Forestor Pilous Bandmills

[Squaredy]

2 hours ago, Big J said:

My Trakmet with the widened head cuts 1.15m. I've Frankensteined the guide on the idle side a bit (sandwich block and roller together, like on an LT70) which has probably reduced that to 1.08m, but that's plenty wide enough. 

 

I've cut boards to 1.7m wide with chainsaw mills, but I honestly cannot see the point in wide boards. They are impossible to handle, the accuracy of the cut reduces, they rarely dry properly and did I mention the moving and handling issues!?!? Best to just shave them down and produce boards where they don't weigh over 100kg. 

Sorry I forgot to quote you.  Please see my reply above.

[Squaredy]

1 hour ago, muttley9050 said:

10 hours ago, Squaredy said:

Has anyone got experience or knowledge of these sawmills?  Scott and Sargeant in Sussex sell them and they seem good value.  I am in need of a wide bandmill (4ft width milling capacity) and even a 40 year old machine of this type can cost £12,000+.  They currently have a basic 4ft capacity mill brand new for £15,942 (plus VAT I guess).
 
They are made in the Czech republic, but I won't let that put me off.  My last major purchase was Canadian built (Norwood sawmill) and the quality of that was very disappointing.
 
I do not need log handling, loading and turning capabilities, I just need to be able to slab wide logs.  I currently use a Lucas mill which converts the logs fine, but of course it doesn't slab.  Well, I do have the slabbing attachment for it but I do not rate that for professional milling.
 
Anyone got any useful thoughts?

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Can't really help with your question, but would be interested in why don't rate the lucas slabber. Is it just the kerf or something else?

Sorry I forgot to quote you.  Please see my reply above.

[Big J]

1 hour ago, Squaredy said:

Thank you Big J that is very interesting.  What model Trak Met is that?  And how would you rate it?

 

And yes I agree in principle with you about wide slabs, but there are species of course that are more stable and work well as a wide slab.  On the occasions I have used my slabbing attachment for my Lucas Mill to produce slabs of 1.2m or so I find customers almost fight over them, and I usuaully end up selling them unseasoned for a good price.

It's the TTS 800 Standard, with a wide cutting head. You'll get 115cm between the blade guides, 126cm between the vertical posts and the blade will rise 120cm above the cutting deck (with a circa 33cm throat above the blade when the board drag back is installed). It's a big capacity, but obviously there are larger logs. 

 

It's a good mill. Solidly built and excellent value. If ordering with the extra large capacity, I'd ask them to uprate the hydraulics. Past about 3000kg, the turners (and I have two) struggle to rotate the log. If it's especially gnarly and quite heavy, same issue. 

 

They aren't the most precisely built mills on the market, but what they lack in attention to detail they make up for in quantity of steel. I would buy one again. 

 

The blades that are offered with it from Poland are awful. Flimsy and cheap. Buy something better there. Ripper 37 from Dakin Flathers is always a good bet. I've just bought a dozen Hakansson M42 blades (which at 6204mm long, 54mm wide and 1.64mm thick cost an eye watering £90 each) but they perform superbly. I love a thick blade and if you are going to routinely do wide cuts, I'd recommend them. Remember that you are asking a lot of a 50-60mm wide blade to cut perfectly true when unsupported for over a meter between the guides.

[Squaredy]

7 minutes ago, Big J said:

It's the TTS 800 Standard, with a wide cutting head. You'll get 115cm between the blade guides, 126cm between the vertical posts and the blade will rise 120cm above the cutting deck (with a circa 33cm throat above the blade when the board drag back is installed). It's a big capacity, but obviously there are larger logs. 

 

It's a good mill. Solidly built and excellent value. If ordering with the extra large capacity, I'd ask them to uprate the hydraulics. Past about 3000kg, the turners (and I have two) struggle to rotate the log. If it's especially gnarly and quite heavy, same issue. 

 

They aren't the most precisely built mills on the market, but what they lack in attention to detail they make up for in quantity of steel. I would buy one again. 

