# Harbor Freight Sawmill - does it exist?



## gemniii

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=97445

I've seen this discussed on at least 5 forums. Sometimes the threads run VERY long. 

I've yet to read ANY first OR second hand reference to actual hands on experience.

Hundreds of posts dumping on it, hardly anyone mentions it's a Hud-Son knockoff, by Hud-Son.

Does ANYONE have one?

/edit - I'm surprised I could not find a thread where someone posted they had bought one and it was crap.


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## chuckwood

*Horror Fright*

Yeah, the welding forums *love* to talk about Harbor Freight. The quality of some of their stuff is surprisingly good. Then, there's the HF stuff that works very well if you are good with machines and you can modify or beef up the item in question to make it fully functional (often done by a bit of welding or drilling, etc.). The HF bandmill might be a good purchase if you're handy enough to keep it running. And if you're lucky, it may be something that is actually very well made, like my big HF drill press. HF will sell you parts for their products, and they will also happily accept a return and let you go get another one. 

I always do my homework on the net first before buying anything major at HF. Some of the HF stuff is of dubious quality. If very many people in the US were buying these HF bandmills, the returns would eventually be showing up on ebay, being sold by ebay tool liquidator vendors real cheap. I think HF never sends any of that stuff back to China, it just gets sold here for pennies on the dollar to whoever wants to take a chance on it. What if it's a really good machine and people that buy one keep it and don't return it? I'm interested in this mill myself, didn't know until now that HF sold anything like that. I'd love to have a bandmill, but I really don't do enough milling to justify the cost so far. 

Some guys in China or somewhere else in Asia are probably sawing with this HF bandmill right now! Except they'd have a Robin Subaru engine on it instead of the Briggs. Too bad they don't get online and join AS and then tell us first hand about the quality of the mill or of their experiences with it.


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## olyman

chuckwood said:


> Yeah, the welding forums *love* to talk about Harbor Freight. The quality of some of their stuff is surprisingly good. Then, there's the HF stuff that works very well if you are good with machines and you can modify or beef up the item in question to make it fully functional (often done by a bit of welding or drilling, etc.). The HF bandmill might be a good purchase if you're handy enough to keep it running. And if you're lucky, it may be something that is actually very well made, like my big HF drill press. HF will sell you parts for their products, and they will also happily accept a return and let you go get another one.
> 
> I always do my homework on the net first before buying anything major at HF. Some of the HF stuff is of dubious quality. If very many people in the US were buying these HF bandmills, the returns would eventually be showing up on ebay, being sold by ebay tool liquidator vendors real cheap. I think HF never sends any of that stuff back to China, it just gets sold here for pennies on the dollar to whoever wants to take a chance on it. What if it's a really good machine and people that buy one keep it and don't return it? I'm interested in this mill myself, didn't know until now that HF sold anything like that. I'd love to have a bandmill, but I really don't do enough milling to justify the cost so far.
> 
> Some guys in China or somewhere else in Asia are probably sawing with this HF bandmill right now! Except they'd have a Robin Subaru engine on it instead of the Briggs. Too bad they don't get online and join AS and then tell us first hand about the quality of the mill or of their experiences with it.



yup--some of the hf stuff aint bad--you just have to look,and pay attention to what you are buying--i bought a aluminum car floor jack--as i didnt want to carry my heavy snap on three ton up to the house--its works VERY well


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## olyman

gemniii said:


> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=97445
> 
> I've seen this discussed on at least 5 forums. Sometimes the threads rum VERY long.
> 
> I've yet to read ANY first OR second hand reference to actual hands on experience.
> 
> Hundreds of posts dumping on it, hardly anyone mentions it's a Hud-Son knockoff, by Hud-Son.
> 
> Does ANYONE have one?
> 
> /edit - I'm surprised I could not find a thread where someone posted they had bought one and it was crap.


theres another brand?? that has the steel side rails--that are punched full of holes for weight reduction--and the price of them is only a bit more--but like you--thats good starter one--and ill have to check on that next time im at the hf store--thanks--


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## mtngun

gemniii said:


> I've yet to read ANY first OR secon...I won't "need" a bandmill, but what the heck.


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## BlueRidgeMark

gemniii said:


> /edit - I'm surprised I could not find a thread where someone posted they had bought one and it was crap.




