Hello, and question about Wood-Mizer accessories

[malcolmtent]

Hello

(My question is at the end, so skip over my babbling if you just want to help me out. Thanks.)

Newbie here - yet to saw my first log. I'm a 52yo male, living in NYC but moving to my upstate NY house with 10 acres (5+ wooded) within the next 2 years.

And I need a new career. And I LOVE the passion of you guys and the few gals on here. I might have found my new addiction!

The way things are looking right now, I'm expecting to learn the ropes cutting some lumber for a small abandoned cottage on my property (it's 15 xb 20 - a perfect size for a beginner's project.) I want to use as many of the natural resources available to me as possible, so taking wood from my own property would be the way to go. I certainly have enough trees that have been felled for me by the recent storms.

The cottage needs a new roof and some joists, and I'm sure the floor is shot. A perfect project for a beginner, don't you think. You can see a photo of my victim at http://brooklyndoghouse.com/images/sweetgrass-cottage.jpg - I'll try yo figure out how to upload pictures using the forum's image handler, but it didn't work for me this morning.

So far, my mill of choice is a Wood-Mizer LT15. It seems to balance features, size and price rather nicely. I'm not looking for a huge production capability just yet - more for personal use and some cutting for the 'boutique' wood market rather than the 2x4 crowd. And Wood-Mizer are definitely here to help, which is great for a newbie like me.

Anyway  - my question. Do any of you have any experience with a couple of the Wood-Mizer accessories? Specifically the Shingle and Lap Sider kit and the Lathe-Mizer. I could use a lot of shingles and wood siding personally (and would hope to sell some, too), and the same for large and medium-sized turned columns. Do these accessories produce good results?

Thanks for you help, and hopefully, one day soon, I'll be answering questions not asking.

[Magicman]

Hello and Welcome to The Forestry Forum.  I have no experience with the items in question, but I admire your determination and desire to get into this business if only as a "hobby".....   BTW, your intro was not "babbling".....

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

malcolmtent

When I went down to Indy this Saturday to pick up my mill, they let us wander around the service bay a bit while they completed the paperwork and got a forklift operator to load the mill.

I did get to see both the siding cutting deck attachment and some very nice decorative cedar pillars that they told me were cut on the lathe mizer attachement. They had a large pile of shingles there right next to the shingle cutting attachment that had been cut and the were very uniform with a very consistant taper from one side to the other, just as you would want them to have, so although I did not actually see it in operation, I would have to say it worked exactly as advertised. With respect to the fancy columns, they were very impressive and I would have liked to take a few of them home with me. They had both round and octagon shaped forms on the same column and were perfectly symetrical on all sides, indicating an ability to hold tight tolerances. To be honest, I was hard to believe they were cut on a bandmill, but the fellow there assured me that they were in fact done on a lathe mizer.

[sigidi]

Can't help on the woodmizer stuff Malcolm, but can help on a big G'day and welcome to the forum 8) ;D

[sdunston]

Good choice on the mill. I have seen a shingle and lap sider work they are not fast but get the job done. Were abouts in the great tax state ar you moving?
Sam

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum Malcolmtent.

Lots of people buying the LT15's lately.

Good luck on your restoration project.

You'll love milling.

[jdtuttle]

Welcome to the forum. I have the lap siding attachment for my mill. It's actually on there now for shingles. It's not for fast production but it does a good job with shingles & beveled siding. I'm in Candor NY near Ithaca if your property is close by stop in for a visit. Looking at your picture of the cottage I think you would be better off starting from scratch. Doze it down clear a few trees then start fresh. Good luck.
jim

[thecfarm]

I saw the lathe work at WM 25th anniversary demo..Quite the rig. You do need electric to make the log turn with the one I saw.Make sure what ever saw you buy the attachments will fit on it.WM must have a show,demo coming up.Check with them.There is an expo coming up in VT.Would be well worth your time to attend,even if it's a 4 hour drive. Welcome to the forum. Here's the link for the show in VT.     http://nefpexpo.net/
I thought there was one in NY but could not find much info on it. I'm only on dial up so it's slow for me to look up some stuff. A nice show to go to, or at least the one in Maine is good for sawmills. Changed alot last year,kinda geared more  for the big guys,but still a nice show.

[Jim_Rogers]

I've made lap siding by tipping the cant and holding it tipped with a simple wedge of wood under the piece. (Not to talk you out of buying an attachment). With a little figuring you can do it without the fancy stuff....never tried it on shingles....

[stonebroke]

Your cabin needs a little work. Might be easier to just start from new.

Stonebroke

[mainiac]

I see a group of people, some beer, and a bon fire in the future. ;)

[stormyweatherman]

welcome to the forum malcomtent:

i had a look at your photo.  looks like a nice piece of property there.  oldest daughter went to school in north adams for a year, so i used to take the back way through stephentown.  nice area.  much quieter than the city ;D.  i recently moved back to mass. from croton, ny.  i'm going to be sawing wood in peru, ma.  probably an hour from your place.  i'm new to sawing and i have an lt10. 

i've rescued several older houses and sometimes it IS better to build new.  your cottage is a great little design.  nice porch to sit out on.  look closely at the floor frame and lower sections of wall studs.  often they get insect/water damage and then you have major structural issues hidden beneath the siding/flooring.  in that case i would not hesitate to build new.  if you go that route, it is a good idea to put down a crushed stone pad for drainage and use a pressure treated floor frame/tongue and groove plywood.  i built a camp in maine that way in early 90s and its holding up very well.

your new mill will help you build a great cottage!  best of luck with your project.  steve.

[den]

Pertaining to the LT15 since the special price is over ( which I didn't know about till it was over ), you might want to wait for another model of the LT15. Maybe May or June. If I tell anymore they might have to kill me  ;D

[zopi]

I love my LT-15...had it to do over again, I'd have gotten the 28...not much substitute for that trailer...

have heard good and bad about the lapsider...it's slow, but not as slow as splitting shakes by hand..me, I'd make a ladder frame out of scrap bedrail or somesuch, add a set of cams on shafts to lift the ends on two foot long blocks and go to town...lapsiding all you need are a couple  or three good hardwood wedges and a little patience...

[John S]

The special price on the LT-15 is NOT over until May 31.  The $9995 price on the LT-28 expired on Friday (although I just saw it on the WM website) but the other special prices are still in effect, as far as I can tell.

[den]

I got the ending date for the LT15 from WM's 2010 Sawmill Selection Guide (which I got after the ending date).
It says...Purchase your LT15 before March 31, 2010 and get one extra bed extension included at NO EXTRA COST! >:(
A number of people did think it was May.

[John S]

I just checked the WM website again, the special prices (except LT-28 for $9995) are in effect until May 31.

[den]

http://www.woodmizer.com/us/promo/lt15.aspx
Hope this works

The date is above the extra bed section that is no longer free.
They always call their prices, special.

[John S]

My mistake, I did not notice that March 31 date.