Rangeroad sawmill

[muddstopper]

Sawmills - Range Road USA

ALL SAWMILL MODELS & SIZES IN STOCK RR5018 18″ Log Diameter 2 Post Frame 8.5Hp Rato engine Starting at $1605 RR5018 • Click Here for More Info RR5022 22″ Log Diameter Choice of 10Hp (301cc) Rato or Briggs & Stratton 10Hp engine. Starting at $2099 RR5022 • Click Here for More Info RR5026 26″...

range-road.com

Anybody have any experience with this brand of bandsaw mill?
I Have been planning on building a bandsaw mill for a few years now, just havent needed it yet so I havent gotten around to actually building anything. I have about decided for my intended use, building a saw mill is a lot of work and wont be cheap if done right. I dont have any future plans to keep milling after I get my house build, at least not for hire, so I am thinking about just buying a entry level mill and selling it when I get done. I have looked at the Northerntool, Harborfreight, Woodland mills and just about every other cheap brand out there and the range Road seems to give the most bank for the buck. All the other mills seems to be very limited to dia of wood that can be sawn, unless you want to pony up for a bigger saw. RangeRoad sells a saw with a 32in dia capacity for about the same money as those other mills that will only saw 24in or under. Of course the closet place I can find a RangeRoad mill is in Ohio, No dealers in the southeast. So before I pull the trigger, I would like a little feedback. And yes, I have checked out the Woodmizer, Timberking, Hudson, and a few other big brands. And If planned on staying in the sawmill business, I might consider the investment needed to step up to one of those brands. My plans are to get my house built and my shop and then sell the mill.

 

[muddstopper]

Kind of hard to believe nobody has seen or heard of the Range Road bandsaw mill.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I contacted the rangeroad dealer and he told me he would contact me with info to someone that had one of their saws so I could go see one in person. well, so far, I havent been contacted. I have a cousin with a Timberking, not sure the size, but it is all hydraulic with turners and log lifts and what ever bells and whistles it came with. I am going to visit and see just how it works. Except for the hydraulics, I suspect most brands all work close to the same way. I have also been doing a ton of research and have just about decided to just build my own. I use to fabricate every tool I needed, I might not be able to see as well or weld as well as I used to, but I can still figure out most of whats needed to build a sawmill. It aint rocket science. I have watched a ton of videos of homebuild saws and I can see a lot of ways to incorporate some of the good ideals some individual builders have added, I might not build a timberking or wood mizer, but there aint a nickels different in most of the others.

 

[muddstopper]

You have to call and tell the guy you will hold while he gets what you want

Not how I do business. If you say your going to send me some info, and then you dont, I move one. I will give him another day or two since it is a holiday. He could have plans or the person he was going to put me in contact with might not be avalable. I aint in that big a hurry.

 

[rarefish383]

Hey Mud, my neighbor in WV has a Woodland Pro. Don’t know what size. He just got it before Covid broke out. He’s been cranking out some nice dimensional lumber. He’s a poor old country boy, so I know he didn’t drop a lot of coin on it. I gave him two Cherry logs a couple months ago. Can’t wait to see what they look like when he opens them up. I might have some pics of his.

 

[Sawdust Man]

If you can build a mill do it!
I've been running Woodmizers since 1990, and I recently used a Nortwood mill for a little bit, not very impressive....
Norwood is better than the cheapo China ones, but you could make a much better machine yourself.
I think you'd have to try pretty hard to build a mill as bad as the Chinese do!

 

[muddstopper]

So if your not in a hurry what is the beef?All the info and youtube videos is all the info you you could want and it’s a cheap mill from China.

And your problem is what exactly.
I stated I would give the guy a few days to get back to me. Which I have. in fact it has been nearly a full month, 20 days to be exact. More than enough time for the guy to get back to me. He hasnt yet. One reason I wanted to hear from the guy is their utube videos aint really all that good. Yea, you see a lot of sawing, but not much else. Their website is also not much help in the picture department. Price wise, it is competitive with other manufacturers, if you are comparing similar mills. At this point, I am much more interested in buying a mill than building one. Altho I assure you, I am more than capable of fabricating my own. Time isnt a big factor, but Rangeroad is supposed to have the model I am interested in in stock, ready for delivery. A lot of the other companies have long wait times. I can build a mill, but metal prices are thru the roof and if I decide to build, I will be building a much heavier mill than the Rangeroad, Woodland mills, Norwood, etc. The metal cost alone would be over $2000 and that aint counting the bandwheels, bearings, engine and what other options I might add. So, I certainly wont save a lot of money building my own. I already have checked on metal prices. I am still looking for a good used mill, I figure I can find one to do what I need and dont mind traveling some to pick one up. I wont buy a used one without seeing it run and I wont buy a new one without seeing it run either.

 

[mr58chevy]

Well, I contacted the rangeroad dealer and he told me he would contact me with info to someone that had one of their saws so I could go see one in person. well, so far, I havent been contacted. I have a cousin with a Timberking, not sure the size, but it is all hydraulic with turners and log lifts and what ever bells and whistles it came with. I am going to visit and see just how it works. Except for the hydraulics, I suspect most brands all work close to the same way. I have also been doing a ton of research and have just about decided to just build my own. I use to fabricate every tool I needed, I might not be able to see as well or weld as well as I used to, but I can still figure out most of whats needed to build a sawmill. It aint rocket science. I have watched a ton of videos of homebuild saws and I can see a lot of ways to incorporate some of the good ideals some individual builders have added, I might not build a timberking or wood mizer, but there aint a nickels different in most of the others.

i have the basic timberking and love it

 

[muddstopper]

If you can build a mill do it!
I've been running Woodmizers since 1990, and I recently used a Nortwood mill for a little bit, not very impressive....
Norwood is better than the cheapo China ones, but you could make a much better machine yourself.
I think you'd have to try pretty hard to build a mill as bad as the Chinese do!

My reason for wanting a mill is to build my house. I dont plan on staying in the sawmill business, and dont want the temptation, once the house is built so I dont feel I need a woodmizer quality mill. I do have a few minimum requirements for a mill. It must be able to saw 32in dia logs. I have already measured a bunch of trees and 32dbh isnt uncommon. Admittedly, a majority of logs wouldnt be as big, but If I wanted to chainsaw logs to make lumber, I would just get a chainsaw mill. The mill needs to be able to handle 16ft lenghts, 8ft, 10ft, 12ft, 14ft and 16ft are the most common sizes for framing material. I also want the mill on a trailer. My timber is scattered over 55acres and I prefer to pull the mill to the logs instead of having to skid the logs thru the dirt just to reach the mill.

Now for the wants, I want a saw that will pull itself thru a log, I have seen several homemade systems that are affordable to build and they seem to work really good. I also want a automatic height adjustment for the band height. Again, plenty of adaptations on utube that work good and wont break the bank to build. One other thing I want is a lap siding maker jig. These look very simple and I believe it is woodland mills that has a crank system made into their saw head to change the blade angle instead of canting the log. I need to watch a few more of their videos to be double sure. Of course I dont have any build plans to go off of if I decide to build. I'll build the frame and then the carrage and go from there. Probably use 2x4 box tube, capped with angle for the track. Steel comes in 20 and 24 ft lenghts so that will be the length of the bed, make it 4ft wide and what fits between the roller guides will be what I can saw. Build a 4 post carriage, add motor and make sawdust.

 

[muddstopper]

i have the basic timberking and love it

Yea, my cousin likes his a lot to. I asked about buying, but I got a solid no.

 

[mr58chevy]

Sawmills - Range Road USA

ALL SAWMILL MODELS & SIZES IN STOCK RR5018 18″ Log Diameter 2 Post Frame 8.5Hp Rato engine Starting at $1605 RR5018 • Click Here for More Info RR5022 22″ Log Diameter Choice of 10Hp (301cc) Rato or Briggs & Stratton 10Hp engine. Starting at $2099 RR5022 • Click Here for More Info RR5026 26″...

range-road.com

Anybody have any experience with this brand of bandsaw mill?
I Have been planning on building a bandsaw mill for a few years now, just havent needed it yet so I havent gotten around to actually building anything. I have about decided for my intended use, building a saw mill is a lot of work and wont be cheap if done right. I dont have any future plans to keep milling after I get my house build, at least not for hire, so I am thinking about just buying a entry level mill and selling it when I get done. I have looked at the Northerntool, Harborfreight, Woodland mills and just about every other cheap brand out there and the range Road seems to give the most bank for the buck. All the other mills seems to be very limited to dia of wood that can be sawn, unless you want to pony up for a bigger saw. RangeRoad sells a saw with a 32in dia capacity for about the same money as those other mills that will only saw 24in or under. Of course the closet place I can find a RangeRoad mill is in Ohio, No dealers in the southeast. So before I pull the trigger, I would like a little feedback. And yes, I have checked out the Woodmizer, Timberking, Hudson, and a few other big brands. And If planned on staying in the sawmill business, I might consider the investment needed to step up to one of those brands. My plans are to get my house built and my shop and then sell the mill.

harbor frieght sells one think they are around 1000 bucks cheap to get and extra track would be easy to make for it

 

[muddstopper]

harbor frieght sells one think they are around 1000 bucks cheap to get and extra track would be easy to make for it

No thanks. I would have to build the extra track as well as a trailer, might as well start from scratch. Not even as a parts machine would I consider it. Engine is to small for large dia logs so would need and upgrade. Just not much there to interest me. A lot of people buy and saw with the Hf mill and I am sure it has it place, I just dont think it is for me.

