# Norwood LM 29 arrived!



## dlabrie (Aug 8, 2014)

My new LM 29 arrived yesterday. This is what it looks like right off of the truck 






I feel like a kid with a giant Erector Set 





Here is where its new home will be. The trees in the background will be milled to build the shed.





I can't wait to start making some sawdust!


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 8, 2014)

Congratulations on the mill, and welcome to Norwood! You'll love the mill. It looks like you've got a good place to assemble it, and plenty of logs to feed it. Take your time, and follow the instructions and you'll be making sawdust before you know it. What are your goals for the mill? Tractor looks like it's perfect for moving logs, though I bet you get forks for it before long. Keep us posted on your progress.


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## dlabrie (Aug 8, 2014)

Thanks, Dave.
I am getting ready to retire, hopefully in June, 2014 and I think this would be a great way to spend my time. I have plenty of white pine on my property; most all of the beautiful hardwood went through my outdoor wood boiler  My first project will be to build a 22'X24' mill shed and storage area for my tractor implements. Then I want to retrofit my 24'X36' barn into a wood-working shop. from there I hope to make various items to sell, like tables, chicken coops, and smaller items that my wife can sell in her consignment shop, like signs, boxes, and other small items that people can't seem to get enough of. I will probably custom cut for anyone that asks and can get the logs to me, and if I want to do more, I'll make the mill portable.

I've already got the forks  I also have a rear 3pt carry-all that is basically a set of angle-iron forks at a 90º angle. I want to use that as a skid plate. I have a mig welder, that I have yet to learn how to use , when I do, I will make a log arch to help keep the logs off of the ground.

Once I get the mill assembled, I'll have to figure out how I'm going to move it to the cutting area 

David


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## hamish (Aug 8, 2014)

David,

Welcome to the Norwood Family.

I still remember the day I picked up all my boxes!

Jeremy


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## dlabrie (Aug 8, 2014)

Thanks, Jeremy.
I just finished getting the rails lined up tonight and will start with the levelers tomorrow.
David


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## hamish (Aug 8, 2014)

What?? Your not doing it all in one night? the milling the first log by means of a flashlight?


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## hamish (Aug 8, 2014)

I assembled my mill in a friends garage then slid it on a trailer to its temporary first milling site, 20' of mill fits kinda right on an 8' trailer. Slow and methodical got it moved a few miles. Off the trailer and leveled up make some kindling wood for the fire trying to sort things out, then progressed and made my first 4x4 then 2x4 then some more kindling.

Best tool I have ever owned, ok toy I enjoy it too much to be considered a tool, tools are work!


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## dlabrie (Aug 9, 2014)

hamish said:


> 20' of mill fits kinda right on an 8' trailer.



How did you get it on and off of the trailer? 



hamish said:


> Best tool I have ever owned, ok toy I enjoy it too much to be considered a tool, tools are work!


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## Sawyer Rob (Aug 9, 2014)

I use my loader tractor to move mine, just pick the whole thing up...

SR


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## hamish (Aug 10, 2014)

Move the saw head to one end, then lift the opposite end onto the trailer and use some round dowels or pipe to slide it on. Mid way through the tuggin process pusth the millhead up and push the rest on.

Or get fancy and your a come-a-long, block and tackle, winch, front end loader.


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## dlabrie (Aug 11, 2014)

hamish said:


> Move the saw head to one end, then lift the opposite end onto the trailer and use some round dowels or pipe to slide it on. Mid way through the tuggin process pusth the millhead up and push the rest on.



Thanks, That is kind of what I thought but I wasn't sure if it would stress the rails.


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 12, 2014)

Before I got the towing package, I did it like Hamish describes. You won't overstress anything, but make sure the mill head is secure when you push it up the rails, or things could get real interesting. Wouldn't want to do it every day, but it will get it to the mill site. You look real happy sitting on that crossbunk. How about some update photos?


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## dlabrie (Aug 12, 2014)

It is coming , slow but sure. I am enjoying putting it together and Norwood is great about answering questions.


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## pete_86 (Aug 12, 2014)

congrats on the mill and thanks for the pics! I was curious as to how they shipped it, lot of boxes. Can I ask how much the shipping ran you? Please don't forget the best pics, the milling pics.  Enjoy!


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## dlabrie (Aug 12, 2014)

The shipping was about $300. Everything arrived. shrink-wrapped on a pallet in perfect condition. So far every part has been there. It is pretty amazing how well thought out the process is.


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## dlabrie (Aug 13, 2014)

Made some progress on the mill today. The manual is getting a little vague and the pictures don't line up exactly with the mill. However. phone calls to Norwood straighten it out.


