Comparing $3000 sawmills - Is the WoodMizer LX25 worth it? Hudson, Woodland Mills, Norwood, Grizzly
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Let's talk about the "cheap" sawmills available in the market today. All of the sawmills mentioned in this video are able to be found in the links below.
Hudson: • Hud-Son Forest Freedom...
Woodland Mills: • Woodland Mills HM126 A...
Norwood: • Norwood LumberMan MN26...
Grizzly: • Grizzly 28" Portable B...
Wood-Mizer: • LX25 Portable Sawmill ...
Also, here is Wood-Mizer's version of the Lucas Mill: • Wood-Mizer WPF Swing B...
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I just watched. I am a woodworker, not sawyer (but lawyer), and I thought your presentation was excellent, fair, even-handed and impressive. Thank you. Also subscribed, thumbs up and rang the bell. Keep up the good work.
Does he know waoodmizer is also made in china
@@jefferymaness3645 According to their website, all of the models that I checked are made in USA.
@@evilwoodchuck assembled in u.s.a. of Chinese parts .
Id say there bigger models are u.s a. Made but the model hes showing is different. Chinese
This guy was smart, happy and wanted to help me. I'll sub and ring the bell-----
I have the Woodland Mills 14hp HM126 I added an additional 6 feet of track and built a saw mill shed around it. I have a tree farm and have done several projects Saw Mill Shed, Sided my hunting shed with 5/4 red elm, added a 1.5" oak floor in the hunting shed, built a Red Elm Boat Dock on the pond, and stacked a lot of Cherry and Elm. Today I have a couple Cherry logs i'm going to pull up to the mill. I'm doing some contract sawing at $.40/BF 1.5 Oak for a Horse Barn and 2' Oak for flooring at a local Band Camp. So far I'm very happy with the Mill.
I really appreciate your video and the information on this mill. I’ve been wanting one for a while and had been leaning towards Woodland Mills but you have certainly given me something to think about.
I've had the Woodland Mills HM126 for about a year and a half. It's been great! Max cut is 21" between the guides, which it handles just fine with a fresh blade through hardwoods. The paint (not powder coated) wears a bit too quickly in my opinion. The motor (14hp) starts up no problem every time. Max cut length is 10'5" without track extensions. Each extension adds 6'6". I'm adding one extension for $375. Excellent return on investment. Also... EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE! 😁
Thanks
I called woodland and they told me if I pay some $$$ now I will get that greeny for xmas ONLY......oh yes perfect service.
Kohler engine is good but I installed Mosin 500cc diesel engine and couldn't have been more happy .
I love sound of it, and diesel eghoust keeps all bugs and flies 30 feet away. When I work in summer at my farm I sweat like a pig and bugs eating me alive
Awesome! Thanks for mentioning what the track extention size and price was, when I checked one particular website it was a little more expensive, and that brought me to realizing that it was an official dealer of them, so of course they were tacking on their own little profit, so I will go directly to Woodland Mills when I'm ready for it.. 👍
Great non biased review. I have a chainsaw mill and have wanted to upgrade for awhile but price and fixed budget have not allowed that. I appreciate your fair evaluation
woodland 126 owner here... upgraded to14hp and it has a 24" resaw and 26" log. It's solid . Apples to apples your video confirms woodland
I am currently in the market for a saw mill. I have had my eye on the Hudson or the Woodland Mills. Leaning toward the Woodland Mills. Your video was well done and gives me food for thought. You're a benefit to the sawyer community.
The woodland mill would be hard to beat. You can buy all the extra track you want for it. It is built very heavy and customer service is this best I've ever worked with. The 14 hp Kohler starts very easy and it is the quietest engine of all my small engine equipment that I own.
I'm actually considering buying one for Pinegrove that's 5 Acres. I think it will definitely do what we needed to do. And then we can possibly move it up to the mountains
My woodland mills HM126 just came in this week, can’t wait to start sawing. Thanks for the video
Thank you brother for doing the work a.d putting everything into perspective! Thanks alot. Great channel. Subbed.
