Want a mill

Pwdrblast · October 18, 2003, 07:42:14 AM

I was wondering if anyone has experience with a Mighty Might band saw mill. I been dreaming about getting a mill and there is a Mighty Might dealer near by.

woodmills1 · October 18, 2003, 07:50:09 AM

welcome pwdrblast you will find a good bunch of sawyers here.

As for a mill my tastes run to the orange family but you will get some good info about many types here.

Kevin · October 18, 2003, 08:59:45 AM

Which Mite are you considering?
They look like a solid machine in the pictures.

woodmills1 · October 18, 2003, 09:21:08 AM

Just so you know, I have been talking with pwdrblast on IM for a few weeks as he found my profile on AOL which lists my woodmizer. He definately has a case of
Saw Dust Fever :D :D and will appreciate info on the Mites or any other brands. He has been doing his homework and even visited some companies and I finally convinced him that we here at FF could help him make a decision.

D._Frederick · October 18, 2003, 09:29:34 AM

I think that Mighty Mite is better known for their circle mills, than their band mills. WM is about 6 miles east of MM, have you looked at their mills? LINN LUMBER is by Sweet Home and sells manual band mills, they have models under 5K. If I were going to spend 25K or more for a mill, I would look at the one that had the best resale value.

Pwdrblast · October 18, 2003, 10:02:05 AM

I did look at woodmizer. I think they make a good product. just wanted to see if anyone had experiences good or bad with Mighty Might.

Percy · October 18, 2003, 11:09:09 AM

A freind of mine here in town had a Mightymite Band mill. It was an older model, Had no hydralics, used an oddball 2 inch wide blade, 3/4 inch pitch,. It didnt cut that fast but made some nice boards. He eventually sold the mill and bought a D&L Double Cut.

Stephen_Wiley · October 18, 2003, 04:21:56 PM

I don't have any experience with Mighty Mites band mills.

However, 20+ years ago used two of their circular mills to cut cants and beams for resaw. They both were great, at the time we also had one mobile dimension mill. The Mighty mites out performed the mobile dimension. But that was some time ago, I think both mills probably have dealt with engineering issues since then.

Are you wanting band or circular?

Pwdrblast · October 18, 2003, 05:53:22 PM

I been looking into band mills. Unless someone can persuade me otherwise that is what I decided on . Do you have a mill Mr Wiley? Cause you look like your not more than a Stone throw away from where I live.

KiwiJake · October 18, 2003, 08:06:14 PM

Hey Pwdrblast, you've givin me an opening to suggest the circular over the band

.

For example, the band (granted thin kerf) is very expensive to buy when compared to retipping on a circular, this is an on going expence so it should be greatly considered.

Re-tipping costs are around 25NZ dollars compared to around 70NZ dollars for a band blade, the tips on a circ can last up to 50 000 BF where a band blade can last up to 800 BF, I have used our home currency and would think that the difference in price is very much the same to the American.

The kerf, any sawyer will tell you (maybe not a couple of die hard banders around this neck of woods) but most sawyers will tell you that a circular will cut more consistantly straight timber as the circ blade does not rely on tension and sharpness to achieve this. When a band becomes dull or rides into a heavy knot it tends to drift up or down effecting TWO boards so care of the blade and feed speed is important.

The wide board capacity on a band, untill recently band saws were concieved as superior machines as the flexabillity of cut was huge compared to other circular saws mainly because all that was on the market were twin bladed systems being limited in cut eg. MAX 6x12 beam, the 12" cut could only be achieved vertical in the log. These days there are Swing saws being able to cut a 10"x 20" boards directly off the log with the most versatillity possible, eg wider boards can be cut with a clip on slabber bar up to 60" wide. These mills are basicly what a band mill is but cutting with a 10" throat cappacity being able to swing both in vertical and horizontal positions, they can also cut from both sides of the blade to get your double width wide board.

I was attending a show this weekend with our new automated 10" swing mill, it was a great show! We had cut 3200 board foot of 10x1, 500x1, 8x1 and 6x1 in two days, mainly doing short demos. The guy that supplied us the logs is wanting a 2m diameter log capacity with 10m of track in a 10"x20" cut model. These mills can be built to your needs with the least of limits.

