Central Machinery Industrial 67138

[OlJarhead]

Anyone familiar with this mill?  Harbor Freight sells them for $2k and I was considering a Woodmizer LT10 but really wanted something used (to cut the cost in half)...and couldn't find any.
http://www.harborfreight.com/saw-mill-with-7-hp-gas-engine-67138.html

Seems finding a used LT10 is pretty hard.

Anyway, for $2k the reviews are good and I'm wondering if it's a waste of money or if you folks think it might be a decent hobby mill?  I'm just looking to increase production of my ponderosa pine interior at my cabin...so far the Alaskan mill works well but with limited time I need to find a faster/more efficient way to produce about 1500 board feet of knotty pine.

Thanks in advance.
Erik

[Jeff]

Oh No! Not again... :

  If you search the forum for harbor freight mill, you will get our almost unanimous opinions.

[mad murdock]

Hey Jeff, is that forum translator thingy broken?  I am surprised that Har-bor fr-ei-ght got through intact! ;)

[Jeff]

Its not harbor freight that specifically did one of our sponsors wrong (LogRite), it was the other one. I won't mess with any of the junk stores unless they mess first with one of our own. ;)

[fishpharmer]

Have you considered hiring a sawyer?  The experience could be invaluable in your decision to buy a mill.

[tyb525]

Boy now it's branded under Central Machinery too!!

[mad murdock]

Have you looked at a used Logosol M7? or a better CSM setup?  I too have a Granberg, Alaskan II, the set up is slow on the first few cuts, when it comes to sawing boards off the cant, the 372xp I am using with the bailey's ripping chain, cuts fairly fast, and you can't beat the versatility of a CSM, unless you are going to be doing alot of milling down the road, or you have money to spare to invest in a piece of equipment that you will not be using all the time.  Just thinking out loud.
If I have a need to mill more often I will look at building something or finding a used mill.  Of course I would love a circle mill.  Nothing wrong with dreaming

[tyb525]

I think you'll find you will get more out of your logs with a bandmill. Try looking at LT15s or other similar mills

[RedLeg]

You might want to check this out, www.lumbersmith.com... better price and great people to work with.  I'm loving mine for "hobby milling".  ;D

[captain_crunch]

Tyb525
Have you bought a load of sawdust for stock bedding lately ;D band saw gets more out of log no doubt but old belsaw makes the bedding fer free so here in Oregon at least there is a trade off

[OlJarhead]

This is why I come here   :P

Thanks and thanks!!!  I was actually looking at the Woodmizer LT10 when I found this 'HB Freight' deal and it lead me to ask the question because I hate to save money just to buy something 'worth-less' if you know what I mean but I also don't want to just spend money because I 'think' something is going to be better because of the name.

I enjoy using the CSM actually but at the moment I need about 2000 board feet of pine and I really need it sooner then later.  You see originally I had a lot of vacation (4 weeks a year) and could pretty much always get away to the cabin to work on it (I saved up a lot of leave and was able to take 7 weeks in 2009!), however I was laid off from that job and my new job I only have 1 week a year (plus some sick time that could be used to get more) and I have pretty much only weekends.  It's a 4 hour drive each way also.

Thus maximizing my milling time is pretty key to getting the job done.

Now some might say:  why spend $3k+ to get a small mill when you can buy what you need for the same or less?

Good question I guess -- but I am not really sure YOU lot are the right ones to ask it! hahaha  8)

Seriously though, I've got a lot of pine, tamarack and fir that I would like to turn into lumber and have a real need of probably 10k+ board feet in the long run (outbuildings etc) so I figure it's possible the mill will pay for itself in the future and why not have one?  I'm also interested in setting my son up to do small milling jobs on the side from time to time since he's not found other work and prefers to be in the woods if you know what I mean.

Anyway, thanks again   I looked at the mills suggested but dollar for dollar I'm thinking the Woodmizer LT10 may be the best deal ($2995 right now).

Thanks again!
Erik

[DanG]

Do we get to vote? ;D

At only $3k for the mill, and allowing a generous dime per foot for sawing expenses, you'd be hard pressed to buy the lumber and come out cheaper.  Then when all is done, you'll have nicer buildings and a sawmill in one of them.  Just go ahead and get the LT10 and have some fun. ;)

ps: if you decide to spring for something bigger, I doubt if you'll regret it.