I found a played-out LT 15. The guy had run it into the ground including ruined axle. It is one of the earliest model. I removed every bolt and part that could be removed. Then totally restored it including stickers and paint. I have never had a problem, except blade roller guide and blades. That was 12 years ago. They are the easiest to load. The most stable and stronger than Sampson. I did replace the original 11 HP Briggs w/ a 15 Hp. Kohler. I have used it way more than most would. You are spot on correct. Nobody treats the customer better than Wood Mizer. Thank You.
Really good video, thank you.
Just one word of caution to anyone that may be comparing electric HP to gas engine HP. Don't expect a 7HP gas engine to do what a 5HP electric engine does. A good rule of thumb is you need twice the gas engine HP to compare to the power of electric motor HP. A 5HP resaw mentioned that sounded like it has an electric motor. You would need a 10HP gas engine to have roughly the same power.
As I was watching, I got on Woodmizer sit and noticed the LX55 for only $4195.
14 hp motor 26" logs with 22" max cut of 12.5' log length.
VERY interested.
Thank you for all the information! It helped me out a lot
Very informative, thanks for taking the time to make this video.
great chat Preacher, I have been wanting a Wood Miser for a while and you were fair and complete in your descriptiom of all the different mills I think pride started Wood Miser and now the change in management could be greed driven I hope it doesn't affect thier coustmer service we will soon see.
Well done sir, well done. Probably one of the reviews I've seen on YT for any topic. Thank you. John.
Thank you for the info, much appreciated. Great video!
I have a woodland mills 126 with the 14 horse motor. I have it for personal use to make lumber for myself. The mill works great. I cut a lot of white ash and the motor can work a bit with a hard wood like that on a 20+ inch log if your blade isn't perfectly sharp but it still makes the cut nice and true. Tracks are extendable. I have 2 track extensions for an overall cut length of just under 22 feet. The construction is extremely strong. I have dropped 2,000+ lb logs onto the tracks and I have hit the tracks with my tractor and they stood up fine. The customer service at woodland mills is also excellent.
I have a HM130MAX
@@midwestworkshop2863 I hate the sandwich guides. Been thinking on putting the roller guides on, too.
I owned two woodmizers over eighteen years. LT40HD, both. Very satisfied with customer service and product quality. Made a lot of money over the years. Very satisfied customer.
Can you tell us what was your market? Thanks
@@billfisher8647 Northern Ca. Siskiyou County.
I bought a harbor freight sawmill in April and have cut about 10k bft on it. I got it new/used for a good price and I've been very happy with it. From the factory it'll handle a 24" wide 9'6" long log and by taking the push handle off you can go up to 27" wide. Lengthening the track is as easy as bolting some angle iron and 6in C-channels together. The 8hp engine is fine, but more power would be nice. Customer service is non-existant, but there's a great community of owners on Facebook to help ya through any issues.
I know I am late to the game with this video. Last December I just bought the Woodland Mills HM126 with the 14HP Kohler engine (and 1 track extension). It is an incredible machine and have nothing bad to say about them. Thank you for your review and your unbiased opinion.
Dude, very well done video. Thank you for fast in depth information.
cheers
i have a 1986 lt30, 4th owner, had it ten years. it changed my life and gave me alot of education on trees. i cant recomend one of these mills enough. it will pay for itself and keep doing so.
You are correct about the horsepower. I have a LT10 and the 7.8 hp that came with it was just not enough. I upgraded to a 10 hp and it made all the difference in the world. As far as a portable sawmill goes, it sounds more useful than it is, to some people. They discover that moving a sawmill is more trouble than it worth in many occasions and wind up leaving their sawmill in one place most of the time. I personally find it easier to bring logs to my LT10 then to move the mill.
Good presentation. No question you are a woodmixer fan. :)
I compared different products for months. I am a woodlandmills fan in this catogory and would like to share my arguments with you. Don't get me wrong, I also looked at the LX25 and woodmixer is a professional and long-term supplier, too.
We even have a woodmixer dealer in the visinity, which is also an argument for the product you choose. Unfortunately, that is not the case for Woodland Mills.
The Woodland mills is a 4 post design. That is probably more stable than the 2 post design.
The HM126 also has autolube system. Without auto lube you open the valve with every cut the whole time and if you forget to close the valve the tank is probably empty with the next cut. The HM is expandable and the extension affordable.
Woodland mills also offers very good accessories such as, sharpening tool (payable), trailer, log loading ramp with winch, which works and you are not in the danger area should the trunk roll back or the sawmill toe board just to name a few. There is a video from Reuben Aiton and it looks like the Wood Mixer ramp is not working that well on the LX25.
The bunks on the HM126 are much wider and have a radius at the edges. If you have to align the trunk, a broad surface is advantageous otherwise the narrow edge presses into the trunk and can only be aligned with heavy equipment. The same when you want to turn the log.
The leveling feet are included in the HM126 package of delivery. I'm not sure if your price comparison has taken that into account.
The HM126 also comes with a small but very effective protection that you don't saw in the side supports.
The side stops are simple but super practical to adjust. When you loosen the fastening screw, the side support moves a little away from the trunk and you can adjust the height without moving the trunk.
What I also took into account in my decision is the weather resistance. The HM126 has galvanized rails. Depending on the wood, the chips react quite aggressively when they combine with moisture.
Woodland mills also has its own philosophy in development. They do not constantly change the whole mill but improve the machines over the years, which smal details ultimately leads to a good and practical machine.
At the work station you have all the important things in front of your nose, especially the crank for height adjustment and the measuring tape. Woodland mills also has a very good customer service.
Summarized. You are right to mention that there are various aspects to choosing a wood mill. Everyone must and should choose the right machine for themselves. So whatever machine you own, I wish everyone a lot of fun making sawdust.
After shopping for two years I bought a woodland mills HM 130 two years ago. Very happy with the saw and second to none customer service.
I think your assessment is spot on! The Woodland Mills is a better option for us hobby or homesteaders.
Woodland Mills all the way. If I didn’t know better , I’d guess this guy was a wood mizer sales person.
@@terryatpi 😀
I am most interested in your closing comments about WoodMizer developing a swingblade sawmill. That is honestly the most attractive sawmill to me. Easy straight dimensional lumber. Yes, slabbing stuff isnt a swing blades bread and butter, but if you want dimensional, there is no faster better way. And if they can come in at a price point that is on par with their more economical bandsaw mills, that would be great. I think all the swing blades on the market are in lala land on price (bandsaws too...).
Thanks for the insight. This is a great video
As someone whois a tree climber and slabs wood with a chainsaw your video was very helpful and considerate of questions I would have had if I were in the market for a mill. Thank you and merry Christmas and happy baby Jesus day.
How long it take for you mill with your chainsaw? It takes me like fing for ever like I'm doing something wrong kinda long. Ripping chain, Husqvarna 460 rancher is what I use idk 😐 🤷
I think they are going after the hobby farm market. The hobby farm/off-grid market has grown exponentially in the last decade. I’m one of them. $3000 seems awfully cheap vs. inexpensive, but I have not seen the options or build quality, so maybe they are worth like you mentioned for a small project or two. Interested in mobile units more than static myself, but great video. I’m now a follower of your channel!
Great video, thx. Getting into the market
I’ve been seriously looking into buying a bandsaw mill! What a coincidence! Great information! Thank You for sharing!
Just read your response on the bandsaw mill from 8 months ago.. just wondering if you bought one and, if so, how you liked it??
In my opinion WoodMizer making a $3000 mill was a great idea. They will sell those like hotcakes and those that buy one will likely catch the bug and buy an even better mill later on down the road.
Good info!! Thanks for sharing!!
A great posting...thank you....may God continue to bless you.
I have been kinda out of order myself, health issues. I really enjoyed this video because it came through as honest and take it to bank or mom and dad if you may. I owned a Pedersen saw mill which is almost exactly like the lucas and one thing not mentioned or I didn't hear it was size of logs that it can mill. I sawed huge logs with the mill and it was easy to set up on each log after some familiarization with it/them. I am talking logs that were over eight foot in diameter and as I remember the logs came on a long logger truck so it did take time to set up tracks for long long logs... It paid to saw them down to more usable lengths. I did saw beams that were over thirty feet long. What is kinda bad is a blade like that eats as much as it saws for small boards. Like half inch and up to say two inch, it had a three eights saw kerf. This is clear back in the seventies when this was going on. I did not buy it, it was given to me cause the owner was going to cut it up into scrap and I told him I could show him how to use. He saw what I could do and said I don't have the patience for this so here. I will check out this new saw mill and talk to you more., later. I think that your very good at what you do and come across as a honest man.
Well done. Thanks for good information and great perspective. Woodmizer is an excellent company. When I was working hardwood flooring some years ago(20ish) we had Woodmizer custom fabricate multiple profiles & various species of hardwood moldings & transition strips. Very personal and professional family and staff to work with. Never made me feel like they needed to hurry me out the door so to speak. Always pleasant, considerate and courteous whether in person or on the phone. I have a son who is considering buying a sawmill. I am encouraging him to get the Woodmizer because I too am biased toward them. That is why this video got my attention. Lord bless you. Thanks
I have been looking at Woodmizer, they appear to be good machines, and the company has a good story. A friend owns an LT15.
Recently a local guy came by and offered to mill a pile of Western Black Walnut limbs we have left over from selling 2 really big trees last summer. He has spent a couple of days working through some 14 - 18" material. He has a Woodland Mills 126 with a 14HP Kohler mounted on a heavy duty trailer. I have to say I am impressed with the performance. We don't do a lot of board feet in day -- it is not straight wood so we spend a lot of time re-adjusting the logs by hand. ( OK -- and maybe talk a lot....) I think with a little farmer engineering we could add some hydraulics.
Have been using a woodmizer lx55. Same cut specs as a lx25 but upgraded to higher hp, 14 hp Kohler. 4 post design instead of a 2 on the lx25. So far very reliable and accurate but I wish it had cam locks instead of the large acme screws. The bed although not a box frame is pretty robust and handles heavy 26" logs without flex. My biggest knock would be that the saw head only lifts to 20". The 26" log diameter comes close to maxing out the 8" depth of cut on the mill.
I have the Hudson. I like it and I’ll put their customer service up against any other company. They are great.
Helpful, good review
Nicely done. Good info.
I'm thinking of getting into wood working/crafting business for myself and have access to trees so was looking into these portable mills. I found your video very informative. I didn't realize how many companies there were making these. Appreciated how you mentioned Norwood have useful accessories that would help getting the log to the saw. Hand made furniture is becoming a lost art. Some of which I'd love to revive and thinking one of these Mills might help with material costs. Definitely interested in either a Wood Miser or Woodland Mills
Just found your channel and this great informative video! Just retired and thinking of purchasing a mill to supplement my income. Thanks and I subscribed! 😊
thank you, this was super helpful to me. You said customer service was great at woodmizer. I wonder how that service will hold up in endless expansion into other products. Regardless, I can't live life based on what might be. The horsepower speech was what I needed to hear. Me thinks $3000 isn't enough for what I want to do. I wouldn't have realized that without this video.
They need to send you a hat. I was considering a woodmizer before watching this but you sold me on the brand. Thanks for the video
Oh and I have had Wood Mizer on the farm for years and love it
Great information 👍 good job
I'm in the market for a small Mill your info on Horse power has my attention, Sounds like anything less than 12 hp. is a no go. I think wood-mizer should pay you for your endorsement and place you on payroll as a advisor.
There's always compromises when it comes to cost, but best value for your money definitely goes to Woodland Mills. Woodmizer definitely puts out a quality product, the LT15 Wide is a beauty, but the Woodland Mills products are designed excellent. Personally I need wide cuts. 30" or better.