 

[Sawdust Man]

The Norwood I used was all manual, (push feed crank up & down), in my opinion that was the least of it's shortcomings.
The hand crank was fast, precise, and surprisingly easy to move the head up.
I actually kind of liked the push feed as well, it's easier to "feel" how the saw is performing in the cut, plus no waiting for the saw to back up.
However, based on my bit of time with the Norwood Lumberman 27 mill, cheap mills are just that, cheap!
Wimpy everything, cheap bearings, bogus adjustments, un-usable log clamp, disfunctional blade tensioner, etc.....
If you are used to tools that just work good, then a cheap mill is sure to disappoint.
P.S. another thing about the cheap mills is that if you're handy, you will end up working on it quite a bit, just to make it do what it should have been able to do from the factory.

If you do end up building a mill, check into band blades for what lengths are available, and price.
The Norwood used 144" blades, and were $16 each, vs $24 ea for the Woodmizers 158" blades, both mills use .042 x 1.25 blades.
You can get blades form Cooks Saw, for pretty much any mill on the market, (Cooks makes a pretty good blade).

Hope I'm not being too preachy, just sharing some of my experience/ impressions.

 

[Franny K]

Woodmeizer will pretty much make any length band. They have their preferred sized but the special order ones are priced in 18 inch increments, so no major price hit if comparing the same band material. Lenox via Spectrum supply is all made to order.

To make enough lumber for a house that would involve storing by size and length for quite a while.

 

[U&A]

Personally if I planned to build a house with a mill and then dont plan to use it much after that...id buy well known name that is popular so it holds value and you can sell it when your done.

JMO

Then you can enjoy nice one and maybe get some piece of mind with the nicer one. Better support with parts if something breaks. List goes on

Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

 

[DiggerDirect]

I bought a Norwood Lumbermate MK III back in 1997, just the base unit w/13hp Honda, made my own leveling feet, toe boards, trailer kit & eventually it's own permanent building & 10' track extension. It's sawed 10s of thousands board feet since then, everything from dimensional & grade lumber to cabin logs & veneers. Believe it or not all I've had to replace over the last 25 years was the cheap lube system. Still has the original roller guides, belts & bearings. Last fall my son bought a Woodland Mills LM26 with the lap siding attachment, so far it's been great (altho I notice a definite lack of grease fittings & question the seemingly flimsy 10' bed or longevity of the 14hp B&S). I use Woodmizer blades & their Tru-Sharp service, they have been great, both in value & service. Always have cut my own logs from my own woodlots. I've cut some mighty big hemlock & maples, 24"-28" (I only talk small end diameters, I think many are referring to the butts), & let me tell ya you start manually wrestling 30" logs, 12' 14' & 16' long (hec even 8s & 10s!) manually you'll wanna stack your duds & grease your skids cause it ain't no Jack LaLane work out! Could take the enthusiasm right out of your project quick. A man could fab a log loader & a log turner onto any of these manual mills to save your back as well as a debarker to save your blades (& arms!).
As far as resale when your projects are done, properly maintained manual mills hold relative value as well as, if not better than the automatic push a button Cadillac models. Last year's surge (& backlog) for manual mills drove used unit prices up to or near MSRP's. I was actually offered more for the Norwood than I paid for it 25 years ago!
Not sure how much logging / sawing experience you have but I'd recommend finding someone with a manual mill that you could watch / run before deciding which way to go. Both will put out the same qualty end product, just putting it out is quite different!

 

[Oletrapper]

Well, I contacted the rangeroad dealer and he told me he would contact me with info to someone that had one of their saws so I could go see one in person. well, so far, I havent been contacted. I have a cousin with a Timberking, not sure the size, but it is all hydraulic with turners and log lifts and what ever bells and whistles it came with. I am going to visit and see just how it works. Except for the hydraulics, I suspect most brands all work close to the same way. I have also been doing a ton of research and have just about decided to just build my own. I use to fabricate every tool I needed, I might not be able to see as well or weld as well as I used to, but I can still figure out most of whats needed to build a sawmill. It aint rocket science. I have watched a ton of videos of homebuild saws and I can see a lot of ways to incorporate some of the good ideals some individual builders have added, I might not build a timberking or wood mizer, but there aint a nickels different in most of the others.

