Sawyer Rob…

rockcity

rockcity

everyday is a chance to get better
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Location
Greenville, NC
58B9F0AB-5C8D-4479-9D0C-8D57CD902472.jpeg


Sawmill finally arrived. Time to assemble and get to work. And time to build another trailer to make the mill portable.

If anyone comes across decent trees, let me know. I’m going to start practicing and learning. Will be willing to mill some logs for cheap while I practice. :D
 
rockcity said:
View attachment 362334

Sawmill finally arrived. Time to assemble and get to work. And time to build another trailer to make the mill portable.

If anyone comes across decent trees, let me know. I’m going to start practicing and learning. Will be willing to mill some logs for cheap while I practice. :D
Click to expand...
when you get tired of it give me a hollar, lol!
 
on another note why not any other "brand"? I have a previous co worker who owns that exact mill btw. He seems very pleased. Built several custom pieces of furniture and a barn with his.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
on another note why not any other "brand"? I have a previous co worker who owns that exact mill btw. He seems very pleased. Built several custom pieces of furniture and a barn with his.
Click to expand...

I had my hopes on a Woodmizer but their current lead times are close to a year. I looked at many others but decided on this one for cost and log capacity. This one seemed to have more options and upgrades as compared to the other entry level hobby mills. And from discussions with others, Woodlands seems to have great customer support compared to others. Norwood was also on the list but there were an overwhelming idea that after the purchase of a Norwood, you were on your own; no customer support. Cooks and EZ Boardwalk were also on the list but lead times and price just weren’t what I was looking for.

There are certainly better mills out there, but for entry level hobby mills, this one seemed like the best option that I could get in under 6 months.
 
rockcity said:
View attachment 362334

Sawmill finally arrived. Time to assemble and get to work. And time to build another trailer to make the mill portable.

If anyone comes across decent trees, let me know. I’m going to start practicing and learning. Will be willing to mill some logs for cheap while I practice. :D
Click to expand...
Not sure I could be any more green with envy!

If you weren't so far I'd have a TON of logs you could cut your teeth on
 
rockcity said:
I had my hopes on a Woodmizer but their current lead times are close to a year. I looked at many others but decided on this one for cost and log capacity. This one seemed to have more options and upgrades as compared to the other entry level hobby mills. And from discussions with others, Woodlands seems to have great customer support compared to others. Norwood was also on the list but there were an overwhelming idea that after the purchase of a Norwood, you were on your own; no customer support. Cooks and EZ Boardwalk were also on the list but lead times and price just weren’t what I was looking for.

There are certainly better mills out there, but for entry level hobby mills, this one seemed like the best option that I could get in under 6 months.
Click to expand...
Cooks are simply beast. You didn't go wrong. Norwood is very very modular. A good mill but maintenance intensive from my research. They are also easy to overload.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Cooks are simply beast. You didn't go wrong. Norwood is very very modular. A good mill but maintenance intensive from my research. They are also easy to overload.
Click to expand...

Woodlands is similar to Norwood with regards to being modular. I have track extensions that allow me to cut up to I think 18’ boards. The Woodlands just simply seemed to be nicer built than the Norwood/Frontier. I really wanted a HudSon but the lead time was just not what I wanted to deal with. I figure this will be a good learning mill and then I can spend some real $ on something if I like it enough to keep doing it and need more.
 
rockcity said:
Woodlands is similar to Norwood with regards to being modular. I have track extensions that allow me to cut up to I think 18’ boards. The Woodlands just simply seemed to be nicer built than the Norwood/Frontier. I really wanted a HudSon but the lead time was just not what I wanted to deal with. I figure this will be a good learning mill and then I can spend some real $ on something if I like it enough to keep doing it and need more.
Click to expand...
When you get it built the sweet spot is really paying attention to blade tension and the guides. If you have ever set up a band saw of any kind your already aware of this trait.
Try diesel fuel or kero for your lubricant if you haven't already heard of it. Does a really good job of lubrication, pitch cleaning, and rust prevention.
I have the DVD and brochure from several manufacturers. Compare your mill when done to really good closeups and or in person to a Norwood.....you'll soon see the overly pieced together kit method. My overloading comment was in reference to the whole unit. Lots of connections and pieces that need mechanical clamping to remain rigid.
The only real drawback of the mill you ordered (personal opinion) is the rails and bunks. Both can be bolstered and improved by your mentioned intentions.
My dreams are the heavier vs. of the Lt series woodmizer. LX 150 with a home built trailer.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
When you get it built the sweet spot is really paying attention to blade tension and the guides. If you have ever set up a band saw of any kind your already aware of this trait.
Try diesel fuel or kero for your lubricant if you haven't already heard of it. Does a really good job of lubrication, pitch cleaning, and rust prevention.
I have the DVD and brochure from several manufacturers. Compare your mill when done to really good closeups and or in person to a Norwood.....you'll soon see the overly pieced together kit method. My overloading comment was in reference to the whole unit. Lots of connections and pieces that need mechanical clamping to remain rigid.
The only real drawback of the mill you ordered (personal opinion) is the rails and bunks. Both can be bolstered and improved by your mentioned intentions.
My dreams are the heavier vs. of the Lt series woodmizer. LX 150 with a home built trailer.
Click to expand...

