Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 24 of 24

Thread: A Walnut Logs to Mill

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    Thanks once again for all your helpful comments, Martin.

    Am I going to get a mill? Yes! Unless my wife threatens divorce. So far she hasn't.

    To you and anyone else who cares to offer an opinion. I have not found any used machines in the LT15, Woodland HM-130, Hudson HFE-30 range for 1000 miles around me. It's hard to imagine these machines don't get sold fairly regularly as people get older, circumstances change, etc. I'd prefer to buy a used machine but if I have to wait for a year to find one then I'll buy a new one. What's your take on this? Am I not looking in the right places or are used machines just really rare? In the same regard, I'm guessing used machines hold their value really well. If so, and I had to pay 75% of the cost of a new machine to get a used one then I'll just buy new, now. What's your experience with all this?

    John
    All I can say is I bought my LT15 new and it would take a major life change to convince me to sell it - moving, injury or illness, getting too feeble to turn logs, etc. But it's so nice to have on hand that when I get feeble I'd probably pay someone to operate it. The cost of the mill was not that great so even a moderate financial problem might not convince me to sell it.

    I suspect these smaller mills are not usually bought to run a business. If I had a larger, more expensive mill and used it to make money I'd probably be far more likely to sell it if my business plans changed. I think of this one more as another hobby tool like my jointer or lathe.

    I might not use it for a year but when I want it, it's there, always starts, always runs well. If a big meteor or airplane crash or sudden sinkhole destroyed it today I'd order another one tomorrow. BTW, WoodMizer sent mine on a FedEx truck, strapped to one big pallet. I unloaded it with forks on my tractor.

    I'd say just do it. Call today. Think of it as an investment in the quality of life. Think of all the sawing you'll miss out on if you wait another month!

    PS, I do recommend buying an extra bed extension or two - at times it has been very useful to mill a 16' log.

    sawmill_blanks.jpg sawmill_cedar_log_10x10.jpg sawmill_cedar_IMG_20171204_165233_909.jpg sawmill_cedar_log_cant.jpg cedar_fresh_IMG_20171205_133128_661.jpg

    (Looks like I saw a lot of eastern red cedar! But also oak, pine, sweetgum, walnut, persimmon, maple,...)

    JKJ

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    Thanks for the motivation, John. I didn't need much. I called Woodland Mills this morning with a couple of questions. I confirmed that I can pick up a mill at their Buffalo distribution center, which is only 25 miles from my house, and save the $400 delivery charge, which seems outrageous because it would ship from the same place. And I confirmed that I can order a trailer later and everything will fit up fine. Their website does not show the trailer as a separate option, only a ground unit or a trialer mounted one. So I'm looking at just about $5K for the HM130 with some spare parts and a box of 10 blades which, as you said, really isn't all that much. But I'm an inherently frugal guy so any purchase gets researched and internally debated long and hard.

    I really like how the Woodland Mills are designed. It's not quite in the same league as Woodmizer or Norwood, but it's very well thought out, the blade is spring loaded via. a stack of Belville washers if not a genuine spring, and the wheels are adjustable for blade tracking just like on a typical woodworking bandsaw. Electric start will be nice, too, as is the push bar mounted throttle. A little wider cut capacity would have been nice, but if I look at my realistic needs I don't even need the 22" it has. Same for the 7" depth of cut; I would have liked 12". But I can always still use my chainsaw mill for slabbing if someone wants to buy some, and use the chainsaw to cut logs into quarters if I want to quarter saw a nice white oak.

    My one concern right now is where I'm going to store the mill head in the Winter. I have a shed it would easily fit in except I don't have a tractor etc. to transport it with. I'm not even sure at the moment how I'm going to get the mill head onto the tracks if I assemble it in m garage. I'm probably better off assembling it where I plan to locate it adjacent to my shed. Maybe I will design some sort of temporary wheel system I can attach to the mill so I can roll it onto and off of the mill and into my shed.

