Originally Posted by
John TenEyck
Mark, he did send me some photos but his statement that the average diameter was 18" biased how I interpreted the size of the logs to be. I should have driven out to look at them before agreeing to do the job; the first, and last, time I'll ever do that.
I had no trouble with the way he had the logs staged for me. I like that arrangement better than a pile of logs; I've dealt with that and it's an accident waiting to happen if you are moving the logs manually. He had them all lined up and I could easily roll them down the slight grade to the mill by myself. Most the 12" and larger logs were pretty straight. One had a big crook in it, so I cut it into live edge slabs. He gave me carte blanche as to what to cut which was really helpful in maximizing yield. He was pleased with what I cut for him and sent me a text last night asking if I was interested in cutting some cherry and walnut logs for him in the future that he would drop off to me. Why yes, of course.
Was your mill trailer a commercial unit or homebuilt? I've never seen a mobile base like that, but it sure sounds like a good arrangement. I bought my mill and trailer from Woodland Mills, a Canadian outfit that sells you an erector set of parts you bolt together. It's a really good value but some of the components could be a little beefier. Parbuckling logs up onto the mill isn't very hard, especially after I replaced the hand winch with a 3500 lb electric winch that runs off the motor starting battery. Even 25 - 30" diameter logs go up the ramps pretty easily. A benefit of the trailer mounted mill is there are only 4 leveling jacks (six if you opt for the 16' length version) to adjust. The trailer frame is very rigid unlike most ground based units which have 10 or 12 or ? leveling screws in order to get them flat and level. Also, the trailer mounted unit makes offloading the cut boards easier than a ground based unit. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. The optimum mill for me would be a trailer mounted mill that can handle a 36" diameter log with hydraulic loading, something like the Woodmizer LT-40.
John