Re: Introduction and Sawing/Milling Question

[Crazy Rusyn]

Hello All,

I've been lurking for a year or so and finally registered. Hi to all and thanks for this great resource! I love checking out all the threads and enjoy all the good ideas and info. Thanks for your knowledge!

Question 1: I have a question that your collective wisdom might help answer. My wonderful and smart wife wants to know why there are so few USED Wood-Mizer LT15s for sale. Is it because when someone buys one they really like and use it, or is there no market for a used 2-3 year old LT-15? My Wood-Mizer salesperson said (of course) that people love them and they just don't get rid of them, you can't find a used one 'cause they get snapped up if there ever is a used one. Fact or Fiction? 

Question 2: I am "ready to buy" a Wood-Mizer LT15 with a diesel 10 hp. She (my wife) has no problem with me buying it, just that it might not be worth the $7500 and all the time invested in cutting, etc. She thinks it would it be easier to just buy the wood all ready to go at the lumber yard. I plan on cutting wood for a number of projects; new shop, barn, kiln, playhouse, stalls, house addition, hardwood for furniture and trim, etc. I've got 15 acres of pine, spruce and oak. I've got a couple chainsaws, a log splitter, a 34 hp Kubota 4x4 tractor. I'm really handy with tools, have built a bunch of stuff, we have farm animals. I am a daddy to three homeschooled  little girls, work two jobs, take care of the farm, go to grad school and strongly believe in self-reliance. I know I work a lot but I love it. Would a mill suck up too much time? Is a Wood-Mizer  LT-15 a relativily economical purchase for my situation rather than buying "pre-made" lumber (which to me doesn't seem like much fun).

Thanks for your time and I look forward to your thoughts.

[LeeB]

After reading your intro, I say buy it. Cost effective for you? Maybe, maybe not. Will you enjoy it? Definately. Sawing your own lumber, drying it and turning it into a nice piece of furniture, kitchen cabinets, trim, a barn, or even just a dog house is very satifying. Welcome to the forum.

[MartyParsons]

Fact, I do not have any used LT15's in stock. They change hands in the family or a neighbor wants it if he knows you have it for sale. I had two in the last year one was on the internet for 15 min. The last one we had a few days but it is gone also.
We do not sell many diesels in our sales area, Maine ASC sell lots of 10 hp diesels. They are ver y fuel efficient. Most of the demand in our sales area is the 15 hp and the 25 hp Kohler gas. The resale value is good. I have LT15 owners who run their mill once a year and some customers saw 2 triaxles of logs a week  .
Ask more questions here of the owners. I am a Wood-Mizer sales man, you may not believe me.  :D

Thanks
Marty

As for buying a band saw or buying lumber at the box store. Check the prices of lumber and I assume you have timber and time so you are set. Talk it over with the members here they will not guide you in the wrong direction.
Good Luck!

[zopi]

Heh..Marty works for WM...but don't paint WM sales folks with the same brush reserved for the local car dealership..WM is without a doubt the finest company i have ever dealt with...and is 100% employee owned by American Craftspeople..

but..since i don't work for WM, the answer to your questions..

1. Fact..once you have one you will understand..they are very well made, and easy to work with. (and addicitve!)

2. yes..you can buy lumber from a lumberyard..and in certain instances it may be cheaper...usually until you get to the
realm of say, a 2x10 or 1x8 or so..and dependent on the species..hardwood cut with an lt 15 will pay off quickly...particularly
if you are as accomplished a log scavenger as I seem to be...haven't paid for one yet..

Now, here is the trick...try to buy curly or quilted maple, sweetgum, walnut, osage orange, hickory, knotty pine,
cherry (!) cedar, cypress, ash, hickory, or any of thousands of species at all but a couple of lumberyards, and you begin to see
where a mill pays for itself...and just try to find a set of bookmatched 21" spalted pecan boards for a tabletop...and that is to say nothing of the change you can pick up sawing for others..

7500 for the new LT-15 is a good price, and IMNSHO well justified IF you will use or sell alot of lumber, in my case, wifey
wants wide board floors for a 1500 sq ft addition (big $$ if someone else does it) and I have 3 acres to fence, three little barns to side/rebuild, and a workshop to build...not to mention the possibilities when i retire from uncle sam's kanoe klub
in a few years...I have about 7800 all told in mine..bought 15 bands, the log pro kit, an extension, and a logrite cant hook..

>get the Logrite..trust me<

consider too, how you will handle logs...if you don't have alot of equipment it takes some ingenuity..

Good Luck! 8)

If you can't tell, I drank the kool-aid...I love my 15!

