What's the scoop on this sawmill?

[Duane Broussard]

Hello all... new to the forum. I have a brother who is wanting to go in half on the purchase of a sawmill. He has suggested the Cook MP-24 Hobby Sawmill. Has anyone heard anything about this mill or maybe have one? I'd really like to find some feedback on this machine before purchasing one. On that note, what would be a great mill to go with at the $3000.00 to $4000.00 range? We're just looking to cut coral boards and wood for furniture. Post up to 8"x8"x 10' would probably be the largest piece... maybe longer.
Thanks in advance,
Duane

 

[dustytools]

You might also want to look at the Norwood Lumberlite 24 at www.norwoodindustries.com Im not a bandmiller but you hear lots of good stuff about Norwoods products. I think that they are in your price range too. Good luck.

 

[MJR]

Going in on half’s makes me nervous. I have a LL24 and it works well for me. The cost is under $3000. I am a one man show with little support equipment. This makes me work slow which is well suited for this mill. If you plan on two men working the mill you will want a larger mill. The Lumbermate is a much better mill. Get the most HP you can afford. There are some people on this site that I swear have NORWOOD tattooed on their back side but, there are a lot of good mills out there and some junk(Hudson). I strongly recommend demoing any mill before you buy. You should also start doing some research on bands. They are a hidden cost no one likes to talk about. Lenox seems to work well for me. Good luck.

 

[Duane Broussard]

Hey thanks MJR... I'm looking at the Woodmizer LT10 now. But since I don't really know the details of any sawmill, I really don't know what's bad and what's good. The woodmizer interesting to me because the person I have had all my wood cut uses a larger scale Woodmizer. So, the most HP you can affort is better huh? I'll keep that in mind on the options.

 

[EPA]

Hi Duane: Just thought I would add a little info on the Band Blade cost--I run a Norwood LM200-use Norwood or Woodmizer Blades ave cost NW=$24,WM+$20 ea I get about 400BF before sharpening and about 300+ between 8 sharpinings @ $6.00 ea so say$22.00 + 8x $6.00 per sharpen = $70.00 for 2800 BF == $.025 /bf blade cost ( now I sharpen my own so cost is act.$22.00/2800= $.006 /BF MOL. a little over 1/2 cent per BF JP

 

[redprospector]

Good blade's don't cost, they pay.
I use Timberwolf by Suffolk Machinery.

Andy

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Duane, not far up the road from you in Nacogdoches, LogMaster builds a small rig like your talking about. Might be worth a ride up to look in person. Then you can see first hand about the mill, the bands and just what it really costs to deal with them. My own opinion is these mills do not have nearly enough track deck under them, and that is the main reason they are cheaper.

Rodney

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've sawn on quite a few of the small mills.. and between the Mizer LT10, and the Norwood LL24, i'd pick the LL24 without question... The LL24 so far is the best small mill i've used in that class, but i have NOT sawn on the Cooks model...

BUT, if i could somehow pony up the difference, i'd choose the Norwood Lumbermate 2000 over any other mill i've sawn on in that class or below, and they are a lot better sawmill than the small starter mills are, as they should be...

The LM2000 is still the most full size sawmill you can buy for the least amount of $$ that actually works as advertised...

Rob

 

[zopi]

As much as i love my 'mizer, I have to agree with Rob...in the ultralight class,
the norwood is probably more cost effective...

i do second the sentiment that for the $$ you have to spend..the LM-2000 is the far better buy...penny wise pound foolish if you will..

bigger, stiffer, and the most power you can afford.

But, I am sticking by my LT-15...Gods but I love that mill...:greenchainsaw:

 

[MJR]

LT15 is a great mill. It is a time proven machine. The LT10 well, I did not care for it. Go to the WM dealer and look at them side by side. You will quickly see what I mean. You get what you pay for. If you are handy most places will let you buy just the cutting head and you have to manufacture the track assembly. Shipping costs are a killer these days.

Blades are my on going personal thing. I rotate 10 blades at a time to be sharpened. I am no where near EPA’s level of break down cost. I swear if I am milling Norway spruce I can run the same blade till my arms don’t work. Throw a dried ash log on the mill, well. And then there is hitting metal. I never thought I would be a proud owner of a metal detector.

20 blades will run you around $400 which is about 13% of a $3000 mill.

