For a long time I dismissed most people questioning whether it made more economic sense to get a $3000 bandsaw mill than a big chainsaw and Alaskan mill and gear and spending $3k on that. Is sort of apples and oranges comparing a top of the line brand chainsaw to a bottom of the line offbrand bandsaw mill. Can't cut down trees with a bandsaw mill, can't cut rounds, can't mill big trees with an entry level one, etc. But obviously a bandsaw mill makes more sense for softwood lumber production if say, you want to mill lumber for a house you're building, which I want to do in the near future. Just the entry level ones didn't seem worth considering for the most part, quality-wise. But I saw that Woodmizer got in the entry level game, with some made in Poland designs that are a big upgrade on the old LT10 and even make you wonder why you'd spend twice as much for an LT15.
The LX50 at $3295 and LX50Super at $4295. The LX50 seems the equivalent of the Woodland Mills HM126 for a fraction cheaper and probably better built given Woodmizer's track record, and the 14hp LX50Super w 12' bed and beefier frame seems a much better mill for about $600 more than the HM126 with upgraded 14hp engine. Pretty sure I'm going to get the Super when I start making lumber to build a house. Lot of folks say once you get an entry level mill, you'll always want to get a more serious one down the line, but I'm never going into the business of slab or lumber sales, so the Super as a complement to all my chainsaw milling setups seems like it would cover everything I needed. Seems way too many people have overinvested in slab production businesses and there's not nearly enough sales to justify major capital expense. Just saw someone here in Texas trying to sell their ($70,000 new) Woodmizer WM1000 for $60k because their hardwood business was closing. Was thinking, good luck with that.
The LX50 at $3295 and LX50Super at $4295. The LX50 seems the equivalent of the Woodland Mills HM126 for a fraction cheaper and probably better built given Woodmizer's track record, and the 14hp LX50Super w 12' bed and beefier frame seems a much better mill for about $600 more than the HM126 with upgraded 14hp engine. Pretty sure I'm going to get the Super when I start making lumber to build a house. Lot of folks say once you get an entry level mill, you'll always want to get a more serious one down the line, but I'm never going into the business of slab or lumber sales, so the Super as a complement to all my chainsaw milling setups seems like it would cover everything I needed. Seems way too many people have overinvested in slab production businesses and there's not nearly enough sales to justify major capital expense. Just saw someone here in Texas trying to sell their ($70,000 new) Woodmizer WM1000 for $60k because their hardwood business was closing. Was thinking, good luck with that.