[thecfarm]

I spent just about what you are about to on mine.I might have just about paid for itself.I want 2 good size buildings from it this summer and a small chicken coop and than I know I will be ahead of the game than.I used the same reasoning with my wife.Yes,I could of went and bought all the lumber I needed.But I would not have a sawmill when I get done.Now when I get all the buildings I want,I will still have the sawmill.I don't even make furniture so you really can use one.Yes,it will take up time,but how much time would you have to spend away from your family making the money to buy the lumber.Now you can stay close to your family and saw the lumber you need.Get the whole family out there and put them all to work.I  would much rather being home working hard than working away from home.Welcome to the forum too.

[zopi]

I spent just about what you are about to on mine.I might have just about paid for itself.I want 2 good size buildings from it this summer and a small chicken coop and than I know I will be ahead of the game than.I used the same reasoning with my wife.Yes,I could of went and bought all the lumber I needed.But I would not have a sawmill when I get done.Now when I get all the buildings I want,I will still have the sawmill.I don't even make furniture so you really can use one.Yes,it will take up time,but how much time would you have to spend away from your family making the money to buy the lumber.Now you can stay close to your family and saw the lumber you need.Get the whole family out there and put them all to work.I  would much rather being home working hard than working away from home.Welcome to the forum too.

yup...checkit..

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,29953.0.html

[Dave Shepard]

By the sounds of it you have the makings of a happy sawmill owner. You've got the tools and the desire to do it yourself. There is certainly a "payback" period on your mill, but once you own it, you will always have the ability to have lumber for your personal needs. You will definately put in some time logging and milling out your own barns, but you won't have to earn the money to buy the materials.


zopi, if you bought 1500 feet of wide flooring from my boss it would cost more than your mill.


Dave

[Part_Timer]

I had an LT15 before the swinger.

Iif I remember right is sold in about 3 days.  It brought about $700 less than I paid for it 4 years earlier.  They hold their value well if you take care of them.  There were enough emails I could have sold it 10 times over.

[brdmkr]

CR,

Sawmilling is addictive, and the mill will pay for itself.  However, after reading about all of the irons you have in the fire, I would caution you to go into this carefully.  If you get to a point that you feel like you have to run the mill so it will be worth the money, you may find what precious little time you may have being eaten away.  I love my mills, but I have come to realize that I can't hold a full-time job, be active with my church and friends, be the dad and husband I need to be AND mill all the lumber I'll ever need WHILE building my new house, keeping up my current house, putting in a garden, and taking care of rolling stock, yards, etc.  I have decided that I will sub out much of my home construction and I try to guard family time as much as possible.  It is good for me that I love all of these things that tend to compete for my time, but I have to prioritize.  I took my son fishing today instead of milling when I got off work.  Only you and your family can determine whether or not the demands on your time will be too altered to make this work for you.  If not, then go for it.  Making your own lumber is really satisfying!

Welcome to the forum.

[Dave Shepard]

brdmkr, good post, someone needed to keep us sawmill chearleaders in line. :D I was going to try and say something like that in my last post, but I, ummm, got sidetracked, yeah, that's it. :  :D


Dave

[bandmiller2]

CR,I just got tired reading what your doing with your time.Being up agenst your governor is ok for a wile but as you get older you will value your free time more.Your a sawyer you just haven't started yet.Do it ,the mill will find you the time and the scrap will keep you warm.Frank C.

[zopi]

zopi, if you bought 1500 feet of wide flooring from my boss it would cost more than your mill.


Dave

That made the wife smile...

[thecfarm]

brdmrk,this sawmill cheerleader don't quite agree with you.   ;D  Yes,Crazy Rusyn is busy,but how busy would he be AWAY from home if he has to buy $7000 worth of lumber? From what he said he has the trees and tractor to get them out.All he wants to build won't get done in a year,because he has so much going on.He mentioned about adding on to his house,not building a new one like you did.What you did will really eat your spare time up.Can't put if off because you want to go fishing with your son.  ;D  RA-RA-RA     Give me a W,give me an M.  

[Dave Shepard]

zopi, if you bought 1500 feet of wide flooring from my boss it would cost more than your mill.


Dave

That made the wife smile...

Depending on exactly how wide/long you want, and other processing, it could cost twice what you paid. Plus installation.


Dave

[brdmkr]

I am not trying to discourage him from getting a mill.  Unless I get severly injured or ill or some other major disaster strikes, I plan on having a mill and running it regularly till the day I leave this Earth.  Because I like my mill so much, I would be hypocritical to suggest that someone NOT own a mill. 

When I read his post, I was reminded of when I was in graduate school, trying to make ends meet, and BEFORE I had a child.  It was tough, and it sounds like his current busyness makes my past busyness seem like a vacation!  My post is not intended to dissuade someone from buying a mill, but to make sure that this is where he wants his time to go, and I think that should be a family decission.  As I see it, this is not a money issue, but a time issue (this seems to me to be the major theme of his second question).  So, wether or not CR gets a mill should be based on the amount of time he has to put into this. If the family is on board, then I say Go man Go.  Based on his original post, I suspect that he would LOVE a mill.  If he has time to run the mill, he will really love it.   

