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Rodney Sinclair said:
Correct... my point there was that you can't just compare mills, you have to look at the total package, and the Ripsaw does fine with a $4-500 powerhead, where the Logosol mills need a saw/bar closer to $1000. Add the mill and saw together, and THEN compare costs. Even then, no doubt about it, the Ripsaw is indeed about $400 more than Big Mill. Total Ripsaw mill and saw will set you back $2100 or more depending on what saw you power it with. Big Mill with 395XP and 36"bar, about $1750. I jumped on the Logosol site and watched the videos though, and I gotta say the 10ft Ripsaw/aluminum guide bar system seems like a lot less hassle than the 9ft Logosol guide when it comes to setting up and breaking down. The Ripsaw guide bars (10 ft) weighs about 22lbs, and will pop on and off log with just two pins hammered into end of log. No screwing and unscrewing jigs.
When you're slicing slabs off the sides of a log, which requires turning that log and repositioning that guide several times, that issue would be important for me.
So what do you get for the $400 more a Ripsaw setup costs you over the Big Mill? Well, a little faster milling in hardwood, slightly smoother boards (debatable, going by my experience with my csm), and an extra board for every 6 or so milled from your log since you are using a band and not a chain. That last one, is not debatable. :biggrinbounce2: Weight... didn't find that on their website, but Ripsaw and powerhead with 10ft of guide bar is about 75lbs. It looks like the Big Mill with a 395XP/36 in bar would be in same ballpark, depends on how much their 9 ft guide system weighs. Along those lines though, another Ripsaw advantage would be the ability to mill longer than a 9ft log. As long as you keep attaching those Ripsaw 5ft guide bars end to end, you can mill that length log. Cost of operation... bar/ripping chain vs bandmill blades... again going by my own personal experience with my csm, its about even in the end, but my Ripsaw powerhead uses far less fuel/oil than my big saw.
Again... having never used or seen one in action, really can't say. Going by the website and what I've been told though, the Ripsaw system, although a bit more expensive, looks to be a little easier to set up and use, and takes less of your log when you mill. As Rodney says though, different ways to get to the same end result. Rough lumber for the woodshop!!
Rodney if I missed anything, let us know. I DO tend to be a bit biased towards what I have and use as we all do. That's true in my woodshop with all those toys also.
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