Well, bought me a mill :)

[VictorH]

Hello everyone,

I've been reading the posts on this site for months.  I was going to build my own mill but realized I needed to spend the time doing something I actually know how to do.  .   I make bent willow and log furniture and decor as a side business.  I do contract work to pay the bills.  Am having a good year and decided to just buy a mill.  The mill will expand the side business.  Looked into several and really thought about buying a new manual mill.  But over and over the advice on here is get as much as you can afford with as many labor saving features you can.  I decided to look at for a used one.   I found a 1995 LT40H24 with 1290 hrs - with an in-feed log deck, Lap-siding maker, sharpner and setter.  At $9000.00 I think it is a good deal.  I leave Monday to retrieve it from just North of Green-bay.  I will post pics if I find a camera - ours was stolen this summer   

I have two questions that have been asked before I'm sure, but have not found the threads yet.  I can add a debarker for $1800 - 1900.  I realize that there are a bunch of variables with log condition, however just how much longer does a blade last using a debarker versus not?  In other words how fast will this pay for itself?

The second is about the long discussed which blade is best.  I have read the recent thread on the 7* blades and they seem to have those who really like them.  Woodmizer site suggests the 10* as a general purpose use on most everything blade.  So what do you all think?

By the way I bought the mill many weeks ago but could not get away until now to get it.  In the mean time I bought an older boom truck with winch to snag a log here and there with.  And have been clearing out junk from the shop yard to make room  .  I have about 10 logs salvaged from the local brush dump.  I know -metal!!  But need to practice on something.  Have 3 maples, 1 huge Linden,  3 elms,  2 Pines and one unknown - maybe ash.

I should also add that my dad has a degree in forestry and worked for Midwest Walnut when I was a boy.  He is retired from the Navy now and seems as excited as I about the mill.

[MotorSeven]

9K? nice find! One went here at an auction for 14K, no sharpner/setter. I'd say you did very well. I can't answer your question about the blades...I'm still using the ones that came with my vintage 2001 LT15.

RD

[fishpharmer]

Congrats on the mill.  Welcome to the forum.  We look forward
to hearing about your adventure.

[southpaw]

Welcome and congrats on the mill,  .

[pineywoods]

Welcome Vic. You done good on the mill. that's a low time machine. My 1995 has over 7000 hrs, still going strong. One right down the road that has 17000 hrs, still in daily use. Take care of it and you can't wear it out. Blades - won't make much difference until you get some experience under your belt. There's definitely a learning curve when it come to sharpening and setting.

[nas]

congrats on the mill and welcome to the forum Victor

I can tell you that the debarker on my mill is definitely worthwhile.  I cut a lot of white cedar and the bark seems to kill blades.  Can't help you on the 7° blades, I use 10° and they work fine.  I might try some 7° when I need to buy some more.

Nick

[backwoods sawyer]

I find the debarker has limitations in its use. On some logs it will tend to climb on the opening cut when it would be most needed leaving me to cut straight thru all the grit and grime anyway.
Having the sharpener and tooth setter will allow you to keep those saws sharp. Myself I would not spend the money on one. Others on here will swear by them.

[Chuck White]

I feel that the debarker will extend blade life between sharpenings by at least 4 times.
A lot of the logs I saw have lots of mud in them from skidding and without the debarker the blade would be dull by the end of the first cut!
I for one would recommend the debarker as your first option purchased.
My mill is just like yours and I have 1,150 hours on the meter!

As for blades I recommend the .045x1¼-10°.  This is the blade I use exclusively.  I do mostly White Pine and Hemlock with a little hardwood thrown in, here and there!

Good luck with your mill!

[moonhill]

If you are cutting clean logs which you have taken care of and not rolled them in the grit then you can get away without a debarker.  All it takes is one self loader full of gritty logs to make it worth the investment.  It is not a miracle cure but it goes a long ways to keeping you sane. 

I tried sawing some river salvaged logs once,  they were yarded onto a sandy beach right out of the river, green slim and grit attract, then trucked to a field a few miles away.  They sat there till December, the grit was frozen on.  I was the second to try them, it didn't go well.  I did not have a debarker at the time. 

Try the different bands and report back with your results. 

Tim

[bandmiller2]

Welcome Vic,a debarker is sure nice to have but if your not in a big hurry you can clean a path and /or debark the dirty ones.You yourself will have to try different bands and pick what you like best ,they will all cut.Many co.'s will send you a sample to try,myself I like Timberwolf.Frank C.

