Jake_Mooney@Wood-Mizer

11 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

Not interested in doing a UK one?

We've considered it several times. We always get bogged down with how to offer it to the rest of our branches and dealers in Europe, and the admin aspect. 

We just launched a new UK website built on a new web platform that should help solve some of the issues in the past. So keep checking back! ? 
 

13 hours ago, hplp said:

 

You'll love us if we all post, especially those that dont have a woodmizer!

 

 That's also a consideration we have as well. It would be ideal for the marketplace if the directory included any/all sawyers.

Something like this? Wood-Mizer USA started this about 6 years ago to help connect people who were looking for sawing services to our customers who often had difficulty with marketing themselves online. 

https://woodmizer.com/us/Services/Find-a-Local-Sawyer

Wood-Mizer Germany set one up as well. http://www.woodmizer.de/Lohnsäger

Yeah, the association is a great group. Love the 'Full Circle' magazine - it's one of the best sawmilling magazines available. It's great to have a magazine and group focused specifically on sawmilling, usually most of them are so broad.

If I remember correctly, you're just down the street from Sandy?

19 hours ago, Big J said:

*Fast efficient big log breakdown is something new for the area*

 

Disagree with that point as I've been doing it for years, and there is also Patrick Baxter located 40 minutes south of us and a plethora of other sawmills in the central belt of Scotland dealing with specialist, niche timbers.

 

I wish Sandy all the best with his mill and his business, but I do dislike dishonest marketing. Just because it doesn't have a Woodmizer sticker on it doesn't mean that it's not relevant. 

Thanks Big J for calling us out on that. Sorry for the inference that others weren't offering similar services/capacity in the area. It wasn't the intention, and the article has been amended accordingly. 

Also, additional photos have been added to the article, and a video interview with Sandy is coming soon.

“Put me in a harness and a rope and a chain saw, and I’m at home.” Nestled in the rolling green hills west of Edinburgh, Sandy and Fiona take pride in their handmade furniture and beautifully landscaped yard. For 17 years, Sandy ran a successful tree surgeon business called Treeshape.

“I came back from New Zealand in 1999,” Sandy shares, “with nothing at that time, after already having 20 year’s experience. I saw there was an open market for tree surgeons and just went for it, basically because it was new, real competition. I’ve built up my yard, the field, equipment, forestry mulchers, chippers, grinders, stump grinders…but after reaching a certain age, it started to hurt, and bureaucracy kicked in as well.” He laughs. “It was just too much and it wasn’t enjoyable anymore. So I sold a lot of my equipment and bought sawmills and sharpeners and setters.”

Sandy and Fiona previously had a Wood-Mizer LT20 sawmill, which they used to process trees on a nominal basis, and used the timber to build some personal projects. “It was such a good sawmill that I went for another Wood-Mizer,” Sandy comments. “Not only because the machine is good, but the backup too. I’ve always been well looked after by Wood-Mizer.”

Sandy’s purchase of the brand new WM1000 wide-cutting sawmill was the first of its kind in Scotland. With the WM1000, logs can be sawed in half, into quarters, or into wide slabs directly for special projects. The operator safely controls all cutting functions while standing on a platform that moves with the head. The WM1000 was perfect for Sandy’s budding business, so he ordered the highest specs for a more powerful machine, a wider blade, and a full blade sharpening package. Wood-Mizer’s Scotland agent, Keith Threadgall shares. “Since nobody was doing it in Scotland at the time, he thought it would provide a good service, being able to mill up big large bits of timber.”

Sandy and Keith were especially excited about the blade sharpening package. “A lot of customers in Scotland are starting to buy their own blade packages,” Keith shares. “They prefer to do their own blades.” Sandy was surprised at the ease in which he could clean, lubricate, and sharpen his blades.

In the eastern region of Scotland, the weather is pretty changeable. But with the WM1000, Sandy doesn’t need to go outside to operate his sawmill. “It’s electric, it’s inside—it covers all my needs. And it’s very affordable for what it does. With a quick clean and lube, it’s ready to saw.”

“I’m doing it because I like doing it, and I can take time to learn to do it correctly. Hopefully at the end of it, I can have some furniture and be able to provide a service to mill for other people.” And, shortly after making a few pieces of furniture, Sandy’s friends began requesting more.

“So my business is basically going to be an in-house, contract saw miller. I can haul timber with my Unimog 2100 forestry trailer/crane. And I can be part tree surgeon when I feel like it, and a furniture maker too,” Sandy said with a smile. “A lot of oversized timber just gets turned into firewood and wasted, or just gets burned,” he explains. They make it a point to salvage the trees they work on as tree surgeons and use the leftover wood in their own projects. “Even the sawdust is a product,” Sandy says.