Give me an E-mail if you've not heard of this type mill and would like to know more. In short, just really research the generic makes of portable sawmills and there benifits before buying, this may well save you alot of work. Most that buy a sawmill are happy with what they get because they are unaware of otherwise.

Stephen_Wiley · October 19, 2003, 12:55:39 AM

Pwdrblast,

No, I currently do not have a mill.

If you are wanting to observe a ongoing operation .....Frank Pender is out of Dallas and has two Mobile Dimension mills. Although I have yet to meet him D. Frederick is out of Sherwood and has parts from Linn mills (Band) . BTW D. Frederick is it a band mill?

You stated you are close to the Mighty Mite dealership, are you located in the Portland Metro area?

Pwdrblast · October 19, 2003, 05:06:38 AM

hello Kiwijake
   I see you work with and or sell the Peterson swing blade mills.I been to there web site before and tryed to see and learn what they was all about. The pictures on there web site don't really show any close up's of the power head or the mechanics of how they rotate. Some questions I have on the mills is .

   Do the blades warp if they get to hot or does this not happen with this size of a blade?

   The log looks like it sits on some wooden Cross members that are on the ground ,. When the log is cut and not much wieght left to hold it down does the log have a tendency to move on you while cutting?

   The frame looks like its made to be light also.. how is it secured from moving on the ground while cutting to not throw off the cut?

   When your double cutting with the ten inch blade to make a beam 10" x 20" you cut twice on the same face of the board to make it 20" wide, does the cut drift some and not line up perfect with the first cut?

   I am in Oregon, USA. How fast can one get parts for one of these mills?

   I like the idea that it cuts up to ten inches at a time and therefore wouldn't require and much horse power to make a cut fast as when cutting 20" plus inches on a band mill at one time.I have seen some of the wavy cuts a bandmill makes when it came up to some big knots at the dealership. The dealer claimed it needed a new blade in it to cut better. Seems like a sharp blade should of been in it if one wanted to demostrate it.

   I couldn't find any info on how wide the kerf is on one of these mills. I assume 3/16 to 1/4 inch.

   I would like to see one of these swing blade mills operate. Are there any in Oregon and or is there a video of one I can get. I understand you have one that has power feed and return now. How much much does this add to the cost and how much does the mill sell for in US$

   and hi Mr wiley.. I am about ten miles From Silverton.

Russ · October 19, 2003, 06:16:35 AM

What are you planning on doing with the sawmill ? I agree a circular saw is faster but the start up expense is more. My dad had a dimension sawmill and it was much faster, easier to quartersaw but when you look at the sawdust 3/4 of that would be lumber with a bandmill. The slabs are smaller on a mill that you roll the log on too, like many bandmills do. After I got my sawmill I found out there are a dozen mills within 20 miles of here. I think it would be hard to make a more expensive mill pay for itself. Its harder to quartersaw on my bandmill but when I cut hardwood its cut more even with the grain and twist much less if at all. I prefer the bandmill with hardwood, the circular with softwood if production matters. Good Luck, I just had to put my Two Cents In !!

Rusty's Band Sawmill

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solidwoods · October 19, 2003, 06:38:53 AM

Pwdrblast
Welcome
This seems to be a very friendly and giving site, you should like it to feed a sawmilling craving.

Unless I missed it, what do you want to do in sawmilling?
What type of basic business structure?
Circle and band production rates are way way different.
The business concepts are quite different with each additional piece of equip. added.

This is the basics of what I do.
I bought a Kasco IIB in 92. The plan was (I was at year 10, US Army), use the mill for construction lumber for me, House, shop, out bldg., mill wood for my furniture and wood products making business (about 20-30mbf per year). I sell furniture, flooring, moulding, etc.
I pick the woods I need for furniture, sell the rest, sell some 2xs whenever.
Build up/School up part time , graduate Army 2002 shift to full time.

