portable bandsaw mills

[Donald Maclean]

I am going to purchase a portable band saw mill. I am considerind woodmizer or norwood . Does anyone out therer own one of these . If so what advice can you offer . What is my most reliable mill. Tks Don

[Wilson Lamb]

WOW, I've wanted one for years. I have hired them for MANY days! Woodmizer is a well built device, but their salesmanship is even better. I'm sure you could live with it, but I wouldn't buy one because of the cantilevered head. I have looked at many in person and greatly prefer the four post head. There are MANY brands, so look at a lot of ads before buying. I'd strongly recommend visiting a job, or even hiring one for a day to see how it works and what it's like to handle all that wood. Serious sawing will wear you out!

If you're talking casual hobby sawing with no production goal, it's not too bad, but think about how you will handle logs, boards, and slabs. You really need a tractor if the logs are down on your land. If you have to move them from elsewhere, a Bobcat is nice. I have a 16' trailer with an electric winch on the front...not really satisfactory because of battery capacity (I have a marine battery on the tongue, which I charge with a small genset.

Of course that means a big pickup and 16' trailer. Unless you saw a lot, hiring is a bargain...usually $35-50/hr.

Search Google for bandsawmills, sawmills, etc. You should easily find 15-20 brands. Go to a farm show if there's one near you.

Wilson

[Andy Dingley]

The one I use has crap welds that were cracking off the post within a year of use. So does the (slightly older) engineless one sitting next to it, so it's not a one-off.

Agreed. I like the way that anyone can phone up the central office and they'll pass you out to a local Woodmizer operator.

Depends how you use it. If you're trailering it around a lot, the cantilevered head is easier to set up - it's more tolerant of a less than even track setup.

If I were to buy my own, I'd buy a Woodmizer - mainly because they're (almost) the only game in town in the UK.

The smallest LT-15 is perhaps the most useful. There's very little it won't handle and the main advantage of the bigger models is the quicker setup and powered log handling. Of course this all costs money

- with an LT-15 (esp. S/H) you can afford to have it standing idle. With the hydraulic models you have to work your tail off all year, just to pay off the loan for it.

What surprised me about it is how useful it is for furniture makers. If you want a big resaw for a tabletop, just stick the board in the Woodmizer -- better cut quality (with a fresh band and some careful alignment) than many vertical bandsaws, and it'll do it a couple of feet wide.

[Jon Endres, PE]

I have a 20-year old Woodmizer LT-30. It's an ugly rust bucket that has gotten more than a few repairs. I'm the second owner. Nevertheless, it cuts wood really well.

Woodmizer is the biggest game in town, but I can't say they are the best. Woodmizer has good service, a decent network of dealers, easy parts availability, and the orange color costs more. I have also heard good things about Norwood.

If I were in the market for a brand new mill (and I am - I want something bigger), I'd go with a Woodmizer again. I think the cantilever design is better than a four post because the mill does not have to be level. I also think their log handling features and setworks on the bigger mills are superior. Other brands I MIGHT consider would be Timberking, Baker, or a swingblade mill such as the Peterson or Lucas Mill. I used to have a Logosol mill and sold it to get the Woodmizer, but the Logosol was a really great mill for small volumes.

Spend some time, go to the Forestry Forum

and READ. Everything you can about sawmills and milling. Then ask your questions. Then buy your mill.

Jon E

[Markndawoods]

Jan 05 American Woodworker Mag has a review of saw mills worth looking over.