When buying a sawmill........

[JBritt]

Do you guys purchase your sawmills based on specs? Or do you buy one based on the proximity of the dealer?  I have a WoodMizer dealer close by, but I seem to be finding other mills that are cheaper with higher specs, the problem is they are located in Indiana, New York, Ohio, etc. (don't hold me to those exact locations but you get the gist) I guess another question is, how often do you need the assistance of the dealer once the point of sale has been completed? 

My parents own a power equipment dealership ( Exmark, Snapper, Echo, Husq,) and many of their customers may find cheaper deals else where but buy from us because of proximity.  Should sawmill purchasers do the same?

One last question?  If you buy a WoodMizer mill, do you have to buy WoodMizer blades?

Thank you for any information gentlemen! Oh, and ladies if there are any out there!

[bikedude73]

I bought a woodmizer and I am using wm blades because of the resharp program and the fact they are close to me location wise.  One of the big reasons also is that I feel that they started the whole bandsaw mill thing and the others are chasing them and will forever.  Many things are like this one company starts something and the rest start up later and they try to catch up forever.  I love the product and the wounderful service woodmizer offers.  Good luck in your research........

[JBritt]

I bought a woodmizer and I am using wm blades because of the resharp program and the fact they are close to me location wise.  One of the big reasons also is that I feel that they started the whole bandsaw mill thing and the others are chasing them and will forever.  Many things are like this one company starts something and the rest start up later and they try to catch up forever.  I love the product and the wounderful service woodmizer offers.  Good luck in your research........

Thanks,  I understand what you are saying completely, in our family business we feel the same way about our Exmark machines.

[Magicman]

Being "close to a dealer" has never been an issue with me.  I'm several hundred miles from WM, but with the service that they give.....you would never know it.  It's so seldom that I need anything anyway.  Maybe once or twice a year.  Off hand, I cannot remember anything last year.  With proper service, those mills just keep on producing quality lumber.

You can run different manufacturer's bands on WM.  But, WM only resharpens WM blades, so that is what I run.  I'm very satisfied with their blades and ReSharp service.

[JBritt]

Being "close to a dealer" has never been an issue with me.  I'm several hundred miles from WM, but with the service that they give.....you would never know it.  It's so seldom that I need anything anyway.  Maybe once or twice a year.  Off hand, I cannot remember anything last year.  With proper service, those mills just keep on producing quality lumber.

You can run different manufacturer's bands on WM.  But, WM only resharpens WM blades, so that is what I run.  I'm very satisfied with their blades and ReSharp service.

Thanks Magicman for the information.  Do you just ship your blades to them or what is the process? 

[scsmith42]

I bought my mill based upon what I wanted to use it for, and which mill that I felt was best suited for my purposes.

If you're considering a band mill, without question Woodmizer is a great brand. 

Once you have the mill set up and running, odds are that you won't need much dealer support.  Factory support - maybe - but not usually the local folks.

[sigidi]

JBritt I can't add specifically to the bandsaw info, but for general sawmill info I can add, like Magicman distance to dealer isn't an issue when you have a great dealer, here in Aus I have 1 dealer to cover the whole country which is marginally smaller than the United States, but you'd never know it. Also like Magicman, the machine is so great you seldom need anything.

I guess the thing is you need to realise what your needs for the mill are, then look for mills to cover those needs, once finding machinery which can cover your needs, then find out from others if the manufacturers are (in their experience) good to deal with - might be the best way to go.

[Old Hilly]

After learning this the hard way, I never buy on price alone. You need to consider the amount and type of work the tool is going to do and how well it is made. A higher price usually means better quality, even if it's not readily obvious. After sales service and parts back-up is part of that "quality" thing. I would imagine that parts could be shipped across the US almost overnight if you needed them in a hurry. If the company has no spare parts then it makes little diference if you live next door to the factory or on the other side of the country, you are still going to wait, and wait, and wait for that part you need.
I know almost nothing about the bandsaw makers in the US, I am down in OZ, but Woodmizer seems to have a good reputation.
Good luck,
Dennis.

[sigidi]

Dennis what mill are you using down here in Aus? and where are ya in Aus? It'd be interesting to know if someone down here has taken the plunge with a woodmizer as not many of 'em seem to be around down under...

[Chuck White]

I guess another question is, how often do you need the assistance of the dealer once the point of sale has been completed? 

One last question?  If you buy a WoodMizer mill, do you have to buy WoodMizer blades?

Thank you for any information gentlemen! Oh, and ladies if there are any out there!

After buying a mill, you may never need to contact the company for anything, but it's really nice to know that they are there to assist you.
I bought my Wood-Mizer because I have seen a few of them in operation in the past and liked what I saw.
It's an easy mill to maintain, with basic mechanical abilities.