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 14, 2014)

By now, you must really be itching to make sawdust! Nice looking bike, by the way. Should be just the thing for skidding logs.


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## dlabrie (Aug 14, 2014)

Dave Boyt said:


> By now, you must really be itching to make sawdust! Nice looking bike, by the way. Should be just the thing for skidding logs.


Ha, ha! All I need to do is put some chains on the rear wheel  Since the mill arrived, the bike hasn't moved much. So many toys, so little time


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## hamish (Aug 14, 2014)

Might as well go ahead and list the bike for sale..............................


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 18, 2014)

Sell it??? Are you serious??? That engine would be perfect to replace that Honda on the mill.


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## dlabrie (Aug 18, 2014)

Dave Boyt said:


> Sell it??? Are you serious??? That engine would be perfect to replace that Honda on the mill.


1600cc s would throw a lot of sawdust


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 19, 2014)

Sure would! Then you could put the Honda motor on your bike, so you'd still have a set of wheels.


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## dlabrie (Aug 22, 2014)

I've got her all together and moved to her temporary site.






I cut up my first log .




And started stacking what will become my mill shed





About 2-3"into my second log I hit this




The mill is running great! The only problem I am having is keeping the rails level. I just cut a 6X13 cant and it was 6" on one end and 6 1/2 on the other. I pulled a line along the rails and this is what i got in the middle of the bed.




Any hints on leveling the rails would be appreciated.


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## hamish (Aug 22, 2014)

Support at every joint. That gap in the last picture slowly leads to everything going out of whack. On a new piece of grounds it take a long while for things to settle.
I have mine set up in a 150 year old barn, the frost plays havoc with it yearly, and occasionally I drop a big log on it and it sinks somewhere.
Personally I prefer the ability to allow some movement, versus having everything rigid and something just breaking.

Try running a full support the length of the mill, and full supports across it at every bunk/joint. Then even when it sinks on way everything is still level with the bed, or is so noticeable that you know you have to make an adjustment.


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## dlabrie (Aug 22, 2014)

I'm not sure how I could run full support the length of the mill: 20'. Maybe I could lap together 2 10', 4X6s and run 4X6s across the bunks. I hate to use up the lumber that I am cutting for the shed, but I guess If i want something close to straight and square, I'll have to bite the bullet.


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## pete_86 (Aug 25, 2014)

Sir, I'm slightly jealous a new mill, room to mill, and a tractor!  Just picking, congrats on the setup. Once you get your mill shed built you'll have no problems with it being on a slab.

I like your idea as well, a 2x10 would prob be plenty strong supported at 4' OC, maybe a 2x6 nailed as a beam would be bit stronger and give you a thicker area to lay your posts. 2x6 you could use smaller logs if needed to save better stuff for the building. Nice pics and sorry to see you ran into some metal. Is that a screw? I wonder how that got into the tree. I've been lucky to not have run into something so far. Maybe now that you've hit something right off the bat you won't have that issue for quite a while.


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## Dave Boyt (Aug 25, 2014)

Before I got the trailer package, I had my mill set up much like yours. I used wedges to fine-tune the track, and that worked fine. My concern is that the dip in the track does not explain the 1/2" variation in your cant. The most obvious is to make sure there was no debris on the crossbunks lifting one end of the cant. Run the string along the crossbunks. They should have the same dip as the track. Which end was high? Did you have your mill set to cut 6" or 6-1/2"? Assuming you wanted 6" thick, did you try making a second leveling cut? Did you watch carefully for any movement in the cant due to stress in the wood? Finally, did you get this variation after hitting the drywall screw? Even if the saw continues to cut, it will mess up the set in the blade, and it will cut every way but straight. Try it with a fresh blade (even if you didn't hit the drywall screw before the problem). Finally, re-check the adjustment on the blade guides.

As you may have guessed, there are a lot of variables involved in milling. The trick is to narrow down the cause of any problems. Checking the track for straight was a good start. Let us know what you find out.


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## dlabrie (Aug 25, 2014)

pete_86 said:


> Sir, I'm slightly jealous a new mill, room to mill, and a tractor!  Just picking, congrats on the setup. Once you get your mill shed built you'll have no problems with it being on a slab.
> 
> I like your idea as well, a 2x10 would prob be plenty strong supported at 4' OC, maybe a 2x6 nailed as a beam would be bit stronger and give you a thicker area to lay your posts. 2x6 you could use smaller logs if needed to save better stuff for the building. Nice pics and sorry to see you ran into some metal. Is that a screw? I wonder how that got into the tree. I've been lucky to not have run into something so far. Maybe now that you've hit something right off the bat you won't have that issue for quite a while.