[Burlkraft]

Victor......If yer gonna be in Green Bay yer gonna be drivin' right by me and Beenthere     

If ya come through on a Friday we could buy ya lunch at The Rox and then give that nill a good inspection fer ya   

[MotorSeven]

My debarker is a water hose.....don't know what I'm going to do when the dang thing freezes this winter.

RD

[VictorH]

Thanks everyone.  I've gleaned a lot from the forum. 

Chuck - 4 times would sure pay for itself in a hurry.  thanks for the info.

Burlkraft I will be thru Greenbay on Tuesday and heading out with the mill that evening.

Thanks again
Victor

[Dave Shepard]

I believe the 7 degree bands are intended for the higher horsepower mills. I really like our debarker on the Super Hydraulic. Definitely makes a difference. I think you'll find the 10 degree bands will work well on that mill, with 4 degrees for frozen or hard woods, like black locust or white oak. I started on a mill just like yours, minus the hydraulics.

[Brucer]

My first mill didn't have a debarker. When I was sawing my own logs (smooth bark, pick 'em up, don't skid 'em) that wasn't a problem. When I was sawing a customer's logs that had the bark falling off, no problem. When I had a hose handy to clean dirty logs, no problem (but it slowed me down). But when I was cutting Douglas-Fir (deeply furrowed bark, skidded out of the bush), that was a problem.

My second mill had a debarker and I would never buy another mill without one. It's a time saver, not just a blade saver.

I find the debarker has limitations in its use. On some logs it will tend to climb on the opening cut when it would be most needed leaving me to cut straight thru all the grit and grime anyway.

Now that's interesting. Never had that happen. I wonder if it's a species issue .

I use 10 degree blades for just about everything. I did have one occasion where I was sawing very wide, very dry wood and I could not avoid a wavy cut nohow. Tried every trick in the book, every trick I could find on the forum, and every suggestion by the WM rep. Then I tried the 7 degree blades and they worked like a charm. I ran the first blade until it was so dull it was pulling wooden whiskers out of the cut, and it still ran true. That's with a 28 HP gas engine.

The 7's work OK on softwood, but definitely not as fast cutting.

I use WM blades exclusively, but I think what's most important is to stick with one brand of blade. Try another brand after you've had some experience, if you like, but don't go hopping from one to another to another.

[petefrombearswamp]

The debarker is the way to go with dirty stuff.
One problem however i had  with the W Pine I just cut, which was cut last spring (Some blue stain) I found that the de- barker put a lot of stuff into the in feed blade roller jamming it if I wasn't diligent causing grooves in the flange.
I learned the hard way that a new roller was about 70 bucks with shipping. those wm guys wouldn't sell only the shell but the entire assembly.

[Brucer]

Gotta keep that flexible guard on the debarker adjusted right.

[Chuck White]

Thanks everyone.  I've gleaned a lot from the forum. 

Chuck - 4 times would sure pay for itself in a hurry.  thanks for the info.

Burlkraft I will be thru Greenbay on Tuesday and heading out with the mill that evening.
Thanks again
Victor

I pulled the mill into a sawsite one time and had to take a closer look at the logs.
I was told the logs were w/pine and hemlock, but from about 20 feet, they looked like beech, they were so dirty with dirt and clay!
I told the customer that if it weren't for the debarker, I couldn't even justify sawing them.
Therefore, you see, that debarker will pay for itself in short order!  There was over 8,000 bf in that one pile of logs!

[VictorH]

 



Here is my mill 
 



 



And this is me.  Getting ready to cut my first log.
A large maple salvaged from the tree dump.  Nearly 8 feet long and about 32" in diameter. 
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I was real happy with how it went.  To be honest I had never seen a woodmizer in action.  I read my manual and tried to remember all that Mark had told me when I picked it up.  The cuts were a little wavy untill I remembered to re-adjust the tension     After that nice and flat.  Ended up with 9-1x12's, 11-1x16, 5-2x6, and a 1x6.  I began at dusk and did most of it at night under lights cobbled together so I could keep going.  Hit no metal but did find a nest of ants.  Don't know if I will make any money at this but I will have a lot of fun.

[Tom]

That wouldn't be a grin on your face, would it?

Yessir, you have it bad.  Didn't you notice that the sun went down?   Yep, your gonna fit in OK here. 

It's getting dark!