I agree the rails and bunks are a good opportunity for improvement. I liked the Woodlands bunks that are modular and easily replaced. Anyone with reasonable fabrication knowledge can upgrade items easily. The modular aspect of this mill and the Frontier/Norwood Mills makes upgrading and repairs fairly easy. It’s not quite as rigid as a fabricated mill but is a good for repairs and upgrades.

I originally wanted a woodmizer LT15wide but just couldn’t stand the lead time. And their other mills are upwards of $50k. Finding a used one is nearly impossible.
 
On a whole other note. Researching the weight of green timber of varying variety was interesting and very sobering.

I absolutely loved helping sawmill as a young man.
This fella gonna pull some levers of I do it again for fun.
 
rockcity said:
I’ll certainly do it! Bring it down or I can come up there. Raleigh isn’t far. I still need to assemble and then build a trailer for it. So, it will be a couple weeks before I’m up and operational. Then I need to learn a little. :)
Click to expand...

We couldn't even move it with my gf's dad's tractor its a bit too big lol.

If you want it to practice on though, you are welcome to, PM me if you want to talk more.
 
DSM Turbos said:
We couldn't even move it with my gf's dad's tractor its a bit too big lol.

If you want it to practice on though, you are welcome to, PM me if you want to talk more.
Click to expand...

My saw can cut logs up to about 28” and slabs up to about 24”. Logs larger than that would have to be trimmed to fit.
 
rockcity said:
View attachment 362334

Sawmill finally arrived. Time to assemble and get to work. And time to build another trailer to make the mill portable.

If anyone comes across decent trees, let me know. I’m going to start practicing and learning. Will be willing to mill some logs for cheap while I practice. :D
Click to expand...

I'm probably too far but I have some pine that I need to go cut. I'm hoping to cut some this weekend on my friends mill. Pretty sure it's the same.

WARRIORWELDING said:
when you get tired of it give me a hollar, lol!
Click to expand...

x2!
 
So when's this operation going to be up and running?! I had a nice poplar fall a few weeks ago and I have several 8-10' - 16-18" dia pine logs and several good size 20" dia oak logs laying around.
 
Talked to my friend and was going to do some pine this past weekend but the trailer didn't get fixed. Shooting for this weekend. Incidentally he said blades are hard to get right now and he was down to one. Might want to look into that and stock up.
 
awheelterd said:
So when's this operation going to be up and running?! I had a nice poplar fall a few weeks ago and I have several 8-10' - 16-18" dia pine logs and several good size 20" dia oak logs laying around.
Click to expand...

Next week I start putting the mill together. It actually showed up 2 weeks early, so I wasn’t really prepared when it arrived. Hopefully I can get it up and going shortly.
 
rockcity said:
Next week I start putting the mill together. It actually showed up 2 weeks early, so I wasn’t really prepared when it arrived. Hopefully I can get it up and going shortly.
Click to expand...
Sounds good. Let me know when you want some logs to practice on if you don't have any already.
 
awheelterd said:
@WARRIORWELDING

Got your name all over it!

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...
I've actually stared at this very hard. It is extraordinarily similar to the two I have helped off bear and work around. Both where older and had wooden saw boxes and frames. One was a power plant similar to this and the other we drove off a pto on a tractor.

I remember doing dry locust til the blade got hot and heat warped. A older gentleman came out and hammer balanced it. Wish I knew what he new about older equipment.
 
Back
Top