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if i buy( Saw Mill ez board walk 40 is this the best mill at $8000 range?

Started by buildmyown, June 25, 2017, 05:51:35 PM

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TKehl

Just thinking out loud, but I think an old tractor, log arch, and either hydraulic arms on the mill or a bit of earthworks to use a natural slope with a log deck would overall be cheaper than a skid steer.  Can't say more versatile because they each have their pluses, but 3 point equipment is generally cheaper and more plentiful than skid steer attachments.
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

buildmyown

i dont know much about tractors,but if the right deal came along i may bite also they can tip over on you. a bob cat i can do my own dirt work and extra income also. with a bob cat you can make your saw mill stage maybe high ground on one side and low on the other so you could just roll the logs on the mill, take off the lumber on the other side. using forks with the logs the lumber,and pallets.
22 ton log splitter:)

plantman

I was recently given some white oak. One of the logs was about 40" in diameter and 12' long. I calculated that it weighed about 7000 lbs. Point is that you're going to want to buy the biggest machine you can afford. I would love to own a wheel loader to handle big stuff. Another option would be to buy a decent size track excavator with a thumb on it. A excavator is a very versatile machine capable of doing a lot of things. I own small ones . The small excavator I own only weighs about 7000 lbs but enabled me to drag that 7000 lb log off my trailer.
As far as the mills go. I like the look of the EZ boardwalk but I'm thinking about buying a swingblade mill because it's much faster at cutting dimensional lumber.

buildmyown

i get what you thinking, but is there frame in the way of moving the timber in and out?
22 ton log splitter:)

plantman

I would seriously consider this swingblade mill if I was mostly stationary. It's supposed to be portable but I think it might take about 1 hour to breakdown and loadup plus it's not lightweight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wzc6GxSWHA
Then you have the Turbosaw, the Peterson, and the Lucas. All are not cheap but they can saw a lot of dimensional lumber in a day, many times what a bandsaw can saw.
I recently came across this one too.
https://goodwoodmills.com.au/

Quote from: buildmyown on July 09, 2017, 05:08:56 PM
i get what you thinking, but is there frame in the way of moving the timber in and out?

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

paul case

I am pretty sure that each mill has its place to shine.

I was watching the video for d and L and I can see a place or 2 that a band mill could do better. Like cutting those ''house logs''. 3 passes would cut them out on a bandmill, but it took 2 passes per side on the swing blade. A band mill is limited by size  but  so are circle mills to an extent.

How much lumber a mill of any kind can cut depends greatly on the skill of the operator.

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

ladylake


One of my first customers told me I cut about 3 times faster than a swing mill in small pine logs so who knows.  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

plantman

Seems to me that the drawback of the bandsaw is that it doesn't edge the wood and each time you attempt to flip the cut slab or cant on it's side to edge  you have to level it front to back. Plus the flipping takes time and separate hydraulic mechanism which adds cost and complexity. Not only that but I don't care what anyone says, a bandsaw will be more likely to create a wavy cut than a ridged circular blade. I don't own either. I'm just saying.

paul case

Buy you one. use it a while and you will wish you had the other too so life would be complete.  ;D :D :o ::) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) ;D :D :) :) :) :).

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Magicman

As has been mentioned, each of us are "experts" in our own back yards.  I have been sawing with my bandmill for 15 years and I don't produce "wavy" lumber.  ;)

I watched FF member Meadows Miller saw the 30" top end Red Oak log featured in this topic:  LINK
He was sawing with a Lucas sawmill and was getting one 1X6, etc. with each pass and had to change his sweaty shirt before finishing.  After canting, I would have been getting 3 with each pass. 
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

paul case

life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Magicman

Yup, wearing out sawmill seats.

Quote from: plantman on July 10, 2017, 07:40:38 PMI don't care what anyone says, a bandsaw will be more likely to create a wavy cut than a ridged circular blade.
I would agree with that being a correct statement.  Poor sawmill alignment, inexperienced "sawyers", and dull or improper blades will produce wavy lumber.
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

derhntr

Heck just get one of each and you will have all the bases covered.  ;D
2006 Woodmizer LT40HDG28 with command control (I hate walking in sawdust)
US Army National Guard (RET) SFC

plantman

I see your point. The bandsaw works better than the Lucas because it is automated but at the cost of a lot more moving parts and complexity. I must admit to seeing numerous people on craigslist milling mountains of lumber with their Woodmizers. That probably wouldn't be happening if they were pushing and pulling a Lucas all day. Kind of reminds me of when I was a kid cutting lawns with a 21" Sensation lawnmower. We all graduated from those pretty quickly and now we're all happy fat and rich ! Ha ha ! 

Quote from: Magicman on July 10, 2017, 07:44:33 PM
As has been mentioned, each of us are "experts" in our own back yards.  I have been sawing with my bandmill for 15 years and I don't produce "wavy" lumber.  ;)

I watched FF member Meadows Miller saw the 30" top end Red Oak log featured in this topic:  LINK
He was sawing with a Lucas sawmill and was getting one 1X6, etc. with each pass and had to change his sweaty shirt before finishing.  After canting, I would have been getting 3 with each pass.

MbfVA

New at this, still.  I would like to put in my vote for manual to start with, whether swing or band, since my learning has been aided by the sound (even w ear protection) and feel of pushing the mill through the wood.  But once I learn what I'm doing, I can see where automation would be nice if I were trying to do a lot of sawing in a given day.  Especially with the near 100° days we've had around here recently.

I don't know of very many bandmills that will handle that 40 inch log referred to earlier, certainly not the typical wood-mizer (or any of them, according to stated specs) or the ez boardwalk referenced herein, though I believe there are bigger band mills out there with larger capacity throats.  My Peterson WPF can be moved to & assembled over up to a 5 ft log.  The 8 inch model (mine is 10 in) extends that capability to a 6 ft log, because of the smaller blade.  Peterson and Lucas, maybe others, will custom build an even larger mill.  I would be willing to bet that some of the smaller band mill makers, like the guy in New York, would probably build whatever you want if it was "engineering feasible", and you were willing to pay.

The thought of moving a 7000 lb log around gives me the willies, even if I could use my 33,000 lb Liebherr loader to do it (lifts 17k, my A300 Bobcat is only rated for 3k lift).  And that's assuming that the log deck on the bandmill could handle it.  Cutting it down to size with a portable swing blade mill where it sits sure sounds like a good way to go.

As has been said many times on this forum, it depends on what you're doing-- there are so many considerations to take into account.  My plans at this point are to get a band mill eventually, and I will be looking for a good used one as I was when I bought the Peterson.
www.ordinary.com (really)

derhntr

More than a few of us have sawed 40 inch diameter logs on our typical WM's  ;D
2006 Woodmizer LT40HDG28 with command control (I hate walking in sawdust)
US Army National Guard (RET) SFC

MbfVA

 Can you saw a 40 inch log without removing your blade guides ?  Just asking cause I want to know--wm is likely the band mill of choice when I can buy one to work with my swing blade.
www.ordinary.com (really)

derhntr

My Lt40 will raise blade to cut at 36 inches. Might not be ablr yo make a sq cant in 4 cuts but it is very doable. And you are correct about 24 inches being widest sq cant

2006 Woodmizer LT40HDG28 with command control (I hate walking in sawdust)
US Army National Guard (RET) SFC

MbfVA

24 inches is a big deal in my view since it takes in countertop width.  The Woodland mills model 130 is 1 inch short on that, for example.

I can slab that width, but otherwise 20 inches double cut is my swing blade mill's limit.
www.ordinary.com (really)

plantman

However, with a swingblade mill you can cut lumber off the top of a log and then flip the log and cut lumber off the opposite side leaving a wide slab up to 4' wide on the D&L and perhaps wider on the lucas.

f350rd

Welcome, I have the EZ 40. I have modified mine from the start. I added leveling jacks to the main deck and to extension, also added v rollers to ext to load on main deck for transport. I have some pics in profile. I use a New Holland skid steer with grapple to load logs. I have cut 36" t0 40" x 16 and 20 ft with no problems. I built my own chain style log turners and add carriage drive and lift using on board 12volt system to power everything.
EZ boardwalk 40 Modified, New Holland lx 865, cat e70b excavator, welding/machine shop, 1999 f350, 2011 f350,72" granberg chainsaw slabbing mill,
48" chainsaw mill

plantman

That's a nice looking mill I see in your profile pics F350. I like those modifications. Do you get much waving when you're cutting wide logs ? What brand of blades do you use ? Do you think the EZ Boardwalk is a better mill than others ? Would you buy it again ?

f350rd

plantman, Welcome to the forum. I do not get any wave at all, if I do time to change blade. I use timber wolf blades 10 degree rake various offsets for different wood. I did a lot of research before making choice. For the money mill for mill yes it is better built, all heavy steel. Nothing to put together unless you order axle kit. Plus I also to in to consideration how easy it was going to be to modify. After all the mods I probably have around 14,000. that includes building 2 wireless remote operated chain log turners. I also built a resaw attachment similar to Woodmizer conveyor type, haven't got pictures of it yet been to busy. My daughter can run the mill and she is small 5'5" 110 lbs soaking wet. My son-in-law is going to by the EZ junior just to have one. he loves the mill even before all the bells and whisles
EZ boardwalk 40 Modified, New Holland lx 865, cat e70b excavator, welding/machine shop, 1999 f350, 2011 f350,72" granberg chainsaw slabbing mill,
48" chainsaw mill

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