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EZ Boardwalk Jr-

Started by BWoody, February 08, 2017, 01:03:10 PM

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BWoody

I am planning on purchasing my first sawmill in the near future and have been looking at different models.  I will only use the mill for myself and I am not trying to start a business with it.  I think that the Ez Boarkwalk Jr will fit my needs and seems like the best bang for the buck.  I am concerned about the 4" frame and wonder if anyone has ever had any trouble out of theirs.  I also wonder if the 13hp engine is adequate.  I will generally be cutting 16"-20" Southern Yellow Pine.  I will also be planning on purchasing the bed extension and trailer package.  Any input and comments would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks   

ChugiakTinkerer

Congrats on making a decision on which one to choose.  My HM130 has a 13 hp Kohler engine and I've had no problems whatsoever sawing 16" frozen cottonwood.  I don't know how your pine will compare though.

You'll want a batch of blades on hand when you make your first cut.  I emailed the folks at Kasco and they set me up with a box of fifteen 4 degree blades at a very good price.  You'll need your log handling tools too.  A cant hook and/or a peavey.  Logrite is a forum sponsor and very popular.  I ended up with a Woodchuck dual with a removable log jack.  Made in USA and plenty strong.
Woodland Mills HM130

Deese

BWoody,

Welcome to the Forum. I bought the EZ JR w/13hp Honda engine and have been running it fairly hard over the past 3+ years, sawing mainly SYP. Check out the pictures in my gallery and you will see. It will do great for personal use and even some extra sawing on the side. Properly brace your track and you will have no trouble with it.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

TKehl

One of these mills is on my list to compliment my swinger.

You may already know this, but something I was confused by for a while is that you remove the trailer axle and block the frame on the ground (timbers, blocks, concrete pad, etc.) to mill with the EZ Boardwalk Jr.  The trailer kit is transport only, but they make it pretty easy to setup 
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

capt dick

I have what you are thinking of buying and love it---I welded eight trailer jacks on it to make it easy to level. I would suggest you consider electric start option as it can not be added later. Much easier start and stop than pulling manual cord which is sometimes in an inconvenient  position. People are wonderful to deal with.

Deese

This is how I've got mine set up. I had to trim the log with the chainsaw so the carriage would fit around this one.


 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Deese

Or you can set it up on some 4x4's like I've done on a few mobile sawing jobs.


  

  

  

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Deese

The key to the sawing with a 13hp is a sharp, properly set blade.



 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

yukon cornelius

I use mine nearly every day since 2013. I have had no issues. I bought the extra 10 feet of track but since I rarely need it so i took the clamps off that and put it on the first section. One clamp at each bunk is handy. I bought the trailer kit but never used it. I also bought the shingle/ siding attachment but only used it once. I highly recommended this mill.
It seems I am a coarse thread bolt in a world of fine threaded nuts!

Making a living with a manual mill can be done!

Downstream

I have had my Jr for just over a year now.  I have the 13hp honda and it has gone through everything fine.  I mostly saw oak and walnut, but I have done a few pines pretty easy in that diameter range.  when I do pines I add a little pinesol to the lube drip to help manage sap.  I have found the 4 inch channels to be very sturdy.  I can pick up the entire sawmill intact with my pallet jack and move around my paved driveway by myself.  I agree it is the best bang for the buck at the entry level especially if you want a wider cut width.  I make live edge furniture so width of cut is must have.  If you are buying extensions get extra clamps so you dont have to move them.  I would also get a log turner if you can.   Overall I have been very happy with my purchase.
EZ Boardwalk Jr,  Split Second Kinetic logsplitter, Granberg Alaskan Chainsaw Mill, Stihl 660 and 211, Logrite 60" cant hook, Dixie 32 Tongs

Ox

Deese - have you settled on a favorite blade?  What about a favorite set number?  Tooth angle?  Nice pictures - thanks for sharing them!
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

catalina

BWoody, I have the exact set up you describe and have had it for a little over 6 years and have sawed a bit of everything that grows in WV including Red Pine with no regrets and or warranted complaints. I don't have any pics of the mill actually working uploaded but the pic below is predominately pine and cherry logs I cut this past summer. THE ONLY THING ABOUT IT IS WHEN YOU "THINK" YOUR BLADE IS GETTING DULL YOU NEEDED TO CHANGE IT A COUPLE OF CUTS AGO. 

Deese

Quote from: Ox on February 09, 2017, 11:47:29 AM
Deese - have you settled on a favorite blade?  What about a favorite set number?  Tooth angle?  Nice pictures - thanks for sharing them!

