Which mill?

[Kavaguy45]

Thanks for allowing me to join.  We have about 100 acres that my wife and I share with my parents.  I've decided that a sawmill would be good for us. We would like to have a supply of our own dimensional lumber on hand for projects and builds.  Which we have often. Lol

I have been researching and reading here and have decided one one of three mills.  The harbor freight, a wood mizer, and a woodland mills.   I chose these because from what I've read they all are good sawmills for under $3,000.  


I have a STHIL 661 that I can use should I ever want to mill up wide slabs. Which will be very rare.  So I don't need a wide sawmill. 

Out of the three I recommended which one would you guys choose and why?  

I'd also like to be able to make a little money on the side (if possible) with my sawmill.   

My wife and I ARE open to spending a little more (maybe the $4,000-$5,000 range) if we think we would like to go alll in incase we love milling and want options to pump out slabs.

I'd also like to add...I will be having logs delivered.   Although we have 100 acres much of the trees have to stay since they are my dads.  I do not have. A tractor or a big truck where I can go get logs or move them around easy. So I will be moving logs myself onto the mill if that helps you give me advice.  We heat with fire wood so moving heavy logs around myself is something I can do.  


Please drop your opinions. 

Thanks 

[hopm]

With your mentioned price bump i have to throw out EZ Boardwalk. I have been very pleased with mine on all counts. If interested at all pm me and I will give you my number to call at your convenience. There is waaaaay too much good about the EZ to try to message.

[trimguy]

First, welcome to the forum. It's a great place to learn. I don't know anything about the harbor freight or the Woodland Mills, or the wood miser in your price range. Would one of them have a dealer close to you? That could make a difference in service and acquiring parts. Also, think about the resale value if it turns out to be something that you're not interested in. If you type the model that you're looking for in the search section, it should bring up threads that may give you more information.Good luck on whatever you decide.

[SawyerTed]

Welcome!  We can help!  Mostly we can help you spend your money!  😂 

Of the three you mention my choice would be in this order
Woodmizer 
Woodland Mills
Harbor Freight

Woodmizer because of reliability, manufacturer support and resale value.  

But TimberKing also makes a manual mill worth looking at  

The EZ Boardwalk is definitely worth a look. 

I don't know much about Woodland Mills.  I'm sure others have experience they will share. There are quite a few represented here. 

I have not had good experience with Harbor Freight stuff except or a few hand tools.  If I need a tool I expect to use once or twice I consider Harbor Freight. Just MHO. 

I believe quality has a great deal to do with hobby satisfaction.  By the best quality you can afford and choose a manufacturer who will be supporting you long term. 

[Walnut Beast]

If you wanted to sell the mill down the road what do you think you could get for the Harbor Freight mill vs Woodmizer ? Stick with harbor freight stuff for limited use stuff. Spend the extra and get the better Sawmill you will be happy you did

[Southside]

I would scratch the HF mill off the list. You will have zero support and initial quality will be a complete crap shoot. 

My suggestion would be to find someone with each of the other mills in your price range and visit for a day so you can see first hand what is really involved and not just what makes a photo shoot look good. 

I would then find a hydraulic mill that is out of your present range and visit it for a day so you have an honest comparison of the work load and production.

There is nothing wrong with a manual mill, but I don't think you will be "pumping out slabs" with one for very long should you desire to go that route.

Good luck and welcome to the Forum. 

[jasonb]

I have a Woodland Mills HM122 and it works great for what I bought it for.

But it will only cut a 22" diameter log(really 24" but this is a bit tricky).  No matter what you think right now, you will be/have the opportunity to saw logs that will not fit on a small mill.  Also, getting logs on the mill is a lot easier than turning them once they are on the mill.

I would buy the largest size mill that you can afford.  

[GAB]

@kavaguy45 Where are you located?
If you are close to me lets set up a compatible time and I'll give you a demonstration.
If not near me maybe someone else will chime in with the same or similar offer.
My mill is in a 26'x72' greenhouse so rainy days are A-ok.
GAB

[Patrick NC]

My first mill was a Timbery m100 which is the same as the Wood-Mizer lx25. It was a good little mill. When I sold it to upgrade to a bigger mill I got almost as much as I paid for it. 

[Nebraska]

EZ Boardwalk.   made in small town USA.

[wikaby]

Valley sawmills in Quebec near Sherbrooke make good manual mills. Take a look at their website. On top of this the currency exchange rate works greatly in your favour. 

[esteadle]

Sawmills are not "fragile" but they require mechanical skills to fix and repair. They need care and attention to detail to cut correctly and accurately. Going as inexpensive as possible is going to increase the likelihood you will be repairing things yourself. 

A sawmill is only the first thing you need to saw lumber. You need log handling equipment and mill tools. A chainsaw, a cant hook, a good pair of steel toed boots, and a full set of wrenches and other hand tools for working on engines and such. 

Not trying to talk you out of anything, but your emphasis on a low budget machine is somewhat at odds with your desired outcome of milling enough lumber for both yourself and for others. Accuracy of a sawmill is what produces usable lumber. I wouldn't take for free some of the crap I cut while I was learning to use my mill. I'd recommend investigating the *results* of these mills and not just their acquisition price.