Agreed, I'm in the market for a mill right now but I need at least 30" cut. I would like 36, but that gets very spendy
I've been looking at 'cheaper' sawmills as I can't justify 30-40k for a big one. Some people think they will buy a 'big, fast, and expensive' portable sawmill and make money with it. The reality is that, in most areas, there's PLENTY of 'portable' or 'sawmill service' businesses with HUGE mills that you can't compete with even with a 10k sawmill (just like you, they got the 30-40k one). So buying a 'cheaper sawmill' is ultimately of more a hobby and a thing people do when they have acreage and trees that, whether you like or not, need to be thinned or are dying. Instead of letting the trees rot (or turning them into firewood), you can turn into lumber to use for barns or other 'homestead things.' Instead of paying someone to mill the logs, they decide to buy their own sawmill as that is what the 'homesteading' trend is all about. So in summary, there is a huge market for a cheaper hobby sawmill...so much that it's 1 year+ backlog before you can get 'high demand brands.' I think woodmizer realizes this and just playing along. Of course, the situation can change later.
THAT SAID, looking at the options in the 'under 10k range,' woodmizer is NOT 'king of the hill.' Their LX mills are fine, especially considering they have an electric motor option (something I personally like, but IMO the 'homestead crowd' probably don't), however price and feature wise, I don't think they stand out versus the others. I still think (IMO) that woodmizer is primarily a 'big sawmill company,' though they see the trend that the market is shifting away from that so are trying to adapt. Other brands have ONLY been in that market for a long time now and are winning on selling 'cheaper, smaller portable sawmills to homesteaders.'
Nice video, very insightful and filled with good spec comparisons , i think i would be more inclined to go with that Woodland Mills 126, I've read and heard nothing but good things about it (pound for pound) in fact, I've heard that the M126 is even better than the next sized model M130..and you can't beat the $3,100 price tag with the horses that they are providing with it..
I have a wood mizer lt 10 9.5 hp I'm happy with it it's a tough mill a little short on power for the biggest logs but blades and parts easy to get and it's built well def good company to work with
I think you are spot on with the details about Woodmizer. Quality machines. Had 23 years experience with Woodmizer LT 40s. Now that I am retired, the Woodmizers was at work. Now I own a Norwood LM 29. Sure would have considered Woodmizer if the price was right. The Norwood I have now is a good mill. The biggest problem. I have is the lack of good clamping system. I may have to look at the competition and copy their idea. I have a 13 hp Honda engine. Fantastic power and starts perfect. Thanks for the update on Woodmizer. Would like to have a look at one. Absolutely know it will be good.
I’m looking at a Norwood. I’ve been milling for years with a Alaskan chainsaw mill. I’m looking at the Norwood Lumbermate LM29. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.
thanks..great job, great info...i should focus on a woodmizer for service
Hopefully Woodmizer will make quality small mills with an eye towards bringing in customers who upgrade. I feel like the cost of wood is going to bring in more small sawyers who can suddenly justify cutting their own lumber. Thanks for the great info!!
Proud owner of the 1600 Timberking going on 13 years. and a 725 Woodmastter planer, sander etc... .
good video...great info
I bet woodmizer would gladly let you demonstrate all their new equipment if you can run machines as well as you give us information. I'm sure you can. Thanks for the comparisons and take good care.
We are considering a mill to build our house with (ie - the person with a single project) and were looking at WoodMizer's $3k mill. I found this a very useful video to help me in my consideration. I'm thinking we should fork out a bit more money for a higher HP mill. Thanks for taking the time to put this out there.
stamps for structural wood.
A very good video, thanks.
I went online to order a Wood-Mizer yesterday and it said there was a 42 (not typo) week delivery time! I then found out about the Norwood and was glad I did. I will be prepping my mill site while waiting on delivery in 2 weeks.
I baught my Woodland mills hm122-9.5 with a cant hook and a 5 pack of blades and a track extension for $3317 and their customer service is second to none
Great review on a plethora of sawmills. My log home was milled on a woodmizer mill .
Nice word plethora
I have a Norwood HD 36 and I love it to no end but I'm curious on your thoughts on it?
What made you decide to go with woodmizer instead of timberking or cook sawmills?
Great job, thank you 👍👍👍👍👍👍
I have a lx 55 with a 9.5 engine the difference is mine has lx bracing on the head and roller guides . the 9.5 engine is all I need i totally would recommend
One of the things that continually brings me back to the woodland mills is the fact that it has an aluminum blade lubricant tank. I know for a fact that the plastic ones on all of the other mills are not going to last. Plus it's shiny😁😅!
