Loglogic autotrex

[Big J]

For the money, it's pretty good value (they are £47k new) but for that money you'd get a pretty good mill imported from the States. The thing about massive throat bandsawmills is that it is indeed very useful for cutting oversized logs, but you have to deal with the massive boards too. Personally, I much prefer halving large logs with the chainsawmill and then resawing on the bandmill. More stability, less back injuries!

[se7enthdevil]

less massive boards too unfortunately...

[youcallthatbig]

Jon, which manufacturer's should I be looking at for producing mills at a comparable cost to the Autotrek? I am intrigued to know just what is available, a German mill would be my 1st choice , but then I have not won the lottery......and what would import duty be rated at?

[Big J]

Wimmer are the best, as best as I can tell (and from what I have heard from other people too). They are not cheap though, and a mobile BN110 will set you back £60k. They are just stunning though:

 

Wimmer Sawmills - Zenz Landtechnik GmbH

 

No import duty as far as I'm aware from European sources, and the American imports on sawmills come in at 2.7%.

 

Regarding American mills, there are quite a number of manufacturers of mobile hydraulic mills, though not many run up to the £47k mark. Those that do are usually far too massive to tow on a 3.5t licence, so would require a larger vehicle. An absolutely stunning mill (and I have no idea how much it costs) is the mobile Select Sawmill. I challenge anyone to find a quicker cutting mobile mill! I'd be really intrigued about the price of them.

 

http://www.selectsawmill.com/en/bandsawmill.htm

 

Otherwise I would have recommended a Logmaster LM6 with it's 85hp Cummins diesel and hydraulic drive, but they only exist used now

[youcallthatbig]

thanks for the info Jon, shall have a gander tonight!

[Stompy]

less massive boards too unfortunately...

 

Thinking about it massive wide boards are not actually much use are they?!?

 

Difficult to handle, troublesome to dry flat, need space to store and for long term stability in use they need to be ripped down anyway.

 

From my point of view they would need to be ripped down to fit through my machines anyway and I could't handle these boards on my own in full width.

 

Useful I guess for big table tops etc.... and the bigger the machine and the bigger the cut the better, we are all big kids really

 

Just out of interest that autotrex wouldn't be able to be towed on a 3.5t license??? It being 2.8t and the whole train not be allowed to be over 3.5t and the trailer not being heavier than the towing vehicle? Have I got that right?

[difflock]

Gee, bytimes tis a blessing to be 54 with a 1978 car licence, good for 8250kg GTW.

Proper pity I did not "twig" in '97 that I required to apply for retention of the long standing pre'97 car licence 12,000kg GTW and hence sneakily got knocked back to the 8250kg figure, on renewal some years later.

Gerrr!

[se7enthdevil]

Thinking about it massive wide boards are not actually much use are they?!?

 

ooohhh there no imagination there...

 

yes table tops are the obvious answer but there are plenty of other uses when you think of it. public benches, solid doors, worktops, banqueting tables, solid leg ends, coffins and chair seats.

 

the other use is that you get the best out of them for ripping down to smaller boards giving furniture makers the luxury of picking and choosing rather than getting what is given at the lumber yard.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

 

second that. Mega knowledgeable Marcus is spot on.

[Stompy]

ooohhh there no imagination there...

 

yes table tops are the obvious answer but there are plenty of other uses when you think of it. public benches, solid doors, worktops, banqueting tables, solid leg ends, coffins and chair seats.

 

the other use is that you get the best out of them for ripping down to smaller boards giving furniture makers the luxury of picking and choosing rather than getting what is given at the lumber yard.

 

I have plenty of imagination mate.............

 

What I am saying is you wouldn't use a 4'4" (that is what the autotrex cuts) wide board in one piece as the movement over time and lack of stability would be too great. I wouldn't personally use much over 16" wide in one piece otherwise you are asking for movement and defects in the future.

 

Your average mill will cut what, 28"?? That is more than adequate for board width. Yeh if is was an outside table then movement is not so much of an issue but a banqueting table?? And what is a solid door? your joking right?

 

I have been a furniture maker for 15 years and do like nice wide boards but anything over 28" might as well have been ripped down as they are a pain in the a**e to dry flat and to handle and will have shakes defects running through them somewhere.

 

Thats all from my perspective though..........

Edited February 2, 2014 by Stompy