Best small band mill (and why!)

[tomtrees]

Lucas and peterson dont need hydraulics . Just cut 10 oak fence posts for a client. Cut them straight out of the log.

[kernowstu]

:thumbup:lucas mill:thumbup:

[timbermillers]

I'd agree with most of the comments above but will add:

 

Mills: As with everything, it is "horses for coarses", having used the Woodmizer and Lumbermate they both have their own pros and cons. The Woodmizer I would say is more robust and a faster saw which is easier to use especially if you have hydraulics. If you are getting warped boards off a Woodmizer, you've not set it up properly. Spend another 1/2 hour at the beginning of the day setting up and sorting out the jacks etc and you'll have no problem.

The Lumbermate is a good piece of kit but I found it harder work and the setup time was greatly increased compared to the Woodmizer. It is a lot lighter and more nimble to move about, there's no denying the Woodmizer is a bit of a beast!

Woodmizer get a bashing as they are the narrow band mill that most people know but they have a lot of experience in the field and there are a lot of machines out there because they do what they're supposed to!

 

Hydraulics: They might cost more but for good reason, you are totally self contained so you can turn up on site and don't have to go back to get another machine to move the logs. Also you won't have the overheads of running and moving another machine. It will be interesting to see if tommer9's opinion changes when he's still trying to mill at the age of 65! (no offence tommer9, you Cornish are a hardy bunch!)

 

Forklifts: They're great in a concrete yard on a flat surface and you'll put the logs where you want them with ease. Go anywhere near gravel or a slope and you're stuffed! Unless you are only going to use it in a concrete yard, stick to your idea of a JCB type thing.

 

At the end of the day, every machine will have it's own problems that won't suit a particular days work but yo'll find a work around; we all do!

 

Good luck!

[tomtrees]

OR get a swing blade (peterson or lucas) no hydraulics needed or expensive edging machines both the Peterson and lucas are worth a look.

 

Never come across anything too big yet, although 6m is the max on length.

 

Small stuff is a pain though

[Big J]

Lots of interesting input!

 

Regarding hydraulics, it's simply something that I cannot afford at present. It's the difference between a £8000 mill and a £22000 mill. For the lowish volume of timber that I am going to be milling (5000 to 8000 cubic foot a year), a non-hydraulic mill will have to suffice.

 

I am aware of the presence of the Lucas mill, but my key product is wide boards. I don't do any fencing or posts, and the furniture makers that I supply are keen to have as wide a board as possible (within reason).

 

I've got a Woodmizer in on Sunday to fill the kiln, so it will be interesting to see it at work for the day. Complete with loadall, we should be able to get the required 300 cubic foot out of it!

 

Jonathan

[delabodge]

I totally disagree with the hydraulic thing. I think its an expensive luxury you can do without. I have never felt the need for it (and regularly mill 17' long 3' diameter hardwoods) and a big cant hook has always been fine, and my mill is 2' off the gound on its wheels too. Furthermore the oldes and biggest mill in cornwall, a stenner rack saw based machne, has no hydraulics, using cant hooks too. Each to their own, but for me its more to go wrong, and alot of money which IMO is unnecessary.

Furthermore, I think woodmiser are trading on a name they made when they had no competition to speak of. I have been taking more and more work off mizer based outfits as they are producing warped boards as the beds have been bending under the weight of big oak logs......

 

The hydraulics came with my woodmizer and were`nt an afordable extra, they make life a hell of a lot easier, especially if you dont have a tractor with a loader,telehandler etc, I rely on farmer mates to help me out, so when they drop of my arb trees,they line em up and I need no extra help, plus the turner is brilliant, and stops you damaging the machine with dropping big logs onto it,

I`ve had no problems with warped logs at all, and am sawing to the max daily.

for the money, £6500 with trailer second hand,,cant beat it!!!!

[Big J]

Sounds like you got an excellent deal with that DB!

 

After yesterday's kiln fill I'm swinging towards investing most in a telehandler (Manitou Buggiscopic ideally - they are tiny but still lift up to 2.5 tonnes), and having a small, cheap bandsaw mill for day to day small milling jobs. For day to day larger stuff, I'll use the chainsaw mill and when filling the kiln, I'll hire in a bigger band mill like a Serra or Autotrek.

[John Hughes]

I have drooled over those Buggiscopics when I have seen them in auctions, they look just the right size for around the mill. Out of my price range though, I am saving up for a road going 4x4 tractor so I can collect logs myself without having to rely on friendly farmers.

John

[rovers90]

I would be very surprised if you were given a grant to assist with the purchase of a JCB or similar. The grant will only be sanctioned for equipment totally specific to the task, ie. you cannot do anything else with a saw mill other than cut timber but with a JCB loader you could use it for agricultural work.

 

In my own situation, even though I was buying a pto firewood processor that obviously required a tractor to run it, the grant was only given for the processor as I could have used the tractor for other purposes.

 

Good luck

[wills-mill]

Thanks for the replies folks!

 

I've got a lot of research to do (and grant applications too!) before anything is decided, but I think that it most likely to be between the Timberking and Lumbermate. I've all but discounted the woodmizer as numerous people have highlighted flaws with them (not running on two rails but one causing weaving of the band for example). Speaking to a miller yesterday who's just invested in the LT70, he said that they've had a lot of problems with it.

 

Glad to hear positive reviews of the Lumbermate. Given the fact that the LM pro comes trailered and with a 23hp motor for £6,300 + vat, it's looking like the best contender. I do need to speak to Willie Dobie down at Logosol about them.

 

Jonathan

 

Wibbly boards on any bandmill are down to blades 80% of the time and blade guide alignment the rest of the time.

 

I've eavesdropped on enough sales boyos selling twin post mills to have heard some truly hilarious reasons why the single post on Mizers is 'rubbish' I don't imagine that they've put much time in on their own or competitors machines to know whether 'the rails wear out really quickly' or 'the head drops and cuts wedge shaped boards all the time'.

Wood Mizers are good bits of kit, very robust and have very good adjustment at any point that's prone getting bent or worn. One of the mundane day to day advantages of their layout is that offloading timber by hand is nice and ergonomic- you don't have to reach over a big chunky rail for every board.

 

I sometimes miss our old LT mill with an Onan petrol engine, it was so much lighter and easier to nip up damp twisty tracks than the more recent hefty frames (but only sometimes).

 

Of the smaller twin heads, I really rate the Lumbermate, and I also really like the team at Logosol, nothing is a problem and they all use their machines and have a bit of passion for the product. When it comes to a sale (and back up) I'd rather buy from someone who knows their kit and will acknowledge any flaws and limitations, rather than someone who slags off the competition...