Rangeroad sawmill

[scor440tk]

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.

You reply like your angry should we bow down and contact rangeroad for you? I have a new invention called a phone and use it when needed it’s not rocket science the dealer in Michigan always is available when I call or email.

 

[muddstopper]

You reply like your angry should we bow down and contact rangeroad for you? I have a new invention called a phone and use it when needed it’s not rocket science the dealer in Michigan always is available when I call or email.

No anger here, it just seemed that you where accusing me of being impatience with a dealer that told me he would contact me in a few days, and as of yet hasnt contacted me. I stated I dont wait on dealers that dont respond in a timely manner to my request for information. I didnt talk to your dealer in Michigan, I talked to a dealer in Ohio, I did talk to him with a phone. I dont know anything about your dealer in Michigan, I only know the dealer I talked to in Ohio. The dealer in Ohio for some reason or other has not called me back and has not set up a meeting with the person I was told about. Many reasons the sawmill owner might not want to talk to me about his RangeRoad saw mill. There is no reason the dealer cant let me know that the meeting with the sawmill owner wont be taking place. I made it clear to the dealer I was willing to travel to look at one of their sawmills. I am sure the first mill owner that he mentioned is not the only mill they have sold. Now if your dealer in Michigan didnot return your calls, would you still be on this site defending him, or like me, would you be looking for another dealer or another manufacturer to fulfill whatever needs you might have. Do you own a Rangeroad Sawmill, do you have any first hand knowledge about the mills. Have you actually seen one or sawn with one? If so, I will gladly listen to any information you can provide me about the mill.

 

[scor440tk]

No anger here, it just seemed that you where accusing me of being impatience with a dealer that told me he would contact me in a few days, and as of yet hasnt contacted me. I stated I dont wait on dealers that dont respond in a timely manner to my request for information. I didnt talk to your dealer in Michigan, I talked to a dealer in Ohio, I did talk to him with a phone. I dont know anything about your dealer in Michigan, I only know the dealer I talked to in Ohio. The dealer in Ohio for some reason or other has not called me back and has not set up a meeting with the person I was told about. Many reasons the sawmill owner might not want to talk to me about his RangeRoad saw mill. There is no reason the dealer cant let me know that the meeting with the sawmill owner wont be taking place. I made it clear to the dealer I was willing to travel to look at one of their sawmills. I am sure the first mill owner that he mentioned is not the only mill they have sold. Now if your dealer in Michigan didnot return your calls, would you still be on this site defending him, or like me, would you be looking for another dealer or another manufacturer to fulfill whatever needs you might have. Do you own a Rangeroad Sawmill, do you have any first hand knowledge about the mills. Have you actually seen one or sawn with one? If so, I will gladly listen to any information you can provide me about the mill.

No I would not complain on here it’s pointless so I assume you did not call the dealer or email the one in Michigan?
To get what you need which makes no sense at all

 

[SweetMK]

Hmmmmm,, just wondering ,, building codes (even in NC) are pretty strict,,
are you sure you can build a habitable building out of DIY lumber?? Shed, yes, barn,, yes,,

primary residence (new construction) ,, IMHO,, DIY lumber is gonna shoot up rockets to code inspectors.
You could get away with some remodel,, even add a room under the table,, but, I doubt an entire home, from scratch.

Those inspectors are not worried about you living there,, they want to insure the NEXT buyer gets at least minimum quality.
Otherwise, the county ends up partially liable,, THEY were supposed to make sure that minimums were met.
Undried lumber for room construction,, twists, breaks, etc,,, that is not inspected at time of sale, it was inspected during construction.
The county has a reputation to maintain.

I had a nephew that was a building inspector in two counties in NC,, so, I am not just guessing.
The OP's county might be more lenient,, but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[cookies]

Hmmmmm,, just wondering ,, building codes (even in NC) are pretty strict,,
are you sure you can build a habitable building out of DIY lumber?? Shed, yes, barn,, yes,,

primary residence (new construction) ,, IMHO,, DIY lumber is gonna shoot up rockets to code inspectors.
You could get away with some remodel,, even add a room under the table,, but, I doubt an entire home, from scratch.

Those inspectors are not worried about you living there,, they want to insure the NEXT buyer gets at least minimum quality.
Otherwise, the county ends up partially liable,, THEY were supposed to make sure that minimums were met.
Undried lumber for room construction,, twists, breaks, etc,,, that is not inspected at time of sale, it was inspected during construction.
The county has a reputation to maintain.

I had a nephew that was a building inspector in two counties in NC,, so, I am not just guessing.
The OP's county might be more lenient,, but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

simply learn how to have your lumber inspected, graded and stamped then you can use i to build a 3 story outhouse if so desired.

 

[muddstopper]

Well, I dont know which NC counties your nephew worked in, but if you are building a house for yourself, and the lumber comes from trees harvested off your own property, you can build with it. You can also use sawmill lumber as long as you pay for a certified lumber inspector to inspect and grade the lumber. You cannot use sawmill lumber to build a house for sale. I also think, but dont know for sure as laws do change, that if you build your house using sawmill lumber, and then live in it for I think 3 years, then you are allowed to sale it. I think banks pretty much require a home inspection anymore before they will finance the home, I dont know if the state requires it. The home I sold 2 years ago was built out of lumber that I helped cut years ago. I had no problem selling it.