Dunno for sure, but that's probably because nobody has been willing to dump that kind of money on something from HF.


Or if they did, they were ashamed to admit it!


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## olyman

BlueRidgeMark said:


> Dunno for sure, but that's probably because nobody has been willing to dump that kind of money on something from HF.
> 
> 
> Or if they did, they were ashamed to admit it!



mmmm,maybe--but some of their things are ok--aint much diff then people shopping at walmart--where theres lots of chinese things--


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## gemniii

Well I called the number on the manual, got thru to Hud-Son Forestry, I was told it's made in New York and to stop by and they could demo one.
Looks like it's not "cheap chinese junk." But still doesn't confirm the quality of it.

My big interest it to mill relatively small trees and cants. Similar to what woodshop does with the RipSaw. But I can put it all in my FEL and work down making trails and lumber at the same time while being relatively low impact.

Now is there anyone in that neck of the woods, near Utica NY, that wants to stop by and report back?


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## excess650

You might want to do a bit more research and see IF you hear anything good about Hudson. I knew of Hudson prior to buying a Norwood.


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## gemniii

excess650 said:


> You might want to do a bit more research and see IF you hear anything good about Hudson. I knew of Hudson prior to buying a Norwood.



Over on another forum there are a lot of posts about the Oscar 18, and except for a few, the users are positive about it. I'm coming to think their "red line" is a lighter weight mill than something like a Norwood, Woodmizer, TimberKing or a Cooks. Especially in the rails.
And their "yellow line" sold thru Harbor Freight, is even slightly less metal (the cage on the minimill is 2 post, on the Oscar 18 it's f our post) and a shorter warranty, for a slight reduction in price. The real bargain comes in IF you can find a 20% HF discount coupon from the Harborfreight.com site.

And that's the point of this thread and the threads I've got on other forums - I'm trying to research the quality of this mill. Has anyone used one?

As with almost all mills it's a LONG ways from Alexandria, Va to even see a mill in a store. In my case it's a 450 mile drive to look at the mill at the factory. And since this is for personal, not business use, it's not like I can charge a day or two off and the cost to travel 900 miles just to see one. 

So far, on all the forums, I've only had one reply that someone actually saw one in person. However it wasn't even assembled and was in the store. Yet he was still able to tell the saw was so underpowered it would take a day to mill a log (even thought it's got the same engine as the Hud-Son Oscar 18).


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## olyman

funny--i went to hfs site--and no sawmill comes up--wonder whats with that??? and tho it only has a 6.5 briggs, at 2299--how long to pay for it--consider you have no problems??? not long--


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## DaltonPaull

I just noticed that you can get a the Hudson model that this is a copy of for less on eBay.


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## gemniii

DaltonPaull said:


> I just noticed that you can get a the Hudson model that this is a copy of for less on eBay.


Be nice - post a link
/edit - and what price - this is not a "copy" of a Hud-Son mill, this is a slightly smaller version of the Hud-Son Oscar 18, and the only name I've seen for it is "Mini-Mill".
The manual doesn't even have the word Hud-Son in it.


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## gemniii

olyman said:


> funny--i went to hfs site--and no sawmill comes up--wonder whats with that??? and tho it only has a 6.5 briggs, at 2299--how long to pay for it--consider you have no problems??? not long--


http://search.harborfreight.com/cpisearch/web/search.do?keyword=sawmill&Submit=Go
Should show 3 sawmills.


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## DaltonPaull

OK, maybe copy isn't the best term but this looks like the same mill to me:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PORTABLE-SAWMILL-BANDSAW-BANDMILL-CHAIN-SAW-MILL-WOOD_W0QQitemZ360224852823QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53df130b57

The buy it now price is $2195. They've been putting these on eBay for a while now and I was thinking about buying one before I bought my ripsaw. At the time time I contacted the seller to see what the reserve price is and if I remember right it was just a little lower than the buy it now. 

I decided on the Ripsaw for better portability but with the Ripsaw I spend a lot of time and effort getting cants lifted to a comfortable height and stabilized so there are some trade offs.


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## deeker

Harbor Freight does have small sawmills.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=67162

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=67161

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97445

I don't (yet) know much about them...not quite the NorwoodLM2000 that we own....but as a smaller mill............


