dudders

Looks like beech to me. No leaves to verify?

That's how it works on my old Ford. Trouble with it is the hydraulics work when they want to. This is actually very dodgy, coz you can pull the lift lever up, nothing happens, so you forget about it and get on and then suddenly the lift arms shoot up. Too bad if you're in the way... An experienced ag. mechanic has had it all apart twice and not been able to fix it. I just live with it.

I'm getting a pto chipper too. Trouble with WM stuff is the same as Kellfri, which I was thinking about until I found where it was made... Price is good, but Chinese steel and shortcuts in manufacture mean trouble. I looked at the Greenmech 150, seems good and UK-made, but it uses the tractor hydraulics to drive the roller. Fine if your tractor has that - 2-valve system, flow and return - but my ancient Ford 3000 is very unreliable in that department, so I need the chipper to have its own hydraulics. So today put the order in for a TP130 PTO, Danish-made, recommended by another user, so fingers crossed now!

Does anyone have experience of Kellfri machinery? Seems to be lower-priced than the competition, so I'm suspicious that there may be a price to pay in reliability/longevity. It's a Swedish company, but from their claim of 'Scandinavian design and development', I think 'Chinese manufacture'. I'm just going to ask them about that, but any personal experience would be good to know. Thanks. PS: looking at their chippers.

The NHLA (North American Hardwood Lumber Association) has a series of webinars going on, all of which can be watched for free, including those that have finished. I watched most of one (falling asleep occasionally) and it was good, relevant to anyone working with timber, but especially sawyers. This link should put you on the page on their website which gives you the series titles. You just have to enter your name and email address and get on with it. Webinars | National Hardwood Lumber Association WWW.NHLA.COM Webinars Short Courses In-House Training Inspector Training School Online Inspector Training Program Curriculum &... Decided to fully overhaul my Trekkasaw recently, so it's now in a hundred pieces, off for sandblasting before a full repaint, including the trailer. I'm good at taking things to bits, but not so hot at putting them back together... Crossed fingers anyway. Maybe going to keep it, instead of replacing.

I haven't gone through the whole thread here, so might be repeating stuff others have already said. But my penn'orth: Join the Forest Products Society (www.forestprod.org). Get the book for $25 called Sawing, Edging and Trimming Hardwood Lumber, Putting Theory into Practice. If you get onto the NHLA website, you can hunt around and try to get access to their webinars - there are only two - by the authors of the book above, one of which I watched and it was interesting. You'll have to register, but it's free. Don't be put off by being told "the webinar's over, you've missed it". Probe around and there is a way to get onto it. Sorry, but I forget how I did it. There's a very busy sawmill 'scene' in the USA, where people are (perhaps typically) very enthusiastic about milling. Loads of stuff goes up on www.forestryforum.com. You've been told already that there's no better way to learn than getting stuck in. It's a fact. If you want to drive a lorry, as I did many years ago, you just have to bite the bullet, pay out a lot of money and go for it. No amount of reading up will get you anywhere at all. But you have the good fortune of guys on this forum offering to give you practical experience on their own mills. That's some opportunity there, and I'd grab it. If you don't have time for that, I'd question your degree of commitment. Is this a pipe dream or a serious determination to get into a new skill?

Just been researching the EU Machinery Directive for some info on standards, and found that the commission actually has what is officially called the: Horizontal Committee No, I have no idea either. And before you ask: yes, there is indeed a Vertical Committee. Presumably they're the ones standing up, rather than lying down?

Dang - sorry to hear that! That's why I'm being so thorough on the research, and prepared to shell out more for the right tool. Should be cheaper in the long run and a good machine should be a pleasure to use, not a pain. Have to say, Norwood is the only make I've heard grumbles about, so it's already bottom of the list, along with a couple of Chinese jobs, one of them being Frontier, which is a budget version of Norwood! Perhaps no coincidence that those three makes are all the cheapest?

I think what counts is the delivered price of the machine of your choice - maybe not important how that total adds up? If two Thomas 3220 mills were shipped together, ie: in one container, the price delivered to each buyer would be about the same as a Logosol B1001. Sure, the Logosol comes with a free sharpener (at the moment), but the Thomas cuts featheredge, which the Logosol doesn't, and has a better motor (IMO). So, not a lot in it. I don't know yet what's going to take over from the old Trekkasaw. Needs to be 16' cut, 28" cant and the best quality manufacture there is. I'll skip on setworks, hydraulics, winch, trailer etc, so just a basic mill, (ie: what I'm used to!). But what I save on extras I can put into quality - I want to be using this in 20 years' time, or be able to resell for top-dollar when the time comes. I've checked out Woodmizer, Norwood, Frontier, Timberking, Logosol, Thomas, Cooks, (not Thomas Cook's...) Woodland Mills, Serra, and a couple of swing-mills. It gets complicated! Especially as no-one says their choice of sawmill was a mistake. And they're probably right - really, they're all the same, basic tool, just with minor differences in extras and build-quality.

Agreed, the shipping cost is a pain, but there's a price for a better mill. Parts availability doesn't bother me - it's not likely I'll need much that I can't fix myself. Never needed any parts for the Trekkasaw in 33 years. IMO it's a waste of time trying out all the mills available. They'll all be smart and clean and working. They cut wood - not a great technical achievement.

Email? Sure, they'd cost more, and, if heavy, take longer to arrive, but what parts generally need replacing that you can't fix yourself? One reason I'm looking at their gear, and also the Cooks mills, is that they seem to be made to a stronger spec than European/Chinese makes. Honda engine parts can be found locally, so it's only the frame and track parts anyway - not exactly high-tech stuff.

If you're thinking of buying a new Logosol B1001, have a look at the USA-made Thomas 3220. It's what tops my list just now as I'm about to replace my Trekkasaw. Similar spec to the Logosol, but it can tilt to cut featheredge boards. The Logosol will only cut flat. It's £1400 cheaper than the Logosol, but about £2500 for delivery, instead of £350! But if someone else bought one same time as me and they were shipped together, the freight charge would go down enough to get it here for about the same price as the Logosol. Portable Sawmill Model 3220 in Brooks, ME THOMASBANDSAWMILLS.COM Thomas Bandsaw Mills, OEM in Brooks, ME offers different types of portable bandsaw mills including model 3220. This...