I would love to be able to have a sawmill. I'm 75 years old and I live on a small fixed income so that keeps me from being able to get one.
I have watched a lot of different people running a sawmill with different size log and lumber cuts.
For myself, I would prefer at least a 13.5 engine because it's like you said, the smaller engines aren't built to hold up to a lot of cutting.
I bought an lx25 this summer. Love it so far. I have cut cherry walnut sycamore and honey locust . The mill cuts great. The customer service is awesome. I don’t believe this mill is packed at woodmizer. Mine had parts missing and the 7 hp motor did not fit properly. They sent me a 9.5 and I returned the 7. If you look up timberly lm100 it looks like the lx25. I do not think you could do better for the dollar. Thanks for your video.
I bought lx25 this past August im lucky to have cut 10 logs . Had 2 belts replaced ,a spring broke , went through 6 blades bought 5 more 1st blade did not hold up . It is now 12 -28-20 and mill down again waiting on another blade. This is not what I thought I was going to deal with ,constant waiting. Not good
.
Do these mills come with catalytic converters? Or do you have to custom install one yourself?
I have a woodmizer lt27 bought it second hand in 2009 and still going strong.i upgrade it to full hydrolic .cutting about 200 cord of wood avery year and never had anny problems.
Cool info!
Great vid. Thinking of getting a mill and just doing my research.
Offering a low price mill captures the entry level buyer. Even if the margins are low they will benefit from the percentage of buyers that stay in or expand their operations with bigger more advanced machines. Certainly at 3 grand they are not making reel money this day in age so customer development is my answer. By the way I like your videos and your honesty.
The WM swing blade saw you linked shows a Petersen mill re-branded to WM, and it’s very different from the Lucas.
Petersen invented the swing blade in 1980 btw and their current version has a high track, and a low track, so the Miller and lumber have better access through one open side, rather than than the Lucas’s two waist high rails and two top rails. It’s a better mill
I have a 2018 LT 35 HD. I love it and the company. I know there are other good mills out there but I am sold on Woodmizer.
Merry CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year.
Thank you for all the good information there I've been thinking about getting a sawmill And I was looking at the Harbor freight for $2000 But after your video I might get the mood miser I'm gonna look at that woodmiser a little closer little closer thanks again for your video
I have seen a lot of preppers making 5-10 HP Back Pack mills that end up in deep woods and some mills can be broke down into light loads that fit into small airplanes and jet boats. The Lucas type of mill has no size limit for the log. You can make 2x4s off a 8 foot diameter log in 2 cuts.With the standard blade a 8x8 is the largest cant/ board it will cut with out using the chainsaw bar attachment
Why does wood mixer have the saw dust blowing out the same side has you are working on?
Woodmizer will start there own furniture line next . Just can't get enough.
I've wanted a small mill forever. Just to have my own wood for projects and such. Even a small timber frame maybe. I believe woodmizer used to have a cutting operation just outside Spencer Indiana. Indianapolis headquarters. I'm in Bloomington so that is a selling point. Really appreciate your video!
The Spencer plant was a one-of-a-kind pallet lumber manufacturing plant. That was a fun project.
Thanks for the informative video !
And about your question... I sense that you're not a big fan of them selling other stuf, I think not to worry about whether they should sell the other equipment or not...
They should! Because when you are a landscaper for example you go to a Woodmizer dealer and it's a one stop shop being the decent brand they are! They can sell a complete range of tools without much introduction to the market, only to their existing costumers...
Its like makita and dewalt... People want the same trusted brand they are already working with...
From a business point of view I believe they're right.
Very honest comparison! WoodMizer! Send this guy a hat!
Just bought a WoodMizer, they are giving me two hats with my mill.
@@colbylittlepage5659 Which one did you get?
@@greenghost6416 LX25
Great video
I purchased a Frontier OS23 by Norwood little over a yr ago. 23" log, 20" cant. I got the 7.5 hp Briggs but they offer a 10hp also. It is their budget version but I was on a budget. It has so far worked well for me. It is made in China, but I just could not justify the cost of American Made for what I do. It is strictly a hobby for me. I have seen many videos of the WoodMizer and I admit, I would love one, but just not in the cards now.
