Tennessee williams Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Well. Do ya? I'd like to acquire a base model for some projects. Any user advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I’ve seen them in action milling some logs into lumber from some trees I had removed. Sycamore, oak and eucalyptus. The local community college had a drying kiln to dry the lumber. It’s been about 15 years so I don’t remember the make of the machine, but it was pretty impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 We ran a mom and pop sawmill business for 25 years until retirement in 2015. We started out with a WoodMizer LT40 manual mill. In 2002, we upgraded to a WoodMizer LT40HDE25 with remore control. All hydraulic log handling. Lots of support equipment. Seen a lot of mills. Many base models to from to choose. But WoodMizer is a great company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I have one. It's made by a guy in Oregon, Berg Sawmill. It'll cut up to a 42 inch wide logs. I've cut some big ones. 11 hp Honda engine, blade is 167 inches long. Cut clean logs, clean all the dirt off the bark, keep the blade lubed/cooled with water(use dish soap or laundry detergent mixed in water for lube), keep the blade tensioned. They create a mess, the saw dust will build up, slash piles will build up. There's a learning curve, you will jack stuff up until you learn the basics. Don't get in a hurry. Mine is not portable, It sets on a concrete slab. Buy blades in bulk. Keep spare belts and bearings, make sure pulleys are adjusted properly. Keep a grease gun handy. There are many manufacturers, go check out several in operation. How are you going to move logs and set them on the mill? Wear eye and ear protection, keep your hands away from the blade. Bigger is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Great Forum for sawmill information. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee williams Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Assassin said: I have one. It's made by a guy in Oregon, Berg Sawmill. It'll cut up to a 42 inch wide logs. I've cut some big ones. 11 hp Honda engine, blade is 167 inches long. Cut clean logs, clean all the dirt off the bark, keep the blade lubed/cooled with water(use dish soap or laundry detergent mixed in water for lube), keep the blade tensioned. They create a mess, the saw dust will build up, slash piles will build up. There's a learning curve, you will jack stuff up until you learn the basics. Don't get in a hurry. Mine is not portable, It sets on a concrete slab. Buy blades in bulk. Keep spare belts and bearings, make sure pulleys are adjusted properly. Keep a grease gun handy. There are many manufacturers, go check out several in operation. How are you going to move logs and set them on the mill? Wear eye and ear protection, keep your hands away from the blade. Bigger is better. Tractor and a cant hook. I've got some forks for the tractor. Main use will be cutting logs for timber framing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee williams Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 hour ago, Warden Callaway said: Great Forum for sawmill information. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php Thanks for the link! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Joker Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 How big a log are you working? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee williams Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 3 hours ago, Texas Joker said: How big a log are you working? Mix but nothing larger than 20" diameter probably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 Every board I cut is like Christmas. You never know what it'll look like. I've found groups of bullets, one tree was used for sighting in a 30-30. That particular tree was near the cabin where Tom Horn wintered. Tree was 150 years old, bullets were grouped in the center. Found a 50 cal bullet which was centered in one 1 inch board and in the two adjacent 1 inch boards. Old buffalo gun of some sort. Watch for metal, fence, nails, spikes. You can purchase a hand held pin pointer type metal detector. When you cut the tree look for stains in the grain on the butt end. Stains indicate iron. If the tree came from someone's yard kids may have driven nails in the tree for steps or a fort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Joker Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/timber-tuff-20-in-portable-saw-mill-1244247?cm_mmc=feed-_-GoogleShopping-_-Product-_-1244247&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwf39BRCCARIsALXWETzkFKnUqRAh5azwqIDyb1mtJCky8JzC-V-NFIS4FBYnergJt954WkEaAvg6EALw_wcB Or something like this https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/527554543838180669/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Assassin said: Watch for metal, fence, nails, spikes. Grown over porcelain fence insulators are a real show stopper. And while yard trees are about guaranteed to have metal, even logs that in the forest can have metal - the dreaded deer stand. Steps nailed to climb up then boards rot off and spike nails grow over. We've ran into railroad spinkes grown over in cherry logs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I haven't encountered insulators or deer stand paraphernalia. Not much of that out west. I have made lumber from old utility poles, clean ones, they were nice boards. I used a big metal detector on those. My house is looks like someone had a sawmill, plank walls, live edge window sills, lots of beetle kill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee williams Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 On 11/25/2020 at 8:21 PM, Warden Callaway said: Great Forum for sawmill information. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php I'm trying to decide between a norwood and a woodmizer. I like the idea of it having a trailering package but it doesn't necessarily have to have it. Have you had experience with either of these 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Buckskin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Woodmizer all the way I bought a used lt 40 with hydraulics for my horse barn and it is amazing the woodmizer quality and support are hard to beat. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Buckskin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennessee williams Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 47 minutes ago, Mr w said: Wow! Very nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Buckskin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 With a mill you can do what ever you want it was a big investment but I sawed enough lumber for my barn to pretty much make it pay for itself I went used so I could get the hydrolics which are a must for turning the log as you cut the woodmizers are built so pretty much Everything on it can be rebuilt and serviced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Buckskin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 wow , you guys got some real fine digs , nice lumber and great use of the sawn logs , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.D. Daily Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 On 11/25/2020 at 4:22 PM, Yul Lose said: I’ve seen them in action milling some logs into lumber from some trees I had removed. Sycamore, oak and eucalyptus. The local community college had a drying kiln to dry the lumber. It’s been about 15 years so I don’t remember the make of the machine, but it was pretty impressive. How many blades did they wear out milling eucalyptus? In the SF Bay Area there was a couple weeks in the 70's that the night time temperatures were in the low 20's. The low 20's temps. killed the ice plant freeway landscaping & most of the eucalyptus groves in parkland on the tops of hills. The dead trees were an extreme fire hazard as well as ugly. So the public agencies that owned the groves advertised contracts to remove the dead trees. The winning bidders lost money; because, the trees ate chains & wore out bars quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yul Lose Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 8 hours ago, J.D. Daily said: How many blades did they wear out milling eucalyptus? In the SF Bay Area there was a couple weeks in the 70's that the night time temperatures were in the low 20's. The low 20's temps. killed the ice plant freeway landscaping & most of the eucalyptus groves in parkland on the tops of hills. The dead trees were an extreme fire hazard as well as ugly. So the public agencies that owned the groves advertised contracts to remove the dead trees. The winning bidders lost money; because, the trees ate chains & wore out bars quickly. Beats me, but red gum eucalyptus lumber is beautiful. I built a blanket chest with lumber, a very heavy piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 If you only have one project, consider having a sawyer come to your site and do the job. Mills are expensive devices with a steep learning curve. My parents hired a sawyer to mill logs that were cleared from their retirement home site. They felt it was quite reasonable and the boards were then used around the farm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warden Callaway Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 21 minutes ago, Charlie Harley, #14153 said: If you only have one project, consider having a sawyer come to your site and do the job. Mills are expensive devices with a steep learning curve. My parents hired a sawyer to mill logs that were cleared from their retirement home site. They felt it was quite reasonable and the boards were then used around the farm. Wood-Mizer has a sawmill location service. Or at least they did. Our mill is not portable so people brought logs to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 A sawmill is something one wants, not a necessity. I enjoy cutting up logs, it's kind of relaxing. We also burn firewood, the slash makes good kindling. The clean up is a pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Horses sure live in nice houses/barns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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