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## chuckwood

deeker said:


> Harbor Freight does have small sawmills.
> 
> I don't (yet) know much about them...not quite the NorwoodLM2000 that we own....but as a smaller mill............



The images on the HF site show the mill tracks sitting flat on a shop floor. My guess is that these mills only work properly when the tracks are supported by rock solid, level surface. Please, somebody out there buy one and then report back to us!

Or, here's an idea, if a hundred people on AS each contribute $25.00 to a test fund (the cost of a half tank of gas for a pickup truck), then somebody knowledgeable about band mills go out an buy one, run it, and give us a "consumer report" - I'd be glad to part with $25 just to know if these mills are a wise purchase. Maybe y'all could have a GTG somewhere to run the HF bandmill and see what it'll do. Me, I'm too much of a tightwad to take a chance on the full price of one, there's just not enough information out there right now.


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## gr8scott72

chuckwood said:


> Or, here's an idea, if a hundred people on AS each contribute $25.00 to a test fund (the cost of a half tank of gas for a pickup truck),



$100 didn't fill mine up last time. :jawdrop:


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## gemniii

DaltonPaull said:


> OK, maybe copy isn't the best term but this looks like the same mill to me:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/PORTABLE-SAWMILL-BANDSAW-BANDMILL-CHAIN-SAW-MILL-WOOD_W0QQitemZ360224852823QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53df130b57
> 
> The buy it now price is $2195. They've been putting these on eBay for a while now and I was thinking about buying one before I bought my ripsaw. At the time time I contacted the seller to see what the reserve price is and if I remember right it was just a little lower than the buy it now.
> 
> I decided on the Ripsaw for better portability but with the Ripsaw I spend a lot of time and effort getting cants lifted to a comfortable height and stabilized so there are some trade offs.


Yes! Thank you! - I've seen that sometimes before. But when I got into this discussion on the other forum I couldn't find it.
I believe that is the exact thing that HF is selling with a different coat of paint. They even call it the Mini-Mill.

Prior to calling the company I thought this was a "copy" or ripoff of Hud-Son. Now it seems they are catering to a wider market but need some help in marketing.

I'm sure with anything you/we will have trouble lifting 16" cants. I just finished CSMing a 9 to 10 ft cant of maple and made one section about 4" thick, and it's about 18" wide. It was all I could do to drag it onto the pile (got to start working out).

I'm planning on a modified/bastardized Loglifter II (is that patented and trademarked yet Bob? Better get to it!!) and my Mark III, plus a yet to be purchased Stihl 660 from "thechainsawguy" (probably). Make my cants, mill my lumber. I'll probably basically build a deck for the rails with the first few cants.

But I'd REALLY like to find someone with actual experience with one.


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## gemniii

chuckwood said:


> The images on the HF site show the mill tracks sitting flat on a shop floor. My guess is that these mills only work properly when the tracks are supported by rock solid, level surface. Please, somebody out there buy one and then report back to us!
> 
> Or, here's an idea, if a hundred people on AS each contribute $25.00 to a test fund (the cost of a half tank of gas for a pickup truck), then somebody knowledgeable about band mills go out an buy one, run it, and give us a "consumer report" - I'd be glad to part with $25 just to know if these mills are a wise purchase. Maybe y'all could have a GTG somewhere to run the HF bandmill and see what it'll do. Me, I'm too much of a tightwad to take a chance on the full price of one, there's just not enough information out there right now.



That's a good idea if you could organize it, but I think it's use is limited to low impact operations like what I want to do - haul it in on a trail and mill on the spot. Or set up in a suburban back yard and mill on the spot. Not with the idea of selling lumber.

Now if there are trustworthy people in the Northern Virginia area that want to go part on one I'm up to suggestions. For the next year or so I've only got about 20 trees that I've got to make into lumber or burn. We'd need some minimum ground rules but it's doable.


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## isaaccarlson

*I have one. It is not a bad machine.*

It cuts ok and is made by hud-son. It motor sounds good, and starts every time. It depends more on torque than rpm so the blade only turns about 1800-2000 fpm. Would be easy to put bigger motor and widen frame.....when it warms up. It is a pretty good mill for 2000 dollars.
I like that I can roll it into the bed of the truck and haul it ANYWHERE!!!! Just lean a piece of track on tailgate and push it in if you are etrong or use a pulley/come-a-long. Yes the tracks need to be on solid ground. I have been thinking of building a subframe though....


