Norwood Portamill

[VTWoodChucker]

Anybody tried on eof the NorwoodPortamill's?

http://www.youtube.com/user/NorwoodSawmills#p/u/3/nx5HrPqS_fw

Looking for some feedback. It's a $1,000 which is about $1,500 less than a Hud-Son bandsaw mill. Tryin' to decide

 

[mikeb1079]

It's a $1,000 which is about $1,500 less than a Hud-Son bandsaw mill. Tryin' to decide

yeah but the bandsaw mill comes with an engine, which the norwood doesn't. i'm sure the norwood is a nice machine but it's still a chainsaw mill. there's really no comparison between a bandsaw mill and a chainsaw mill. don't get me wrong, i love chainsaw milling but it's slow, noisy, and wasteful. just save up a little longer and get an entry level bandsaw mill. i doubt you'll regret it. you'll still need your chainsaw anyways so it won't go to waste.

 

[TraditionalTool]

yeah but the bandsaw mill comes with an engine, which the norwood doesn't. i'm sure the norwood is a nice machine but it's still a chainsaw mill. there's really no comparison between a bandsaw mill and a chainsaw mill. don't get me wrong, i love chainsaw milling but it's slow, noisy, and wasteful. just save up a little longer and get an entry level bandsaw mill. i doubt you'll regret it. you'll still need your chainsaw anyways so it won't go to waste.

Couldn't agree more, but it's amazing how much time and money people will throw at Chainsaw Mills.

I think it gets down to whatever floats your boat.

 

[mikeb1079]

it's amazing how much time and money people will throw at Chainsaw Mills.

i was one of those guys! it's also amazing how fast you forget about your csm when you get your bsm!

 

[hamish]

I only ever use my csm to get the logs i cant handle onto my bsm. I went through a similar deciding factor, new 3120 chainsaw,28" alaskan mill etc....vs the cost of a complete bsm

Not much difference in cost, and I already own chainsaws, and bsm are so much less wastefull and effective.

The natural stepping stone is have a chainsaw, use it alot, luv it, think about csms, get one, learn and enjoy, then get a bsm..........or have lots of saws, used csm's in the past and hated them, jump on a bsm then realize csm still have there rightful place.

Either one they are a hoot!

 

[TraditionalTool]

i was one of those guys! it's also amazing how fast you forget about your csm when you get your bsm!

I can't speak to that, since I have only used a chainsaw mill once, and didn't like it. I'm not a great judge, as I am not very fond of chainsaws in general, they are loud, dirty, and oil gets all over everything.

I only ever use my csm to get the logs i cant handle onto my bsm.

That's a darn good reason. For those logs that are so large that you can't cut them on a typical BSM, it's handy to be able to slab those monsters up with a chainsaw mill. The bars, chain, and even chainsaws to power that do get up in cost.

Most people have a hard time handling logs over 32", so the band saw mill is way more practical for the largest amount of people.

You can still mill up wood to build a home with, even with a chainsaw mill. Although I notice that most people that use a chainsaw mill pretty much cut 2" slabs most of the time, some will do 4/4, but that's a real waste and test of patience, IMO. Beams are much easier on a bsm, and I rarely see people cutting them with chainsaw mills, although some do with the mini-mill setups.

Also, oil is the last thing I want on the wood I'm working with, but that is just my preference. I know it doesn't get on the wood too often if you keep cutting, but it's filthy when it does, and doesn't just wipe out of wood.:msp_rolleyes:

 

[thechknhwk]

Either that or you just skip step 2 like I did:cool2: