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Stress crack

Started by EZ, September 21, 2003, 07:48:53 PM

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EZ

Been having trouble with my mill staying level in muddy ground. I thought I made the frame strong enough but I was wrong. I found a couple of stress cracks in the frame. :-/ I've been thinking about a WM but some guys dont have much good to say about them. I need a mill that does'nt give in the mud when you have a 30 inch dia or so oak log on. I almost ordered a WM until I read a post on W.W. and now I dont know what to do.
EZ

Tom

EZ.
Any of those small "sit-on-the-ground" mills that I have seen need to be on substantial bases. They are usually treated timbers likened to the size of a railroad tie.

I have a friend with an LT15 who has, unwittingly, been production sawing with the thing for 4 years now.  He's never told me he has had any problem with it.

Fla._Deadheader

  EZ, if yer talkin about Kelvin's post, I think he got in WAY over his head, and did NOT understand what he was getting into. He was negative about everything, including his kiln system.
  If I had the money, when I got interested in sawing again, I probably would have gotten a WM.
  You could probably put some gussets in your frame to stabilize it. In a muddy situation, If I figgered it would be a problem later on, I would saw a few timbers and put the supports on the timbers.
  After reading all the posts by Bibby and Arkansawyer and the others, that saw full time, I would not hesitate getting a WM, if that's what I wanted.
  Looked at the Swingers??? Much less money and converting to electric feed would get you some added footage at a very reasonable cost.
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

LSUNo1

Though I dont have a vast network of mill owning friends, I do know a few who have WM's and not one has had anything but good to say about their mills. In fact other than the other sawmill manufacturers, Kelvin's post has been the only negative thing I've seen. Course I only go back about 6 mos. in all this.

I am not a WM owner...yet.

Tex-saw

EZ I would'nt think twice about a WM I got my new lt40hd 10/02 and could not ask for more the mill has performed way over my expectations and I'm not saying this just because I own one I am truely impressed If I was'nt I sure would spead the word!  WM makes a well designed wood cut'en machine IMO, the WM does'nt really have to be level,the saw head always travels in a staight line,so if the mill gives in soft ground it does'nt effect the cut like a 4post

isawlogs

 EZ I've been on the road with my WM for 10 years now , been in all types of terrain with it and had no problemes with it. I've sawed in -20  and in the mud in the spring, when the mill is set up like it is sapose to, it will do what it was made for... cut wood . I'm not saying that the other mills don't cut wood I own a wm and sure that there are other cutting machines out there that performe well to. I bought mine because I thought it to be the best I could buy for the mulla I had at the time..... never looked back on that decision....
A man does not always grow wise as he grows old , but he always grows old as he grows wise .

   Marcel

EZ

So if a WM mill would sink, lets say, 2 inches at one corner, it will still saw good boards. I'm going to have to make a road trip today, their a sawyer about 30 miles from here that has a LT-40, I'm going to have to check it out if he will let me.
EZ

Fla._Deadheader

  I'm sure that WM has a good solid frame. That's why I copied from 4 of their different models, to build my mill. I know, for a fact, that ALL my support legs are not always evenly supporting my mill. A large, heavy log, will make the mill settle in this sand, just as bad as mud. I truly believe that we could saw without the support legs being lowered, and STILL get great looking boards.
  When we have Cypress logs, they saw as straight and flat as any $40,000.00 mill. It's the DanG OTHER stuff that makes us look bad ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

Tom

If you get to one of the cantilever machines, you will find that it is built with a rigid frame.   That rigid frame, to me, is a point worth advertising as much or more so than the cantilever design.  You don't want to bend it.  That would be a ba-a-ad thing.  But, that solid frame allows you to set up fast and on uneven ground without impacting the quality of the lumber.   It's best if all the feet are solidly placed on the ground to give the mill support, but, I have seen a mill setup such that the mill rocked on the axle.  They weren't sawing big logs and the mill's feet didn't touch on one end when they touched on the other.  It was on a high spot.  The head of the mill would make the mill rock when it passed the axle and the boards were fine.   These guys were cutting good wood and I left laughing.