Sandy’s business has just started, but it’s already rapidly growing. Sandy is planning ahead and working to find some new contacts so his hobby can become a service for others. “With a good job, you get rewards,” he explains. “The main thing is, be honest. And then be thorough!”

By Bethany Faubion

View full article

Hello all!

Wood-Mizer UK cordially invites you to attend our June Open House in Graythwaite, Cumbria. 23-24 June. 9am - 5pm both days.

Come see!

- WB2000 wideband sawmill from the new Wood-Mizer TITAN wideband processing equipment range.

- THE NEW LX450 and LX150 twin-rail sawmills will debut for the first time in the UK! The LX150 features a wide cut

- LT15 hobbyist/farmer sawmill in action

- LT20 mobile sawmill in action

Location:

GRAITHWAITE SAWMILL

GRAITHWAITE

ULVESTONE

CUMBRIA

LA12 8BB

More details!

June Open House - See the WB2000 wideband sawmill & more! | Wood-Mizer UK

Video from the Scotland Open House in April

I'll have to pop in - that almost couldn't be closer to me (about 2 miles from my house).

 

I shall see you there!

We had you in mind when planning it

Come and view the WM1000, LT40, LT20 and LT15 at our open house 7th and 8th April 2017.

Register on line Wood-Mizer Sawmills UK for your chance to win a box of blades.

 

[ATTACH]217470[/ATTACH]

Here's the link to register, with map, etc.!

Wood-Mizer April Open House - See the WM1000 in action and more! | Wood-Mizer UK

Hi, just a comment about blade usage - the technique you mention at the end of your post there is a good way to prolong the life of the blade. It lets the metal rest. Wood-Mizer recommends doing this :-)

New video from Bullith Welles, Wales!

ModuLog Glamping Pods (glamping = glamorous camping) A father and son team use their own woodland to grow timber and use an LT40 sawmill to process the timber for use in their custom garden offices/glamping pods.

New video from Germany!

MR Holz - Visit a small German fencing company - MR Holz - and find out how they diversified their logging company into a wider range of products and services with an LT15 sawmill.

Latest video: Missionary uses LT15 sawmill in Zambia

In order to be self-supporting and not rely so much on donations to keep his work going, as well as provide work and training for locals, John Enright started a woodworking shop with an LT15 in northern Zambia. Out of that project grew another project - making and giving away beehives - in order to help locals improve their ability to generate incomes... Great story, check it out!

http://

Some of you may be familiar with the customer videos we have been working on making the last couple of years. One of the videos even features an active forum member (looking at you Copford ).

 

The idea was to highlight how people started their businesses, and how they are growing their business, to be a source of ideas and inspiration to others who would like to try working with wood.

 

I'll keep this list updated as we add more (we filmed 9 more this year!). The first ones were British companies, as it was much easier to edit the videos when they are in English! However, we'll soon be adding more and more videos from sawmill owners throughout the rest of Europe. Editing a video when you don't understand the language adds a whole new level of complexity, but we hope it results in great videos from other woodworkers we would normally never get to learn from.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

Dutch Timber Framer - A Dutch custom woodworker shows off his enviable workshop and latest Wood-Mizer toys.

 

Thomson Timber - A Scottish Engineering teacher was inspired to begin timber framing when challenged by students that he was teaching them 'useless/old fashioned' skills.

 

Grange Farm Timber - A farmer in the North Yorkshire Moors demonstrates his successful expansions into timber and holiday cottages. (A truly lovely place if you're looking for a romantic get-away, in case you're wondering )

 

DrewDom - A Polish builder goes against tradition by building wooden framed homes in Poland.

 

Silvan Floors - A premium engineered flooring company talks about how they were able to set up a complete log-to-finished flooring company in Leicestershire.

 

Copford Farm - Wood-Mizer's largest bandsaw in Europe is running at an East Sussex Farm.

 

A LOT more coming soon from Italy, France, Switzerland, Latvia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ukraine and more. Check back!

Nicely done! You should enter a project or two into our customer project contest! 'My Project' Contest page. Deadline is in two weeks.

good videos, must find time to do more myself

I can imagine that filming while focusing on the job at hand is truly a challenge! Share some with us when you do! Some narration about what you're cutting, and how you're going about it always makes the videos quite interesting.

Some of you may be familiar with the customer videos we have been working on making the last couple of years. One of the videos even features an active forum member (looking at you Copford ).