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## TNMIKE

Why not mount the factory frame on timbers or metal tubing to stiffen it?


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## gemniii

isaaccarlson said:


> It cuts ok and is made by hud-son. It motor sounds good, and starts every time. It depends more on torque than rpm so the blade only turns about 1800-2000 fpm. Would be easy to put bigger motor and widen frame.....when it warms up. It is a pretty good mill for 2000 dollars.
> I like that I can roll it into the bed of the truck and haul it ANYWHERE!!!! Just lean a piece of track on tailgate and push it in if you are etrong or use a pulley/come-a-long. Yes the tracks need to be on solid ground. I have been thinking of building a subframe though....


WOW an actual report by someone that sounds like they own one!
If you don't mind - some questions -
Could you provide some close up pics?
How easy is it to take the "cage" and motor off to transport separately?
How much flex in the rails?
Is it a Harbor Freight, ebay, Hud-Son direct?
Any regrets?

thanks!


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## isaaccarlson

Sorry...I forgot about this thread.....
Yeah I can post some pics/vid. I can get the pics up today but not the vid. The rails are solid but you need to set them on a flat surface. I have another 32 feet of track that I am going to weld up so I can widen up the mill. It is kinda narrow for what I have access to. It is not a bad mill. It is very easy to work with. I bought the mill from HF but it is made by Hud-Son


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## gemniii

THANKS

Looking forward to the documentation.

I realize it's got a small throat, but then also it's got a small price. It's not much more than an 880 w/ an Alaskan Mark III. Or a 660 with a bunch of accessories.

This post caused me to revisit the Hud-Son web site. They have apparently DISCONTINUED the Oscar 18 and renamed it the Oscar 121 (the pic even shows an 18) and the price is $2,795. About what the 18 was but it now has a 10hp engine.

http://www.hud-son.com/bandmills.htm


But they have INTRODUCED the Oscar 118 which at first glance seems to meet the specs of the HF sawmill for $2,195, vs the HF price of $2,299.

Of course there will probably be some people calling it cheap chinese crap anyways. I think it's thrifty Yankee ingenuity.

Now if they could only fix it so I could use my Stihl 660, a 7HP power head.

/edit - wonder what it would take to adapt it to electric.


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## isaaccarlson

*pics*

I took the camera with when I fed the bunnies.....The mill was used right until the snow hit....in fact it got buried all winter! I was not able to dig it out or get the truck near it so it stayed under a tarp for as long as the tarp lasted. We adopted the cat from the trailer park. She was abandoned as a young'n because she was pregnant. We brought her home and a week later she had five beautiful kittens. Two died but we still have the other three. She weightd about 3 lbs when we brought her home and now she weighs 12. I have to bust open the new pack of blades for the mill tomorrow since the one thats on there has seen a LOT of use. Time to hang it up until I have enough to send in to sharpen.
View attachment 130563






View attachment 130564





View attachment 130565





View attachment 130566





View attachment 130567


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## gemniii

Thanks and NO thanks for the pics!
I feel a movement in the force of CAD/CSM and am entertaining strong urges for BSM.
Sounds dirty doesn't it ?
How difficult is it to swap blades?

How much do you pay your Pest Management Engineer?
Does she get health care?
She looks like she owns the area.


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## isaaccarlson

It is not hard to swap out blades. I will get a vid of that too. Phoebe gets all the attention she wants and also gets whole pigeons to eat when I see them on the barn....She is a class A mouser and does catch birds. WONDERFUL cat. We take very good care of her.

So the plan for tomorrow is to get the other two trees(the ones laying in the yard) cut up and then get vids of the mill. I will be milling up boards for rabbit hutches. I want to get them out in the fresh air soon. They have been in the barn all winter.


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## isaaccarlson

*vid*

Here is the vid of the blade change. I did not have wire taken off the new blade bundle so that is what I am doing off camera. I really need to make a tripod or monopod for the camera so I can get good angles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s7qXwFaiao
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4s7qXwFaiao&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4s7qXwFaiao&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>


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## gr8scott72

isaaccarlson said:


> Here is the vid of the blade change. I did not have wire taken off the new blade bundle so that is what I am doing off camera. I really need to make a tripod or monopod for the camera so I can get good angles.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s7qXwFaiao



Video still processing. Darn.