I am pushing the cost of the blades because I under estimated their cost when I started out. The mill is only as good as the bladed on it.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

LT15 is a great mill. It is a time proven machine. The LT10 well, I did not care for it. Go to the WM dealer and look at them side by side. You will quickly see what I mean. You get what you pay for. If you are handy most places will let you buy just the cutting head and you have to manufacture the track assembly. Shipping costs are a killer these days.

Blades are my on going personal thing. I rotate 10 blades at a time to be sharpened. I am no where near EPA’s level of break down cost. I swear if I am milling Norway spruce I can run the same blade till my arms don’t work. Throw a dried ash log on the mill, well. And then there is hitting metal. I never thought I would be a proud owner of a metal detector.

20 blades will run you around $400 which is about 13% of a $3000 mill.

I am pushing the cost of the blades because I under estimated their cost when I started out. The mill is only as good as the bladed on it.

Norwood invented this class of machine, and everyone has been playing catch up ever since...

Having said that, i agree that the Mizer 15 is a not a good sawmill, it's a GREAT sawmill, but i won't say the same for there 10. The 10 is certainly better that some of the mills i've looked at though.

I CAN understand why guys buy the mizers 10 and 15, but for myself, i had to buy what i believed was the most quality in a full sized mill for the least $$, and Norwood is it.

As for bands: Some guys buy the cheapest band available, and run them untill their "dead" and throw them away... I've seen guys sharpen them "free hand" with a dremel... And there's guys that take them in for sharpening, but for me, it was an invesrment that i figured would last as long as i owned my mill, and if i got out of sawmilling, then the next guy would buy my sharpener/setter too. It was a long term investment.

I bought my first Lumbermate in 1996, and i ordered the sharpener/setter along with the mill... Here it is 2008, and i've replaced the origional mill a few years ago, but i'm still using the same sharpener/setter.

Same thing with my chain saw sharpener... I bought it many years ago, and several chainsaws later, i'm still using the same sharpener.

As for logs that are dry... Ever see sparks come off the chain when your bucking them??? I have... and it's hard on bands too... I really put the water to them and hope for the best.

Most important of all, if you want the most from your bands, don't run them past the point you know they aren't sawing there best! If you keep going, it really shortens there life.

Rob

 

[Duane Broussard]

EPA, That's quite the figuring you did for me there. Many, many thanks!

Rodney, I'll have to check out Nacogdoches on your LogMaster reference. Thanks!

To the rest of your guys... your info is like gold to me right now. One tends to follow what other have already experienced on what's best out there. And if the majority of you guys believe more in the Norwood for the "Lite" mill, than Norwood is probably what I should be looking more into.

How important is the track size and "beef" on these smaller mills? And I assume that Norwood's LL24 is "beefy" enough? And if I were to go with Norwood, I assume their bands would be sufficient quality to run with??
Again, thanks to all in advance... I appreciate the info more than you know.
Duane

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Duane, I go more like MJR on this band thing. Always look at what people don't tell you. EPA gives a good run down, like Rob does. But what they leave out is the price of the setter and sharpener. And in EPA case, the shipping cost both ways plus the week or so turnaround. And that is what makes the difference. If you take a ride up and look at the LogMaster, you can see all of this for yourself.

If you are looking at the LL24 NorWood, I think I saw on thier web site that they have a dealer up in LeesVille now. But the track deck is still way too lite for flippin 1000 Lbs or so logs on and hold up. It's kind of like down where you live with boats. How many people have you seen spend 15,000 - 18,000 for a boat and then put it on a 200 dollar trailer? Or that cheap bat and get 20 miles out in the Gulf and the motor not start? The deck is very important.

I'm not trying to talk you out of anything, just want to let you know about some of this stuff so you can look and not be caught with your pants down. Like MJR said, do your home work and save time and money.

Hope this helps
Rodney

 

[Duane Broussard]

Thanks Rodney... I would like to see this LogMaster. I'll try to make a trip there.
Yes, I did see on Norwood's site that their is an outlet in Leesville. Of course that would be my site. If I were to buy, I'd just make the trip there to pick it up.
Seems like you could add a bit more stability to the track yourself by maybe attaching it to some heavy duty angle iron or something. No? Would it still have a problem "holding" the log with its clamps anyway?
And this "setter" and "sharpener". Can you explain some detail on this rig for me?
I certainly believe in "doing my homework" before purchasing. As you can tell... al the questions I'm asking.

Thanks!