[tyb525]

You won't regret spent a few more thousand on an LT15 or better, believe me


Captain,
That's why you circle sawyers are there, to sell us your saw chips. We bandmillers can afford it do to the increased yield from a log. It's like give and take, your mill makes more sawdust which you have to sell to be as profitable as a bandmill, and us bandmillers use our extra profit from higher yield to buy bedding to keep you circle sawyers in business ;) Get it? :D ;D

Just kidding, I do wish I could sell my sawchips dust. Maybe I need to buy an old circle mill ;)

[Buck]

Go for the woodmizer! You wont regret it!

[Jeff]

You won't regret spent a few more thousand on an LT15 or better, believe me


Captain,
That's why you circle sawyers are there, to sell us your saw chips. We bandmillers can afford it do to the increased yield from a log. It's like give and take, your mill makes more sawdust which you have to sell to be as profitable as a bandmill, and us bandmillers use our extra profit from higher yield to buy bedding to keep you circle sawyers in business ;) Get it? :D ;D

Just kidding, I do wish I could sell my sawchips dust. Maybe I need to buy an old circle mill ;)

I wished I was still running the mill I ran so I could bring you up here and give you a proper education. ;)

[tyb525]

Now Jeff, you know I'm just a kid running my mouth about a subject I know nothing about ;D

I'm kind of afraid of this proper education you speak of, I have a feeling it might leave me with my tail between my legs

In all reality, I wish I had a circle saw.

[flibob]

I love my lt28 but most of the time I am not in a hurry and a 10 or 15 would certainly work well at a lot less initial cost.  The point being each of us has different priorities.  But!!  I don't want offend anyone but cheap junk with no support is not my cup of tea.

[Jeff]

ty, the proper education I refer to would be you down on the greenchain stacking what I cut. You'd have no time to watch what I was doing and learn how sheer production can negate your extra yield on the bandsaw.      If you had any time left after catching up with me on what was supposed to be your break time, I'd point you outside to where they were loading the circlemill sawdust for bedding at 5 bucks a yard, or the shredded bark at 8 bucks.

The sawdust made compared to the portable bandmill is significant for sure, the extra yield you get, unless you are sawing bigger logs is not that much.  You have to remember if you are cutting smallish logs, the opening cuts are just as efficient as a bandmill, only there is a different by-product. WIth a bandmill its a thicker slab, with a circle mill its more sawdust

[tyb525]

I believe you Jeff I always knew circle mills like the one you ran run circles around bandmills. I was just having a little fun, but that probably isn't a good way to do it when someone who isn't as knowledgable stumbles upon my post, and doesn't realize it wasn't meant to be totally serious.

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Jeff

Who winds up buying most of the sawdust? Does it go for bedding or to producers of particle board or duraflame type logs or similar products. Just curious.

I have sold whatever planer shavings I generate for animal bedding for horses and rabbits, except for walnut which I just burn

[Jeff]

Aspen circle sawn sawdust is a high demand bedding sawdust for horses and other live stock. When I was at the mill, I was the first to arrive in the morning about 5:30am to open up, and every morning the phone would be ringing as I got out of my truck. Farmers wanting to know if we had enough for a load.  We had one instance where two of them got into it because one accused the other of letting the air out of one if his tires while he was waiting for a load. 

Rarely is there a large pile of sawdust.

[captain_crunch]

My tomorrow project may seem strange I got to saw some logs just to get more sawdust ;D ;D don't know what I am going to do with the boards yet :D :D

[metalspinner]

 :D

I once put a sign on the road for "free sawdust."

Within an hour, a horse guy came a knockin'. :D  Boy was he dissapointed to see that pile of rotting bandsaw dust siiting under the walnut trees. :D :D

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

Captain

oddly enough, that makes perfect sense to me. I recently ran a few hundred board feet of pine through the surface planer for one customer a few days ahead of schedule, just so I could get the shaving for another customer that uses it as bedding for his rabbits who called and said he desperately needed some ASAP

[paul case]

In all reality, I wish I had a circle saw.

not me i just wish my bandsaw would make lumber as quickly as a big circle mill. then i would have the best of both worlds.
well a guy can wish cant he?  pc