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## BigE

gr8scott72 said:


> Video still processing. Darn.



Done


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## isaaccarlson

it works now....


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## Chellejeff

*Sawmill repair*

The Harbor Freight Central Machinery sawmill in it's 2012 rendition is exactly the same as the Woodland Mills sawmill, without handle grips and a few other niceties. I ordered mine in early July 2012 and received it mid July 2012. I paid about $2200 including shipping. It arrived in cardboard and welded steel packaging. I cut up the steel and kept it for future projects. The mill took a couple hours to assemble and was pretty straight forward. The only problem was the cross bar for the clamping system. It was about 1/2" too long. Once I shortened it everything went together fine (though the clamping system kinda sucks). After about 50 cuts the elevation control failed. The hand crank is attached to a threaded rod, which drives a threaded brass "nut". The brass nut stripped, allowing the saw head to fall onto the log I was about to cut. The saw head is really heavy. 

Following is detailed description of how I remedied this problem. This fix requires steel grinding equipment, steel cutting equipment, and welding equipment. A file, hack saw, and welder will do it, but an angle grinder and welder make it easy. Also required is about 15" of 3/4-10 all thread and a matching coupler (nut that is about 2.5 inches long). Both are readily available at hardware stores. I live in a town population 2900 and the local (very small) hardware store had both. The end result is your hand crank will be opposite of what it was (cranking direction) and it will be just under 1/4" elevation change per handle rotation. 5 cranks per inch. If this is unacceptable, get left handed all thread and a left handed coupler, expect to pay a lot more. It took me about 30 seconds to adjust to turning the crank the opposite direction. This repair took 63 minutes, and I was doddling. I have included photos, but I have no idea what order they'll be in.

Engage the saw head locks, then turn the hand crank to make slack in the cables. Remove the cables from the pulley wheels. The extending arm of the elevation control can be removed by turning the hand crank till the extending arm comes off the end of the threaded rod which controls it. All the way up. The brass "nut" in the extending arm, as well as the crank handle, are held in place by steel rivets. Grind or file off one side of the rivets then punch them through with a small steel rod, nail set, or drift pin. Have a rag handy as both should be covered in grease. Cut off the elevator rod in the area between the threads and the smooth section. Weld on a matching length of 3/4" all thread. The beauty or ugliness of your weld doesn't matter because nobody will ever see it. Make it strong, there's plenty of clearance. I clamped mine in a piece of angle iron to make sure the pieces lined up perfectly. Align the the 3/4" coupler in the end of the extending arm that the brass "nut" threaded block came out of. Weld it in place as straight as possible. I'm guessing it's not that critical cause mine worked the first try. You might wanna spot weld it then install it on the mill to make sure it works before filling in the welds. Clearance is a bit of an issue here. I grinded my welds flat. Once the coupler is welded in place, smear grease the length of the threaded rod, and put it all back together. If you've made it this far I probably don't have to describe the reassembly. I sprayed paint the grinded areas to prevent rust. I tapped in the rivets as a temporary attachment for the crank until I get some bolts and nuts to replace them. I made a couple cuts and everything is working better than before. Previously there were times when the hand crank would stick or become hard to turn. Now very smooth.

I have more photos, so if something doesn't make sense, email me.

Good luck. Email if any questions. [email protected] I'm also working on an improved clamping system and it's looking good so far.


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## gemniii

Chellejeff said:


> The Harbor Freight Central Machinery sawmill in it's 2012 rendition is exactly the same as the Woodland Mills sawmill, without handle grips and a few other niceties. I ordered mine in early July 2012 and received it mid July 2012. I paid about $2200 including shipping. It arrived in cardboard and welded steel packaging. I cut up the steel and kept it for future projects. The mill took a couple hours to assemble and was pretty straight forward. The only problem was the cross bar for the clamping system. <snip>



Thank you sir, an admirable first post. Please keep us informed of using it. $2,200 is about what a new 880 w/ a big blade and an Alaskan costs.

Even my Woodmizer LT 10 had a messup where they forgot to drill 4 holes to mount the motor.

/edit PLEASE POST PICS of the whole setup.