    So I will likely call Woodland tomorrow and place an order. Now I just need to get a few nice low value logs so I can mill up most of the wood for the solar drier I want to build.

    I feel like a kid at Christmas.

    John

  3. Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    Thanks once again for all your helpful comments, Martin.

    Am I going to get a mill? Yes! Unless my wife threatens divorce. So far she hasn't.

    To you and anyone else who cares to offer an opinion. I have not found any used machines in the LT15, Woodland HM-130, Hudson HFE-30 range for 1000 miles around me. It's hard to imagine these machines don't get sold fairly regularly as people get older, circumstances change, etc. I'd prefer to buy a used machine but if I have to wait for a year to find one then I'll buy a new one. What's your take on this? Am I not looking in the right places or are used machines just really rare? In the same regard, I'm guessing used machines hold their value really well. If so, and I had to pay 75% of the cost of a new machine to get a used one then I'll just buy new, now. What's your experience with all this?

    John
    If buying a sawmill was all it took to get rid of my wife....hell, I buy three!!! I looked until I couldn't stand it any more for a used one and there just wasn't anything available. Like Mr. Jordan, I believe most people get one with the intention of keeping it. The few times I have heard of one being sold it was always a deal where the guy sold it to one of his friends and the general public never had a shot. They seem to hold their value pretty well, but like everything it depends on the condition/number of hours.
    If you have time then that's good because two seconds after you buy one new some idiot will pop up selling one for half what it cost new!! I think 75% of the cost of new is probably about what you are going to pay, they are a low supply/relatively high demand item, so yeah, again...the new one starts looking pretty good. {until you have to write that check} but the one thing is that unlike an expensive bass boat {insert toy of your choice here...} at least you really can seriously recover your money and in more ways that one. You of course can sell lumber either as rough cut or you can dry and mill it, but you also have the advantage of not having to buy lumber every time you want to make something. The kick in the tail is that telling your wife all this aint gonna get it...she will be there tapping her foot looking at her watch while the boards dry. Best of luck, you might need some, but you wont need to wonder if you did the right thing after you have a mill.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    ...My one concern right now is where I'm going to store the mill head in the Winter.
    I never gave moving the head any thought. I assembled the rails, frame, and all where it still sits 14 years later (15? can't remember), assisted by chains and the front end loader of the tractor. I would hate to have to take it apart and move it. Maybe the Woodland is lighter in weight.

    The WoodMizer came with a rain cover that fits around the motor - I put the cover on, take the plastic 5-gal water/lube tank off when temps get below freezing, and leave everything else out in the weather. All the steel in the head is powder coated and nothing has rusted. As mentioned, it has always started even if it sat unused for months and months. The only maintenance needed besides changing the oil and air filter was a few minor repairs - a relay for the electric start, a lift cable, and a new piece of rope for the carriage crank.

    I think I paid about $7000. I don't sell lumber and I don't saw for others for money because I don't want to get into the business and deal with things like the bureaucracy, taxes, and insurance. I don't know if the mill has paid for itself yet but I've sawn a huge amount of lumber for farm building construction, things like horse stall liners, shelves and such for the barn, and an abundance of lumber and turning wood for myself and to share. I can justify the balance of the cost as just plain fun and adding to my quality of life.

    But I think my favorite thing about having the mill behind the barn is I can fire up the mill on a whim and when I have a bit of extra time. When I get a log I don't have to haul it to a mill or save up enough to make it worth paying someone to come and saw.

    As for winter, my favorite time to saw is in the winter although our winters are pretty mild. I think people must saw year around in very cold climates since WoodMizer offers blades designed specifically to saw frozen logs.

    JKJ

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    Thanks for that added input, John. I was talking to my arborist friend last evening. He recently moved less than 1/4 mile away from me. Recently he bought a small Ford tractor and told me that he added a bucket on the front. So using that could be an option for lifting the sawhead onto the mill. Or I could just build it all in place, but I may want to move it at some point anyway. I'm rethinking my plans for the solar drier and may incorporate a shed rood on the back to house the sawmill. Seems like a logical approach.

    It's good to know your Woodmizer has faired well sitting out in the weather. I've seen some left out year round without so much as a cover over the sawhead which seems pretty stupid to me but I guess they are built to take it. Woodland mills use galvanized and power coated parts pretty much everywhere according to the video I've watched so it should be OK. I will definitely keep the sawhead covered in any case.

    Milling up here in the Winter is not something I plan on. I doubt you would either if you lived here. But the mills are made to take it. The Woodland video talked about the 14 hp Kohler being built for summer/winter use by rotating the air filter cover, much like some chainsaws are outfitted. Window washer fluid replaces water in the blade lube tank to prevent that system from freezing. But late Fall is prime milling time. I've even milled into December a few times when the weather has been mild. I really like cutting lumber then becauase there's not much else to do outside and the lumber gets a nice slow start on drying. After I build the solar drier, however, I should have better control of drying conditions even in mid-Summer. I ruined some nice WO once that air dried too quickly after milling it in May/June. Sure don't want to repeat that unpleasant experience.

    I was comparing the Frontier OS31 to the Woodland Mills HM-130 last night. They have just about the same specs. and the prices are within something like $150. My preference at this point is the HM-130. Does anyone have any experience with the OS31 that would sway me that way? Both have local distribution centers.

    In any case, I'm ordering my Father's Day gift on Monday!

    John

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by John TenEyck View Post
    ... my arborist friend last evening. He recently moved less than 1/4 mile away from me. Recently he bought a small Ford tractor and told me that he added a bucket on the front. ...
    Stay friends with the arborist! A tractor is so handy for for loading logs on the mill. The best thing I did for my tractor was weld two grab hooks on the top of the bucket, one near each side. I bought a couple of 24" skidding tongs and put a couple of feet of 3/8" chain on each. I use one to skid logs and lift logs onto the mill bed with both hooks. (Mine is a 40 hp Kubota) I have used other methods: for logs too heavy for the tractor to lift I have rolled them up a impromptu ramp, pushing with the tractor bucket. I've also used a couple of 5' cant hooks to roll logs up the slope. My mill basically sits on the ground so the lift needed is not much - a portable mill on a trailer might benefit from the special ramps Woodmizer sells. Some people use rope, chain, or wire rope to roll the log.

    I often load logs with forks on the tractor - more convenient since I also use the forks to hold the offloaded lumber and move it for stickering. Loading the log with the forks takes care since rolling it off the forks with exuberance can stress the mill. I eventually bought a bobcat that uses the same forks which gives me a lot more lifting force than the tractor. But it sounds like you have a lot of experience with milling so all this is probably old hat!

    JKJ

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    So after thinking about the ground level mill some more, I decided that buying the trailer package is a better way to go for me. I just know I will want to move the mill no matter where i site it and moving it wouldn't be easy. Also, in the Spring it makes far more sense for me to mill logs in my driveway because the ground is often too soft to transport logs to the back of my property where I would put the mill. So having the mill on the trailer would eliminate that problem. And I've thought about mobile milling, too, either for my own needs or for contract work, and you definitely want it on a trailer then. So now I'm looking at more money but as I often read "Better to cry once with no regrets later.".

    And I've been thinking that I should be able to put my chainsaw mill on the Woodland trailer w/o much modification to the CS mill frame. That would allow me to more efficiently quarter large logs for quarter sawing and cut slabs, if needed. It will open up more options in how I can mill logs.

    John

  8. #23
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    N Illinois
    Posts
    4,602
    Those are big un's..Be careful.
    Jerry

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    WNY
    Posts
    9,647
    Quote Originally Posted by Jerry Olexa View Post
    Those are big un's..Be careful.
    I always try to be, Jerry. But to be honest, these are medium sized black walnut, at best, around 22" dia. They often get over 36" here in the NE and then I have to pass. And a guy a couple of miles down the road called to ask if I could mill a walnut nearly 60" in diameter. Sadly, no.

    John

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •