Buying a mill!! Some questions.

[Typhoon]

Hello sawyers! Well just a few weeks ago I cut down some ash trees so that I could have them milled into lumber to finish my basement walls with. In just a few weeks, that turned into my dad and I deciding to invest in a mill and have some fun! I have always wanted a mill, but the timing was just never right. Now dad is retiring, and I have saved a few bucks so we are going for it. I was hoping to get some feedback from those of you who have alot of experience. So here goes. We have looked at several mills, and we really like the Norwood Lumbermate 2000 with the 13hp Honda engine. It seems like it would fit our needs. We are not looking to make a fortune doing this, but more to have fun and maybe make a few extra bucks on the side. So far, it looks like the Norwood Goldline Premium blades would be the best choice for blades.. but this is just from reading. Are these a good choice? We plan on sticking/stacking/drying our wood outside until it gets around 20%mc then sticking/stacking inside our garage to dry the rest of the way, with a dehumidifier and a fan. We are going to keep it simple. I have 45 acres of timber, and a lot of big oak and walnut trees down from the storm we recently had so we will have a good supply of logs for a while. My biggest questions are... what kind of sharpener should I get for my blades, and someone mentioned a "blade setter"?? Can someone point me in the direction to find these items to maintain the blades? How does this all sound? Am I on the right track or way off? Thanks in advance!!
-Brad

 

[MotorSeven]

Norwood is a great mill. I run a CSM, but have researched bands quite a bit. I would cough up the extra cash for a engine upgrade to the 20HP. Ash is a real hardwood, & the extra HP will make a huge difference, not only in time but in the quality of the cut. I think Norwood sells a band blade sharpener but unless you are doing alot of milling i am not sure it would pay for itself...it's not cheap.

RD

 

[Wismer]

I have an LM 2000 with the standard 13 horse honda. The motor is bulletproof 1.5 years old already and still starts on first of second pull even in the winter. I have milled mostly white pine so far but have experimented with white ash, oak and hard maple and the 13 horse handled it quite well, Keep your blades sharp and "feel" for the cut and any size engine will suit you well. If you are not in hurry the 13 horse will do you fine.

Go with Norwood and don't look back. Very good customer service and the mill will hold it's value very well should you look at selling it down the road.

 

[Wismer]

White Ash

Maple

Maple - Product

 

[Typhoon]

Thanks so much for the info guys, and I enjoyed the pics wis... lemme ask you this.. how do you sharpen your blades? Because from what I am seeing so far, it seems that it would make the most sense to just invest in a Cook's cat claw sharpener. I know they are expensive but it looks like to me that in the long run, you would be saving a bunch of money and time. How does everyone keep their blades sharp? And do you use the Norwood blades? Thanks!

 

[mountainlake]

If your going to be cutting lots of white ash get as much power as you can. I have a Wright sharpener from Timberking around $2000 now that works great, At $10 per sharpening with shipping you'ld have tp sharpen 200 blades . If you use your mill a lot that shouldn't be a problem, I've sharpened well over a thousand by now. Also in tough wood like ash or frozen wood try a blade with 4* hook angle, makes a huge difference in cutting straight. It's real easy to change the hook angle with the Wright sharpener. Right now I'm cutting frozen red oak and my sharpened 4* blades cut way better than brand new 10* blades. Steve

 

[Wismer]

I have the setter and sharpener both made by Norwood. The sharpener is very easy to assemble and use while the setter is a little trickier to setup and takes a while to get the hang of setting all the teeth to the precise angle. I also use the Norwood blades. I had 21 but have broken a few, so roughly 8 around the mill and 8 in the shop being sharpened, then I switch them. It is nice to be able to go through a whole day of milling without have to sharpen blades, just keep switching them, then sharpen the bunch of them while the other bunch is in the field.

 

[EPA]

I have run the Norwood LM2000 for about 4+ years and find it does everything I want /// I sugest you go over to the Norwood site and check it out. I find it to be a supper source of milling info. lots of fun to: JP----EPA

 

[MJR]

I run Lenox blades on my little LL24 and see no difference than price from the Norwood blades. Norwood customer service is great. Last year I bent a bunk and a replacement was sent out no questions. A couple of weeks ago I bent a bunk and support brackets and they said they would send them out (I guess they are in the mail system). I didn’t think the mill was under warranty still, but it was. It came with a two year warranty (think about that). Demo several mills before you buy. There are some very good machines out there. I would stay a way from Hudson. Also, maybe put the blade sharpening off for a few months till you get some milling under your belt. From what I have experienced 95% of all milling problems are blade related. Norwood also supplies a how to book with their mills. This covers drying, types of milling, their shaping system, assembly, and problem solving. I am not sure if other manufactures do this. I found it very helpful. I can send mine to you if you promise to mail it back. It is a different mill than the one you are looking at but you can get a feel of the assemble directions. PM me with a address if your interested. How do you plan on moving your logs to the mill? Good luck to you