If you buy a Wood-Mizer, you don't have to use Wood-Mizer blades specifically.  I use Wood-Mizer blades exclusively.
There are several other companies that have blades for the Wood-Mizer mills.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Genrally Sawmilling equipment is well made and any Good manufactures (like the ones on the left of the screen) will do the hard yards to eliminate any possible downtime on any of their equipment in the field before the mill goes out the door Mate 

with my family we have owned through our roughly 155 years + of combined sawmilling experiance (and thats just my Grandfather,father, two uncles and myself    ) With Grey & Isles forge (aust) , Meadows , Jonsered/Serra (band) , Lucas Mills  w/o any dramas  and there are also numerous other brands of equipment we have run for ourselves and other people over the years that we could say the same for 

With the Timber Industry Its a Maintanance Game Mate  the more you use it the quicker it wears out    learn to read your equipment and stick to a maint schedual and you will be fine Mate   

Allan Wood mizers have had a good following Downhere since about 1990 and are a Bloody Good Mill Mate  Amberwood/Duncan is their east coast dealer 

Ive done maby 2000 hrs on them over the years on Lt 40 supers one 97 mod electric and one 95 mod with a wisconsin petrol on it     the elec was a great mill when it was new but is flogged out now as the owner has done zero maint on it since last time a sawed on it was 18 months ago 
Collins Super with the wisconsin was a dream to run  an it think it was 6 years old the last time i ran it in 01 its still going now all fulltime sawmilling he also has a Lt70 aswell these days        

ill be heading down to see the first Lt300 sawmilling line with edger  in Australia at my Mate Tims Sawmill soon  he says its pumping out the timber  and says the only thing he needs is more stackers now   

Regards Chris

[Tronvik]

i have owned 4 sawmills in ten years, woodmizer is the only way to go!my first was a quality mill from ny, and the only quailty was the name. then bought a swedish mill,like it, but it has a narrow purpose for me. then i bought a 1983 lt30 manual, loved the mill so much i just picked up a 1987 lt40 hydraulic mill to help my back .my friends say the only thing i have one of is a wife. norwood makes a good mill and there are others,but for me it is orange

[Magicman]

And thankfully, your wife isn't orange.......Welcome to The Forestry Forum......

[bandmiller2]

Sawing logs is tough duty on any mill over engineering is a must.Mizer is no.1 for a reason,they are very well thought out and that came from experiance and constant improvement.Its handy to call the manuf. for parts but almost everything is available locally.I don't know how anyone that isn't at least a little handy with tools and mechanics can survive in the sawmilling business.You get what you pay for [if your lucky]and can't expect a homeowner light mill to stand up commercially.When have you heard a hydraulic mill owner say he wished he'd bought a manual with a smaller engine.The big name mills are good,or they wouldn't have gotten big,some of the smaller manuf. are just as good but you have to know what your looking for.If your looking for a mill talk to guys that own one ,if possible work with them on as many mills as you can then you can have a good idea what will work for you.Always buy bigger and better than than you think you need.I built my own bandmill, with which I'am well pleased,it cuts good lumber.Its no LT70 but it cost me 5% of what the 70 would cost.If your dubbing around for yourself buy what you like if your going to make a living buy the best with all the fixens.Frank C.

[ladylake]

Woodmizer makes good mills maybe a little over engineered and you are paying a little more for the name like Stihl chainsaws or John Deere tractors but that can recovered at resale time most times. With some other mills you can get more mill for less money and their service is good, no company is going to sell a mill and just tell you good luck. There's more than one company out there, have a look.   Steve

[DanG]

In this day and time, unless you're set up next door to the dealer, it doesn't much matter where they are.  Overnight shipping is a wonderful thing.

[ladylake]

 As far as service goes, about a year or so  after I got my mill I mentioned to the saleman that I bought it from that the guide rollers were a little tapered , 2 new ones showed up a couple days later that I didn't even ask for at no charge. Later I learned that was just normal wear.   Steve

[pineywoods]

All sawmills require some maintenance. If you can't or won't do a little tinkering and piddling, you'll never be happy no matter which mill you have. Factory service is available from most manufacturers for major stuff. I bought a used mill and have modified it to kingdom come, but I still get the same excellent support as the guy who just bought a brand new top of the line mill last week. Good customer service is priceless.

[Tom Sawyer]

I wouldn't buy a mill without having a chance to see it operating and trying it out myself.  I also don't think I would ever buy a sawmill that wasn't orange (but I don't say never anymore!).  WM is second to none as far as quality of their products and the quality of their customer service.

Tom

[Dave Shepard]

All sawmills require some maintenance. If you can't or won't do a little tinkering and piddling, you'll never be happy no matter which mill you have. Factory service is available from most manufacturers for major stuff. I bought a used mill and have modified it to kingdom come, but I still get the same excellent support as the guy who just bought a brand new top of the line mill last week. Good customer service is priceless.

Funny you mention that. I was talking to someone at WM about doing a modification to the mill. They said, "I'm not sure how that'd work, I'll have to talk to engineering on that". Try going to your car dealer and see if they'll talk to their engineering department for you.

[ljmathias]

This thread reminds me of discussions about cars- I always use Consumer Reports and JDPowers reports to decide on a car (only by used I can pay cash for nowadays).  Even in the family, people don't make the value decision: value = performance/cost but focus mainly on cost, what's at a dealer or the color (women especially choose based on color- never have figured that one out).

Sure wish there was a Consumer Report section on chain saws and sawmills- wouldn't that be interesting?  Might make some manufacturers tighten up their production and service areas.

While I've been very happy with Woodmizer, I'd certainly consider all the available mills if I was replacing the one I have (for some unforeseen reason: currently plan on keeping it forever or till I die, whichever comes first  ).  Look at how Hyundi has improved in quality and now ranks as a Consumer Report recommended for some models- go figure!

Lj