Bandsaw must have features

[Harpgl]

Hey guys, I recently purchased a piece of property and have justified, in my mind anyway, that buying a manual bandmill will pay for itself since I am getting ready to build a timber frame barn. In all the research on all the mills in my price range I have shortened the list to two mills. One has moveable roller guides (not sure the exact terminology, but one roller guide can be adjusted in and out depending on log diameter) and one does not. How important is this for a hobby type mill. I'll be cutting mainly pine, ~20" in diameter, some beams 22' long, occasionally white oak or hickory. I don't plan on going into production to make money, I just love tools and can justify this purchase with the savings versus buying milled lumber from others. I'm looking to spend around $6000 and am looking at the Lumber Lite 26 and the EZ Boardwalk JR. Any other words of wisdom would be appreciated. Oh, 13 HP Honda, I've already read enough posts to know I need to buy the largest engine I can get.

[drobertson]

Howdy Harp., I would get one that will do what you need it to do right off the bat, moveable blade guides are a plus, as well as increased hp. Find one with decent resale value, I am thinking you will be thinking of upgrade after you get started. And you will end up with side work from others once you start,   david

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Harpgl.

[Kingcha]

Welcome,

It has been Discussed on other threads the fact that you might have to have your would you cut stamped by an engineer to use when building.   Check with your local building inspections.

I plan on buying a mill this spring to also cut wood for myself.

[Harpgl]

Thanks for the insight on reselling, I would assume higher end mills are in more demand that the lightwieght stuff, therefore faster resell or higher resell price correct?
Approving/stamping the cut lumber, never even entered my mind, I'll have to check the Georgia codes.   

[drobertson]

with a smaller mill, you probably won't have that much lumber to sell.  And if I am correct, softwood(pine) is the only tricky one that is subject to lumber grades as it pertains to coded structures.  Now if you get into a more production oriented situation, then grading the softwood will be neccessary, with proper kilning.  For building on your own project, I would guess a few calls to the local inspectors would be in order, I have always felt that sawing ones own timber is cheaper than buying it, but not if the cost of specific inspections and dying over ride the cost of the lumber yard.  It seems like (they) kinda have us over a barrel on all the codes and restrictions these days.

[Magicman]

I am not familiar with manual sawmills, so I will just add my.....Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Harpgl.

[Nomad]

Thanks for the insight on reselling, I would assume higher end mills are in more demand that the lightwieght stuff, therefore faster resell or higher resell price correct?

     Don't be so sure about that.  Smaller manual mills are not difficult to sell at all from my experience.  Of course, a higher end manual mill will demand a higher price and thus maybe a bit more selling.  But still not difficult to do.

[bandmiller2]

Harpo welcome, you could take a road trip down to Cooks,their a sponser here,talk to the boys get their advice and look at there mills.As with any machinery its always better to get a little more than you think you need. Frank C.

[WDH]

Harpgl,

If you are close to Perry, you can come see my LT15.

[clww]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.

[r.man]

Not a criticism of it but the Norwood comes on a skid and has to be assembled. Not sure about the EZ. If you are not mechanical you might want to avoid the headache. There are threads that mention the assembly here and they are mostly positive about the experience but you should go into it with realistic expectations.

[Harpgl]

Thanks to all for the advice. I'm itching to get started but will not rush the decision. I typically buy more tool than I really need but at least that way I'm covered. I over bought on a tractor but sure enjoy the feeling I have of knowing that 56HP, MFWD and a front end loader is there when needed. I'll update once I decide. Oh, on the orginal question of having at least one blade guide adjustable I think I have convinced myself there is a reason for it otherwise the larger mills would not have it as a standard.

WDH, I just might take you up on your invite to Perry, I drove through there last weekend while on a quail hunt.

[losttheplot]

I find my 13HP works well on logs up to 16inches or so. My mill has 24inch throat and cutting close to that limit needs a sharp band.

One thing to consider, it does not matter if your cutting on a small manual mill for a hobby, you still need to produce accurate consistent lumber.   

If I had purchased the timbers and boards I used building my shop, it would have cost more than what I paid for my used Norwood.
I am going to build another shop, bigger this time.
Then I can show my wife that this mill has made so much money that it would be a good idea to sell the Norwood and purchase an LT40 hyd   ;

[thecfarm]

Harpgl,welcome to the forum. I have that movable guide on mine. I move it,I guess it's important. I do have a 20 hp motor and I can cut 20 foot logs. Gives me more room to remove lumber and the head is out of the way. Also with a longer track don't have to be so fussy where the log is placed on the mill. You will need a Logrite peavey or cantdog. They are a sponsor on the left. Ever been around a sawmill before? Nice tractor,will you get the logs out with that? By the way a manual mill is real SLOW and ALOT of work. As I say the work part I don't mind,it's not all that bad. But the slow part bugs me. I use my loader to turn the big ones now.

[hackberry jake]

The ez jr gets my vote. I have one so I may be a little partial. It comes fully assembled and full of gas ready to spit sawdust. If there is a far show near you, you can even get it delivered. They are always on the road doing farm shows. The jr will handle 30" logs and I have cut quite a few around the 30" mark with mine with the 13hp Honda. Like said earlier though, if the band is in 24" of wood then it's gunna be slow. They're tough as nails. I have heard a lot of good things out of Norwood and lt15 owners as well. Good luck on your decision!

[customsawyer]

Welcome to the forum. If you have the time take a drive over to the WoodMizer office in Newnan, Ga. They usually have a LT15 on the floor but you might give them a call first and make sure.

[justallan1]

Welcome to the forum Harpgl and good luck on whatever you decide to buy.
The reason for at least one movable blade guide is to prevent your cut from getting wavy. Whenever possible you want your guides close to the wood to minimize any wandering from the blade like when you run through knots.
I just bought a mill that both are stationary and if becomes an issue then one will get modified.

[dboyt]

The movable blade guide is a no-brainer.  Yes, the mill should have one.  I had no problems assembling a Norwood MX34, and the difference in shipping cost went a long ways toward paying for my time.  Someone has to put the thing together, and if it isn't you, you will be paying someone at a factory to do it.  Norwood folks were real good to work with, and good about answering questions without putting me on hold.  Check on mill availability.  Some manufacturers have a pretty long waiting time.  Get the heaviest duty mill you can afford, and if you think you'll be going mobile, look into towing packages.  Good luck!