getting a sawmill

[Philngruvy]

:D
Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am going to buy a brand new Wood Mizer sawmill today. I am getting an LT15 which is one of their lower end mills but I think it will suit my needs perfectly. I am so excited, I can't deny it, ....
http://www.woodmizer.com/us/PortableEquipment/ManualSawmills/LT15Sawmill.aspx

[TheCelt]

That's a pretty slick setup. You gonna set up in Flroida or N.C.???

[John Allen]

I have wanted one of these for a while but have not pulled the trigger yet. Can you let us know how you like it after a couple of uses? Thanks John

[Philngruvy]

The mill will be set up in North Carolina. I am fortunate to have 6 1/2 acres on the side of the Black Mountain Range and there is an abundance of trees to make lumber out of. I will be cutting hemlock, oak, birch, maple, ash, poplar, locust and anything else that i find.
Once I get it set up, I will take pics and give you all a review. I had a man bring his LT40 over to cut poplar for me a few years back and it was a sweet machine. Of course the LT15 is not as fancy as the LT40 but it is what I can afford.

[texassako]

Sawdust is a very addictive substance. You will soon be scouting out trees wherever you drive and looking for logs to mill just like casters look for lead. There is nothing like opening a fresh log and being the first to see the grain inside. I needed one on wheels that fit my budget, could saw short lengths, and picked up a Mister Sawmill out of AR several years ago. I hope you picked the biggest engine you could afford, and be prepared to cut one of your dogs. It is the equivalent of shooting your first chrony. I get Cook's Super Sharps 10 at a time and use their sharpening service, but I hear Woodmizer does a real good job with all that as well.

[Philngruvy]

Sawdust is a very addictive substance. You will soon be scouting out trees wherever you drive and looking for logs to mill just like casters look for lead. There is nothing like opening a fresh log and being the first to see the grain inside. I needed one on wheels that fit my budget, could saw short lengths, and picked up a Mister Sawmill out of AR several years ago. I hope you picked the biggest engine you could afford, and be prepared to cut one of your dogs. It is the equivalent of shooting your first chrony. I get Cook's Super Sharps 10 at a time and use their sharpening service, but I hear Woodmizer does a real good job with all that as well.

You are right about scouting out the trees. The major owners of the mountain log from time to time, I think to pay for their land taxes or whatever, and the amount of good timber left behind is astounding! They are generous and tell us to take all we want. I have been getting all my firewood from there and the whole time that I was cutting 10-12 foot logs up for firewood, I was thinking to myself what a waste and wishing I had a mill. Now the logs will be made into lumber and the plus is that the slabs from the logs will still be good firewood and wont have to be split, only cut to length. :D We also have hundreds of hemlock trees that are dead or dying from that insect pest, the Hemlock woolly adelgid. Just too good to not take advantage of!
And yes, I am going to have to be very careful with my dogs.
I am getting both 9 degree and 10 degree blades from Wood Mizer for the softer and harder woods. They come 15 to the box and Wood Mizer has a great resharpening service.

[Phoenix]

I am going to have to be very careful with my dogs.

I think, He meant the dogs that hold the log while you saw it. Not the kind that bark. If I am wrong here please ignore this.

And congrats on the mill. Been wanting one for years. Blue pine all around me, Most og it ends up being firewood because I don't have a mill. The main reason I didn't get one, Is I cant do that kind of work anymore.

[starmac]

I have had the chance to play with the LT 40, and it is truly a fine machine. I haven't been around a 15, but I bet it is a fine machine as well.

[Philngruvy]

I think, He meant the dogs that hold the log while you saw it. Not the kind that bark. If I am wrong here please ignore this.

And congrats on the mill. Been wanting one for years. Blue pine all around me, Most og it ends up being firewood because I don't have a mill. The main reason I didn't get one, Is I cant do that kind of work anymore.
Yea, I knew what he meant and I have been having scary thoughts about forgetting to lower them as I cut. I will have to be very diligent. On the other hand, i need to be careful with my four legged dog also. He tends to go after the weed wacker when I am trimming the yard. It makes me shutter to think of that scenario.

[Philngruvy]

I have had the chance to play with the LT 40, and it is truly a fine machine. I haven't been around a 15, but I bet it is a fine machine as well.
No doubt the LT40 is a superb machine. I just don't have the bucks for something that nice. I got to demo an LT15 at the plant in Georgia and it is a good compromise for the money. The people at Wood Mizer are tops. Very friendly, helpful, and knowledgable.

[fishhawk]

after being a head sawyer for many years the main advantage to the wood mizer saws is the head moves not the log. Doing it that way means a lot less track and a more compact machine. The down side is sharping the saws, need a swage for the teeth and a grinder, the narrow blade they have I don't believe they need to be benched. Another thing they praise about them is the narrow kerf that you save so much wood well think about this to save one extra board with a 1/8 kerf versus a 1/4 kerf you need to be able to get 9 cuts off one face of the log or else it goes into the slab on the other side when you turn the cant. Dirt in the bark raises all sorts of cain with the saw so for me a old circle mill is the way to go.

[starmac]

I'm not sure if the 15 has the option, but the 40 I played had a simple debarker that was pretty effective at eliminating a lot of the dirt and saving the blades. The blades are not that expensive for these and their sharpenning service is not that bad either. They do sell the equipment to sharpen your own bands too.
I may be wrong, having never used a circular mill, but these lend themselves to a one man operation better that most circular mills that I have been around.

[labradigger1]

i have a fellow come to my property about every 2 years to saw logs for me. he has the lt40 with power everything. super nice accurate machine. you will not be sorry. keep the blade wet with coolant of choice and watch out for the hemlock knots as they are uber hard and will cause the blade to walk up or down and sometimes even break.

[fishhawk]

Oh the stuff I used to find in logs...horse shoes...nails...barb wire...sap spiles...drill bits...rocks....glass fence insulators...rail road spikes...a rubber ball...bullets...concrete...even a old tin can once

[10-x]

Oh the stuff I used to find in logs...horse shoes...nails...barb wire...sap spiles...drill bits...rocks....glass fence insulators...rail road spikes...a rubber ball...bullets...concrete...even a old tin can once
A cheap metal detector can help........

[Philngruvy]

A cheap metal detector can help........

What a great idea. I have a birthday coming up and my wife asked what I would like. I kinda figured the saw mill was my present but what the hay, if she wants to press the issue , i could tell her I want a cheap metal detector!:wink:

[bearcove]

Kinda skimmed this, we have a timberking and use it every year cutting hardwood in Missouri. Get a pressure washer to clean up the logs, with small equipment they will be dirty.

[Ickisrulz]

A cheap metal detector can help........

http://wizdist.com/lumberwiz.shtml

[dragon813gt]

Just watched a bunch of videos on the wood-mizer. That's one slick piece of equipment. Unfortunately I don't live in the woods. But if I ever buy a plot of land I will be purchasing a mill of some sort. Why buy the studs to build the house when you can make them. We cut down some very large oak trees at the family cabin for firewood. I'm really mad that's what we did w/ them after watching the videos :(

[Philngruvy]

:D I got the mill set up today and I sawed my first log. Well, I was slightly disappointed with my first effort. My boards came out wavy. It seemed like one or more of the teeth might have been out of spec on the pitch. Actually , there are a number of reasons for it. I have a big learning curve to go through. But I am so excited about the whole process. Oh yea, remember the warnings about the dogs? :kidding: