# Bandmill: Does anyone here use?



## Richard C (Nov 20, 2010)

Greetings, I haven't read every thread, but was wondering if anyone on this site uses a bandmill. 
Are chainsaw mills mostly for slabbing, or for lumber also?

I haven't finished the mill I started, got so busy. The trolley and rails are completed but haven't added the powerhead. I had planed a bandmill head. 

Richard


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## BobL (Nov 21, 2010)

According to this poll taken about 9 months ago, about 1/4 of people who responded are band saw millers.


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## qbilder (Nov 21, 2010)

I use band mills. One is a Lumber Smith and the other is a Linn type & it cuts a full 30" wide. I'm not nearly as experienced as some of the other members, so I probably don't have a ton of advice I can offer. I mill almost exclusively for my own use and 90% of that is quarter sawing hard maple. 

The Lumber Smith is a fun hobby mill that can easily be toted into the woods with a 4-wheeler & set up to cut the log right where the tree fell. Makes a good clean bandsaw cut and very accurate if you have the track set up well. Slow going, as in maybe 1-2"/second on a 12" hardwood, due to only being 6.5hp. But it's versatility & portability make up for that and some.

The Linn type mill is not much fun. You roll the log on & the mill zips through about as fast as you can push it. With a fresh blade it cuts crazy fast & before you know it the log is lumber. When plain sawing, it takes me just a few minutes to reduce a log to lumber. The longest part of the job is turning the log to make the slab cuts into a cant. Once you have a square cant it's all done but the crying. When quarter sawing, there's a few more steps but still quick. I have to admit I love seeing pics of the guys chainsaw milling and kinda envy the time they get doing it. I love working hard outdoors. The band mill just isn't that, unless I get a large diameter hardwood that challenges my strength & determination. Otherwise you gotta have a stack of logs lined up ready to go in order to make a full day fun/work out of milling. Handling the logs is work. Actually milling is cheesecake & coca cola.


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## BobL (Nov 21, 2010)

Good post QB,



qbilder said:


> . . . . .Handling the logs is work. Actually milling is cheesecake & coca cola.



I prefer beer myself


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## Hillbilly3995 (Nov 21, 2010)

BobL said:


> Good post QB,
> 
> 
> 
> I prefer beer myself





?? cheesecake and beer?? I knew you ozzies were a sick lot...


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## BobL (Nov 21, 2010)

Hillbilly3995 said:


> ?? cheesecake and beer?? I knew you ozzies were a sick lot...



Gorgonzola cheese cake, with Jalapeno and garlic bread - Yum.


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## qbilder (Nov 21, 2010)

BobL said:


> Gorgonzola cheese cake, with Jalapeno and garlic bread - Yum.



Bob, you talk my kinda talk. That sounds yummy.


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## mikeb1079 (Nov 21, 2010)

> I have to admit I love seeing pics of the guys chainsaw milling and kinda envy the time they get doing it.



and we, likewise, are jealous of seeing guys with super fast bandsaw mills that zip through a cant as fast as you can push it.  seriously though, it sounds like you're still loving that new linn bsm. i just started saving up for a bsm myself. i'm looking at a norwood, but it'll be awhile.


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## qbilder (Nov 21, 2010)

mikeb1079 said:


> and we, likewise, are jealous of seeing guys with super fast bandsaw mills that zip through a cant as fast as you can push it.  seriously though, it sounds like you're still loving that new linn bsm. i just started saving up for a bsm myself. i'm looking at a norwood, but it'll be awhile.



Sawed up some oak, juniper, and cherry today. The cherry is really odd. I had no idea it grew this far west but sure enough I found a few trees in the mountains growing next to a stream. I cut one mostly out of curiosity because it looked so much like a cherry tree, and sure enough the grain & color looked just like cherry. It even smelled a lot like cherry. So i'm calling it cherry LOL The oak was interesting. It was chocolate brown with very bold rays that were nearly black. I have never seen anything like it but I want more. I'll post pics tomorrow. The juniper was pretty with reds & yellows like juniper always is. I have a few more oaks, a burly maple, a blue mineral stained pine, and a mountain elm yet to mill. The elm is very dark like walnut and HARD so i'm looking forward to that, but dang it stinks like poo. 

The Norwood should be a nice mill. I was really looking at those hard. I'm pretty happy with my choice considering the funds I had saved at the time. I just welded on some RV jacks last week so I could saw without removing the axle. Helped a bunch. My next mod will be attaching a pick-up truck swivel crane for loading logs easier. Blades are my real only mystery right now. I have been using some 2tpi 1.125" resaw blades & they cut very very clean & smooth but don't last so well. I ordered a box of WM 7 degree DH blades and they should be here tomorrow. Gonna give Cooks a try too I think. I have tried Lenox & liked how they last but they sure make a rough surface compared to the 2tpi resaw blades. I'm expecting the WM's to be at least as good. Of the 3 logs I milled today, it took me roughly 45 minutes. And that was quarter sawing the oak. Long day & hard work acquiring logs but short work of making lumber.


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## mikeb1079 (Nov 21, 2010)

> Of the 3 logs I milled today, it took me roughly 45 minutes.



my goodness that's fast. i really like chainsaw milling, but after watching some vids of a bandsaw mill i was very jealous. i think the two could actually compliment each other. bandsaw mill for most logs, and the csm for large/hard to move stuff. hey q, where do you get your logs from?


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## qbilder (Nov 21, 2010)

mikeb1079 said:


> my goodness that's fast. i really like chainsaw milling, but after watching some vids of a bandsaw mill i was very jealous. i think the two could actually compliment each other. bandsaw mill for most logs, and the csm for large/hard to move stuff. hey q, where do you get your logs from?



I agree. A CSM most certainly has it's place, especially the ones that can cut wide slabs. 

I get the wood from the mountains here locally whenever somebody is friendly enough to let me. I don't cut anything too big because I can't handle them without a lot of help or machinery. I prefer standing dead trees that are 12"-24" diameter or downed trees that are suspended from the uprooted ball and not touching the ground. I always thought these mountains were nothing but conifers & a few scrubby little oaks. But now that I have been paying closer attention, i'm finding many close relatives to the Appalachian hardwoods. I have noted at least 2 types of hard maple, possibly two types of cherry, a few types of oak, two elms, one walnut, pecan, birch, & poplar. Granted it's sparse and nothing gets much bigger than 24" diameter except the conifers, but it's all very slow growth and interesting grain. 

I have some property back in south eastern Ohio that is in the hills of the Appalachian mountains & entirely covered with old growth hardwood forest. I cut along the edges where access is not impossible. But most of the terrain in so extreme steep slopes that it's impossible to get anything out without cutting logging roads. And that's not happening while i'm alive. I'll get some pics & post up. It's stunning. Takes my breath away every time I enter that forest, and I grew up there. Nothing like it.


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## gemniii (Nov 22, 2010)

qbilder said:


> I have some property back in south eastern Ohio that is in the hills of the Appalachian mountains & entirely covered with old growth hardwood forest. I cut along the edges where access is not impossible. But most of the terrain in so extreme steep slopes that it's impossible to get anything out without cutting logging roads. And that's not happening while i'm alive. I'll get some pics & post up. It's stunning. Takes my breath away every time I enter that forest, and I grew up there. Nothing like it.


Have you heard of monocable zig-zag yarding?
http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/spf/cf/zig_zag_monacle_yarder.pdf

and regular yarding
http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm83512305/

the second one mentions heavier logs but still uses small equipment.


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## qbilder (Nov 22, 2010)

Now that's cool. I'd have to build a platform on a ridge top to anchor it to, though. There's no access for vehicles beyond an ATV and even the one ATV access pushes my nerves to the edge. There's no trail but one hill is mild enough sloped to climb. Once atop a ridge I can access all other ridges as they all interconnect. I could tow the mill up with the ATV and & cut the logs on top of the hills. Should be plausible. I can only do 36" max on my mill, anyway. Would be nice to get some of the blow downs. They lay on the ground for YEARS before rotting away. I cut some rotten old trees to make a trail through the bottom and was surprised to see beautiful solid white oaks an inch under the mushy rotted surface. My old man said they have looked the same since he was a young boy 50-60 years ago. Also said he hasn't seen the trees grow any in his time.


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 22, 2010)

Richard C said:


> I haven't read every thread, but was wondering if anyone on this site uses a bandmill.
> Richard



Actually, these days i don't use anything but a BSM, as when i get high quality logs like this 20' 6" Blk. Cherry,







Turning out nice wide clear lumber,






I don't want to waste any of it to sawdust!






Especially when logs come along with figured wood in them like this Cherry,






Rob


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## SPM in King (Nov 22, 2010)

Richard, I have both a BSM and CSM. I have a WM LT40 with no hydraulics. I also run at Stihl 880 with a 60" bar and a Granberg (modified) mill. I used the BSM to cut the small stuff and to make dimensional wood - max cut is 28", but 24" is more reasonable. The CSM is used for slabbing large hardwoods - I have cut a 52" Sugar Maple. I can think of few things that I would rather do. Both setups are a pleasure to use and learn to use. 

CSM is by far way more work than BSM. Partly because of the size of logs and flitches. I use a small skidsteer to move stuff around, but you are always working with very heavy logs and cut wood. I know some guys use the CSM for small logs and dimensional lumber, but I can get through it so much faster with the WM. Both have their place, but a CSM is a little more flexible in that it can cut very wide flitches with a small investment.

FYI, forestry forum .com is a good site for BSM users. 

Steve.


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## mikeb1079 (Nov 22, 2010)

> Especially when logs come along with figured wood in them like this Cherry,



wow rob, that's some beautiful cherry. it seems like the cherry around here (wi) has a fair amount of defect inside. like this:





it can be hard to find wide clear boards. that's a norwood lumbermate yes? have you had any experience with the new norwood mills? also, not to hijack the thread, what are your thoughts on the lumberlite vs lumbermate?


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## deeker (Nov 22, 2010)

Lumbermate LM2000 with the 23hp Briggs And Scrap iron motor....kicks butts.

I believe Rob has used both the Lumbermate and Lumberlite.

The LM2000 is the very very minimum for a full time sawyer. 

Norwood's four post design is great.

My only wish would be for Norwood to make a fully hydraulic mill.

Looking at Cook's or LogMaster. I prefer their four posts vs the single post of the woodmizer.

When I get rich, of course.

Kevin


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## mikeb1079 (Nov 22, 2010)

> The LM2000 is the very very minimum for a full time sawyer



this would be for personal use, perhaps once or twice a month, and maybe some side jobs. i like the price tag of the lumberlite, and i'm just wondering if it would suit me fine or i should take the leap to the lumbermate. remember i'm coming from the csm where its slow slow slow.


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 22, 2010)

I've sawn on the LL24, not on the LL26. To save money, i'd buy a used LM2000, it's a heck of a lot more mill than the 24.

Rob


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## mountainlake (Nov 26, 2010)

I cut up 60 logs last Thur with my B20 TK, mostly 2 and 3" thick with 6 or 7 12' x 12'. 10 to 16' long. Most logs ever in 1 day. Steve


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## twoclones (Nov 26, 2010)

*Using both...*



mikeb1079 said:


> i think the two could actually compliment each other. bandsaw mill for most logs, and the csm for large/hard to move stuff.



I mill with a Woodmizer LT-15 which has a 21" max width. For larger logs I use the Granberg Mk-III chainsaw mill to make a cant which will fit into the mill.


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## SPM in King (Nov 26, 2010)

*Cherry*

Here is some slightly different Cherry - fruit wood - cut 2 days ago - CSM:

Steve.


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## BobL (Nov 26, 2010)

Wow!!!!! I like it!


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## Daninvan (Nov 26, 2010)

Anyone else but me find cherry really difficult to dry? I lose a lot to cracking and warping, the gnarlier the wood is the worse the losses are.


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## TraditionalTool (Nov 27, 2010)

Daninvan said:


> Anyone else but me find cherry really difficult to dry? I lose a lot to cracking and warping, the gnarlier the wood is the worse the losses are.


Do you seal the ends after you cut it?


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## Sawyer Rob (Nov 27, 2010)

Daninvan said:


> the gnarlier the wood is the worse the losses are.



And there lies the problem!! Number one reason, it's drying too fast and it's VERY difficult to deal with. Anchorsealing "those" area's does help.

Rob


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## BobL (Nov 27, 2010)

Sawyer Rob said:


> And there lies the problem!! Number one reason, it's drying too fast and it's VERY difficult to deal with. Anchorsealing "those" area's does help.
> 
> Rob



Yep - plus gnarlier bits also tend to be under more tension that straight.


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## Richard C (Dec 1, 2010)

Greetings, That's a lot of answer. I'll not have a chance to get back to the mill until summer. Wife and girls had me bulding a barn and corrals this summer and much of last.
We moved to Australia, had a property in Queensland between Brisbane and Toowoomba, while there I saw chainsaw mill demonstrations that got me all hot to make a chainsaw mill. When we came back to the States, we have a wooded place here in the mountains, I wanted to mill for lumber and turned to making a bandmill. 
I've seen some great looking milling threads on this site, and was begining to wonder if I should instal a chainsaw on the mill I've been making. 
After reading your answers and chit chat, I will continue and finish the bandmill. On the bigger logs that I can't get to the bandmill I'll use a chainmill, someone gave me 36" Ganberg type chainmill without the powerhead, I've never gotten it together. 

Reading your posts was enjoyable and helpful, I could picture where you were and what you were doing. Thankyou


Richard


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