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Does anyone run a mobile dimension mill?

Started by Glenn Ohman, August 18, 2016, 10:51:06 AM

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Glenn Ohman

These are very kewl machines. I was in Oregon recently and visited a small saw mill that had one. 




Glenn



Chop Shop

I do.   

Havent touched my bandsaw since bringing the MD home.  ;)

I run the MD and  Lucas.

I love both machines.   Dont know about Lucas yet, but MD customer service kicks ass.  Even before I bought one they helped me with service records for used ones I was looking at.

The MD doesnt get talked about much here tho.  Wrong color orange I guess!  :(

Ianab

Haven't seen one here in NZ, but that style of mill (twin saw) is very common, with a couple of locally produced versions.

Work great for breaking down large softwood logs. You can of course saw small stuff with one, but doing that it has no big advantages over a band saw,
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

DanG

I have one but haven't run it in a while. It's a great mill for its purpose, producing a lot of dimension lumber in a hurry.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

Chop Shop

Quote from: Ianab on August 18, 2016, 04:36:48 PM
You can of course saw small stuff with one, but doing that it has no big advantages over a band saw,

Well the list of advantages is pretty long. (imo)

I dont have to sharpen bands.  Takes me about ten minutes to sharpen the teeth on ALL 3 blades with NO expensive setters/grinders.

I can saw right thru nails and not care.

I can ALWAYS saw 25-30 percent over scale negating the "thin kerf vs thick kerf" argument.

I can saw VERY fast compared to a band.

People always love the look of genuine circle sawn lumber.  Nothing romantic about bansawn lumber that looks like T11 plywood.

You will never hear me complaining in other threads about how much I dislike edging!

I dont need an off bearer or helper.

My chips are usable on the farm unlike like bandsaw dust.

I can saw logs that are 6 feet in diameter or larger if I like.

I dont have to handle wood twice/three times before it becomes lumber.

Its very simple with NO electronics, hydraulics, and minimum maintenance needed.

With blades on two planes I can recover around rotten cores, bark inclusion, defects etc on the fly without turning logs.

I dont have to turn logs.

I could go on and on.  Like I said my bandmill is the the garage collecting dust, not making it!


The only thing I envy is the trailer on a woodmizer for its loading arms and log leveling features.  But its a complex machine with lots of added parts.  Plus I have equipment so I can load logs easily and enjoy my simple trailer.

Just my.02!


bkaimwood

Nice write-up, chopshop...I haven't run either that mill or a swing blade, but, thinking first like a Sawyer, the first thing about them that always comes to mind, and stays there.... there's no reasonable way to saw stress out of a log, or minimize it. Although either machine has the ability to out produce a band mill, some by a lot, a huge pile of crooked lumber is just expensive firewood. Maybe it's not a common problem, or a regular occurrence, just saying it's the first thing I think of...
bk

Chop Shop

That is a valid concern in hardwood country.

I cut 90% red cedar and fir thats put up green, so its not huge a concern to me.

But that is where a bandsaw or traditional circsaw shines.

bkaimwood

You have the right equipment for what you do....
bk

Percy

There has been a few mobile dimention mills up
This way over the years. A few mighty mites and D&Ls as well. They work slick. One guy can literally poop dimentional lumber all day with them. Hence the name. I almost bought one back when I  first got interested in milling. In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't. For what I do, they just arn't capable enough at making large timbers. One of each would be nice. 🤓
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Glenn Ohman

One of the potential issues I can see (in more urban areas) is the need to have the lumber graded if it's intended for building construction.

Glenn


longtime lurker

Quote from: bkaimwood on August 18, 2016, 07:14:52 PM
Nice write-up, chopshop...I haven't run either that mill or a swing blade, but, thinking first like a Sawyer, the first thing about them that always comes to mind, and stays there.... there's no reasonable way to saw stress out of a log, or minimize it. Although either machine has the ability to out produce a band mill, some by a lot, a huge pile of crooked lumber is just expensive firewood. Maybe it's not a common problem, or a regular occurrence, just saying it's the first thing I think of...

I used to manage a fairly large operation that had one of the big Mighty Mites as the primary breakdown saw, and I have a Lucas now for oversize logs. And I can absolutely guarantee you that I can cut straight boards with either out of little springy logs, in fact I'd back the Lucas for producing straight, dimensionally accurate boards against any mill in the world if used right (but slooow, oh so slow compared with the big Mite)

All you got to do is the same as every other mill does to relieve stress : know when to roll the log, and when to cut a flitch and then resaw it. Couple that with the inherent flexibility of the cut pattern and its a winner. Just because they dont come from the factory  on a deck complete with clamps and turners dont mean you cant fit them to one. ( And Mighty Mite do a full hydraulic deck for theirs, as does Duncan, and Mahoe mention one in their literature so some of them do come from the factory that way)

Of course the reason I learnt this is because they do struggle using them in the "regular" way with that issue: they're at home in big logs, and no-one ever thought someone might try and cut gun barrel straight flooring stock from logs with a 12" top with them. But I needed to after a cyclone killed the main mill, so I learnt how - treat it like any other mill would!



 


 


 

That was the prototype deck with everything manual... the hydraulic one came after. But you can see how much spring is in that log, and see the finished boards lying straight at 20'long. Not bad for any mill I'd say.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

starmac

Years ago I had the sawmill bug, not sure why as I lived in eastern NM where no trees existed. lol
After lots of research I was impressed with the mobile demensional, I drove 400 miles to see one in action. I wound up coming to my senses and not getting a mill at that time, but am still impressed with what the md is designed for and does.

