Jobber J-200 saw mill

[mad dog]

                                                                                                                                                     Has anybody seen a Jobber J-200 work?

[thecfarm]

No insight on the jobber chainsaw mill.But I do want to welcome you to the forum.You will like it here.

[Coon]

I have seen on in action but haven't had any experience with it.  The Jonsered dealers sell them here.  I was going to become a dealer at one point in time but the local economy was in the dumps so I passed on it. 

What I  saw with the mill was that it was built a bit too light for everyday use.  It did a nice job but awefully slow with only having a 6.5 hp hoda on it.  If  you were only going to saw a couple logs a month it most likely be ok.  It is definately light and portable enough to take to the log in most cases.  I will dig through my papers tonight and find the dealer info that I have.

[thecfarm]

Thought it was a chainsaw mill,I was wrong.

[Coon]

You are partially correct cfarm.  The Jobber J100 is the chainsaw model and the Jobber J200 is the bandsaw model.  They both use the same mill framing.

[woodshed]

I bought one of these used about a year ago, after using an Alaskan mill.  I figured it would be easier, and I wouldn't lose so much wood to sawdust.  Mostly what I've been milling is timbers, and I think, all things considered, the Alaskan mill has some advantages:  With the Alaskan, I can saw out a log right at the stump.  Logs have to be moved to the Jobber, and are apt to get dirty.  I have a 26" bar on the Alaskan, so I can saw logs up to about 36" in diam. The Jobber won't take a log bigger than 20."  Both are slow.  Bandsaws dull quickly on the Jobber.  I skidded all my logs (mostly spruce) to the mill on snow pack this winter, so I know they are clean, but still, my blades dull quickly. This  may be a solevable problem, I'm still working on it, but I rarely can get through two 16' x 16" logs without having to change blades, and most of the log is a 6x6 timber.  Blades are not cheap, and hand filing is not really practical.  I send them out to be filed, and filing's not cheap either.  The Jobber will take only a 12' log, unless you get an extra set of rails.  The Alaskan dulls less fast, and sharpens quickly (I'm a good filer), and log length is not an issue.  I've made lots of plain-sawn 16 x 16" x 1" flitches on the way to taking a 16' x 6" x 10" timber out of a pine log, but each kerf is a loss of 3/8" of wood to sawdust.

Neither is a production rig, but I'd say the Alaskan is a good attachment to chainsaw gear any homesteader is likely to have, and is useful for utilization of blowdowns, or for small milling jobs that don't justify hiring logs hauled.  The Alaskan is much more portable, and slabs and mill waste are left in the woods, if you don't want 'em.

I'm pretty well convinced it's a toss-up, all things considered.  If I were to intend going into production, I'd go for a WoodMizer or similar.  That is what most of the local portable contractors around this part of Maine use.   

[5quarter]

Hi woodshed. welcome to the jungle. From Coons description, it really doesn't have the ponies to cut with any speed.  my push mower has more HP. I bet if you can find an old riding mower with a horizontal shaft engine, say 13hp,and swap it onto your mill, you'll see a huge difference in your cutting speed. as for dulling quickly, try turning the log clockwise so you are entering bark on the first cut only. bark will always hold some sand and dirt and can be tough on blades. also, see about getting a drag type sharpener to sharpen your own blades. depending on the cost of the sharpener, you will probably make your $$ back in a fairly short time.

[mad murdock]

Welcome to the FF woodshed. I have refined my CSM technique to where I can consistently average 40-50 bd ft an hour, or more, in Doug Fir, milling WRC, about 20-30% more per hour  2 things that really sped up my production rate, was first, retooling with the Stihl 63PMX ripping chain, and 2nd, outfitting a 2nd saw for edging with either my Logosol Timberjigg, or a home made version of the Mini Mill.  Either way, it really sped up the process. 

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Welcome to the FF woodshed. ...

Hmmm....

New user woodshed may have to consider changing his name. When I first read this post I thought I'd ended up in that destination for inappropriate commenters...

Herb

[thecfarm]

woodshed,welcome to the forum.

[hamish]

The J-200 is ideal for those that want to, or need to mill remotely.   It can be man packed (not recommended) or moved by horse, atv, snowmobile, very easily.  This is the market it is intended for.

In the regions where it primarily used (north-eastern softwood ranges) it does an amazing job.  The 6.5hp engine running a .035 band is much quicker, and fuel efficient versus running a csm.

Band maintenance as with any mill is important.

[woodshed]

Thanks to all for the welcomes to the forum.

I'm working on building a band-lubricating add-on.  I think that part of my problem is sawdust/pitch is accumulating in the gullets, as the saw teeth seem to be sharp, even as cutting efficiency falls off.  I'm also going to try cleaning the gullets with a chain saw file.  I agree that more power would probably help, too.

Thank you for the tips.