How big a mill to get?

[Woodworks]

Re visiting the idea of getting a small Woodlands bandsaw mill.

 

Are there any advantages to a larger mill other than size of the logs it can handle?

 

I am looking to cut boards for construction and not large slabs for furniture type work. Clearly its nice to save a few bob up front but dont want to discover there are other advantages to having the HM126 or even the HM130 Max

 

Thanks

[trigger_andy]

Always get the biggest you can afford. If you don’t you’ll only regret it later.

My mill can take a 30” log but that’s pushing it to its limits and is not fun. If I knew the B751 would have paid for itself within 24 months I’d have pushed the budget and bought the B1001. And that’s mostly personal use and some customer jobs.

A larger mill will comfortably handle a log that a smaller mill will take but struggle with. Generally bigger mills can take more attachments should you need them later, I’m not that clued up with Woodlands though.

I think the few Bob saved up front is a false economy.

[Johnsond]

3 hours ago, Woodworks said:

Re visiting the idea of getting a small Woodlands bandsaw mill.

 

Are there any advantages to a larger mill other than size of the logs it can handle?

 

I am looking to cut boards for construction and not large slabs for furniture type work. Clearly its nice to save a few bob up front but dont want to discover there are other advantages to having the HM126 or even the HM130 Max

 

Thanks

Woodlands 130 was a great little mill I found, if you have the ability to load logs and flip them etc you are laughing. For cutting normal every day structural timber etc I’d say that would be totally fine. Ripper37s are a good option for those too. Sometimes ultra wide mills are a bit of a double edged sword, yes you can slab big logs but you will not be able to push it through smaller stuff as fast plus blades etc are a lot more expensive. I always found with my 130 it was the physical limits of loading and turning logs that stopped me before the mill capacity. 

[Woodworks]

3 hours ago, Johnsond said:

Woodlands 130 was a great little mill I found, if you have the ability to load logs and flip them etc you are laughing. For cutting normal every day structural timber etc I’d say that would be totally fine. Ripper37s are a good option for those too. Sometimes ultra wide mills are a bit of a double edged sword, yes you can slab big logs but you will not be able to push it through smaller stuff as fast plus blades etc are a lot more expensive. I always found with my 130 it was the physical limits of loading and turning logs that stopped me before the mill capacity. 

Having asked around everyone is saying going for the 130. Time to see how many pennies I can scratch together.

 

Presuming a blade sharpener is a prerequisite that needs budgeting for as well? 

[Johnsond]

8 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

Having asked around everyone is saying going for the 130. Time to see how many pennies I can scratch together.

 

Presuming a blade sharpener is a prerequisite that needs budgeting for as well? 

Well you can it it depends on how many you plan to go through 

I use a local saw doctor whom does a great job which has been good enough for me, I  have recently though had the chance of a dinasaw sharpening machine which I’ll probably go for. 130 is an ok machine for sure, likes  being under cover if you can do that as the paint and galvanising is ok to middling at best. With hindsight I wish I’d kept mine and set it up permanently in a lean to or something similar, super easy to just knock something up on for very little effort. 

[trigger_andy]

Having asked around everyone is saying going for the 130. Time to see how many pennies I can scratch together.
 
Presuming a blade sharpener is a prerequisite that needs budgeting for as well? 

I still send all my bands off to be sharpened and set. I’ve got a sharpener too, I just need to get it set up. 🤣

[gdh]

Our woodland mills 130 has been a brilliant buy and gets used a lot. The 130max cuts about 8inch wider I think (30inch cut) but it's also got a few useful improvements like automatic height locking and the the blade lubricant being on the main trigger instead of seperate.

 

For £7 a blade I just send mine away to be sharpened.

Edited October 31, 2021 by gdh

[Woodworks]

On 31/10/2021 at 09:37, trigger_andy said:

Always get the biggest you can afford. If you don’t you’ll only regret it later.

My mill can take a 30” log but that’s pushing it to its limits and is not fun. If I knew the B751 would have paid for itself within 24 months I’d have pushed the budget and bought the B1001. And that’s mostly personal use and some customer jobs.

A larger mill will comfortably handle a log that a smaller mill will take but struggle with. Generally bigger mills can take more attachments should you need them later, I’m not that clued up with Woodlands though.

I think the few Bob saved up front is a false economy.

What made you chose the Logosol over other brands? 

[trigger_andy]

6 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

What made you chose the Logosol over other brands? 

My budget was really for a Woodlands 130 but then I spotted the new Logosol offering and having worked with the Logosol M7 and M8 and reading reviews I knew the build quality was very good. They took the best design features of similar sized Norwood and Woodmizer Mills and incorporated them into their design and added a few clever ideas of their own as well. I know Logosol have very good support. 
 

[Woodworks]

Thanks Andy