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WM vs. Norwood vs Hud-Son vs. ? (Looking for a NEW MILL!)

Started by Engineer, November 11, 2014, 12:23:37 PM

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dboyt

Every mill is different (sometimes, even the same manufacturer & model).  If the mill isn't cutting accurately, it is up to the sawyer to figure out the reason.  Most will be dead accurate if set up correctly, though this is easier with some mills than with others.  I figure running a sawmill is about 50% understanding the wood, and 65% being a good mechanic.  Norwood was good choice for me because the solid frame and carriage meant less time spent tweaking the mill, the option to assemble it myself saved a good amount of money, and I can add hydraulics later.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

Magicman

Quoteabout 50% understanding the wood, and 65% being a good mechanic
:P  :D
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

milkie62

I do not have a mill yet but after seeing and talking to alot of sales reps at Boonville fair,the Norwood seems to be the one for me.The thing that sells me is that to upgrade a Norwood does not cost extra money in the long run. I can upgrade to hydraulics down the road if I want and only pay the difference from the price of the std mill to the hydro mill,not some inflated price.

dboyt

Be sure to opt for the biggest engine, especially if you may be adding hydraulics in the future.  The 23 hp B&S Vanguard has been very reliable for me.  Give some thought to support equipment (tractor, trailer, truck, chain saws, cant hooks, etc.).  The Norwood folks are great to deal with!
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

Okrafarmer

The Norwood, I do believe, is one of those mills that caters best to people who are mediocre mechanics. By that, I mean, they are able to do mechanical work, but it doesn't come first nature to them. Like me.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

sandsawmill14

cant go wrong with hudson for cheap manual mills i have a 228 that i have had for years sawed lots of logs with it but a hard day to get 1200 bdft out of cut rr ties for bout a year and half one time. We bought a b20 timberking and got it set up and sawing last week i cut about 8500 bdft cypress with it and love  8) i sure hope i never have to go back manual
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

thecfarm

sandsawmill14,welcome to the forum. Sounds like you just brought the timberking? Good luck with it.  ;D
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Magicman

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

glassman_48

Engineer,
I share the other guys opinions about looking around for a good lightly used mill.  Many will purchase a mill for a chosen project, then will sell it.  We have quite a few in Michigan.   Good luck,,,,,,Ed

sandsawmill14

thanks for the welcome  yes we just bought the timberking. The cypress was first weeks sawing 44 hr work week.
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

dboyt

Sandsawmill, welcome!  The bigger the log, the more you'll appreciate hydraulics.  Looking forward to seeing some photos.
Norwood MX34 Pro portable sawmill, 8N Ford, Lewis Winch

gimpy

For me, I looked at a lot of mills. I think for many, it is just a ford/chevy kind of choice.

But I have to say, when you talk to owners, the one thing I noticed was the opinion of support and backing by the manufacturer by owners. I personally choose Wood-Mizer. Just my Chevy I guess. I was ready to buy a new rig but found a lot bigger (and better for production and ease of use) low hour rig on craigslist at a price that was thousands cheaper than the smaller new unit I was going to buy.

Then I towed the rig up to the dealer (400 miles round trip) to have them look it over and teach me how to operate it. That is when I was convinced I bought into the right company.

My suggestion is to keep looking on craigslist and used mill sites. Just because of your budget. You can get a lot of bang for your bucks buying a low hour used unit.
Gimpy old man
Lucky to have a great wife
John Deere 210LE tractor w/Gannon Box

wetdog

I purchased a new LT15 two years ago and give it back to WM due to some defects. I wound up buying a used LT40. If I were shopping again for one of those size mills, I would be sure to look at the Timberking 1220 in person as it seems to me to be the better one.

prittgers

I saw a post (no pun here, really!)  WM has a 'black Friday" sale.  Maybe they really mean Orange Friday?

http://www.woodmizer.com/us/blackfriday2014.aspx

I have had an lt15 and 2 LT40's .  Most of the big names out there are pretty good.  For me, I want a Mizer :)
Parker Rittgers
Professional Sawyer, Retired, well, not really !
WoodMizer Alaska | 907.360.2497 cell 336.5143 office BevelSider.com ? Everything BevelSider
907.336.5143
prittgers@aksamill.com

sandsawmill14

Quote from: dboyt on November 24, 2014, 08:43:29 AM
Sandsawmill, welcome!  The bigger the log, the more you'll appreciate hydraulics.  Looking forward to seeing some photos.

thanks dboyt  I will try to get some pics up in a few days if I can figure out how.  I'm a little better around a sawmill than a computer :D but im workin on it :P
hudson 228, lucky knuckleboom,stihl 038 064 441 magnum

Engineer

So I figured I'd unearth this thread since I started it.  Still haven't bought a mill but I got a bit of a surprise (and that may be an understatement) last week. 

Bit of a backstory:  my boys have been involved with Scouting for years (oldest is 23, youngest is 10) and we have faithfully attended every summer camp, every spring and fall camporee, etc.  This fall, the District camporee is a "lumberjack" theme - they are looking for experts who can volunteer their time to demonstrate chainsaw operation, chainsaw carving, portable sawmills, and the Paul Smith's College competition team is supposed to be there to demo their lumberjack skills.

