# Comments on bandsaw mills



## milkie62 (Feb 16, 2008)

I was kicking idea a few years back on a manual woodmizer mill.I am back kicking it around again since I want to build a 3 car garage and a 40 x 60 pole barn.Any comments on how the different mills stack up ? I was thinking woodmizer,timber king or hudson.Hudson is made hear in NY so it would be easier to get for me.They all say they are the best but I think woodmizer has been in business the longest.Do not have a clue what to really look for.I also would probably do custom sawing also within a reasonable distance.Will be needing some xtra cash to keep me busy when I retire......


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## poleframer (Feb 17, 2008)

I think it all comes down to- how much do you got to spend? Do you expect a monitary return on your investment?
Sounds like you want to build with your milled wood. I do, and like the warm fuzzys I get from building something from tree-to-roof, but its some expensive lumber, let me tell you.
Russell


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## MJR (Feb 17, 2008)

Hello neighbor. I could not find anyone that would say anything good about Hudson. The wife and I demoed the mills and didn't care for them. WM, excellent mills with a higher price. I went with Norwood LL24. You can pick-up the Norwood sawmill kit up in Buffalo - no shipping or sales tax (Canadian company. My mill cost $2900). The Syracuse farm show is coming up. You should be able to see several dealers at once. Call and ask if they will be at the show. Free tickets can be had at any tractor supply. 

Warning - there is nothing more satisfying or addicting then logging your own trees, milling lumber from them, and then building something your great grand kids will use.

The best of luck.


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## woodshop (Feb 17, 2008)

MJR said:


> ...Warning - there is nothing more satisfying or addicting then logging your own trees, milling lumber from them, and then building something your great grand kids will use...



I second that one for sure. It's hard work, even with the larger full blown bandmills, but the rewards justify that in my book. I agree with poleframer, it is expensive wood but only if you're just going to mill a thousand bd ft to build a shed or whatnot. The more you use it though, the cheaper that wood gets.


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## zopi (Feb 17, 2008)

Autoplug mode on:/

Woodmizer.

/Autoplug mode off

:greenchainsaw: 

But that's just 'cause I have one...

Never heard anything good about Hudson either...and they look dinky..


TK makes a nice mill, but I don't know alot about them..never heard any complaints.


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## big daddio (Feb 17, 2008)

wow man, it seemed you were talkin' to me, i checked out all the manual band mills quite a few years back. all of them have those high output footage per day figures. had saw a wm mill at richmond when they started making them. influenced me a lot. a guy did some sawing nearby, confirmed what i'd saw, bought an lt-40 manual. great mill, wish i'd had it when building my house. bought mine for the same reason you said, some lumber for myself, some custom sawing to help with the payments, and for retirement income. the mill was everything i dreamed of. once i got the hang of it [had worked around circle mills before] i was turning out the best lumber around. don't be fooled by the figures the mill manufacurers claim, these are done by trained individuals busting their asses. after you get your garage and barn done all your friends and family are probably gonna be tired of helping you and you'll be the true owner of a one-man-mill.........wait a minute, got carried away, the wm lt-40 is a great mill, like i said, it's now a one man mill, and i'm doing well after the back surgery [ha ha, didn't cause all of it]. now down to the buying advice, find someone who has one of the choice mills you are thinking about and offer to help them saw a day, most of the mill companies will refer you to someone. sorry to get carried away.


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## zopi (Feb 17, 2008)

yah..he's right..drive before you buy if you can..

WM will put you in touch with owners near you who have agreed to 
be demonstrators..they do the demo, and you fill out a card..if you buy a mill 
within the next year the owner gets 2% of the sale, put into an account at WM, 
buys parts and bands and such..

hadda guy down the road show me his LT25..slick little mill..wanted a local guy 
to get some cool points anyway...

dunno about TK..I know that Peterson does the same thing..


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## big daddio (Feb 17, 2008)

he's in new york, ain't me or you either one gettin' that 2% zopi.


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## zopi (Feb 17, 2008)

big daddio said:


> he's in new york, ain't me or you either one gettin' that 2% zopi.


yeah..but I am s'posed to set up at the fair here this year..oughta be fun..maybe pick up a couple of jobs...all my stuff ought to be sawed out by then...


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## big daddio (Feb 17, 2008)

good deal man, spread the gospel about millin', nothin' better. can't help to spill my guts about the work, but just like everybody else when those purty boards are coming off they ain't nothin' else matters.