 

[EPA]

Hi Duane: Its me again / No dought we all have are favorets // Trucks, saws,tractors etc.-so the best for you is to get as moch info (and as little BS) as you can// I am a "Norwood man" but if you want to give me a WM LT50 I would be glad to use it// I think for the $ the LM2000 is best // the LT 24 is a nice little mill and as you can see in the picture you can set it on about anysize stuff you can and want to get // the 2000 can saw about as big a log as I want to handle //

Here is the 24 being run by sawyer rob--mtd on 4x6s they could be 12 x12s

Here is a 32" x 16' Pine going on My LM2000

 

[MJR]

How important is the track size and "beef" on these smaller mills? And I assume that Norwood's LL24 is "beefy" enough? And if I were to go with Norwood, I assume their bands would be sufficient quality to run with??
Again, thanks to all in advance... I appreciate the info more than you know.


The LL24 is not a strong mill. None of the entry level/hobby mills are made to take a beating. I have bent bunks on mine. Norwood has sent replacements with no questions asked (great warranty). The mill is $ cheap because of the amount of steel it has. You get what you pay for. You can beef the track up. It will never be a production/high volume mill. It can and does produce lumber of the same quality as mills 10X its’ cost. It does it a whole lot slower. The thing with Norwood (I about to say it) you have to put the mill together. You are buying a kit. There have been people out there who have had problems doing this. I had some quality issues with mine but the directions were very straight forward. It was an excellent example of good technical writing.

The Norwood blades are excellent. I have seen no difference between them and Lenox Wood Master Blades. The Lenox blades are $7 cheaper. The main reason I run the Lenox blades is U-Cut sells them (which is a few miles from my house). They also sharpen them for me and put up with all my questions. Trust me; with any manual mill you will feel when the blade gets dull. It is when you just try to push a little harder to get that extra board is when you start having problems. Change the blade when it gets dull and not some magical board/foot number and you will have few problems. There is no reason why Lenox or Norwood blades can’t last eight sharpenings.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

But what they leave out is the price of the setter and sharpener.

Actually, i didn't list "any prices" in my post, because i don't know what the current prices are...

I did address the sharpener/setter in stating that some do it free hand, and also that it's an "investment"...with resale... just like the mill... You use it for your own use, and if you sell the mill, the sharpener/setter has resale too. It's not a total loss.

Rob

 

[Rodney Sinclair]

Seems like you could add a bit more stability to the track yourself by maybe attaching it to some heavy duty angle iron or something.

Sure you can. This was the point I was trying to make. Though I would think maybe 6" channel or maybe 2"x6" tube steel. Look at the pictures above and notice on the LL24 that there is no eazy way set up to level the mill. Also remember you have to clean out under the deck ever now and then. By the time you add all this stuff that is left off, it just might be cheaper to get the better saw to start with.

I'm not pushing the LogMaster or anything like that. I run a TimberKing 1220 myself. Just letting you know that you can see a mill in this class close by. They also sell the sharpener an setter for somewhere around $2,000. Cook's has the Cat Claw sharpener for around $3500, and NorWood for around $1000. So you can see why the question is dodged so much. What I did was shape a 100 grit stone and build a jig for a radial arm saw. Cost? About $35.

By the way, I also have the Logosol M7 chainsaw mill that I sharpen the chain with a $1.00 file. I take a lot of heat about that here, but the truth is , either saw will do more than I want to in a days time.

Hope This helps
Rodney

 

[Duane Broussard]

EPA - That is FREAKIN NICE! I can't see in the pics of the LL24 how the post is being held in place. I mean I assume its engineered good... just can't see it. I appreciate the pictures EPA.

MJR - I appreciate your advice. The small mill may work fine for me now. I am not into "production line" type of milling, but will only be utiliziing on occassion and on an "as needed" basis. The Norwood looks great for this purpose. And I will certainly consider the bands you all are recommending, along with keeping them sharp. Oh... and putting a kit together is no problem to me... as long as the company doesn't leave something out, leaving me scratching my head.

Rodney - Had no idea that the sharpeners where at that cost. May have to send mine in for sharpening as needed. Other millers around me have to sharpen theirs somehow. I'll just have to have a chat with them. I have a pretty good iron pile I could draw from in fabbing a sound foundation if necessary. I have no doubt I could figure something out on that end.

 

[zopi]

WM sharpener and setter is around $1000