cantilevered head or 4-post head

panman · February 09, 2010, 09:17:44 AM

I'm planning on buying a bandsaw mill.
Are there any benefits of one head design, over the other?
What about knarly logs, crotchs, etc?
How about maintenance, bearings, chains, metal fatigue?
What about leveling of the mill, one easier, and more forgiving than the other?
What about the raising, and lowering of the head. On a 4 post design, do you have 4 times the problems?
I know there is not a perfect machine, but would like to know the advantages of one over the other.
Jim

ronwood · February 09, 2010, 09:35:30 AM

Jim,

Welcome to the forum. The buying of a sawmill is somewhat like a Dodge, Ford, verses Chevy. Good sharp blades and maintenance on a mill is required whether a 4 post or cantilevered. Customer service is important. One reason that I went with a WoodMizer was that I wanted a mill that I could pull behind my 1/2 ton pickup so that I could be mobile. It gave me the capacity that I wanted also. I was looking for a hydraulic mill.

It would be very helpful to get demo of each mill that you are interested in so that you can compare. Call any of the forum sponsors that manufacture mills and they can get in touch with an existing customer.

Ron

Don K · February 09, 2010, 09:48:26 AM

I am not totally qualified to answer your questions but I can do my best from what I know. First I have a WM with the cantilever head. I have seen some fine 4-post mills in action. They will both cut good accurate lumber. Concerning setup, the WM is the easiest thing I have done. It only has one point of contact to follow and as long as the rail has no bow in it the head will cut smoothly. I have always pondered the thought of a 4 post as being a little more finicky as for leveling as there are more contact points to follow. Example such as driving a vehicle across a rut at a angle, if you have a twist in the frame it should affect the cut. Just might have to be a little more precise on setup. ???

From my experience the open head design has allowed me to make passes by a limb left a little long or some other quirky feature when turned to the side opening that would not be possible with a 4 post. I have seen pics on here of members who have sawn curved logs into arches and hand rails on boot bridges by have the option to move the wood during cutting.

As for maintenience and such, there should be no difference one way or the other on either. Both have replaceable parts such as track rollers you just have more on the 4 post. Both types have a long history of personal customer testimonials concerning the quaility and ruggedness of the machines. There has been the questions about bouncing on a cantilever, but I can say from experience that that is not a issue at all with a cantilever head, so don't let that concern you.

They are both wonderful machines and the only advice I can give you is to go to some shows where you can watch them in action for yourself. Ask questions of the reps. Use your common sense and you will know if someone is feeding you a spiel in answer to your questions. It all comes down to what you choose based on your personal findings. You will be happy with whatever you decide. We are here to offer advice and knowledge to you if you need it. Good luck and happy hunting.

Welcome to the forum, Jim.

Don

panman · February 09, 2010, 10:02:49 AM

I've worked with a couple WM saws, they did a fine job.
Never have used a 4-post, watched-em on youtube. Looks like they do a fine job too.
If you break a part on the WM, can you get locally replaceable parts, or is every wear part a WM specific part?
Anybody here from southern Minnesotah, that could show me a 4post mill in action?
Thanks
Jim

Brad_S. · February 09, 2010, 10:10:08 AM

I was suprised by your question, usually people question the monopost rather than the 4 post.
I have a 4 post and I can set up just as fast as a monopost. I am not a Wood-mizer fan but the monopost is not one of the issues I have with them.
Based on my experience with a 4 post and my observation of the monopost is that they are both good systems and would be a non issue in my mind.

panman · February 09, 2010, 10:34:40 AM

A couple of things I question about the 4 post head.
Can you cut odd sized logs, or crotchs, I would want to utilize everything. I like wierd wood.
My planer is on a 4 post head, there is a chain, and sprockets that raise and lower the head.
Would a 4 post sawmill have the same setup, and problems?
Or do they have a screw system for raising and lowering the head?
If so are the screws kept in time with a chain?
With the cantilevered head, when you are cutting odd logs, are you using the mill like a band saw, and hand feeding the stock through the mill?
Seems to me the same concept would work with a 4 post head? Just limited by the posts on the side?
Seems to me the choice is between WM, and the 4 post design.
Jim

Brad_S. · February 09, 2010, 11:10:17 AM

The issue you are primarily concerned with when sawing crotches is not the side clearance, it is the throat capacity.
I would never hand feed anything through the mill, and am extremely hesitant to even back clamps off partway through a cut to allow a log/crotch to shift. The torque of that blade traveling through a log is pretty significant and can mess a blade...or you...up pretty quickly and severely.
IMO, don't be comparing a bandsaw sawmill to any of the stationary equipment you use in the shop. They are different beasts with different designs for different purposes.

Magicman · February 09, 2010, 11:13:00 AM

First panman.....Welcome to The Forestry Forum....

If there were any issues with either design, then the manufacturers work them out with their R&D. Just remember that whatever you saw has to fit between whatever holds the sawhead. After you load the log, just check to be sure that the head will move to the other end. If it will....good. If it won't, get out your chainsaw.

Good lumber really doesn't depend upon the brand or type of mill. It depends upon the sawyer, sharp and properly set bands, and a properly set up and adjusted mill.

Happy Sawing !!!

SDM · February 09, 2010, 11:46:19 AM

Hi there panman, welcome... I'm not an authority, but I asked that same question about 3 yrs ago. I went w\ wm . The main selling feature for me was customer service...( a wm dealer is 45 min drive away ) I love my mill. Some days I pass up tree cutting which makes more $$, for milling. I can see how the wm design might be more versatile for cutting weird stuff. Good luck! Shawn

ARKANSAWYER · February 09, 2010, 12:18:19 PM

A good mill is a good mill and with a sharp blade will make lumber. The WM will allow you to do some things a 4 poster will not but I can not think of a thing it limits you on. The throat opening is a limit. What I like best is the way a hand can get to the lumber to pull it off due to the way the bed of the WM mill is made. I have and do leave things on the other side when sawing that you can not with a 4 poster. I have dragged my LT40 over 150,000 miles and have close to 3 million bdft sawn and she cuts as true today as the day I picked her up.
Try as many as you can and let what you like be the reason you buy a mill.

fishpharmer · February 19, 2010, 09:53:08 AM

Panman welcome to The Forestry Forum 8)

panman · February 19, 2010, 09:08:03 PM

Ended up buying a WM, imagine that.
Jim

Magicman · February 20, 2010, 09:00:55 PM

Congratulations !!! 8)

Dave Shepard · February 20, 2010, 09:43:27 PM

Details! ;)

panman · February 20, 2010, 10:24:44 PM

Are you guys getting wood, over a Woodmizer, I'm not that bad, yet.
1994 LT40HDG24
467 hours, has only been run 20 hours since 2004.
Probably have a few maintenance issue's, but the price was right. Everything worked fine the other day, I think it's a decent machine, we shall see.
A couple extra boxes of blades, spare tire, and a 12' extension, awesome.
I have 48 acres of cabin logs, just waiting to be sawed.
Jim