So my wife, finding out about this, says to me, "Are you gonna get a new sawmill?", and I was at a loss for words as I had been figuring out how to discuss this with her for some months (it's a big expense, after all) and she says "the Scout thing would be a good excuse to justify buying a new mill, right?" - say WHAT?  You want me to drop five to seven grand on a new mill just to show it off to a bunch of Boy Scouts?  Never mind all the other good reasons for owning a new mill.  But all I could say was, "Honey if you think I should get a new mill then I will start shopping again". 

I think I have narrowed it down to either a Norwood LM29 or WoodMizer LT-15, neither of which will have a trailer.  Is there any specific characteristics of either mill that give it a distinct advantage over the other?  If I was in the market for a larger mill I would definitely go with the Wood-Mizer brand but the race is too close to call on these two models.  I will be sawing small logs, 12-16" diameter, sometimes short logs 4-6' long, and mostly 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 lumber.  The occasional 4x4 or 6x6 beam.  Nothing over 12' long.  Obviously I will have to transport it at least once, to cut boards for the Scout camp. 

Ox

Geez!  That's good news right there!
I have zero experience with either of these mills but I have heard good things about both of them.  If it were me, I'd look to see which one would have the closest and easiest parts supply, dealer network, etc. 
If you need a part, is it 2 days away or a week away?
If there was a dealer an hour's drive away from me I would go with that one.
P.S.  I'm afraid there's no hope for you.  You're going to be joining the ranks of sawyers.  It's a funny, strange place.   :)
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

beenthere

south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Dave Shepard

That mill is supposedly sold. Being picked up today.

I can't give you any unbiased advice. I'm a WM fan.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Verticaltrx

I was down to the LM29 vs the LT15, went with the LT15 for a number of reasons.

-bed looked sturdier

-positive lock on the saw head height (if you notice in the Norwood videos the saw head sometimes drops a tiny bit when they engage the blade). The indexing wheel on the LT15 is really quick for sawing 1-2" stock once you get the hang of it.

-more feed options, you can push it, crank it (for the wide cuts) or add power feed

-larger standard engine, the new LT15's come with a 19hp Kohler

-company support, WM has so much info out there to help the sawyer, truly a top notch company. You can tell that a ton of engineering went into these mills to make them easy and efficient to operate.

All that being said, I think the Norwood's are a quality mill as well. I'm sure I would have been quite happy with one, just a few small differences led me to WM, as well as the $6995 spring promo they were offering on the LT15's.

Wood-Mizer LT15G19

Engineer

Quote from: Ox on May 18, 2015, 04:30:47 PM
Geez!  That's good news right there!
I have zero experience with either of these mills but I have heard good things about both of them.  If it were me, I'd look to see which one would have the closest and easiest parts supply, dealer network, etc. 
If you need a part, is it 2 days away or a week away?
If there was a dealer an hour's drive away from me I would go with that one.
P.S.  I'm afraid there's no hope for you.  You're going to be joining the ranks of sawyers.  It's a funny, strange place.   :)

Ox, I'm long past the point of hope.  Many of the long-time members here know I'm a former Logosol M7 owner and Wood-Mizer LT-30 owner and have been mill-less for several years now.   I have plenty of experience with Wood-Mizer and their New York dealership, they're great people.  My dilemma is that both mills appear to have very similar capabilities but I don't know diddly-squat about the Norwood mills other than browsing their website and watching YouTube videos.  I don't think I'd regret purchasing either one but I want to make sure.

I wouldn't hesitate buying a used mill if I were able to get a good look at it.  That's how I bought my first and second sawmills, used.  The Wood-Mizer needed a LOT of work and WM New York did right by me.  Unfortunately I've been looking for quite a while and nothing that appealed to me has been available relatively close by.

I am going to call Norwood, since I can't make it to their open house this year, and see if I can find a nearby owner that will demo their mill for me.  I've passed up at least three opportunities to see their mills in action at the Northeast Forest Products Expo, and am kicking myself for not looking at all of my options.

Ox

I thought you might have had a mill after "remembering" old posts.  Problem is my memory is inherently poor.  Figured I'd play it safe anyways. 
At least you're checking out other options as far as mill shopping.  That's tough to do after owning a certain brand and liking it.  I find myself being loyal if something performs as I expect.
K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Stupid
Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without
1989 GMC 3500 4x4 diesel dump and plow truck, 1964 Oliver 1600 Industrial with Parsons loader and backhoe, 1986 Zetor 5211, Cat's Claw sharpener, single tooth setter, homemade Linn Lumber 1900 style mill, old tools

samandothers

I look forward to hearing which way you go.  Good for you helping and being involved with Scouts!  I enjoyed the time with my son doing scout stuff.  He learned a lot of great things as did I!

ex-Engineer Wannabe

"Measure twice, cut once" -- Don't know who coined this one, but he was pretty wise.

ForestGump

Im in the market for a mill as well, ive seen a local operator struggle to dial in his WM and after he did the cutting I helped my buddy stack his lumber and there was a terrible wave in many of the boards: going from 4/4 - 6/4 in the same 16' board. Is this normal?
Woodmizer seems like a more "brand name" purchase but I was not impressed after seeing the results...Im considering these same two mills as mentioned earlier Lt15 and the Lm29. I want something on a trailer that is extremely quick to start milling- no tweaking and measuring, just a solid bed/blade mount that is always reliable.
Let the wood times roll!

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