I cut about 50,000bf or less a year
I built a 1000bf propane direct fire kiln, mostly dry 20%mc or less lumber. The kiln is in my shop and doubles as a finishing room. When I kiln, the heat can be vented into the shop (radiant heat already happens) mostly a winter benefit. I run the kiln during work hours, and don't do much for hire drying since this type of drying in not "full use" dollar efficient (if that makes any sense). Bottom line kiln almost no noticeable drying degrade, no stress related defects (I wood work this lumber so I know how it acts) and color excellent (kiln type and schedule can affect color on some woods)
I'm now converting it to Taylor Waterstove heated.
A 3000bf Solar is 75% complete today. It will be for thick lumber.
75% of the lumber I cut is "Value Added" TG boards, S4S,etc., since I dry and mill it.
Other pieces I went with:
$10,000 Kasco IIB w/trailer pkg, sharpener/setter (chopsaw type) this is non hyd mill, elec feed/blade height
$6500 Knuckleboom truck 1978 IH cab/chassis w/ prentice H series light use road worthy condition
$600 Foley Belsaw edger 20" (I think)
$1500 1972 Ford backhoe (add $1500 for engine rebuild, 200 for forks) This is used as forklift
$1000 5 ton cap, trailer for hauling logs.
$2500 Cat claw auto sharpener , Timberwolf dual tooth setter, hand held tooth set gauge
Total
$22100 (just about the price of a hyd blue or orange mill)

I also built a 1600sq' shop with about $20,000 wood working equip to build lumber products and furniture.

Could I earn a living with just the sawmill equip? Got me! The Devil is in the variables, location, dedication to skill, and luck.
But I like the above formula better than $20,000 for a hyd mill and nothing else. If I were trying to cut allot of lumber per day, my set-up would'nt work at all.
Because I saw real quick that I could mill way more wood than I could move around by hand. The truck/ trailer lets me get free or purchased logs, put them on the log deck (or remove half a huge one from the mill, too work), I also hang trusses, and remove trees stump and all. Or if you buy tractor trailer loads, you can handle it.

If you want to see/run a Kasco just ask. I would recommend it for what level of sawmilling rate it is designed for.

Keep pushing
JIM

Minnesota_boy · October 19, 2003, 07:09:26 AM

I'll echo Rusty, what are you going to do with the sawmill? Are you going to work alone or do you have helpers in mind. If you have helpers, production needs to be fast enough to keep them busy or else you are paying someone to just stand around.

I run a bandsaw by myself. The production is limited more by how much I can do rather than how much the mill can do. The mill stands and waits while I roll logs and sometimes when I carry a board, it finishes the next cut and waits at the end of the track for me to catch up. It would work me right into the ground to try to keep up with the potential production.

Kiwijake is right about the blades of a basndsaw trying to cut a wave. You have to keep a sharp blade on the mill to avoid that with certain species, but why would you want to run a dull blade on any mill. My blades are replaced for resharpening after 200 to 1500 bd-ft, depending on the species and how dirty the logs are and the temperature. Changing a band takes less than 2 minutes on my mill.

Also in the equation is how often you move the mill and how long it takes to set it up. Since I do onsite custom sawing, I move my mill a lot. It takes less than 5 minutes to set up the mill for sawing. I've moved it to 3 different jobs in a day at times.

How often do you forsee cutting wide slabs? My bandsaw is limited to about 24 inches wide. It is always ready to do that if the job requires it with no extra setup. I can't cut a 60" slab. I don't have trees that big around here that are suitable for a slab anyway, so that isn't a big deal to me at all.

Your location is different from mine and your logs are different too. It would be good for you to visit with someone that has each type of mill in your area before you plunk down your money on a mill that may or may not serve your needs.

Stephen_Wiley · October 19, 2003, 12:19:02 PM

Ten miles.............would you like to meet for a cup of coffee?
email me your contact # and I will give you a call. My email is :
ufs.stevewiley@verizon.net

I have seen some used mills for sale in my travels, if I can get a better idea of what your after will get you information.

KiwiJake · October 19, 2003, 12:47:33 PM

Pwdrblast, I'll try and answer quick cause I'm off to work. The mills may be light but they are strong with 150x74x8 solid angle cross brace and sufficient diagonal supports. They are not welded with more metal then they need (15 years of full time R&D with improvements open). They are disigned to be put on your truck or trailer in minutes.

In the early days of it's creation they were the lightest things around, production portable had not been hear of (really portable). I admit back then they may have been alot flimsyer then they are now but due to the way the mill cuts this was never an issue in it's history.

Double cutting, you are right while in horizontal the blade is designed to have slight lead in so as the complete spinning blade is only cutting on the slicing edge to restrict drag from the back side of the blade while recutting over it's previous edge, when double cutting this can give a line in the middle of the intersects, HOWEVER at the gisborne show all I used was a steel bottle cap between the horizontal intersect meets to bring the blade perfect (anyone with a Peterson will laugh because it's so easy ;D). The boards intersect was as near perfect as possible.