Tobacco Plug

EZ
I haven't owned another mill but I am quite satisfied with my 1994 WM LT40HD.  Have sawed some very large logs, heavier than the mill's loader would raise, and have had no problems with damage to the mill. I have set up on some very uneven ground, including the slope of a hill and haven't damaged the mill.  There have even been times that the log's weight rocked the mill when rolling from the loader to the deck.  No problems.  Sometimes the feet get "a little loose" after sitting as you have described and still, no lasting effects, but I still worry when that happens.  After reading Kelvin's post on the other site, I decided that he really didn't know what he was talking about as he didn't have enough experience with his mill, bless his heart.  Guess what I am saying to you is don't worry about it too much.
How's everybody doing out in cyberspace?

Neil_B


EZ,
Listen to these guys. :) I still wish that I had bought a WM and will certainly consider one when the time comes. I've heard very little bad about them and lots of good. they look solid and run smooth.

Neil
Timberwolf / TimberPro sawmill, Woodmizer edger, both with Kubota diesels. '92 Massey Ferguson 50H backhoe, '92 Ford F450 with 14' dump/ flatbed and of course an '88 GMC 3500 pickup.

SawInIt CA

Orange ya glad you got a woodmizer 8)  

EZ

Went and look at that LT40 (manual) yesterday, nice mill, he wants to sell it, going to retire. Pricey things for being used, but I'm sure it's worth it. He never had it on the road, just sawed right at his house, but looking at the frame I can see that it would do the job for me.
Been doing alot of thinking, the way I see it is right now I have a 6 thousands dollar mill sitting out there that right now ain't worth a woodin nickel. I could'nt and would'nt sell it like this so I guess I'm going to rebuild it. Theirs got to be a way to make a stirdy frame for these 4 post jobbers.
EZ

Fla._Deadheader

  Post a couple of pics and maybe someone can give some structural bracing advice.
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

woodmills1

One thing to watch out for with woodmizer feet.

 If you still have your mizer set up in the same location it will be pushed down into the ground.

Remember to move it before the freezing weather appears.

I didn't one year and it pretty near was frozen stuck for most of the winter.

I had to take an axe to the ground around the feet to do a job on the road!!!!!!!! :o :o :D :D

James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

MemphisLogger

IMHO, the Orange design is the absolute best when it comes to setting up on uneven or muddy terrain.

The asymetrical location of their legs allows for creative placement and the rigidity of the frame compensates/allows for shifting and/or sinking footings.

That said, I always carry four 12"x12"x2" pieces of elm to place under the feet in sinking situations  :)  

Check out this setup in a small, sloping yard:


  
Scott Banbury, Urban logger since 2002--Custom Woodworker since 1990. Running a Woodmizer LT-30, a flock of Huskies and a herd of Toy 4x4s Midtown Logging and Lumber Company at www.scottbanbury.com

Minnesota_boy

I like to put a wood block under each leg when the weather may be freezing/thawing.  Sometimes I have to leave a block that gets frozen in, but they are cheaper to replace than the mill.  I have had to wait a day or two to move a mill that was frozen to get warmer weather to thaw it out again.  Boy are they hard to chop out.  :(
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

woodmills1

I forgot to add another freeze tip I learned the hard way.  If you leave the loader feet on the ground freezing mud and/or sawdust will crack the velocity fuses at the bottem of the cylinders leading to leaks.  So now I set the mill on blocks and chain up the loader arms for winter use.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Tom

I must have found the bes solution, because I've never had mine Freeze to the ground. :D

woodmills1

Now thats funny!!!! :) :) :) :D :D :D
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Minnesota_boy

Hey Tom,
I tihink you need a short vacation away from that hell where you live.  Take about 2 weeks to come up here in early March and bring your mill with you and I'll teach you the fun of getting a mill froze in, and maybe stuck up to the axel the next week. :D
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Tom

I arrived at Great Lakes training Center for Boot, years ago, on the 3rd of February.  Does it warm up much by March? :D

I have an excellant off-loader in that area that I keep on retainer.  If I get up there, I would have to stop and pick him up. :D :D

Minnesota_boy

Ummm...Sure!  It gets up inot the 60's or maybe even the 70's.  Of course it also may get to -20 the next day. :D
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Tom

It's the -20 I remember in Chickenthecar won't go.

CHARLIE

Tom, this offbearer is gonna charge more than a can of peas this time. ;D  Plus.....I expect to be supplied with a spoon.
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

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