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## redprospector (Feb 17, 2008)

Woodmizer makes a good mill. I used an old lt 30 for a few years. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that the cantalevered head takes a little more to keep cutting true, but it does have it's advantages on log's that are borderline too big.
Then I used an old mill, the brand escape's me right now but it was made in canada. It had a 4 post head rig, and was much easier to keep true but you couldn't cheat a big log like the Woodmizer.
I finally opted to build my own mill and went the 4 post route.
What ever mill you choose, choose one that has a good reputation, and good factory support. 
Once you learn to dance with your particular mill, you can produce a nice pile of lumber in a day, and no one will have to rock you to sleep at night. 
You can usually count on 1/2 to 3/4 of what the mfg. claims for production, because when figuring this number they use only the optimum size log for that mill. Your log's will vary in size and smaller log's will slow you down a lot.

Good luck, and have fun,
Andy


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## Sawyer Rob (Feb 18, 2008)

> Woodmizer makes a good mill. I used an old lt 30 for a few years. The only thing that I didn't like was the fact that the cantalevered head takes a little more to keep cutting true, but it does have it's advantages on log's that are borderline too big.



Another thing... mizer likes to use as many spl parts as they can, so you have to pay there inflated price for parts... My Norwood Lumbermate uses std. berring ect., that if ever needed, i can buy local...

The Lumbermate is still the best full size manual band mill you can buy for the least money spent... And it saws out just as accurate of lumber as the high priced spread...

Rob


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## Jwoods (Feb 18, 2008)

I've seen the Norwood, and think they're a pretty slick machine. I have a TA Schmid, which has changed ownership, but was located in NY when I bought 5 years ago. -The mill is very simple, very accurate, and worth the money that I paid. -manual mill wiht 13 h.p.

I bought mine for house trim and cabinet lumber, which is finished. I'm currently sawing for my pole barn.

Joe


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## GeeVee (Feb 18, 2008)

poleframer said:


> I think it all comes down to- how much do you got to spend? Do you expect a monitary return on your investment?
> Sounds like you want to build with your milled wood. I do, and like the warm fuzzys I get from building something from tree-to-roof, but its some expensive lumber, let me tell you.
> Russell



I question this statement. 

No offense, but tools don't cost, they pay.


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## zopi (Feb 18, 2008)

GeeVee said:


> I question this statement.
> 
> No offense, but tools don't cost, they pay.



GOOD tools...if you use them...i've got some tools that cost...but I've got them...:greenchainsaw: 

OTOH...i've picked up enough good free stuff to thin out what i owe on stuff I don't get to use much..and I will retire the first time in a few years..


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## woodshop (Feb 18, 2008)

I see tools, especially expensive ones like big chainsaws and mills, as an investment in my future. Some take much longer to pay for themselves than others. Some, like that log wizard I just got, mainly save me time and allow me to get a little more lumber from my logs. Tough to put an exact price tag on time, but at this point in my life, time is very important. Eventually most tools will pay for themselves, it just takes longer for some than others.


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## Jwoods (Feb 19, 2008)

.........an investment most definitely!

It depends on the individual situation. The major is access to trees and their cost (if any), as well as their respective value$$. 

Cutting down high-quality red-oak to make framing lumber might not be such a good ROI, when 4/4 lumber produced from the same logs can be sold and use that money to buy pine. 

A lot of variables to sort through......As for myself, I have timber acreage, and have most definitely paid for my mill many times over.

Owning a mill doesn't mean you'll save money on lumber any more than owning a ford escort means you'll save money on gas. One guy drives 500 miles a week vs. 10 miles a week. -it all depends on the situation. 

Eyes wide open at the start of the "business" plan.

Joe


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## huntsman (Feb 21, 2008)

I have a Norwood Lumbermate and am very satisfied. I feel that I have the best bang for my buck in a small manual mill. 23hp Briggs and very accurate sawing. I especially like the trailer package which allows me to roll out of the barn and have the mill set up at ground level on a pair of level beams set in the ground in 10 minutes. I don't think you can do that with any other mill. Easier to load logs when you don't have to lift so high and also easier to work the mill. If you need hydraulics and a heavier mill to transport then there are several great alternatives with Woodmizer, Timberking, etc. You will have to assemble a Norwood but this is not in my opinion a negative as the directions weren't printed in China and the fit is excellent. You will also know your mill better. Milling for yourself can be addictive


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## NW-Hardwood (Feb 21, 2008)

*the most bandsaw for the money...I think anyway*

go to logmanster.com and take a look at there LM1 for $4155.00. I was there a few weeks ago picking um my LM4 and was impressed with the LM1 it's capabilities and price. BIG Bandwheels!! If you add a trailer your up to just over 6k


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## woodshop (Feb 22, 2008)

Nice looking board there LM-Hardwood... is that doug fir?


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## NW-Hardwood (Feb 22, 2008)

woodshop said:


> Nice looking board there LM-Hardwood... is that doug fir?




Cedar slab 28 inches x 2inches x15 ft....now what do I so with it?? Any suggestions??


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## woodshop (Feb 22, 2008)

NW-Hardwood said:


> Cedar slab 28 inches x 2inches x15 ft....now what do I so with it?? Any suggestions??



SURE... dead stack those boards together with steel strap and freight it to ME!!


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## zopi (Feb 23, 2008)

woodshop said:


> SURE... dead stack those boards together with steel strap and freight it to ME!!



No lie...several hundred bddft of that would look good on several of my walls...:greenchainsaw:


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## big daddio (Feb 23, 2008)

nice lookin' cedar. looks like you're getting hold of some good logs. like your setup too. do ya throw your slabs [or cut-offs] and scrap on the skidsteer and keep them hauled off? nice sawing site, hope you had some offbearing help so you could lay into sawing.


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## NW-Hardwood (Feb 23, 2008)

big daddio said:


> nice lookin' cedar. looks like you're getting hold of some good logs. like your setup too. do ya throw your slabs [or cut-offs] and scrap on the skidsteer and keep them hauled off? nice sawing site, hope you had some offbearing help so you could lay into sawing.




Yup...don't find them like this often....really tested the LM4 to the max! I have worked out a system to through the cuttings off the log using the mills hydraulics then onto the Skid's forks....a real labor savings for sure. My son (in the picture) is getting out of the army in 5 weeks and I will be relegated to helping him build the business.....Yes!!! in a worm and comfy office...at least most of the time. I am enjoying running the mill though....had to finish a job he took while on leave....then the jobs just kept coming.


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## infomet (Feb 24, 2008)

I have hired a Woodmizer hydraulic mill for 30,000+ BF of all sorts of work. They are good, but I second the special parts part...helped the guy with his electronics a couple times.

I also prefer the four post design. The cantilever works, but I've seen it give when the blade pulls up or down, and the linear bearings are pretty sophisticated.

Power feed and log lift are great, IF you are in a hurry or can't handle the stuff any other way. For modest quantities on your place and a little outside work, manual is the way to go.


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## redprospector (Feb 24, 2008)

infomet said:


> I have hired a Woodmizer hydraulic mill for 30,000+ BF of all sorts of work. They are good, but I second the special parts part...helped the guy with his electronics a couple times.
> 
> I also prefer the four post design. The cantilever works, but I've seen it give when the blade pulls up or down, and the linear bearings are pretty sophisticated.
> 
> Power feed and log lift are great, IF you are in a hurry or can't handle the stuff any other way. For modest quantities on your place and a little outside work, manual is the way to go.



In my opinion, power feed is a must (but that's just my opinion). They aren't that hard to design & install on most mill's I've seen, and are well worth the effort and little expense no matter if your making a living with it, or cutting in the back yard. 
If you don't have a log lift or tractor to load logs on a trailered mill, at the verry least get a small winch and a good set of ramps.
Work smarter, not harder. Your body will thank you when you start getting long in the tooth.

Andy


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## zopi (Feb 25, 2008)

the rope crank feed on the Lt15 is pretty good..it really only wears on me when
cutting wider than 20 inches or so...

:greenchainsaw: 

sawmilling keeps me out of the gym...


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## big daddio (Feb 25, 2008)

i've had to adjust the cantilever on my wm once since got it. got close to 400 hrs on it [it was sawin' when it was runnin']. course, it's been babied and not towed that much. like somebody else said the cantilever is good for skinnin' those oversize logs. like that powerfeed too. it was worth the extra cost when you know you're not as young as you used to be. would have loved to have the log lifter, but have rigged an electric winch to roll them up with.


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