 

The blades that are offered with it from Poland are awful. Flimsy and cheap. Buy something better there. Ripper 37 from Dakin Flathers is always a good bet. I've just bought a dozen Hakansson M42 blades (which at 6204mm long, 54mm wide and 1.64mm thick cost an eye watering £90 each) but they perform superbly. I love a thick blade and if you are going to routinely do wide cuts, I'd recommend them. Remember that you are asking a lot of a 50-60mm wide blade to cut perfectly true when unsupported for over a meter between the guides.

Thank you very much Big J for the details.  That gives me another option to look into.

[muttley9050]

And in response re the Lucas Mill slabber, my problem with it is firstly speed, secondly exhaustive effort of pushing for anything more than a few minutes, maintaining the sharpness of the chain (and of course fettling the bar), time it takes to swap over from the blade and back again and lastly kerf.
 
It has its place I know but I currently have maybe 18 or 20 logs in my yard of 1m diameter or more which need milling as slabs....the thought of slabbing these with the Lucas Mill makes me feel old!

This is a surprise to me. I love my lucas slabber. It's pretty effortless for me. Just park my bum against it and give a gentle lean to push it along.
I timed myself cutting a 4ft plane tree last week and a 4m x 1.2 m cut was taking around 3.5 to 4 minutes.
Chain sharpening is easy with a granberg precision grinder. If I'm slabbing clean wood all day I change chains once or twice and always sharpen in workshop.
Took me quite a while to get my slabber set up to cut like this but it is possible .
I accept the kerf is big but the portability and ease of setting up on a 5ft log negates this for me.
Takes me 15 mins to change between the two blades.
I guess it depends how you cut. Most of my contract milling is mobile so the lucas is easy.
Most if my personal milling is dimensional for construction so the lucas wins here too.
Horses for courses I suppose but I love my lucas slabber.

[Squaredy]

15 minutes ago, muttley9050 said:

This is a surprise to me. I love my lucas slabber. It's pretty effortless for me. Just park my bum against it and give a gentle lean to push it along.
I timed myself cutting a 4ft plane tree last week and a 4m x 1.2 m cut was taking around 3.5 to 4 minutes.
Chain sharpening is easy with a granberg precision grinder. If I'm slabbing clean wood all day I change chains once or twice and always sharpen in workshop.
Took me quite a while to get my slabber set up to cut like this but it is possible .
I accept the kerf is big but the portability and ease of setting up on a 5ft log negates this for me.
Takes me 15 mins to change between the two blades.
I guess it depends how you cut. Most of my contract milling is mobile so the lucas is easy.
Most if my personal milling is dimensional for construction so the lucas wins here too.
Horses for courses I suppose but I love my lucas slabber.

Hi Muttley, I am impressed with your results.  4 minutes for a 4m slab 4ft wide is very good.  Have you replaced the Kohler engine with a V8?  Or maybe you don't know your own strength?   

[skc101fc]

Is yours the dedicated slabber or just the slabber attachment. I know the dedicated unit has a higher chain speed. With my attachment and a sharp chain on beech its taking me 10 -12 mins turnaround from start cutting to next start cutting on 14 ' logs. Probably sharpen every 3 slabs or change chains. I can get slightly faster using full complement chains but sharpening takes consequently longer.
Always in admiration of alaskan millers doing whole days of cutting. Way too many fumes and vibes for me.

[Squaredy]

I am seriously thinking of modifying my Lucas mill to run a bandsaw blade rather than the circular blade.  I don't think it would involve that much engineering.  I know such ventures are always more complicated than they appear, but I think it is totally doable.

[gobbypunk]

Hi I thought you were going to sell me your Lucas , I know Newport very well I am from Barry originally . 

[Rough Hewn]

Hi Muttley, I am impressed with your results.  4 minutes for a 4m slab 4ft wide is very good.  Have you replaced the Kohler engine with a V8?  Or maybe you don't know your own strength?  [emoji4] 

You can cut a 3m slab 3feet wide with an Alaskan mill in about 4 minutes.
Ms 880.