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Started by OlJarhead, March 07, 2011, 12:00:49 AM

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Darrel

No, not dragging the mill, although I may come spring. I was visiting my sister who lives in Walla Walla.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Kbeitz

Quote from: OlJarhead on February 02, 2016, 08:57:29 AM
Quote from: sandsawmill14 on February 01, 2016, 11:23:15 PM
what kind of cutters are you using?    great looking job  :)

I'm using Rockler T&G bits (I think MM suggested them 4 or 5 years back) and love them.  The bearings make using them a breeze with a portable router.

I just got my first Rockler T&G bits.
They are working great but I think they take more power to run than other brands I've used.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

47sawdust

OlJarhead,
You deserve a present,buy that Lt35 hyd.It will make you happy and make you money.You have done a lot of great work.
best to you,
Mick
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

OlJarhead

Quote from: 47sawdust on February 02, 2016, 05:34:35 PM
OlJarhead,
You deserve a present,buy that Lt35 hyd.It will make you happy and make you money.You have done a lot of great work.
best to you,
Mick

LOL now if I could get my wife to agree! :P
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

Magicman

Then just buy it for her.  Seems simple to me.   ;)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

OlJarhead

2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

Chuck White

Been wondering what you were up to, hadn't heard anything from you in a long time!

Glad to hear you're still at it!   8)
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

samandothers

Glad to see ya back here posting on this thread.  I enjoyed it and glad to see it come back up. 

OlJarhead

Thanks Guys,

I'll admit, I go through stretches of not posting much (and not milling much too! lol).  We're heading up in the truck tomorrow with all the new panel.  Will be an adventure!  I went up yesterday for lunch (that's what I call it) and barely made it up the first hill due to the solid ice!  Studs and 4x4 and still just barely crawled up the hill.  Made it the rest of the way pretty well and got the heat turned on and cranked up the wood stove.  Once things were warming (it was 22f inside) I headed back down the hill slippin' and a slidin' -- once again, thanks to the studs I was ok but I'll chain up next time!  Besides my big truck doesn't have studs and without chains it would be suicide.
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

samandothers

Need to get the LT35 to drag up there!  Might come in by spring!

OlJarhead

 
Got up to the cabin and almost finished off the loft paneling :)


Love the blue stain!

As for the LT35...my wife has tentatively agreed.  She wants me to put the mill back in action for customers on small jobs and if one of those "I've got 60 trees to mill" jobs comes along then she's ok with buying the mill.....but I've got to check lead times on the LT35 out west and if the above post is any indication I'd not want to have to wait too long!
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

Hilltop366

Hay your in luck, I got 60 trees to mill not far from you! ;)

OlJarhead

LOL

I have been looking at options and must admit I'm contemplating if the LT15 with powerfeed might be all I need for now since it's capable of more than double the production rates of my LT10.  The issue really is that the manual mill takes it's toll on me in a day of running hard and the hydraulic mills seem like a better option for this aging jarhead ;)

Basically I want to be able to compete with other portable millers though there aren't many around willing to drag their mills into the mountains in remote locations.  I've had to turn down several jobs over the last couple years because either they are too big for my mill (too many logs or logs that are over 24") and loading and rotating a 1200 pound log alone without the tractor is, well, darn near impossible.

My retirement plan is to be fully functional with a portable mill that I can produce a decent income off of.  So far my biggest job was just shy of 2000bf and I've had customers call with 2, 3 or even 10 times that much they wanted which I just wont try to tackle on my LT10.

No what I mean?
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

Hilltop366

To me the main reason the 15 is faster than the 10 is because it has a larger motor, which will give you less time to rest (while cutting) in between log and lumber handling of which you will be doing more of if the saw will cut faster.

More/easier log handling options along with faster cutting is going to be the key to increasing your output without running you off you feet.

OlJarhead

Quote from: Hilltop366 on February 08, 2016, 03:55:23 PM
To me the main reason the 15 is faster than the 10 is because it has a larger motor, which will give you less time to rest (while cutting) in between log and lumber handling of which you will be doing more of if the saw will cut faster.

More/easier log handling options along with faster cutting is going to be the key to increasing your output without running you off you feet.

Makes sense.  The 10hp upgrade on my mill nearly doubled the production on larger logs....wonder how hard it would be to upgrade to something like a 16hp motor?
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

WDH

Make sure that you get the 25 hp motor and the power feed.  Well worth the extra $.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Verticaltrx

There are several benefits the LT15 would give you that would really increase production:

-more power
-very good manual setworks (indexing wheel for height adjustment)
-power feed

The indexing wheel is something that a lot of folks overlook on these machines but I think it is an excellent system. It is a very fast and precise system especially if you saw a lot of 1" and 2" thick lumber. The power feed is also a huge labor saver and productivity booster. I was hesitant to buy it at first but now that I have it I can says it's worth its weight in gold, especially for a one man operation. I can easily do 250bf/hr by myself now that I have power feed, and be less tired at the end of the day.
Wood-Mizer LT15G19

gfadvm

Quote from: Verticaltrx on February 09, 2016, 09:08:41 AM
There are several benefits the LT15 would give you that would really increase production:

-more power
-very good manual setworks (indexing wheel for height adjustment)
-power feed

The indexing wheel is something that a lot of folks overlook on these machines but I think it is an excellent system. It is a very fast and precise system especially if you saw a lot of 1" and 2" thick lumber. The power feed is also a huge labor saver and productivity booster. I was hesitant to buy it at first but now that I have it I can says it's worth its weight in gold, especially for a one man operation. I can easily do 250bf/hr by myself now that I have power feed, and be less tired at the end of the day.

That magnetic strip that was on my LT15 when I bought it used is handier than a pocket on a shirt (old saying). It is calibrated in 4,5,6,8/4 increments.

25 HP would be nice if my 15HP Kohler ever dies.

OlJarhead

Quote from: Verticaltrx on February 09, 2016, 09:08:41 AM
There are several benefits the LT15 would give you that would really increase production:

-more power
-very good manual setworks (indexing wheel for height adjustment)
-power feed

The indexing wheel is something that a lot of folks overlook on these machines but I think it is an excellent system. It is a very fast and precise system especially if you saw a lot of 1" and 2" thick lumber. The power feed is also a huge labor saver and productivity booster. I was hesitant to buy it at first but now that I have it I can says it's worth its weight in gold, especially for a one man operation. I can easily do 250bf/hr by myself now that I have power feed, and be less tired at the end of the day.

My biggest concern with manual mills is the loading and turning of large logs.  On my LT10 I can load with the tractor (at home) or the winch (in the field when no tractor present) but the winch can take 5-7 minutes to load a 1200# log and that's with help to keep it straight. 

Then, once the log is in place it's VERY hard to roll even with my Logrite Cant Hook!  I've nearly blown out my shoulder a couple times rolling big logs on the deck.  These two factors are the reasons why I keep looking at hydraulic mills. 

I'm a big guy too but I'm getting older (haven't figured out how to reverse that yet! lol) and though I once benched 350lbs I no longer can though I'm still pretty strong.  That's the rub eh?  The strength of youth leaves us and this old jarhead gets sore after rolling big logs around the mill ;)

I am thinking of hiring a helper while running the smaller mill though just to get the work going again until I can get jobs big enough to warrant a big mill.
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

pineywoods

You do have another option. Search "manual to hydraulic" Drawings, pics, the works..Originally for a manual lt40, but has been added to quite a few small manual mills. Most guys run the pump with an electric motor, others use an old lawn mower engine for power.
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

47sawdust

As long as you have all this well intentioned help I'll add another thought.A low hour Lt40 hydraulic would make a great upgrade.There are a lot of them around.Try a post 1997 mill as they have a heavier frame and the very popular 2 plane clamp.

Best of luck,maybe it's time for a donation post.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Kbeitz

I'm going to put hydraulics on my mill. But for now this little engine
lift is doing the job of rolling my logs and it's doing a good job of it.



 



 
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

OlJarhead

The bug has hit and the potential customers are starting to reach out to us.  Many with too many logs or too big for the small mill....so....we're now seriously looking at a new LT35HD.  If we purchase one we'll sell the LT10 and never look back! :)  Watch this space ;)
2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

Seavee

Go for it. You'll keep it busy.To bad I think the lt35 was on sale last month.
Wood mizer lt50 47hp yanmar Diesel  Sthil MS311, Ms661 MS200T, 029 farm boss  and a New Holland T4  75hp.

OlJarhead

Would have been nice but maybe I can get them to give me the sale pricing ;)

Though, they seem awfully slow getting back to me.  I requested a quote over a week ago and no response.

2016 LT40HD26 and Mahindra 5010 W/FEL WM Hundred Thousand BF Club Member

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