[zopi]

Depending on exactly how wide/long you want, and other processing, it could cost twice what you paid. Plus installation.


Dave

Random width...16ft...probably 4",6" and 8" once processed..

what i had told her was, bump that, I can buy a new truck for that money...was gonna get a Ripsaw and she told me to
STHU and buy a real mill...god, she's awesome..

[zopi]

with the time thing...I don't get alot of production..but I keep it set up to where i can be sawing in
five minutes time...get an hour or two free and fire it up!


when i get home wore out from a hard day, i'll go out and saw to blow steam, and very often one or more of the family is out there either running the mill or snatching boards off and stacking them...good stuff! Wifey wants hydraulics tho'..

[Crazy Rusyn]

Hey Guys,

I so appreciate all your comments and thoughts about my situation.

Marty, "Ask more questions here of the owners. I am a Wood-Mizer sales man, you may not believe me." I didn't mean to be disrespectful to my W-M salesperson or to you as a rep for W-M, I just want some other thoughts. I usually buy second/third/fourth hand, I have not seen very many W-M for sale over the last year, especially the "15". I usually like to buy something really cheap, broken and messed up is OK, I have the patience of Job and like to rebuild the darn thing so it's as good as new. For me, it keeps me out of trouble, I learn a lot and I figure I save money through sweat equity. It's a good "hobby". I probably have a touch of ADD! ;) Buying full price is fine, knowing that a W-M holds value, especially if taken care of, is better!

Zopi, "in my case, wifey wants wide board floors for a 1500 sq ft addition (big $$ if someone else does it) and I have 3 acres to fence, three little barns to side/rebuild, and a workshop to build...not to mention the possibilities when i retire" thanks for reminding both my wife and I about my 1500 sq ft of pine flooring, I forgot about that! And I do want to get the Logrite cant hook...

And thecfarm, your input was appreciated. I'm right down the road from you in Fayette on North Road...Where are you in Chesterville?

brdmkr, thanks for your thoughtful response. I too value my Family above everything else. I know my schedule sounds nuts. I guess it is at times. I'm lucky because my jobs (teaching computer science at a high school and college) do give more time off than most jobs. My grad school stuff is done on line-I usually do it in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep. The farm, etc. is daily, but I get to take the kids with me as we do chores. The sawing/milling thing is sort of, as Zopi said, "with the time thing...I don't get alot of production..but I keep it set up to where i can be sawing in
five minutes time...get an hour or two free and fire it up!
when i get home wore out from a hard day, i'll go out and saw to blow steam, and very often one or more of the family is out there either running the mill or snatching boards off and stacking them...good stuff!
And I think you're right, brdmkr, I would really enjoy the mill....

I thank you for all for your input and kindness. I look forward to many more discussions in the future. You are a bunch of good guys, thanks.

My kids want me to post these...they are right here... 8)

:D

I'll keep you posted on the decision.

[thecfarm]

Crazy Rusyn,I'm probaly not much more than 2 miles from you through the woods.I'm off the Chesterville Ridge Road,the next road down below you.You did not noticed our signs for the greenhouse and produce a few years back,The C Farm?Had signs down by 12 Cornors.I live on the last road before getting into Fayette.You don't live next to Fayette Church do you? When you go to Farmington on the North Road if you look to the left you can see my house.

[rbhunter]

Good to see your kids helping you post.

[MartyParsons]

 About 95% of the people I meet work with their hands and know what work is. If you need any information on any mill or issue let these guys know. I am like you I like to rebuild repair buy as low $ as possible. If you decide to purchase a used unit WM will be there to help.
Sounds like the faimly is excited about the project and that is always exciting to us. Good Luck!
M

Ok I removed the comment. Do this make it OK?

[WH_Conley]

 
Insert Quote
I guess the saleman thing comes from my dislike for salesmen or women.

Yer goin to be in deep hockypoo later. :D :D :D

[WDH]

CR, 

I am no big sawmiller.  But, with my little LT15, I can cut lumber and make furniture, flooring, etc that rivals any cut on the biggest mills, just not as fast.  For your own use, it would be ideal from my experience.

[zopi]

Insert Quote
I guess the saleman thing comes from my dislike for salesmen or women.

Yer goin to be in deep hockypoo later. :D :D :D

Nahh..any decent salesman understands it is a natural reaction and takes it into account..BTDT..spent three years as a recruiter...crappy, but necessary job to be done..

Never again tho'

I'd take a job selling WM in a heartbeat tho' or pretty much anything else
@ WM for that matter..

Hockeypoo? Crap on ice?

[Dan_Shade]

Hey zopi, did any of your recruits ever ask you what a needle gun was?   :D