 The next day, as i was cutting deeper into the cant, I hit another one! I just caught the tip of this on and was able to keep cutting. I will change the blade on jmy next log.


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## dlabrie (Aug 25, 2014)

Dave Boyt said:


> Before I got the trailer package, I had my mill set up much like yours. I used wedges to fine-tune the track, and that worked fine. My concern is that the dip in the track does not explain the 1/2" variation in your cant. The most obvious is to make sure there was no debris on the crossbunks lifting one end of the cant. Run the string along the crossbunks. They should have the same dip as the track. Which end was high? Did you have your mill set to cut 6" or 6-1/2"? Assuming you wanted 6" thick, did you try making a second leveling cut? Did you watch carefully for any movement in the cant due to stress in the wood? Finally, did you get this variation after hitting the drywall screw? Even if the saw continues to cut, it will mess up the set in the blade, and it will cut every way but straight. Try it with a fresh blade (even if you didn't hit the drywall screw before the problem). Finally, re-check the adjustment on the blade guides.
> 
> As you may have guessed, there are a lot of variables involved in milling. The trick is to narrow down the cause of any problems. Checking the track for straight was a good start. Let us know what you find out.


 The 1/2 " dip was in the middle of the track. I loosened the bolts at the rail joints and lifted them to get it level/ That took care of it.


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## pete_86 (Aug 25, 2014)

Good deal, and was wondering when you get around to doing more milling and building will there be pics to follow? Not sure how time consuming it is for you to get your pics uploaded or if being so busy you'll even have time with the building, but if you're up for it many guys would like to see the progress of your milling and building. It's always nice to see more posts/build threads on here. Don't have to go too detailed, just a pic here and there. Might give others some ideas on how to setup a milling area and so forth. Also, if you ever have any carpentry questions lots of knowledgeable guys on here. I'm a carpenter myself and just love talking about building. Take care and enjoy the mill. 

Also, was wondering if you'd be putting the shed up green? I see you have your piers in place, one step closer. How deep is frost line in NH? Here we're going 42" give or take. I use a skidsteer with a 12" bit and usually do 8" x 48" and bell the bottom out to 15" on any good size deck or structure if soil is silty or poor drainage.


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## dlabrie (Aug 25, 2014)

pete_86 said:


> Good deal, and was wondering when you get around to doing more milling and building will there be pics to follow? Not sure how time consuming it is for you to get your pics uploaded or if being so busy you'll even have time with the building, but if you're up for it many guys would like to see the progress of your milling and building. It's always nice to see more posts/build threads on here. Don't have to go too detailed, just a pic here and there. Might give others some ideas on how to setup a milling area and so forth. Also, if you ever have any carpentry questions lots of knowledgeable guys on here. I'm a carpenter myself and just love talking about building. Take care and enjoy the mill.
> 
> Also, was wondering if you'd be putting the shed up green? I see you have your piers in place, one step closer. How deep is frost line in NH? Here we're going 42" give or take. I use a skidsteer with a 12" bit and usually do 8" x 48" and bell the bottom out to 15" on any good size deck or structure if soil is silty or poor drainage.



I will be using green lumber. "They"say the frost line is around 48", some maps have it a 60" but, I have never gone that deep on anything I have built. The ground is hard clay and stone. I had all I could do to get down to 36" even with a powered post hole digger! I am not a carpenter, but I have built a 36X24 barn and added a 12 X 120' deck onto my house and they haven't moved in 30 years. I generally ask a lot of questions and use what I think makes sense. I am always open to suggestions. I will post pictures as I go along. It will take a while as I just started working again, I am a teacher, and I will only be able to get to it in the weekends.

This building will be 22' wide X 24' deep. I am planning to use a truss system so as not to have any poles down the middle of the structure. I did put footings down the middle to hold up the floor and for if I ever want to put up posts in the back half to have storage up above.


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## dlabrie (Aug 30, 2014)

Here are a couple of picts on my shed progress. It is such a pleasure to cut what I need when I need it with the mill.


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## Dave Boyt (Sep 2, 2014)

Looks like it is coming along. Nice, level site. I like the idea of using cement piers. Will you be using them to support the mill, as well? Projects like this seem to go so sloooowly, but when you're done, it will all be worth it!


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## dlabrie (Sep 2, 2014)

The mill will sit on a deck of 2X8 joists with 1" boards across. The joists will go from the wall you see to the center piers and then from the center piers to the other wall. Once I have the deck built, I'll have a platform to build my trusses on. You are looking at the front of the shed where the logs will be loaded on to the mill. I may beef-up the first 8-12' to better support the mill.


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## pete_86 (Sep 6, 2014)

Looking good sir! good pics, thanks for update!


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