brag on your mill

plowboyswr · December 18, 2011, 08:28:45 PM

Let me start by sayin that I'm new to this forum and new to the sawmillin end of wood workin. I've been lookin at mills for quite some time now and been doin a lot of readin ( especialy on here) now I want to know what are the features on your mill that you couldn't do without. I have checked out the sponsers sites and will continue to search for the right fit

123maxbars · December 18, 2011, 08:35:35 PM

I have a woodmizer LT35. The Hyd turner and clamp are things I really appreciate about my mill. Saves alot of time turning and clamping logs. The loader is also nice but I had a Kubota for that job.

bandmiller2 · December 18, 2011, 08:39:02 PM

Welcome plowboy,depends on what your going to do with the mill, strictly hobby or some cut for hire.In my mind a hydraulic turner/clamp is right at the top of the list.If you have hyd. for the turner you might as well use it to feed and raise and lower the band head.You always want to get a bigger better mill than you think you need that includes more power. Frank C.

cypresskayaksllc · December 18, 2011, 08:42:35 PM

1. its not hard to fix and 2. the 2 plane clamp

isawlogs · December 18, 2011, 08:44:50 PM

If there is one thing on my mill I would not do with out .. yes, I have an lt40HD, I would not do without the HD.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · December 18, 2011, 08:46:33 PM

Welcome PLOWBOY and Merry Christmas! smiley_christmas

Be careful....that saw milling will get in your blood.

Banjo picker · December 18, 2011, 08:50:54 PM

Debarker...Banjo

Ohio_Bill · December 18, 2011, 08:53:09 PM

Welcome Plowboyswr , I think features have more to do with production expectations . If you are only going to saw a few thousand board feet a year then a very basic manual mill would be just fine and cheaper to buy and maintain . However if you want to do several thousand board feet a day then more power and hydraulics are a must . I have owned 3 mills all have been Woodmizers . I started with a LT 15 and now have a LT 40 super . I am a 62 year old that saws by himself so I am very thankful for log handling help from the hydraulics .

Hope this helps .

shelbycharger400 · December 18, 2011, 08:54:31 PM

well..to brag... i built it , a few parts were machined by a buddy. Not pritty welds or paint ect, but officially it runs, i need to do a few things, but made first cut today after wedging a log between the bunks, finished the saw dogs today , will saw tomorrow. i can clamp logs as short as 1 ft long up to 8 ft few inches. its different to here the chain run at 7,000 rpm est (yet to put a tach on the engine for rpm) powered by a 12.5 hp briggs, electric clutch, 36 in chain bar, engine didnt dog down full bar loaded.

DeepWoods · December 18, 2011, 09:06:56 PM

I have a Norwood LM 2000. While it is only a manual mill and can be a lot of work, I went with the most horse power I could get with the mill. I have never regretted the extra HP when I didn't need it and always appreciated it when I needed it the most. I'm sure the day will come when 23 HP won't be enough, but I will have to work pretty hard to get a log that big on the mill before that happens.

red oaks lumber · December 18, 2011, 10:07:17 PM

fully hydralic mill the best feature is the ride along seat ;D

Bandmill Bandit · December 18, 2011, 10:16:15 PM

"I went [with a] LT40HD Wood-Mizer because off-bearing is just a lot less stress on the body and I find maintenance to be easier because you don't have any real tough reaching to do to get at things. Have not regretted the decision to date. I found that operator visibility from the various positions available on Wood-Mizer mills was much better than any other mill I tried, due to the cantilever head. Service is awesome too. Never had a problem with straight sawing at all. Timber King really needs to get over that one already and find something that really is a genuine advantage in their mill."

That is what I posted in another thread. Nothing has changed.

Good luck in your search.

plowboyswr · December 18, 2011, 10:38:33 PM

Thanks for all the replies so far as for what I'll be using the mill for thats hard to say mostly personal use but if the jobs come up i wouldn't turn em down! And must say that I've allready been bit by the bug ready to start sawin

zopi · December 18, 2011, 10:47:51 PM

The up/down assembly on the lt15....no guesswork...if the mill is aligned correctly all you have to do is hit the correct hole for near perfect accuracy.

But would trade that for hydraulics...

redbeard · December 19, 2011, 12:11:41 AM

I will stick with Timberking after sawing for Six years on a B-20 and having top notch tech support. I will definitely buy another TK when the day comes.

