to so many trees I couldn't afford to pay him to cut them. So I bit the bullet and I ordered me a Cooks mp32 and just brought it home last week. I got the Cooks because i have heard alot good things about them and I only live an hour away from them. After sawing 700 BD ft of red oak I wished I could have afforded the hydraulic mill but hey it gives me something to work towards. I want to thank you all for the useful info on here.

dgdrls · July 29, 2020, 09:30:41 PM

Welcome to the FF,

Cooks makes a dandy mill and with them close by you'll be just fine for parts and service when you need it.

Post some pic's, we all enjoy them

D

WV Sawmiller · July 29, 2020, 10:00:45 PM

Well a big old FF and War Eagle Welcome. (If you are a fan of that other school disregard any kind words I may have said before or in the future. :D) I grew up just below the Ala line down in Escambia County Fla and went to school there at AU where I met my wife who was from up around Cullman Ala.

Which part of Alabama are you from? Are you planning on using the wood for a particular project or just hated to see it go to waste?

I have only heard good things about the Cook mills and I trust you will continue to verify that. Yes, hydraulics make sawing easier and more fun but sounds like you are off to a good start.

Alabama_Mill · July 29, 2020, 11:13:52 PM

Here is a picture. This is right after I pulled it home. I cut some stickers out of some pine boards that I had that's been drying for a few months.

Alabama_Mill · July 29, 2020, 11:36:17 PM

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on July 29, 2020, 10:00:45 PM
Well a big old FF and War Eagle Welcome. (If you are a fan of that other school disregard any kind words I may have said before or in the future. :D) I grew up just below the Ala line down in Escambia County Fla and went to school there at AU where I met my wife who was from up around Cullman Ala.

Which part of Alabama are you from? Are you planning on using the wood for a particular project or just hated to see it go to waste?

I have only heard good things about the Cook mills and I trust you will continue to verify that. Yes, hydraulics make sawing easier and more fun but sounds like you are off to a good start.

I live right across the line in Covington county not to far from Escambia county.

Well I was going to keep the lumber for furniture I build for the house but after I ruined one blade by hitting my squaring arm and then another one just snapped. I don't know why it broke. It looked like to me it had a hair line crack in it already because where it broke half, half of the break looked a dull color and the other half was shiny. But I'm new to all this so I'm not to sure. I know I didn't hit anything. I figured i might need to get rid of it cause I need some more blades.

I hope to build me a small solar kiln to start drying the lumber I cut and work my way up to a dehumidifier kiln. But I'm just going let it take me where it wants me. If it stays a hobby that's fine or if it turns into something more that's fine too.

Oh and Roll Tide!

Walnut Beast · July 29, 2020, 11:43:33 PM

Congratulations looks great 👍

WDH · July 30, 2020, 07:03:08 AM

Quote from: Alabama_Mill on July 29, 2020, 11:36:17 PM

Oh and Roll Tide!

This thread is getting ugly :D.

Stephen1 · July 30, 2020, 07:14:05 AM

Welcome the FF . Enjoy your new mill. Lots of us started with what we could afford and then realised we needed hydraulics. Sawmills will always sell, and there will be a hydraulic one waiting to be bought.

Banjo picker · July 30, 2020, 07:16:32 AM

Yep, you are gonna start to alienate folks for sure, but at least you got a nice mill. I wonder since I had some custom work done on my mill when I ordered it from Cooks ,if I could have had them paint it 🍊. Tim

farmfromkansas · July 30, 2020, 07:20:22 AM

Looks like there have been a few updates since they built my 05 model. Do you have the winch for turning? How about power feed?

Gere Flewelling · July 30, 2020, 08:01:11 AM

Congratulations on your new mill. It should be a good one for you. I purchase my a few years ago and have never regretted the purchase. It is good to get the hitting of the squaring arm out of the way. After having the same issue a couple of times, I mounted a west coast style mirror on the upright nearest the fuel tank to allow a clear view of the blade and squaring are relationship while standing in the operating position. Haven't hit the arm since. Also made some legs for the log loading ramps to allow me to keep them in place and not have to set them down for every log. I'll include a couple of pictures. You can see other modifications on the Cook's FF site. Good luck, and enjoy.

Magicman · July 30, 2020, 08:06:22 AM

Quote from: Alabama_Mill on July 29, 2020, 11:36:17 PMIt looked like to me it had a hair line crack in it already because where it broke half, half of the break looked a dull color and the other half was shiny.

Was that dull color where the blade was welded together? A new blade that breaks in the weld should be replaced (free) by the manufacturer.