Now, for my thoughts about building with green lumber, I dont plan on doing it myself, but I am pretty sure all those 100yr old houses you still see standing, didnt get built with lumber bought at Home Depot or Lowes. The lumber came from local sawmills and most probably never saw the inside of a kiln.

 

[muddstopper]

No I would not complain on here it’s pointless so I assume you did not call the dealer or email the one in Michigan?
To get what you need which makes no sense at all

No, I didnot call the dealer in Michigan, simply because I won't buy one of their machines until I see it work. Michigan is a little to far away for that kind of road trip. So, whether or not it makes sense to you, it makes plenty of sense to me. I talked to a dealer by phone and he said he would get the information I needed and call me back. To date I havent heard a peep out of that dealer. I gave the closet dealer to my area a chance to earn my business and he has failed. Not saying anything bad about your dealer in Mich, or the company as a whole, but I dont plan on begging them to sell me a machine. In fact, I have completely forgotten about that saw mill company and am moving on.

I missed a used woodmizer this week for what I thought was a bargain. I saw the ad on Marketplace and while I was discussing it with my wife, it popped up sold, then minutes later the ad was removed. I saw a Cooks last week for a good price, It was at the top of my price range and I hesitated. The next day it was sold and ad removed. I am doing a 500mile search and I am finding a few mills, some junk and some just priced to high for me to consider. I am in no hurry, I just had foot surgery and wont be doing any wood cutting until spring. I figure I will just keep looking and hope I can find a bargain before I need it.

 

[scor440tk]

No, I didnot call the dealer in Michigan, simply because I won't buy one of their machines until I see it work. Michigan is a little to far away for that kind of road trip. So, whether or not it makes sense to you, it makes plenty of sense to me. I talked to a dealer by phone and he said he would get the information I needed and call me back. To date I havent heard a peep out of that dealer. I gave the closet dealer to my area a chance to earn my business and he has failed. Not saying anything bad about your dealer in Mich, or the company as a whole, but I dont plan on begging them to sell me a machine. In fact, I have completely forgotten about that saw mill company and am moving on.

I missed a used woodmizer this week for what I thought was a bargain. I saw the ad on Marketplace and while I was discussing it with my wife, it popped up sold, then minutes later the ad was removed. I saw a Cooks last week for a good price, It was at the top of my price range and I hesitated. The next day it was sold and ad removed. I am doing a 500mile search and I am finding a few mills, some junk and some just priced to high for me to consider. I am in no hurry, I just had foot surgery and wont be doing any wood cutting until spring. I figure I will just keep looking and hope I can find a bargain before I need

 

[scor440tk]

This is something you can believe or not in your case I would say not

 

[muddstopper]

This is something you can believe or not in your case I would say not

I don't understand what you are trying to get at. It seems you think I should jump in my car and drive to Mich and beg them to sell me a mill. I have explored, and still am exploring, every option when it comes to buying a bandsaw mill. I will buy or build myself a mill, when I am good and ready. There doesn't seem to be anything you can say or do about it and I don't understand why you are even trying, or what you are trying to do with your comments. It's my choice as to whom I decide to buy from. It is my money, not yours or anybody else's. I asked for information about a particular brand of bandsaw mill, I wanted to hear others' opinions, I didn't expect to be badgered into buying any brand. I have heard your opinion's and I appreciate them, but its time you let it go.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

There are some low hour turbosaw mills stateside if they would suit your needs

http://turbosawmillusa.com/second-handstock

 

[muddstopper]

There are some low hour turbosaw mills stateside if they would suit your needs

http://turbosawmillusa.com/second-handstock

Not really looking for a swing blade mill. They are great for making standard 2x lumber, but the circular blade limits how wide a board or slab you can cut. I do plan on cutting a lot of siding boards and want to be able to cut lap siding and sheeting boards. Not sure if you can, or how one would do it to, cut lap siding on a circular swing mill. To build my house, I have plenty of eastern white pine, to use for framing and sheeting. I am sort of limited in the right material to saw joists or rafters.

 

[muddstopper]

I think I have finally made a decision to just build a bandsaw mill. I knew I had some 4x3 angle on my equipment trailer, just didn't know how much. Well, I looked yesterday, and I have 3-20ft pieces and a bunch of shorter pieces. That just cut the cost of building one by about $800-$1000. The angle wont be as strong as 2x4 boxed tubing I had planned to use, but will work as well as the frames on most of those China imports. I am going to draw up a plan and start buying parts. Still running around on a bum foot, so I wont actually start the build for a few more weeks. My biggest problem now is getting the steel in my shop. Its buried under a couple of tons of metal building framing. I'll have to let the mud dry up and hook to the trailer and pull it to the shop and then try to drag the angle iron out from under the other metal.