Just my humble opinion. If it were me, I would invest in a Woodmizer. I have been running the LTHD40 for 11 years now. You can't beat it. Fully hydraulic. The only thing I didn't put on it was the carriage seat and the laser. Meets all your suggested necessary requirements. Log diameter, length, etc. It will cut well over a 36" diameter log and up to 21' long.
Use it to build your house, then sell it. They really hold their VALUE and you wouldn't be wasting valuable time building one.
To me, the most important thing is that it is made in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Woodmizer service is unbeatable. Located in Indianapolis IN. Two years ago I was having a problem with it cutting true. Boards were about an 8th inch thicker on one side versus the other. I tried to adjust according to the book but had no luck. I towed it to Indy and they spent 2 and half to 3 hours making the necessary adjustments. Bill was $139.00. Been cutting true to this day.
What ever you decide to do, good luck with the house build. Send us some pics. OT

 

[Elitebowman]

My reason for wanting a mill is to build my house. I dont plan on staying in the sawmill business, and dont want the temptation, once the house is built so I dont feel I need a woodmizer quality mill. I do have a few minimum requirements for a mill. It must be able to saw 32in dia logs. I have already measured a bunch of trees and 32dbh isnt uncommon. Admittedly, a majority of logs wouldnt be as big, but If I wanted to chainsaw logs to make lumber, I would just get a chainsaw mill. The mill needs to be able to handle 16ft lenghts, 8ft, 10ft, 12ft, 14ft and 16ft are the most common sizes for framing material. I also want the mill on a trailer. My timber is scattered over 55acres and I prefer to pull the mill to the logs instead of having to skid the logs thru the dirt just to reach the mill.

Now for the wants, I want a saw that will pull itself thru a log, I have seen several homemade systems that are affordable to build and they seem to work really good. I also want a automatic height adjustment for the band height. Again, plenty of adaptations on utube that work good and wont break the bank to build. One other thing I want is a lap siding maker jig. These look very simple and I believe it is woodland mills that has a crank system made into their saw head to change the blade angle instead of canting the log. I need to watch a few more of their videos to be double sure. Of course I dont have any build plans to go off of if I decide to build. I'll build the frame and then the carrage and go from there. Probably use 2x4 box tube, capped with angle for the track. Steel comes in 20 and 24 ft lenghts so that will be the length of the bed, make it 4ft wide and what fits between the roller guides will be what I can saw. Build a 4 post carriage, add motor and make sawdust.

Hi, I watch a guy on Youtube who runs a Woodland Mills 130 . He does a lot of sawing with this machine, and it does a great job. Simple looking design but looks like it is built pretty well. I looked up the price one time and it didn't seem horrible. If you think of the price of lumber these days, it would be worth buying a machine like that. By the time you get all the material together and spend all that time figuring how you want it done, buying one like that seems fair priced if you want to figure your time as money. Good luck with your decision.

 

[muddstopper]

Personally if I planned to build a house with a mill and then dont plan to use it much after that...id buy well known name that is popular so it holds value and you can sell it when your done.

JMO

Then you can enjoy nice one and maybe get some piece of mind with the nicer one. Better support with parts if something breaks. List goes on

Sent while firmly grasping my Redline lubed Ram [emoji231]

Exactly what I have in mind. Building cheap isnt really an option. Building quality is a different story. Funny how cheap and quality cant be used in the same sentence. I am still looking, I figure as long as I dont get in a hurry, one will pop up sooner or later.

 

[muddstopper]

Hi, I watch a guy on Youtube who runs a Woodland Mills 130 . He does a lot of sawing with this machine, and it does a great job. Simple looking design but looks like it is built pretty well. I looked up the price one time and it didn't seem horrible. If you think of the price of lumber these days, it would be worth buying a machine like that. By the time you get all the material together and spend all that time figuring how you want it done, buying one like that seems fair priced if you want to figure your time as money. Good luck with your decision.

I think the utube guy you might be referring to is Sawing With Sandy. He is using a woodland mills h30 max. He saws a lot of pecker poles with the mill and I like how he gets rid of his slabs. I think the advertised price for the basic mill is around $4500, which is right in line with the Norwood or Range Road of similar capacity. Got to add in freight cost and the fact the mill has to come from Canada, and the wait time. Also add on any cost for extra extensions, you are now starting to get close to the price of a used better-quality machine. Altho I aint exactly running over a lot of cheap used quality machines. Still the h30 max will cost a bunch extra for a trailer, and like most of the cheap mills, the frame just looks flimsy to me. I dont know how much of a problem that will actually be, but handling logs means bumping things and unless set up on a solid foundation, It just looks like a nightmare to keep things square and level.