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## Chellejeff

I've done my penance with chainsaw mills. This bandsaw mill is way faster and way more accurate. I don't need to mill on site. If I ever need to mill on site, I'll make it mobile.


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## hunterbuild

I had the same problem with my HF saw. I had a shop cut me a steel nut. It has worked great for months now. The shop did say to use anti-seize grease. I did order another set of all moving parts to keep on had as getting parts can take awhile from HF. I got mine on sale for $1700 delivered to my door. I ordered blades from Cooks,much better than the blade it came with.


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## Chellejeff

Although I have already repaired my mill, I am very disappointed with HF. They have not responded at all to requests for replacement parts for my mill that was under warranty at the time of the failure. It's disheartening to spend $2000 on a piece of equipment only to have the company ignore me when the equipment fails.


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## 2treeornot2tree

Chellejeff said:


> Although I have already repaired my mill, I am very disappointed with HF. They have not responded at all to requests for replacement parts for my mill that was under warranty at the time of the failure. It's disheartening to spend $2000 on a piece of equipment only to have the company ignore me when the equipment fails.



Not being mean, but when you buy something from HF you gotta to realize its junk, and you will probably have to fix it. Just the way it is. They only good thing is almost everything they sell is made by someone else and you can get the parts from them.


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## hunterbuild

I just ordered of all the parts. They were not that much. Some were put on back order,but they finally came. I got one of most of the moving parts to have on hand. Still cheap for what I paid for it. I'm very happy with mine and have had no problem getting stuff from them except for the back order thing on most parts,but they do come eventually. I have more than paid for the saw in the first job I cut with it. I'm thinking about putting their bigger motor on it down the road,although it is doing fine on the pine I mostly saw.


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## hamish

hunterbuild said:


> I just ordered of all the parts. They were not that much. Some were put on back order,but they finally came. I got one of most of the moving parts to have on hand. Still cheap for what I paid for it. I'm very happy with mine and have had no problem getting stuff from them except for the back order thing on most parts,but they do come eventually. I have more than paid for the saw in the first job I cut with it. I'm thinking about putting their bigger motor on it down the road,although it is doing fine on the pine I mostly saw.



Have youany pictures of your set up? Alwyas enjoy seeing how others are set up and there layout, even get some new ideas at times.

Jeremy


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## Chellejeff

I'll try to get more photos up in the next day or so.


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## hunterbuild

See my post on 2-14-2012 for pic & more discussions.


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## Chellejeff

Nothing special about my setup. The mill is bolted down to concrete, leveled with trex blocks and wood shims. I'm putting a roof over it so I may be able to keep using it in the winter. I'm in a snow area of southern California. A local steel supply shop has 20' angle for $65 each, so I'm thinking about replacing the tracks. I don't imagine many of you have made triangle beams like the one on my mill in the pics. That's just the leftovers. The three pieces I cut off are what I used. I'm putting log siding on my house. The rest of that log will be cut to 1" boards and used to box in the soffits.


View attachment 257991
View attachment 257992


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## Dad2FourWI

@Chellejeff

Did you cut the "wavy" siding yourself? ... and what exactly is it called??? I have heard people call it "skirl" and just plain "wavy edge"...

Also, what kind of wood is that siding cut from?

Looks _really_ nice !!! I like your setup!

-Dad2FourWI


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## Chellejeff

The type of siding is called lap siding because the upper board laps over the lower board. The stuff on the shop is "natural edge" lap siding. I did not cut this myself as I did not have a mill at the time the shop was built. The wood is just what can be had in the forest around here, primarily pine and fir. The work I'm doing is log siding, as shown in the attached photos. Included is the wall I'm working on now, and another wall of my house that is already done. All of my log siding work up till now has been cut with a Stihl 029 on a home made mill. The HF mill is a huge step up. No comparison.

Here is the front door of my house with the log work around it. It really changed the appearance of the house. Off to the far right you can see an area that had not yet been done. View attachment 258048


Here is the rear wall of my house where I'm just starting log work. I "dry fit" most of the pieces, then once I know everything works I take them down one at a time, finish all around, then put them back up. I use Big Stretch to chink the 1/4" gaps that I leave at every joint. View attachment 258049


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## hamish

Thanks for the pictures, I really like your setup, beautiful job on the house.


