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13 horse power

Started by woodman58, March 15, 2012, 07:00:15 PM

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woodman58

Hello, I would like to find out how many of you have a saw mill with a 13 HP motor. First off I would like to let you know what I want to do. I am looking to suppliment my income. I have in the past sold walnut and cherry that I took to a saw mill and then put in my kiln to dry. The guy I had sawing for me always cut wavy boards so I stopped going to him. There is no one close to me now. My questions are:

1) With a 13 HP saw mill how many BF on average can be cut in one hour with the proper support equipment?

2) How many of you are mobil?

I know I will not be able to do as much as I would like to do but, I am tired of waiting to get the money to get the mill I want. So, I am thinking of going smaller. I have a job as a floor installer but, the past few years I have found myself sitting at home a lot. I just want to suppliment my income.  Thanks
i LOVE THE SMELL OF SAW DUST IN THE MORNING.
Timberking 2200

tcsmpsi

I have a manual mill with 13 hp Kohler engine.  I have no idea as to how many bd ft per hr I generally cut.  I get a whack of logs together and cut them soon as I can.  Depends a lot on your logs and what dimensions are being cut. 

Any constraints on time cutting I have realized, have never been due to power problems of the engine.  I have only cut one job as being mobile, and that was to provide lumber for a millshed.  I had my mill built mobile to do so, but I am much more pleased overall with a solid foundation under the mill.  It is, however, ready to be mobile in about 15 mins.
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

ladylake

 Depends on the logs you saw, big hardwood takes a lot of power and sawing will be slow with 13 hp, smaller softwood hp won't make much difference.   Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

millwright

My first bandmill, an older WM LT30 had a 14 hp kohler that seemed to have plenty of power and worked real well.

hackberry jake

I sawed a lot of lumber with my mill before I changed out the 13hp for a 20hp. I agree that with smaller logs, hp isn't much of an issue. When it comes to the monsters on the other hand, boy that extra 7 hp and extra torque sure make a big difference. You have to consider that as a one man milling operation, the amount of time the blade is in the wood is a fraction of the time spent logging, handling logs, hauling logs, turning logs, sharpening/setting, and handling finished product. I can't explain why, but I think my mill cuts much straighter with more hp. It might just be I'm not in as big of a hurry anymore.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

shortlogger

I have a  manual mill with a thirty HP Kohler and i can bog it down on wide lumber like 12 " stuff it cuts 6" like butter  I couldn't imagin having any less . Money wise you can start out with the little motor and later upgrade to the larger Hp  if you feel you need it
1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase . "NKJV"

WDH

I have kept extensive records of all my sawing.  I have a 15 HP Wood-mizer LT15.  My average over the last 10 years is 106 BF/hour.  Most of the time, this is not with an off-bearer (working alone).  This is sawmill engine hours, not elapsed time.  I would not figure more that 100 - 125 BF/hour in your deliberations, and realize that in an 8 hour day, you do good to have the saw blade in the wood for 5 of those hours.
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

JVK

  My advice to you, is go out and buy the mill tomorrow. You'll have so much fun with it. I've had a 13 hp Honda manual mill for 9 years and still going strong. I'ts cut 150,000 bf of mainly WRC and D-Fir. The mill will cut 30'6" long. I just finished cutting 17-30' 12x12s for a new boathouse. About 4 beams a day by myself. 100 bf/hr alone is a good average cutting 2 and 1 by stuff.

  Get a mill with a good roller guide set-up that is easily adjustable. For good production and smooth cuts, you need to really go to school on blade sharpness and set. A manual bandmill will teach you how to tune your blades to the wood your cutting,as you can "feel" what the blade is doing.  Jim

fat olde elf

I have a 16 HP Kohler on my MP 32 Cooks mill. My numbers are lower than WDH.  I also usually work alone, but I'm a lot older than WDH. I'm a strong advocate for sharp bands and steady and even feed rates. WDH's 5 out of 8 hours is right on for manual mills.  Say yours prayers
Cook's MP-32 saw, MF-35, Several Husky Saws, Too Many Woodworking Tools, 4 PU's, Kind Wife.

MotorSeven

Shortlogger....your bogging a 30hp in 12" ? Something is not right as my 15hp will cut that size in hardwood all day long...no bog. Now it will slow down a bit in 20+" oak or ash, but I would not even call it bogging.