I've only used Timberwolf and Cook's blades. I sharpen and set my own blades and prefer Timberwolf mainly because the gullet depth is always the same, which makes it easier for me to sharpen. Since I mainly saw SYP, I use 10° with 7/8" tooth spacing and am happy with it. I also have some 10° 3/4" tooth spacing which seems to work a little better on knotty pine and hardwood species. I haven't tinkered with the set much. I believe my TW blades are set just under .03 and I just keep them around that mark.  I need to order some with less tooth angle as I've supposedly got some pecan coming.
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

BWoody

I can't thank ya'll enough for the help.  It seems as if everyone is happy with their boardwalk junior.  I also would like to thank everyone for the advice. 

I am fortunate that my father owns a 40hp tractor with a loader and he lets me borrow it.  He has a grapple attachment for the loader and I am currently building a set of pallet forks that will work with the loader.  I also just finished building my log arch.  I also have a couple of cant hooks and peaveys.  I am ready to handle the wood, just need a mill to cut it up. 

Thanks again for everyone's input and advice.  I am sure that I will need more advice once I purchase a mill. 

BWoody

So 10 degree bands seem to work the best with the 13hp sawing syp? And anyone have experience ordering bands for the ez jr from woodmizer or cooks?

jaygtree

i ordered blades for my ezjr from cooks. think they were called supersharp and i think they were 8 degree. work great. you can check out what they have on their website. the manual that  came with the mill tells how long of blade to order. just give them a call, they are very accommodating.  jayg
i thought i was wrong once but i wasn't.   atv, log arch, chainsaw and ez boardwalk jr.

Kbeitz

Quote from: BWoody on February 15, 2017, 09:17:02 PM
So 10 degree bands seem to work the best with the 13hp sawing syp? And anyone have experience ordering bands for the ez jr from woodmizer or cooks?

I was told that 4 degree blades work best on low Hp mills.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

justallan1

I also have the EZ Jr. and really like it. The thing is built nearly bullet proof! I have the electric start Honda 13 HP and it does great. As said above, if you get an extension you would be smart to get an extra clamp, it makes for one more option when sawing oddball logs.
I use 10* blades on pine and cedar and 4* on Russian olive. I get my blades through Kasco and feel they work just as good as what is recommended and are about $10 cheaper per blade.
Keep sharp blades on it and it will do fine. This burl pretty much maxed out the mill for sized, but the little Honda didn't know it was there.
Anymore I mainly saw burls and don't bother taking it off the trailer, although it is recommended. I'm 6' tall and the carriage is raised all the way up in this picture and I can still read the scale just fine. If I ever take it off the trailer again I will definitely set it up off the ground at least 16". Plain and simple, the ground is getting to far away. :D


 

Fil-Dill

EZ boardwalk 40

justallan1

Mine was a special order for someone else and was accidently sent to me, in the process the trucking company knocked it around good enough that it would have had to be sent back to EZ Boardwalk and then on to the right buyer. It would have cost a bunch extra for all of the shipping between us all, so EZ Boardwalk and myself did some haggling, they took a slight loss, I got a few free perks and they shipped another mill to the correct buyer.
Stanton is definitely a great guy to work with and did what needed to be done to make things work.

BWoody

justallan1,
I noticed that you put some jacks on the frame of the mill.  I was thinking of doing the same.  I was just wondering how the jacks have worked out for you and how many you put on the mill.  Thanks for the input.

justallan1

I do that when I'm sawing burls because I'm only using part of my tracks and would not recommend it on logs and especially if I'm using the extension. Things get bumped around and if your jacks aren't attached to your tracks things are going to move.
With the right jacks you might get away with it on small logs, but if you plan to saw a dozen logs in one place or any bigger logs, I feel it would be less hassle to just put the mill on some shoring blocks and know that it's going to stay there.
Whatever you do, don't trust the jacks with the wheels. (like in my picture :-[) Just wrestling logs around and shifting weight back and forth the wheels will dig a hole, making your tracks un-level.

capt dick

I have eight trailer jacks on mine---6 on main section--2 on 5 foot extension. These ore mounted on 4 crossbars. Trailer jacks are Harbor freight part no. 42950---$25 each.

BWoody

I was planning on bolting 3"x3" tubing under the frame. Pieces long enough to go from side to side and then welding jacks to the end of the tubes. I want to bolt the tubing to the frame, so that if I have to set the track on the ground I can just unbolt it.

capt dick

I leave wheels on with jacks,

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