Frontier by Norwood is a great mill and in the price range of your woodmizer, I have an OS31 Frontier, great mill 14 hp electric start auto lube options
Did you look at the Cook sawmill?
Congratulations to you Sir! Well versed and well expressed!
I think making an affordable sawmill for the diy person like me is a great idea, I may consider buying one. Thanks for the review. After posting I went to Woodmiser site and inflation hit since you made video, it's now $4,300
Being very new to milling with zero experience i was in the market last year for a mill. I looked at woodmizer and norwood.. Were my two top choices... At the time i believe they weren't marketing any real budget saws.. I was looking at around 10k for their bottom end saws then... I waited a few months and seen some adds online for a Range Road enterprise 22 mill.. did some research and found a distributor 40 minutes from my house.. Called them and they set up an appointment for me to come have a look and run any of their saws on site.. i believe they had 3 models there... After being shown every aspect of the mill i got to run it for 20 minutes or so and was sold.. Got the mill, track extensions to take it just over 20 feet, huge set of log tongs to mount on my tractors 3 point and a heavy duty log cant and a few blades.. I think i was out the door right around $2600. Every thing seems pretty heavy duty. Ive used it all year so far at the farm with no issues. No regrets...
I have a Hutson hfe21 homesteader it was 3000$ it paid for itself easily with 10 nice cedar logs . It has a lot of pros and cons, but love the little mill , it is only a personal hobby mill.
I have a norwood lm29 with a 16hp twin cylinder Briggs and Stratton motor it is easy to use and it is not noisy as i operate it without muffs and can talk to my mate working with me.
The frame is mounted on a 20 foot trailer with 4x2 box channel and tension rods running the length both sides to stiffen and no flex .
I have wheels and 6 2ton jacks mounted to the sides of the trailer.
This set up is perfect for me as i am a small time builder and i can pick up logs from tree loppers cheap and save a lot on beam construction as you can't buy the sort of timber needed for what I do.
I get what you are saying i wanted a lt35 Hydraulic but it was out of my price range .
I bult my norwood 29 for a third of the cost and have found it has features that are better than woodmizer.
Low noise for one sawdust shute is other side and other minor things if you look.
In a nutshell you only get what you pay for in this world and all these 3 and 5 thousand dollar machines are not worth the frustration trying to make them work.
All i can say preacher man you are on the right track these smaller.er machines are toys and woodmizer is jumping on the bandwagon to make a quick buck.
I commend you for your locality to woodmizer but i don't think they are a good Christian company as reported some time ago by another woodmizer owner and feel your efforts over the years have been found wanting.
In closing once you have something that works as you did it is hard to lower the goal post
Cheers Rob
I think going after the smaller market could bare some fruit in the long haul. It get's a small timer on board with their brand and as you have stated they have great customer service. If someone is trying to save money and buys a small unit that is not WM and they decide to upgrade in the future they might just stick with the same brand if they had good service. 6-1/2 years ago when I bought my mill I almost went the cheaper route but ended up going with the LT 15 for 3 reasons. One Resharp, Two I went Electric and Three resale value as I figured i might I'd tire of it and decide to sell in 4 or 5 years. Though I did spend more then I wanted cost was really not an issue in the long run.
Gotta keep increasing sales
The Norwood I see on line lists a 23" cut. Good video, seems like a fair comparison even with the bias
I have a Hudson Hunter sawmill. Works great. comes with 12-ft rails but you can only cut a 9-ft long unless you buy angle iron and make it longer. I bought it to start making epoxy river tables and live edge furniture. For what I'm using it for it works great. Would love to buy a wood miser but I'm not going to spend 30 grand. Hudson sawmills customer service is great. Made in USA. The video that you find on UA-cam for the Hunter sawmill doesn't show the upgraded new one that's built stronger out of better material
Have you looked a Cooks sawmill?! Even their small mills are heavy duty.
Woodmizer makes an excellent two saw edger if you are looking for production . Just use the sawmill to do what it does best , cut slabs , feed the slabs through the edger for edging to width . Just saying . Cut all slabs for a day , then feed the slabs through thd edger .