Bandsaw mills

[Keener]

Anyone out there with a woodmizer mill ?
I would like to know how many hours on your mill and what kind of reliability you have experienced.
Even if you don't own one perhaps you know of someone elses experience with one regarding reliability over the long haul.

 

[Newfie]

I just got an LT40G25 in November, so I can't speak to long term reliablity, although their reputation speaks volumes. As a company from sales to delivery and training they are absolutely outstanding.

There is some sort of Forestry kind of forum(wink,wink) where there are tons of bandmill guys with lots of hours. About 40 hours on my mill and I haven't been able to break anything yet and it doesn't seem to require endless hours of adjustment and maintainence. Makes some sweet lumber,easily used as is without planing for exterior projects. Beats the bejezzus out of the old chainsaw mill.

 

[Pacific]

A friend of mine has a Woodmizer mill I think it has close to 3000 hours on it well used and abused but it still cuts wood good. I think Woodmizer is the best mill you can get there are quite a few out there now.

If I was going to buy a mill it would be a Woodmizer its proven performer I know my friends mill has cut many logging truck loads of wood.

 

[Keener]

Newfie, what optional equipment did you get when you got the mill. What do you think are the essentials?

Pacific, I seem to recall you are on the Gulf Islands, I'm on the big island north of Victoria. Does your friend cut mostly cedar, fir or other?
How much per meter does a guy have to pay for decent fir and cedar and can you even get cedar without powder worm around here?

 

[Pacific]

I'am on the Sunshine Coast

He mostly cuts cedar because there is so much demand for it with all the new house construction that is going on here. I don't know what he buys the wood for I never asked I usually haul the finished product to the customer or I'am hauling wood for him.

I don't know how many Woodmizers on the coast now there must be atleast 5 of them then there are other brand sawmills mostly band.

My dad used to have a mobile dimensional the ones made in Oregon he sold it a few years ago after he built the house. The forestry was a real pain in the azz trying to pinch him for stolen logs that he didn't have.

The mobiles were good for cutting large beams and dimensional lumber like 2x4s 2x6s etc you couldn't cut finished cedar like the bandmills can. The blades on the mobile cut a heavy kerf it creates mounds and mounds of sawdust.

The money is in cutting cedar cutting fir or hemlock isn't as profitable the big seller is 10" cedar bevel or 1x8 and 1x10s for board and batten siding. Some of the cedar loads I have hauled are pretty expensive value wise a 1.5 ton truck load of cedar siding is alot of $$$$

 

[Newfie]

"what optional equipment did you get when you got the mill. What do you think are the essentials?"


In my opinion the power feed on the saw head is indispensable, no pushing involved. (standard equipment on LT40 I believe) Other than that, the debarker is a real nice addition and worth the extra bucks. I also got the log deck package which includes toeboards,to accomodate log taper, and the winch/log turner. The manual toeboards work well.

I have a Kubota to load the logs so the winch hasn't seen any use but it was part of the deal. I haven't used the manual log turner(it works in combo with the winch mechanism) as I've found it easiest just to rotate the log with the cant hook.(also included)

My mill came standard w/ 25hp kohler gas and it seems pretty straightforward. On eof the setworks packages would probably be nice but it seemed like an awful lot of extra money to spend just so I wouldn't have to do some simple math.

 

[Bill G]

In this area you cannot swing a dead cat without hitting a portable mill. You may laugh but I am dead serious. Within a 50 mile radius there is a huge number. As for lifespan that all has to do with how well you take care of it. In my opinion the weakest point would be the engine. A neighbor had a old LT40 that never saw a shed and had little care. I really do not know how many hours he had on it but probably around 1500. When he wanted to watch football instead of work he decided to sell it. We bought his dry kiln and he offered me the mill at $18,000 which is more than he paid for it. I was thinking $8000 he was at $18,000. Well it is true a sucker is born every minute and he sold it.

Bill

 

[Keener]

Newfie,

How are you doing with the mill?
We bought a used Woodmizer about one month ago and are in the steep part of the learning curve.
At this point with the little I have learned I think it might take quite a while to become proficient.
Do you sharpen ypur own bands?