When a blade warps and gets hot, ussually all that happens is you get a rougher cut, although if it's really bad the blade may drift a little, 36NZ to get them retipped and tensioned. This is a much smaller problem with our mills do to it's postive lock mech and the single blade.

You would probably get smaller parts in about 4 days, bigger parts up to 2 weeks? All airfrieght.

The blade takes five minutes to sharpen while still on the saw.

We used to tell our costumers to chalk small logs and explain simply the cutting process to stop the moving when your on the lower, but now we have some reall magic log dogs to stop this. The one blade cuts horizontal first and finishs with vertical so the blade has no kick tendancies at all.

The kerf on our 10" is 6mm, we've experimented with smaller but in the end the 6 will give consistant confident cuts on this mill. Just give us a ring at the shop (our phone number is on the CONTACT portion of our website) and ask for JAKE I'll be happy to talk. We do have a video. (we've also got online video clips of all our mills in action on the site).

Check out my previous post (page 2) under Autoswinger road show to see our small log dogs.

Chears

Frank_Pender · October 19, 2003, 09:26:55 PM

Pdrblast, I believe you need to get down here to Dallas and look me up. Let me know when you want to staop by nd we can chat about the types of miills you have been talking about. Like Stephen said, I have tow mills and more than happy to share some time and domonstrate. You are welcome to contact me via the pirvate section or call me direct by looking under the sections of loggers and consultants for my phone bio. I think it is all there ;D

Oregon_Sawyer · October 19, 2003, 09:37:51 PM

Pdrblast:

If your over a Frank's come on down to Willamina and then you can get a live Woodmizer demo. Frank has Mobile Diemsion mills. There are several within a 15 mill radius of us. There are also several WM in the same radius. I have a number of a guy that has a swingblade on the coast, I bet there are several around. Check the Find-a Sawyer section for my number.

Wiley:

I did a large job last fall not very far from Silver Creek Falls.

Stephen_Wiley · October 19, 2003, 11:00:37 PM

Pwdrblast,

You now have three open invitations.......if you like I could meet you take you to Frank's (as I have met him) then Frank could take us to Loren's (who I have yet to meet). 8)

Loren - lots of beautiful country up at Silver Falls........the park has their own Alaskan Mill and may have one other. Did you per chance work with them?

Oregon_Sawyer · October 19, 2003, 11:07:23 PM

No I was working for a farmer who had logged part of his place and had me cut up some low grade and hemlock for farm lumber to repair some large barns, low bed and new beams for a truck scale.

Come on over it would be a great day and you could see two different styles of mills.

Stephen_Wiley · October 19, 2003, 11:51:03 PM

Loren,

Will give you a call, to set up a time.

When you going to move your mill ?

Frank_Pender · October 20, 2003, 09:45:33 AM

Pwdblast, come on down today if you like. I am cutting some big wood today. Just got in 5 loads of 32' Doug Fir. Some of the trees were up to 200 years old. One tree had 2,200 board feet Scrigner Scale. 8)

Also got in 4 loads of hardwoods, Oak, Ash and Maple. Tow of the loads were bucked at 42'. ;D Lots of firewood and some sawlogs. Give me a call and stop by some time.

Pwdrblast · October 20, 2003, 08:52:46 PM

I want to thank Frank and Loren for the offers of getting to see there mills in actions. I will certainly take you up on the Offer to Come out and see them. you guys really made my day with offers like that.Won't be unTill next week when I can get some time to get away from working.So I hope you save some log truck loads for the following week. I will help as best I can. And Mr wiley if you want to spend a day sawing some logs let me know and we will see if we can make arangments : )

Thanks again..

Stephen_Wiley · October 20, 2003, 11:13:14 PM

Pwdrblast,

My contact numbers are under 'Find a Forester' and 'Urban Forestry Solutions'.

Give me a call - will gladly meet you and see if I can help locate a mill. I can spend a day at Frank's next week (he still owes me a dollar tour, and I need to work off my nickel tour from before).

Loren has'nt priced his tours yet........so I think we can bring gloves, and maybe Frank will provide store bought cookies. I'll bring a theromus of 'mud'. If we run out will have to call ahead to have Loren brew more.