The idea was to highlight how people started their businesses, and how they are growing their business, to be a source of ideas and inspiration to others who would like to try working with wood.

I'll keep this list updated as we add more (we filmed 9 more this year!). The first ones were British companies, as it was much easier to edit the videos when they are in English! However, we'll soon be adding more and more videos from sawmill owners throughout the rest of Europe. Editing a video when you don't understand the language adds a whole new level of complexity, but we hope it results in great videos from other woodworkers we would normally never get to learn from.

Hope you enjoy!

Dutch Timber Framer - A Dutch custom woodworker shows off his enviable workshop and latest Wood-Mizer toys.

Thomson Timber - A Scottish Engineering teacher was inspired to begin timber framing when challenged by students that he was teaching them 'useless/old fashioned' skills.

Grange Farm Timber - A farmer in the North Yorkshire Moors demonstrates his successful expansions into timber and holiday cottages. (A truly lovely place if you're looking for a romantic get-away, in case you're wondering )

DrewDom - A Polish builder goes against tradition by building wooden framed homes in Poland.

Silvan Floors - A premium engineered flooring company talks about how they were able to set up a complete log-to-finished flooring company in Leicestershire.

Copford Farm - Wood-Mizer's largest bandsaw in Europe is running at an East Sussex Farm.

A LOT more coming soon from Italy, France, Switzerland, Latvia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ukraine and more. Check back!

A popular American YouTuber, 'WrangleStar', has posted a couple videos about his friend's new Wood-Mizer sawmill. His most recent video is pretty entertaining as he brings his wife to try out the sawmill in the hopes she'll approve and let him also get a sawmill.

Thought you guys would enjoy.

Currently the contest entries are coming in, but at the moment we only have one project entered from the UK, and all the rest are from Germany! Take a look at the entries so far: My Project Gallery

If you've built a project with your Wood-Mizer sawn timber, head over to the entry page, fill out the short entry form, and upload some photos. We'll take care of the rest! My Project English

Remember we're offering the following as prizes to the 9 winners!

PRIZE INFORMATION

There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes awarded for each of the three categories of projects – Furniture, Buildings, and Other Projects.

• 1st place – 700€ *

• 2nd place – 500€ *

• 3rd place – 300€ *

In addition to the prize credits, each winner will also receive a Wood-Mizer watch, Wood-Mizer scale-model sawmill replica, and a commemorative winner’s wooden plaque.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Where is the best place to get some I need some for a woodmizer.

 

Thanks

Hello! Wood-Mizer's SilverTIP blades can be ordered directly from our Wood-Mizer UK office. Here's a link with their contact details.

http://woodmizer.co.uk/About-us/Wood-Mizer-UK/Our-Team

Nice results!

This is a box of 'log obstructions' from the same customer. The operators collect everything they find in logs, mostly nails, but occasionally more interesting finds.

Here's a fun one we found when visiting a WM3500 customer in the Czech Republic last week. :-)

Hello all!

First, a quick introduction, and then my news.

After working for Wood-Mizer in Indianapolis for a few years, I had the opportunity to move to Poland to work for the European manufacturing HQ in 2013. My wife and I have three young children, and we decided to give it a go, and have loved every minute! Fortunately we've been very well taken care of by the company, and now feel at home living in the Polish countryside (actually trying to speak Polish is a different story, however ).

I do marketing/PR for the company, and I really enjoy it, because I get a chance to visit a lot of customers in order to generate case studies/articles/videos etc.

So, that's me. Now to my news that I think many of you will find interesting.

My Project English

WM has held a customer project contest for many years in the US and Canada, and now Europe is launching our first customer project contest. Basically it's open to any WM customers who have built projects with timber they've cut on their mills.

We're offering some nice prizes (sawmill replica, award plaque...) plus prize credits towards your next WM purchase to the 9 winners. (Three entry categories, and three winners per category).

You can enter up to three projects! So check it out at the link below, share with your friends, and let me know if you have any questions! Right now I have some sample projects in the Project Gallery, so I'm keen to replace those with real entries soon!

My Project English

Hello all!

Would like to share with you a short video we made about Wood-Mizer UK, featuring Mr. Biggs himself.

Thanks for sharing our new video Harry... ;-)

Now I'll share yours!

Glad you had a great time Harry! Sorry to miss you, but the wife felt our anniversary get-away was higher on the priority list ;-)

Here's a great video to go along with your post. We just released it a couple months ago as part of our 25th anniversary in Europe. Gives you a feel for all the various manufacturing areas, products, and even one or two customers you may find to look familiar