brag on your mill

[plowboyswr]

Let me start by sayin that I'm new to this forum and new to the sawmillin end of wood workin. I've been lookin at mills for quite some time now and been doin a lot of readin ( especialy on here) now I want to know what are the features on your mill that you couldn't do without. I have checked out the sponsers sites and will continue to search for the right fit

[123maxbars]

I have a woodmizer LT35. The Hyd turner and clamp are things I really appreciate about my mill. Saves alot of time turning and clamping logs. The loader is also nice but I had a Kubota for that job. 

[bandmiller2]

Welcome plowboy,depends  on what your going to do with the mill, strictly hobby or some cut for hire.In my mind a hydraulic turner/clamp is right at the top of the list.If you have hyd. for the turner you might as well use it to feed and raise and lower the band head.You always want to get a bigger better mill than you think you need that includes more power. Frank C.

[cypresskayaksllc]

1. its not hard to fix and 2. the 2 plane clamp

[isawlogs]

 If there is one thing on my mill I would not do with out .. yes, I have an lt40HD, I would not do without the HD. 

[POSTONLT40HD]

Welcome PLOWBOY and Merry Christmas!

Be careful....that saw milling will get in your blood.

[Banjo picker]

Debarker...Banjo

[Ohio_Bill]

Welcome Plowboyswr ,   I think features have more to do with production expectations . If you are only going to saw a few thousand board feet a year then a very basic manual mill would be just fine and cheaper to buy and maintain . However if you want to do several thousand board feet a day then more power and hydraulics are a must .  I have owned  3 mills all have been Woodmizers . I started with a LT 15 and  now have a LT 40 super . I  am a 62 year old that saws by himself  so I am very thankful for log handling help from the hydraulics  . 

Hope this helps .

[shelbycharger400]

well..to brag... i built it , a few parts were machined by a buddy.  Not pritty welds or paint ect,  but officially it runs, i need to do a few things, but made first cut today after wedging a log between the bunks,  finished the saw dogs today , will saw tomorrow.   i can clamp logs as short as 1 ft long up to 8 ft few inches.   its different to here the chain run at 7,000 rpm est (yet to put a tach on the engine for rpm)   powered by a 12.5 hp briggs,  electric clutch,  36 in chain bar, engine didnt dog down full bar loaded.

[DeepWoods]

I have a Norwood LM 2000.  While it is only a manual mill and can be a lot of work, I went with the most horse power I could get with the mill.  I have never regretted the extra HP when I didn't need it and always appreciated it when I needed it the most.  I'm sure the day will come when 23 HP won't be enough, but I will have to work pretty hard to get a log that big on the mill before that happens. 

[red oaks lumber]

fully hydralic mill  the best feature is the ride along seat

[Bandmill Bandit]

“I went [with a] LT40HD Wood-Mizer because off-bearing is just a lot less stress on the body and I find maintenance to be easier because you don’t have any real tough reaching to do to get at things. Have not regretted the decision to date. I found that operator visibility from the various positions available on Wood-Mizer mills was much better than any other mill I tried, due to the cantilever head. Service is awesome too. Never had a problem with straight sawing at all. Timber King really needs to get over that one already and find something that really is a genuine advantage in their mill.”

That is what I posted in another thread. Nothing has changed.

Good luck in your search.

[plowboyswr]

Thanks for all the replies so far as for what I'll be using the mill for thats hard to say mostly personal use but if the jobs come up i wouldn't turn em down! And must say that I've allready been bit by the bug ready to start sawin

[zopi]

The up/down assembly on the lt15....no guesswork...if the mill is aligned correctly all you have to do is hit the correct hole for near perfect accuracy.

But would trade that for hydraulics...

[redbeard]

I will stick with Timberking after sawing for Six years on a B-20 and having top notch tech support. I will definitely buy another TK when the day comes.

[Norm]

One of the best options to get is the debarker. Hydraulics is a close 2nd.

[glenn molenaar]

Welcome, I'm still dreaming of owning a mill, looks like we are neighbors. I'm just outside of Wentworth. I've been reading posts here a couple times a day. Great site to learn from.

[paul case]

Well maybe ya ought to come look at my mill and see what I like about it. I am only about 25 miles from Carthage.

Probably that thing has paid for itself in the first project and made me a living ever since. PC

[Piston]

Okay so it's not too mill specific, but the one thing I will never be without is a tractor with grapple and forks to deal with logs and mill scraps.   It really does make a difference.  A lot of milling is how you move the material. 

However, I reaaaaaaallly want hydraulics....

[thecfarm]

plowboyswr,welcome to the forum.Ever been around a mill before? Took me about 10 years to decide what I wanted. You will probably never see mine in person,it's a Thomas. Built by a machine shop here in Maine. I like it because I can move the bunks and cut a 2 foot piece of wood. I bought it with the longer track,cut 20 foot logs if I wanted too. I think I have a 18hp Honda on it,I forgot.It's only for my own use,all manual. It's a very simple mill. Something that can sit for a year and the motor is the only thing that may give me a hard time. If I was doing it again,I would probaly go with an electric mill. Tell us your plans for the mill. Do you have your own logs? Mine suits me just fine,what little I use it.