Logosol PH260 Planer Moulder feedback request

[Mike_Doolittle]

Hey thanks for all of the tips for the ph260!  I have one on the way as we speak and am looking forward to it.  I have been a woodmizer owner for a few years and am branching out into the new world of woodmizers DM kiln and the ph260.  my first load in the kiln is white oak and so far so good...I'm impressed.  Most of the load is a customers wood but some is mine so I have some to learn on.  Maybe I will make flooring, so any tips would be super.
Thanks much Mike

[Kedwards]

I am curious what everyone is getting in terms of linear feet out of the top and bottom knives before they need sharpening. Also besides woodline arizona and hotknife are there any other good knife guys for Logosol? Who has the best prices?

[mur]

Hi Kyle:
I am starting a run on next Tuesday with new knives, top and bottom.  I am going to start keeping track of the linear feet.  I'll let you know.  

[Norwiscutter]

Just wanted to bring this thread to the front again as I am looking at possibly picking up a 260 this summer/fall.  Can anyone that has one elaborate more on realistic production expectations. My plans include runs of 3-4 thousand linial ft. of 6-8 inch half log siding, crown moldings, 2-4 thousand ft. t&g flooring and paneling, as well as some other typical molding applications.  Will this machine be up to such runs, or is it more centered around runs in the 500- 1000 ft. Neighborhood? Like everything, I am sure it is another good, better, best scenerio, but I guess what I am wondering is weather your overall impressions of the machine are good, bad, indiferent, etc. Do you think the 12-14 thousand that the machine will cost(after cutterheads, electrical, etc.) is worth the investment?  I am kinda skeptical of it's light overall weight.( 850-900 lbs. I believe) Like a heave duty planer, I kind of expect a piece of equipment like this to weigh over 1500 lbs., but then again, I am use to using some older equipment that weighs more than modern stuff. My intended use is not that of full time molding. Rather, my goal is to have a piece of equipment that will support my business in the following ways.

1) allow an additional service that I can offer my portable milling customers ( I cut around 15-20 thousand bf for others per year)

2) allow for the use of my own materials for construction of spec homes( 1-2 per year) with the intent of enabling an increase in profit margin

3)possibly offering molding services in limmited quantities. (10-15 thousand bf/ year max)


Realistically, I can foresee running 20-25 thousand bf through
the molder in a given year.  These numbers actually probably border on the high end of the spectrum, but would rather estimate high than low.  As most of my runs would be T&G in some form, what could I expect in production for 4/4 flooring runs on a hourly or dayly basis? Would 150-200 linial ft per hour be out of the question for s4s with t&g side profiles?

[FeltzE]

Norwis,

I've got a 261 (single phase model) I think your looking at the right machine. I havn't cut large runs with my machine but runnig s4s pine 2x4's or oak s4s t&g we ran around 20 ft / min with good results. Considering this machine dosn't have large motors and has only 4 cutter heads you need to keep your blank stock fairly uniform in thickness and width to keep the logosol running at peak speeds.

Eric

[Norwiscutter]

Eric, thanks for your prompt response, as always, you come through with solid information.

Any experience I have had with molders is either the 13 inch P/M combo's ( the 1000.00 dollar models) or the 7 head extreama at the local cedar plant.  Neither of which fit my budget or intentions.  Hopefully this machine will suit my needs.

[Island_Milling]

The guy to talk to is Mur on this site. I had a good chat with him this spring and he is full of info as he is running it at full production. The big question is the blade life and how many feet you get out of that. I think from what I have heard the Logosol 260/261 is a great machine. A bit quirky to start off with but once you are onto it its a scream. It is supposed to put out some of the best finishes around.

[Dugsaws]

Just to pick your brains a little is there any used Logosols out there and how much are they worth, reason I am asking a friend of mine knows where there was one bought used and not set up, just trying to get an idea what it would be worth



Thanks
 Dugsaws

[mur]

Hi Dugsaws:

Can't comment too much on a used machine.  Contact Charlie Griffith or his wife Kathleen, the US Logosol dealers.  Excellent people.  They might have a lead on a used one.  
Eric is right about uniform blank sizes.  And keep your wood really clean.  I just finished a run of about 1500 board feet of aspen 1x6 and 650 lineal feet of spruce/pine 1x4 strapping S4S.  Am ready for a knife change after doing those two runs.  Buyer of the strapping loved the finish.  Aspen buyer will be heard from by this time next week.  I think they'll be happy too.  The aspen is going to a local chain building supply.

[Norwiscutter]

So around 1500 BF, give er take would be the expected range for blade life?

[mur]

My last run early in the week  was on 6" log cabin siding.  I got 4500 lineal feet plus a few more in culls on the knives.  (cracked boards, knots blowing out.)  They need sharpening now.  Clean wood is mandatory.  Started a run of lodgepole pine 1x6" v-joint today with resharpened knives.  Got 1000' lineal feet done - lotsa interruptions by people - but wood is still shiny out of the molder.  Two friends commented they had not ever seen wood that well finished.  You can almost see your face in the shine.  I'll let you know how many feet I get on these knives with this run.   But I suspect I'm averaging 3,000 lineal and better per knife change.  Feed speed and dry wood seem to be in play here too.  I'm learning!!

[FeltzE]

I ran 1200 lf of KD #2 SYP 2x8 thru for T&G in 90 minutes this afternoon.   The blades are holding up fine even in the knots, I did notice one lead slug in the board, neatly cut into  the T,  no tear out running just over 20 fpm with out any helpers to stack or pull lumber.

That didn't include set up time. I probably spent that much time setting up for the first board. Only because I didn't have the set up previously. I would expect to be able to change out in less than 30 min with some routine use and standard setups.

Keep in mind this run was just the T&G with one beveled edge not surface planing starting with wholesale kd syp.

I visited other commercial  mills and found they are buying wholesale s4s mostly and re-manufacturing it to the desired product. I havn't previously considered that because I was trying to justify running my own lumber through the machines. But after looking at other operations there is some merit to having someone else shoulder the burden of wharehousing and stocking inventory. Using whole sale stock increases my ability to respond to a customer order without excessive overhead. So we are going to try to move more in this direction ...establishing a minimum lf price mark up from wholesale and appropriate comparison pricing for premium products not readily available on the local market. ie T&G syp for flooring or horse stalls.

Eric

[mur]

I took the knives out after 3500 lineal feet of lodgepole pine.  1x6 and 1x4.  The finish was still acceptable.  But I was going over to 1x8 lodgepole with a back relief so I wanted new knives in to start that run.  A rather fussy customer for the 1x8 so I didn't want to take a chance on fuzzing out or getting it wrong.  I'll be doing some aspen in a bit and am going to keep track of the lineal feet again.  I am curious now.  Sharpening planer blades is not an issue as I have a woodworker friend who takes my blades to his place of work (a huge mill) and he sharpens them in his spare time.  I trade him wood - whatever he needs!!