LM others need help

[larry]

 I need help deciding what mill to buy. After 2yrs. reading up on bandmills That is the way Id like to go. The Alaskan has its place but limited. I'm over 60(is this a club?) but would like to make a little more quality lumber with less work. I'm almost conviced on a 2000 lumbermate. Some claim frame not very good. Company says new one is stronger? total pack. trailer,2 ext.(20' cut) 20HP. Can anyone comment on log roller pac. is it worth $500 with shiping? It seems to work good in their vido. If I add this to the bill Id like to convince my wife Its worth every cent. Its taken a while for her to get over this latest venture. I tried to get Norwood to give me a brake but they seem to think they dont have to. Their right. I have a lot more questions, later Larry (east texas yank)

[Kevin]

Larry,
I`m a Wood-Mizer fan but if you aren`t sure about needing the rollers get them later and add them on.
You can see a log or two here,  http://www3.sympatico.ca/kvn.rob/LT-15.html .
  I don`t have a need for rollers on my LT-15 but it depends on how many really large logs you`ll be working with.
If you get them staged properly beside the mill you shouldn`t need the rollers.
What you will need is a set of ramps to get the logs up and onto the bed.

[Paul_H]

Kevin,
In your pictures of the LT15,it looked like your ramps have stops,or dogs.Are they spring loaded,or fixed?I'm trying to rig something to slide the 20' timbers up as they come off the mill.They are piled 4 wide,5 high,with 1 1/2" stickers between each row(about 4' off the ground).

[woodmills1]

must also say the orange is for me.  I bought a used LT-40 HD so that I could get hydraulics and still afford the package.  so glad, I would not go non hydraulic if big logs are in your future.  also from experience woodmizer support is great

[Kevin]

Paul,
These ramps are spring loaded.
They snap back up after the log is rolled past them preventing the log from rolling back.

[Paul_H]

Thanks Kevin,There is a WM dealer near my brother's place,will have to check it out.

[Tom]

Larry,
Your questions are so open ended that only you will be able to answer.  I went throught the very same thing when I started and every turn I made pointed me to a larger mill.  Here is some food for thought.
#1
If you need to cut 20+ feet long then you are sawing specialty timbers for construction. I cut for Chicken Farmers that want 1x4's cut as long as possible so they don't have to piece their lathes so frequently, but they don't really need it that long.  I get requests for beams in excess of 20ft and that is why I searched for a second mill that would cut longer and still be portable.  Now the reason I was so intent on the longer mill is because I have developed a custom sawing business and it is to my advantage to be able to produce what no one else can.

#2
Most construction wood you can buy in a local lumber yard or Mega store will be limited to 16ft with longer lengths being special order.  Most folks design their buildings around these limitations.  If you are going to cut construction wood then a 16' mill will produce most anything you are asked.

#3
If your plans are to cut furniture wood, whether it be from your own lot or Urban clearings, then lengths of 8ft to 12 ft are about all anybody will ask for.  You will be cutting boards that will be carried around in a pick-up truck.

A big plus is to be able to cut short logs.  Many folks will ask you to cut firewood size blocks.  I have had to device jigs to do this and still can't perform this well on my big mill.

#4
Power is an important item.  Mills with engines less than 10 horses will labor themselves to death.  15 horses would be my lower limit because I would want the blade to be able to perform at optimum speed and smaller motors will not keep up the RPM's when you challenge wood with the capabilities of the saw blade. You begin to notice a really positive difference when you get in the 25 to 30 horse bracket.

#5
Log handling is a critical item, especially when one reaches 60. Macho may be ok at 20 but at 60 one thinks about being able to eat supper and not being too tired to sleep.

Cant hooks are a necessity and handling logs of 20" diameter and less is not too bad if you keep the lengths to 16 feet or less.  

The lower your mill is to the ground, the easier it is to get the log onto mill.  LT15's, most Norwoods I've seen and many of the other little mills are used directly on the ground.  They are winched into a pickup or onto a trailer to move thim.  Trailer packages are nice if you are moving a lot but most of these small mills, I find, are relatively stationary.

#5
If you plan a business cutting for others then my suggestion is to get all the horses and log handling hydraulics your wallet can stand. You will need to stay ahead of the competition.