Scott, it looks like a well thought out mill. But.....having owned a very well thought out CSM(I could cut out to 28' w/an 066), I have to say just spar the work & energy and buy a good quality used band mill. CSM's are great as a portable unit. Once they become stationary or trailered, the benefits dimish.
Don't get me wrong, I love my chainsaws( I have 9), but when it comes to milling up a log, I also love my Woodmizer LT15.
RD
I already have the saw for the CSM.I have 100 ac of trees.....very few over 28"(logged in th elate 90's before I bought it).
That's 1K but you have to add the milling saw to the mix...another grand at least. If you are milling really big wood, yes a CSM is a cost effective system. It is however slow not only in milling but in prep....getting that milling chain sharp requires some attention to detail. For me, my sharpening technique was fine for cross cutting....not woth a hoot for milling. It's something I am still working on and have more to learn.
Do you have a way to move the logs around(tractor/loader etc)? I have a tractor w/pallet forks....it's a godsend. A portable CSM gets taken to the log, which is a big plus if you don't have heavy eqipment.
I paid 4,500 for a lighty used LT-15 last summer. Look around, a Norwood 2000 is a great mill....there are others. Check out the Forestryfourm, as they usually have some smaller mills in their classifides. The sawmill exchange has some decent deals from time to time.
RD
How much will those little guys lift?I have this little thing to help moving logs:
How much will those little guys lift?
I have this little guy, which lifts 6,000 lbs. He's been invaluable in regard to moving logs around. I just need a small bandmill and I'll be set.
IMO, a chainsaw mill is not worth bothering with if you have a means to lift logs. My $0.02...
Ah, that's why my mentor talked me out of one of those...my logs weigh about 3,000-4,000 lbs. The other factor is lifting them up 12 feet to stack. The forklift I got will lift 15 ft.It'll only lift about 1,500 lbs but it's been enough so far.
That's not really comparing apples to apples though, you can build a bandmill also...one of the big advantages of a CS mill is that they are the most portable, and in cases where you need to drag it to the log to mill, they can't be beat.I hear what y'all are saying about csm vs. bandmill but even a used small bandmill is almost 5 times as much as what I think I could build that csm for. I could cut alot of boards with that before I ever had $5,000 to drop on a bandmill.
Scott,I hear what y'all are saying about csm vs. bandmill but even a used small bandmill is almost 5 times as much as what I think I could build that csm for. I could cut alot of boards with that before I ever had $5,000 to drop on a bandmill.
I also bought the plans and built the mill I believe about 8 years ago. Built a shop, couple of sheds, 2 decks and in the process of cutting for a cabin. I have modified it several times, the carriage is totally different now. It is a little slow although the cutting is only about 20% of my time the rest is log & lumber handling and clean up. I have some pictures I will try to dig up.
I am satisfied with it as it has done everything I needed. It is a good starting point for a economical sawmill.
Jon
I had the metal shop where I bought my steel, cut all the steel to the right lengths. you pay a little extra maybe 25 cents a cut .Was worth it ,no grinding and all that cutting on my band saw.
nice if you have a flat area to do lay out...................can you weld a little ?
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