Woodman, get the biggest mill & engine you can afford. Yes a 13hp will do it, but bigger engines do it faster. For the size of my mill, I really don't think a bigger engine is needed, but if I had to replace mine, I might think of going to a 18 or 20.
WoodMizer LT15 27' bed

barbender

I had a mill with a 13 horse Honda, all manual. That mill was happiest with logs 12-18", a lot of that was because of the log handling (me). It actually cut well, if the only thing standing between you and getting a mill now is a 13 horse I say go for it. It's actually a good match for a manual mill, start out with that and if you outgrow it go get a hydraulic mill ;)
Too many irons in the fire

thecfarm

woodman58,with a manual mill,get ready to spend some time with your mill and ALOT of work too. I have a manual mill,with a 20hp Honda. Saws good,good and slow. :D  Takes ALOT of TIME and WORK. That's why I say,If I don't do it,it don't get done. I just saw for myself. What kind of mill and size you looking at?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Overlength

13 HP is pretty good enough. Walnut and Cherry aren't that hard. When you wear that out you could upgrade. My mill came with a 15 HP, and cut a lot of hard big Mesquite , and was later replaced with a 20 HP. I cut a lot a super hard and wide Mesquite and W Oak. Blade choice is very important. I'm still working on that. I will replace with a 25-30 HP next time to speed up cutting these 16"-24" wide boards. As someone said, get to cutting, its fun. You can add more HP later with the money you made selling Walnut.
Woodmizer LT30, Solar Kiln 400 bf

Al_Smith

I have in my shop over 3000 bd ft of oak ,ash ,walnut ,hard maple and cherry I guy did for me with an older LT-15 that had a rope start 12 HP Briggs .One of those oak logs was 34" on the fat end .

He didn't have any problem .I don't say it was fast but it didn't take him all that long to do either .

Ianab

You will saw more with a 13hp mill that you can afford to buy now, than with a 30hp mill that you can't afford. :D

Then there are a couple of things that could happen.

1 - you will find it does do the job well enough for a part time "hobby" sort of business, and carry on using it.

2 - your sawing business will take off, then you can sell the mill again, get most of your $$ back, and buy a bigger mill, knowing that you have the work lined up to pay for it.

Either way, it was a lower risk way to get into the business.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

macpower

I've got the 13hp Thomas, pretty much the same as what what "thecfarm" has but w/13hp Honda. 100-125bdf/hr working alone seems about right for sawing 4/4 from 12" logs. My best was working with #2 son, him sawing me on and off loading. We did just over 1600bdf of 4/4 white pine in just over 7hrs. and I thought I had died!
This mill really comes into its own on smaller logs that handle easy and you can push though pretty fast. Red oak doesn't slow it down at all until you get into 16-18" plus logs, then you need to back off you feed rate, (and turning and handling the heavier stuff slows you down too).
A real plus with this mill is that I have very low operating costs, small investment, and almost instant mobility,(can tow it with a Tacoma). All this means I saw stuff the bigger guys laugh at, and even make a little money at it. I would not want to depend on it for a living. Having a tractor to move logs with is a big plus, but I can pull the axle off and drop the mill to the ground in about 15mins.
Yes, I would love to have something higher HP, hydraulic, log loader, etc., maybe orange.
By the way, the one thing I really wish I had on it is a de-barker, maybe this summer.
Purveyor of Stihl chain saws.
Thomas 6013 Band Mill, Kubota L3400DT, Fransgard V3004, 2 lazy horses and a red heeler

tcsmpsi

Quote from: Ianab on March 16, 2012, 04:03:20 PM
You will saw more with a 13hp mill that you can afford to buy now, than with a 30hp mill that you can't afford. :D

Ian

Ain't it so.   ;D
\\\"In the end, it is a moral question as to whether man applies what he has learned or not.\\\" - C. Jung

Dave VH

I have  a 13hp mill that I really enjoy.  It's not as effecient as the bigger ones, but it was a heck of a lot cheaper (used).  I plan to make enough with this one to buy the mill that I want.  So far it's going pretty good.  The production rate that these guys are telling you is right on in my experience.  About 100bd ft an hour, give or take depending on what you are dealt.
I cut it twice and it's still too short

WDH

I am getting ready to saw these bad boys.  Biggest is 20" on the small end.  With a 15 HP mill, you can saw anything that you have the umph to turn  :)

Thank goodness for the LogRite Megahook  ;D.

(Note to the weather forecasters....Spring has sprung in Middle Georgia.)



 
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

shortlogger

The bogging may have to do with my feed rate if its not bogged my lack of patience says go faster till it does. I go fast as I can short of wavy boards . never run a smaller motor to compare it to.
1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase . "NKJV"

woodman58

Thanks Everybody, This are the anwsers I wanted to hear. I have to sell some equipment before I can get my mill. It will be an EZ Boardwalk Jr.. If things go right I should be cutting by the end of May. Thanks again
i LOVE THE SMELL OF SAW DUST IN THE MORNING.
Timberking 2200

Ludo

I have a 13hp on my all manual mill.  Cuts 36"x17'.  If you look at my website (ludolumber.com) you can see some of the big ones I cut without a problem.  Two things to remember, lubricant and sharp blades.  I use Pine-sol and water for soft woods and dawn liquid soap with water for hardwoods. The first sign of slow down, change the blade.   

Ozarkian

I operate a EZ Boardwalk JR. with a 13hp Honda motor.  The blade is 155" and is a completely manual mill.  I primarily have cut Eastern Red Cedar and with a good clean sharp Band on the mill it cuts beautiful.  I have minimal investment in my Mill and it is perfect for my needs (Sawing for self and occasional small custom orders).   I do plan on adding to the track with an extension or two so I am able to cut longer than 12'.

-Ozarkian
13h.p. EZ Boardwalk JR.

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