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## Dad2FourWI

> "natural edge" lap siding



Thank you!!!!! I never quite knew what to call it.... and I am thinking that this is what we want on the cabin!!! Although I have to admit that your log siding is starting to make me rethink this.... <grin!>

Hey.... your work looks GREAT!!!!

What are you using to finish your log siding? Sealers/stains/etc....

How long were your logs drying before you cut them and did you dry the siding further afterwards?

Were those pics from this year... just curious since I saw the snow falling!!!!

Great ideas... and thanks for sharing!!!

-Dad2FourWI


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## Chellejeff

The logs I use have been laying in the forest for a couple years, so they are dry. Most of the logs have already lost their bark, or it is very loose and comes off easy. I pressure wash the logs to get dirt off and brighten them if they have grayed. Pressure washing is WAY faster than sanding and doesn't ruin the natural look of the log. I use Sikkens Cetol SRD (siding, rails, decks) natural color. I have been very happy with it. The photo with snow is from last winter. The photos of the mill and the wall with tar paper showing are from a couple days ago.

Lap siding makes much more efficient use of the log. With lap siding you can get several pieces out of every log. When making log siding with smallish logs (12") I get 2 or, if lucky, 3 pieces per log. I just happen to prefer the log look.

On the lap siding, it is advisable to cut two or three 1/4" deep grooves the length of the back side. This helps keep the boards laying flat on the wall as they expand and contract with seasonal changes. I recommend at least one coat of finish on the back side of the boards prior to installation. 

Sikkens Cetol 1 and Cetol 23 are also a great finish. It is a 3 coat finish. Cetol 1 is the first coat. Cetol 23 is for coats 2 and 3. Clever the way the named it. Quite expensive though. Here it is about $50 a gallon, and becoming hard to get due to EPA restrictions. You know how us crazy Californians are. I can't wait till I retire in 3 years so I can get out.


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## Dad2FourWI

Thank you for the feedback!!

I have been hearing nice things about the Sikkens products... I have copied your info and emailed myself (so I won't loose it!<grin!>)



> You know how us crazy Californians are. I can't wait till I retire in 3 years so I can get out.



Yea... I understand... Wisconsinites are not too far behind!<groan!> Hey, I hear that GMO Labeling topic is starting to "heat up" in Calif....

Many thanks,
-Dad2FourWI


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## rrsaw

*Harbor Freight Mill*

Hi new to the fourm.Just ordered my first mill.Its backordered till first of march.Will keep you posted win it comes.


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## hunterbuild

rrsaw said:


> Hi new to the fourm.Just ordered my first mill.Its backordered till first of march.Will keep you posted win it comes.



I'm still having good luck with mine. I did order extra moving parts that I couldn't get local. Be prepared for chance of another back order, but it will come.


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## rrsaw

hunterbuild said:


> I'm still having good luck with mine. I did order extra moving parts that I couldn't get local. Be prepared for chance of another back order, but it will come.



Thats good to here. Looks to be a good saw from looking at videos. First thing ill check is the lifting screw and make a new one if need be.


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## hunterbuild

You will be able to tell right away. Mine had a spot in the middle you could feel it bind a bit. After a time it eats up the brass threads. If its not binding I think it will be ok. My new steel nut is still holding. I like the fix in the earlier post better though.


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## rrsaw

hunterbuild said:


> You will be able to tell right away. Mine had a spot in the middle you could feel it bind a bit. After a time it eats up the brass threads. If its not binding I think it will be ok. My new steel nut is still holding. I like the fix in the earlier post better though.




Yea i like the idea of just replacing the nut if possible. Do you know what thread per inch the factory screw is?


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## hunterbuild

It is an oddball, I had to have it custom machined.


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## rrsaw

hunterbuild said:


> It is an oddball, I had to have it custom machined.



OK Thanks


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## hamish

hunterbuild said:


> It is an oddball, I had to have it custom machined.





Its not an oddball, its just ACME threaded rod. Any industrial supply house (graingers, master carr and local guys) can get you acme nuts in steel,brass, nylon and a few other materials. They also over blocks that can be shaped to whatever you so desire.


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## hunterbuild

Mine was not. I checked it out with suppliers and a machine shop here before I found a machine shop to cut it. Maybe the new ones are different. I have a new one in the box. I will see if it's different.


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