Chuck White · July 30, 2020, 08:09:43 AM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Alabama_Mill!

Once you get a little ahead, if you're in a position to trade up to a hydraulic mill, you would be likely to get nearly all of what you paid for the MP32.

Alabama_Mill · July 30, 2020, 08:27:18 AM

Quote from: Gere Flewelling on July 30, 2020, 08:01:11 AM
Congratulations on your new mill. It should be a good one for you. I purchase my a few years ago and have never regretted the purchase. It is good to get the hitting of the squaring arm out of the way. After having the same issue a couple of times, I mounted a west coast style mirror on the upright nearest the fuel tank to allow a clear view of the blade and squaring are relationship while standing in the operating position. Haven't hit the arm since. Also made some legs for the log loading ramps to allow me to keep them in place and not have to set them down for every log. I'll include a couple of pictures. You can see other modifications on the Cook's FF site. Good luck, and enjoy

I believe I'm going to add those to my mill. The mirror will save me a headache and the ramps will save me a backache. Those ramps get heavy by the end of the day. Something else I was thinking of adding is some type of bracket over the taillights so I could pull boards off the end of the mill onto my forks or straight on the trailer without tearing my lights off. It seams like that's the easiest way to get boards off the mill.

Alabama_Mill · July 30, 2020, 08:32:02 AM

Quote from: Magicman on July 30, 2020, 08:06:22 AM
Quote from: Alabama_Mill on July 29, 2020, 11:36:17 PMIt looked like to me it had a hair line crack in it already because where it broke half, half of the break looked a dull color and the other half was shiny.
Was that dull color where the blade was welded together? A new blade that breaks in the weld should be replaced (free) by the manufacturer.

No it wasn't at the weld.

Alabama_Mill · July 30, 2020, 08:34:58 AM

Quote from: farmfromkansas on July 30, 2020, 07:20:22 AM
Looks like there have been a few updates since they built my 05 model. Do you have the winch for turning? How about power feed?

I did get the power feed and the winch for loading and turning

RussMaGuss · July 30, 2020, 08:45:19 AM

Quote from: Alabama_Mill on July 30, 2020, 08:34:58 AM
Quote from: farmfromkansas on July 30, 2020, 07:20:22 AM
Looks like there have been a few updates since they built my 05 model. Do you have the winch for turning? How about power feed?
I did get the power feed and the winch for loading and turning

well you're set for a while then! I'm still rotating 30" logs with my cant hook like a fool! I've been wanting to make a hydraulic chain turner on my HM126, but I have a lucas mill on the way and soon probably won't be loading anything bigger than 10x10 cants for re-sawing. Good luck with the mill, I've only ever heard good things about those!

Gere Flewelling · July 30, 2020, 10:04:11 AM

There are probably many ways to get lumber off the end of the mill and protect the tail lights. Here is one option that works pretty well for me. It also doubles as a rear mount trailer hitch that I need once in a while.

I put a couple of sealed bearing inside of a piece of pipe for the roller. The whole thing can come off by removing two pins where the jack legs originally went. None of the additions are welded to the mill.

Nebraska · July 30, 2020, 10:26:31 AM

For some reason I really like that Red color on that mill ;). A tractor with a loader and some care with a magic hook and chain will make up for no hydraulics. Go slow you will have lots of lumber, just not enough time like many of us.

trimguy · July 30, 2020, 12:33:53 PM

Congratulations and welcome. I built my first mill no hydraulics, power turner or power feed. I cut a lot of lumber with just fine . I upgraded to a mill with hydraulics and best I can tell I love them. Little embarrassed to say there's only 2 1/2 hrs on it.

kelLOGg · July 30, 2020, 12:50:52 PM

Alabama_Mill,
I've had my MP32 18 years and it is still is going strong - except the engine. I keep saying that I need a new one.

Gere,
I like the mirror. How often do you have to clean sawdust off of it? I may do the same thing.

Gere Flewelling · July 30, 2020, 04:25:26 PM

KellLog, Actually the mirror stays quite clean. If sawing in the rain, sawdust might stick to it some. The diesel fuel/ATF doesn't seem to bother. I did learn the hard way that you need to cover it when spraying lube on the chains. Those spots really make the saw dust stick and it takes some scrubbing to get the mirror clean again.

Barney67 · July 31, 2020, 03:20:31 PM

Congratulations and welcome to the forum, you're just up the road from me. I have a manual mill as well and you learn real quick how much work is involved their operation. Here's a link for add on hydraulics that member Piney Woods created if you're so inclined.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=39860.msg573327#msg573327