Rodney Sinclair said:
I'm new to this board but hardly new to milling, so I've got a few questions about post #3 above. #1 reason was about the "higher initial cost" of woodwookers mill over the ripsaw. If the woodworkers mill is 2995 plus shipping and the ripsaw is 2524 with shipping and you still got to buy the saw, how is the ripsaw cheaper?
#2 was about the 1/4" curf. To me this country was built on curfs like this from the circle type blades. No big problem.
#3 was about the $1000 saw over the $500 saw. You mean like the 395XP you use on the Alaskan to get the log down small enough to fit the ripsaw?
#4 was "portable or lightweight". I think it is if you take the Timberjig which is closer to the ripsaw, or take the guide system with the ripsaw to bring it up on par with the woodworkers mill.
#5 was putting the log up on the rack of the Logosol. Do you really think it's safer putting a log that big on those homemade stands you have pic of on the other thread? Also on the tape I've got from Logosol, they show you how to turn the mill over and put it on the log. Free tape by the way and the one from Ripsaw costs $10 if you don't buy the saw.
I too belive in calling it like I see it and don't mind rocking the boat.
Rodney
Rodney Sinclair, WELCOME to AS. You will find if you havn't already, that there are lots of ideas and lots of different opinions about milling and saws on this forum. I welcome all of them. Depending on what you are milling and under what conditions, there are really no absolutes, including what setup is best. If you are into milling as you say you are, then you know there are simply too many variables for absolutes. I'd also like to reiterate what I said in that post above. I have never seen (other than a video) nor talked to anybody that ever used a Logosol product, any of them. All I was doing in that post was relating my experience, limited as that may be, of when I looked around for the best system to fit MY specific needs. I chose the Ripsaw over the Logosol M7, which is the product I was refering to in that post, for the reasons I stated. I now realize I never specified the M7 in the post, just referred to “Logosol”. After reading through the Logosol website however, I find that my statements and comments still stand. I'd be glad to expound and respond to each of your questions.
#1… high initial cost… again, I was referring to the M7, not the Woodworkers mill. However, even if you want to compare Woodworker mill cost with a 395XP, about $3k, then its about the same as a Ripsaw with an 65cc range saw, which is all the power you need for the bandsaw. Csm type Logosol products needs a bigger more powerful saw than the Ripsaw which is a bandsaw.
#2 … larger kerf of csm… yes it is true that this country was “built on curfs like this from the circle type blades. No big problem.” as you say. Keep in mind though that that was couple hundred years ago when they used to burn vast acres of forest just so they could plant crops. I also own and use a csm, and understand that in many cases, the wider kerf is not a big deal.
However, at $7 a bd ft, every extra cherry board I slice from that log is an extra $50 worth of lumber. THAT starts adding up when you mill thousands of ft of lumber as I do.
#3 … again… the Ripsaw, being a bandsaw mill, requires only a $500 65cc saw. Put that 65cc saw on a csm (I’ve done it) and it will work, but VERY slow for the larger dia stuff, and it was hard on that saw. A csm needs a larger saw like the 395XP I bought for my Alaskan mill.
#4 … more portable… I was comparing the Ripsaw to the M7, not the woodworkers mill. However, even comparing it to the Woodworkers mill, from what I see on their website, I still stand by my statement that the Ripsaw is more portable, and much easier and faster to setup and use from scratch out of the back of a truck.
#5 … safety… you asked me “Do you really think it's safer putting a log that big on those homemade stands you have pic of on the other thread?” As a matter of fact, yes I do. I’m a woodworker, and I tend to over engineer things. Those “home made stands” you refer too were designed and built to withstand far more than the weight of an 8ft log. I stand (no pun intended) by my work
. Actually, for logs over 24 inches dia I usually use the csm to trim them down to 14”cants while the log is on the ground, then use my jack to lift that cant up onto the horses for the Ripsaw. So I rarely have more than a 20 inch log up on those horses anyway. Bottom line though is, if I did, they would be safe. I have an indexed aluminum bar along the top of the horse where custom chocks fit, to keep that log from rolling.
If I havn't expounded enough Rodney, ask some more, I'd be glad to respond. I don't work for Ripsaw, nor have any affilitation with them. I did however give them some pics with permission to post on thier website which they did. I'm just a woodworker looking for the best bang for my buck as far as procuring lumber. The Ripsaw/csm mill system I use fits the bill for me. It certainly won't for everybody. If I had the space and more money, I'd own a larger bandmill, like an LT-15. I don't and I don't, so I use what I have for now.