The funny thing is, I met the guy that owned that saw in NM here last year, he sold it to a bil and moved up here over 15 years ago. lol
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

oakiemac

I run a MD almost daily. I also have lucas mill that I use mainly for slabbing. The stress relief issue can be a problem in long beams or cants but doesn't seem to be a problem with just cutting 4/4 and 8/4 hardwood lumber.
I want to get a manual band mill for cutting wide boards and large beams.
The biggest advantage the MD has is its ability to quarter saw and I can run it by myself with no helpers needed. Although it does speed up production if I have someone there to sticker the lumber and load next log.
Mobile Demension sawmill, Bobcat 873 loader, 3 dry kilns and a long "to do" list.

quilbilly

I love the md. Our house was built from timber cut with one. I've been thinking about getting one for a while but am wondering how you level the log? After using an lt 70 with hydraulics I would miss the leveling features. I guess I could use shims but that seems time consuming
a man is strongest on his knees

DanG

The trailer for the MD is an extra cost option. The mill was originally designed to mount directly onto a very large log like an old-growth redwood. It can be mounted on any kind of platform you want. The only unique consideration in a clamping method is that you need to hold the log down. The main blade will actually lift a small log while sawing if it isn't clamped down firmly.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

bandmiller2

I have always been fascinated by the MD mills, but they are quite rare up here in the northeast. If I had seen and used one I probably would have built one instead of a band mill. I now have a band mill and a handset circular, and really don't need a third mill. Very convincing argument though Chops. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

SawmillSylvia

We are shopping around for one.

It seems like the way to go because it would greatly increase production, we would be able to get orders done with a quicker turn-around time, and we wouldn't be competing for the smaller size house logs that do better on our bandsaw mill (production goes way down with the time cost of rolling honkers).

The down sides that we can think of so far: 1) it is hard to adjust for taper, which reduces quality especially for long beams for timber framers, 2) 1xs are more expensive to produce (time, sawdust, wear on the machine for board foot produced) and I would like to start selling paneling, 3) It gets darn cold standing there watching it! (not that there isn't stickering and organizing to do of course... but the manual is nice to run.)

It definitely seems like one would want both though. There is a lot I like about the band saw mill, but it has its set of limitations.

dgdrls

I tried real hard to get one,  just wasn't quite in my budget.
I did visit Mighty Might in Oregon two years ago similar
saw same idea, great folks.

They are dandy mills and can produce quite well.
I'm hoping there is still one in my future!

D

bandmiller2

Do the new MD mills still use the air cooled Volkswagen engine or are their other options.?? Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

quilbilly

I called em the other day you can get two different versions of the Volkswagen or go electric. They claim the electric is a big improvement over the gas engine if you are set up in one spot, production wise that is. The gas engines have one power source to all blades while the electric has separate motors for each.
a man is strongest on his knees

bandmiller2

I believe it, electric is the way to go if you have it. Only problem is 10hp is about the limit for single phase. If you have real three phase and are not a traveling man your missing the boat not using electric. I first ran my band mill with a 17 hp Wisconsin two cyl. it worked fine but no comparison to the 15hp three phase motor that's on it now. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

DanG

Electric would definitely be nice for several reasons, but at 67hp, the VW engine provides plenty of power.
"I don't feel like an old man.  I feel like a young man who has something wrong with him."  Dick Cavett
"Beat not thy sword into a plowshare, rather beat the sword of thine enemy into a plowshare."

NBSawyer1

I run a MD (my first mill, have had it for about 3 weeks now), after many years of looking for a mill. The MD really caught my interest, with getting dimensional lumber with each pass of the blade(s). It's a great little mill, it's used so it needs some TLC and some minor maintenance.. Truth is, I need more work than the mill  :D

I've worked around bandsaw mills, being a helper for a sawyer cutting lumber for me. And have wanted a mill ever since.

After buying the mill we soon realized we needed to purchase some equipment as the 4x4 quad and a b train trailer with a manual hydraulic boom just doesn't cut it, at least not to move enough timber to keep the mill going steady. A John Deere 4x4 tractor with a set of forks to load the mill and a loader bucket to take away the wood shavings (which we use in the chicken coops) should help to relieve some of the manual labor and the aches and pains  8)

The MD customer service is awesome, they have been extremely helpful as well as DanG answering any of my questions and pointing me in the right direction!

After over a week away from the mill getting firewood wood cut and split and getting the summer toys winterized, I can't wait to get back to the MD.

I never thought wood shavings and diesel fumes would get me so excited.  ;D



Mobile Dimension 128 on trailer. Set up for 24' cut. With extra 6' of track for a total cut length of 30'. STIHL MS290. 300 Kawasaki 4x4 with b-train log haulers and a manual hydraulic boom.

Finally took the leap... into a pile of sawdust! :-)

Brucer

Mobile Dimension was the first sawmill I ever considered buying. All I wanted to do was salvage something useful out of the trees I felled when clearing a space for my house. No bandmills in those days so that wasn't an option.

I eventually decided the logs were too small to justify the cost of a MD mill, so I invested in a chainsaw mini-mill. That let to an Alaskan mill, by which time I figured that timbers was the place to make money (assuming I wanted to actually start a business).

I finally ended up with a bandmill, but I still keep track of what Mobile Dimension is up to.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

muggs

Hey Bandmiller2   Are you running off a phase converter or do you have real 3 phase?   Muggs

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