Norm · December 19, 2011, 06:07:11 AM

One of the best options to get is the debarker. Hydraulics is a close 2nd.

glenn molenaar · December 19, 2011, 06:51:19 AM

Welcome, I'm still dreaming of owning a mill, looks like we are neighbors. I'm just outside of Wentworth. I've been reading posts here a couple times a day. Great site to learn from.

paul case · December 19, 2011, 07:06:12 AM

Well maybe ya ought to come look at my mill and see what I like about it. I am only about 25 miles from Carthage.

Probably that thing has paid for itself in the first project and made me a living ever since. PC

Piston · December 19, 2011, 07:46:14 AM

Okay so it's not too mill specific, but the one thing I will never be without is a tractor with grapple and forks to deal with logs and mill scraps. It really does make a difference. A lot of milling is how you move the material.

However, I reaaaaaaallly want hydraulics....

thecfarm · December 19, 2011, 07:53:40 AM

plowboyswr,welcome to the forum.Ever been around a mill before? Took me about 10 years to decide what I wanted. You will probably never see mine in person,it's a Thomas. Built by a machine shop here in Maine. I like it because I can move the bunks and cut a 2 foot piece of wood. I bought it with the longer track,cut 20 foot logs if I wanted too. I think I have a 18hp Honda on it,I forgot.It's only for my own use,all manual. It's a very simple mill. Something that can sit for a year and the motor is the only thing that may give me a hard time. If I was doing it again,I would probaly go with an electric mill. Tell us your plans for the mill. Do you have your own logs? Mine suits me just fine,what little I use it.

JP135 · December 19, 2011, 08:53:24 AM

I have a Woodmizer LT15. It is a manual mill. It's rock solid and there's not too many things to break. It does a great job. I really like the Woodmizer company - great tech support when you need it; authorized dealers all over the country; very popular brand with sawyers; all their products have an excellent reputation and are well engineered, and I personally appreciate the Christian ethics of the company. If you're cutting for yourself, the LT15 is a great way to go.

I started doing work for other people within a week of getting my saw. Nothing huge, but by being fair and charging a little less, I've built up a couple of solid little accounts. I work two or three hours every day milling, sometimes more. The manual sawmill is still fun, but I really need to move up to something with at least basic hydraulics or a winch for loading, and power feed. And while I'm dreaming, hydraulic clamps and power up/down would be nice too. I'm beating myself to death pushing that carriage through the log and pulling it back to start again. If I put in more than three hours in, I really pay the price with joint and muscle pain.

Chuck White · December 19, 2011, 08:58:14 AM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum plowboyswr.

I would not be without the debarker or the hydraulics.

The debarker extends "blade life" 4 to 5 times and the hydraulics extends my "back life". ;)

About the only times we use a peavey or cant hook is to roll a log from the pile to the loading arms. ;D

plowboyswr · December 19, 2011, 09:01:48 AM

As far as log handling equipment i've allready got that covered. I dairyfarm with my dad and brother so there are several tractors, bobcats, and even a forklift at our disposal. We've about 200 acers of timber mostly oak, walnut, black locus,and hedge. We've been cuttin hedge posts for years so I'm no stranger to a chainsaw and skiddin logs. I keep lookin at em and thinking that would make some beautiful cabinets! We had one that the wind took out last year that was 32" on the small end, 42" on the big end, and 35' to the first branch just as strait as any oak or walnut would hope to be. Now I know that it would take one heck of a mill to handle that, but a feller can dream can't he. And I've been lookin at mills for about 9 or 10 years now. Watched some TKs in action and some WM. And paul i may have to take u up on that demo. Seen lot of things that i liked on various mills and somethings i didnt

tcsmpsi · December 19, 2011, 09:40:19 AM

I wouldn't say I couldn't do without, purt nearly any/everything. But, there are a couple things about my mill that I do like considerably. I like the plain weight/heft of its compenents. I like the simplicity of its design and function. I like the mesh design of the wheel covers, as I can always see what's up in there, no clogging up of sawdust and such, helps keep all components in side cool. I like the spacing and 180 degree application of the clamps, and that it throws sawdust on the offside. And, of course, I like having the factory a little over an hour away.

JP135 · December 19, 2011, 10:02:02 AM

Quote from: tcsmpsi on December 19, 2011, 09:40:19 AM
I wouldn't say I couldn't do without, purt nearly any/everything. But, there are a couple things about my mill that I do like considerably. I like the plain weight/heft of its compenents. I like the simplicity of its design and function. I like the mesh design of the wheel covers, as I can always see what's up in there, no clogging up of sawdust and such, helps keep all components in side cool. I like the spacing and 180 degree application of the clamps, and that it throws sawdust on the offside. And, of course, I like having the factory a little over an hour away.

Yours is a LogMaster?