Mini mill question/comparison

[MervMaster]

I've been milling bit lately, and I find myself restricted a little by only having an Alaskan mill.

in looking for mini mills, it seems like the only options are the granberg mini and the haddon lumbermaker, and assorted copies of the two.

I like granbergs products, but don't want to be limited by the little rails required to run the mill. On the other side of the coin, I can't help but think that the haddon must have quite a bit of play in its action, since it relies on dimensional lumber, which can be imperfect.

I know cs milling isn't an exact science, but I'd like to get as close to perfect as I can, and the reviews of these products seem vague.

Can anyone offer a clear review of the haddon, or their opinion of its ability to mill true at 90°?


Thanks so much.

 

[treesmith]

What do you mean by little rails? Width goes up to 56" or more

 

[mdavlee]

You can adjust the Haddon to fit onto a piece of channel iron or something like that if you want. It will make pretty good boards but you have to be careful when you're making the fist cuts until it's laying on a flat side.

 

[MervMaster]

The little rails required for the mini. I'm fully satisfied with my Alaskan.

 

[hamish]

You can get additional rails for the mini mill. The two foot sections are handy, as they can be used as required. Squaring the rails is a user operation. Works well for making cants, dimensional lumber there are much better options, and the Haddon isn't one of them.

 

[MervMaster]

You can get additional rails for the mini mill. The two foot sections are handy, as they can be used as required. Squaring the rails is a user operation. Works well for making cants, dimensional lumber there are much better options, and the Haddon isn't one of them.

What would you suggest, then? I don't need to make dimensional necessarily. I just want to get off to a good start.