 

[J Britt]

https://range-road.com/products/sawmills/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.

I have a Road range mill 22 inch and I like it. I wish I had got a larger mill. I live in Southeast NC and the dealer is only about an hour or so away. For the price I feel like I got my moneys' worth.

 

[muddstopper]

Been a couple years since this thread started. My bandsaw still hasnt been built. I had a bout of kidney cancer and treatments to deal with all last year and put the sawmill on the back burner. Good news is I am now cancer free and done with the infusions and treatments and I am actually fixing to get back to building my mill. Before the build came to a complete stop, I managed to get my frame welded up and found a axle to put under it and its setting outside collecting rust. I also bought the band wheels, bearings, shaft material and tubing to make the saw carriage. I also bought a couple of motors and controllers to automate the carriage forward and back and up and down. I also have plans for a log turner. The saw bed will be/is 48in wide and 20ft long, altho some of that will be taken up by the carriage width and lenght. Still that should cover just about anysize log I might try to saw. The log bed/frame is made out of 4x5x 1/4 angle welded on top of 5inch channel so it should hold up to the weight of a 4ft dia log. Overkill really, but I had the metal so its use what you have without buying anything, even if it might be over built. Weather is warming up and gardening fixing to start, but I hope to find time to finish the saw this summer.

 

[Lightning Performance]

I just posted in a newer thread here in milling.

Please start a build thread when you get things going again on it. I'm doing a mill at home for the total opposite reasons as you. Your plan is solid to work the land.

Surprised you didn't keep looking for a basic mill to build more off of. I wanted a Boardwalk but found my low hours 32" RR local so I went that route. It had issues so the last owner didn't like it I'm sure. Those were fixed. After owning one it's likely I'd never buy directly from them.

Curious to see your automated carriage drive compared to others who posted here.

 

[muddstopper]

My carriage drive will utilize wheel chair motors. I found 2 new old stock ones on ebay so I bought both of them. I am thinking about using one to lift the carriage and one to pull it. I stole the ideal off a youtuber, dont remember his name and couldnt find the video. The guy listed the electronic parts to make it all work and they where really cheap, from china of course, so I bought everything I think I need. I like the ideal of using the wheelchair motors as they seem to work well on the sawmill video and they have a lever that disconnects the drive shaft in the event the battery dies or the motors quit working you can let the chain drive free wheel and still do the manual push of the saw carriage. I think that is a better option instead of using a small winch to pull a cable.

 

[Lightning Performance]

My carriage drive will utilize wheel chair motors. I found 2 new old stock ones on ebay so I bought both of them. I am thinking about using one to lift the carriage and one to pull it. I stole the ideal off a youtuber, dont remember his name and couldnt find the video. The guy listed the electronic parts to make it all work and they where really cheap, from china of course, so I bought everything I think I need. I like the ideal of using the wheelchair motors as they seem to work well on the sawmill video and they have a lever that disconnects the drive shaft in the event the battery dies or the motors quit working you can let the chain drive free wheel and still do the manual push of the saw carriage. I think that is a better option instead of using a small winch to pull a cable.

I plan to drive my carriage height off a 12V chain drive. Swap my chain from manual to electric drive.
K.I.S.S.
Going with a drive motor but not a chain on the pull of my carriage. Considering capstan assembly on a brake.

 

[muddstopper]

I plan to drive my carriage height off a 12V chain drive. Swap my chain from manual to electric drive.
K.I.S.S.
Going with a drive motor but not a chain on the pull of my carriage. Considering capstan assembly on a brake.

The wheel chair motors are gear drive and you can adjust the travel speed with a vfd. They also run off 12 or 24V. You can also adjust the chain drive depending on what size sprocket you choose. you can mount the motors on the saw carriage and install limit switches to automaticly stop the carriage from moving in the event you need to move a board, fall down, or just need to relief yourself. P;us I really like the fact you can disengage the drive with the twist of a lever if you want to push the carriage by hand. The ones I bought are similar to these. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1663731221...1291&msclkid=1d4c3e6a4ca817b597865bb47dc4d27f
bit I only paid $75 for a pair

 

[Lightning Performance]

The wheel chair motors are gear drive and you can adjust the travel speed with a vfd. They also run off 12 or 24V. You can also adjust the chain drive depending on what size sprocket you choose. you can mount the motors on the saw carriage and install limit switches to automaticly stop the carriage from moving in the event you need to move a board, fall down, or just need to relief yourself. P;us I really like the fact you can disengage the drive with the twist of a lever if you want to push the carriage by hand. The ones I bought are similar to these. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1663731221...1291&msclkid=1d4c3e6a4ca817b597865bb47dc4d27f
bit I only paid $75 for a pair

Perfect drive minus the chain down low in the horizontal plane. I want my carriage drive to slip and be removable in an instant. The top drive will hang on gravity or use a self tensioner. Not sure on what is best considering the chain drive there never needs to freewheel. Capstan works like a clutch under low tension.
Auto return and stop is handy with limit switches.