 

[Newfie]

Hey Keener,

Probably about the same as you, still in the steep part of the curve. The mill has sat idle for about 2 1/2 months except for one log. Holidays, January too cold & windy, February harvesting firewood.

Have to say that once you figure out what you are doing, you quickly can figure out how to avoid the beginners mistakes and get incredible yields. I needed some 2 x4's for a project just after Christmas so I pulled 3 logs out of the pile to mill up. Managed to easily get all 24 2 by's out of one 17" log!! I hate it when the by product of cutting 6 x 6 timbers is 4 or 5 1 x 6's.

It's mud season now so I'll probably finish splitting the firewood and then start milling the lumber for my new equipment barn.

As for sharpening I haven't used enough blades to need to worry about sharpening yet, but I plan on using their resharp program. The cost seems right and the turn around time as well.

 

[Newfie]

Keener,

Forgot to ask, what model did you get? What kind of options does it have?

 

[Timberjackboy]

hey

Wood mizers rule and are the fastet mill in my opinion on the market.

 

[Keener]

Newfie,

We bought the LT 40 HDG (not to sure on the last 3 letters) it is fully hydraulic.
Log lift, toe boards, ect.
We are doing our own sharpening as we got the grinder and setter with it.
That is a steep learning curve as well.

 

[Newfie]

Sounds like a cool setup,Keener. I think at this point hydraulics would just help me make more cutting mistakes quickly. That's cool that you have the sharpening (and setting) rig also. I couldn't see spending the extra 2 grand. If I was sawing full time, maybe. Don't get discouraged it'll get better.

 

[scottr]

Sawmills and Sharpening

You guys might want to check out this magazine. www.sawmillmag.com

 

[Newfie]

Yeah, I've been subscribing to that magazine for 7 or 8 years (maybe even longer), ever since I first saw a woodmizer. I found last months review of snowmobiles almost as helpful as their woodworking tips on working with glue. I don't find it nearly as useful as it used to be. A journal that has lost its way in the woods.

Thanks for trying to be helpful though.

 

[Ryan Willock]

I get that mag, its a good read.

 

[Ryan Willock]

Forgot to mention, I've got to go to WoodMizer's headquarters next we to pick up my LT40Super Hydrolic

 

[spencerhenry]

woodmizer wavy cuts

i have a woodmizer lt40 super with the diesel. have been haveing problems getting flat cuts. i some really crappy logs with streaks of rot, but also some good ones. used to be i could cut small stuff (8-10") with no problem, now i am having problems all the time. whenever i hit a knot even small ones (3/4") i get a small wave. adjusted the rollers, replaced the blade wheel belts, tighten the drive belt, put on a brand new blade (9s wm). cut one piece ok, second wavy cut, maybe 1/32 +-. not bad but not perfect. am cutting dry dead engelman spruce, logs up to 36" but usually around 20" any ideas. tried to call tim cook but it was too late today. woodmizer guys have never milled this species. some tell me to use 13 .055 1.5, next guy tells me to use a 4 .045 1.25

 

[Keener]

Sorry to take forever to reply but I had to become more educated before even guessing what the problem might be with the knots.
Just recently I had a timber framer tell me that it has been his experience that it is very difficult to cut a straight line in a species such as spruce or Western Red Cedar because the knots are so much harder than the surrounding wood. A bit like hitting an embedded rock. The band hits the knot and because there is so little support in the surrounding wood the band flexes.
In cedar slowing the feed a little for the knots seems to help.

 

[spencerhenry]

thanks for the reply. that is what everbody seems to be telling me. if that is true, no hook angle will work perfectly, 13 for the soft part is no good in the knots, a 4 is better for the knots(?), but not as good for the rest of the log.(?) but if the wood is too soft to "hold" the blade, then it stands to reason that a more rigid blade should help. like a .055, 1.5" blade. i have those sizes in 13 and 4. will try a test on my next big logs and see what happens. used up all of my logs and wont get any for a while. i like cutting lodgepole pine, and doug fir better, but generally the customers want engleman spruce. it is nice wood. personally i think the lodgepole is better, it has alot more color, tighter grain, and mills better.
thanks for the info
sam