Going to buy a bandsaw mill

[carver53f]

Hi there, I'm new.  I'm going to buy a bandsaw mill at the end of this year.  I have gotten catalogs from 3 companies so far.  I only want a personal mill and so far i like the timberking 1220 and the woodmizer LT15.  If anyone can give me their opinions on these two mills I would surely appreciate the imput.  Negative and positive.
Thanks
Kathy

[sawdog]

Hi Kathy i have the 1220  sawmill and have cut a hole lot of wood .I have had mine for 5 years now and still cutting . It do's take 2 people to run and a tractor help's the lumber is top of the line. I have ben't the log stop's with tractor fork's .I would by it again . It helps me to prssurewash log before cutting for blade life good luck.

[carver53f]

Thanks for the input Sawdog.  Pressure washing sounds like advice I will be sure to remember.  I have acreage in North Florida so you are almost my neighbor there in Alabama.

[joasis]

Both are good choices. It will come down to who may be closer, or support. I have a Mr. Sawmill electric mill of about the same capacity, and being electric, it is pretty sweet.....

[Kirk Allen]

Ditto to Jay's comments.  Both will serve you well.  Get as many fetures as you can afford, you wont regret it! Engine being the biggest!  Go as big as possible!.

[carver53f]

What are the advantages of having a bigger engine?

[Kirk Allen]

Wider cuts!  It takes a few more horses to get nice wide cuts without sacrificing blade life.  You can do it with a smaller engine but you WILL go through blades much faster. 

[sawdog]

On my 1220 i have a 20 hp. kohler pro 20 and it's cut some big log's. Iv had cut the side and top side with chain saw had no problem . but if i had to cut 38' to 40' log's all day i would won't some thing bigger. Most of what i cut is 14' to 30' and it doe's the job but i would not have any smaller.

[carver53f]

Thanks guys for all the info.  You are great.

[Kirk Allen]

I would say 20hp is the minimum as sawdog pointed out, it will go through bigger stuff.  I have seen 15hp motors WORK hard and when you have to make them work that hard you end up with less motor life.

[Stevem]

And wecome to the board carver53f.  You might check out this site.  The owner is good people and the saws can be customized if you've a mind too.  The price is right too.

http://www.linnlumber.com/app/app/www/dynarea/view_article/138.html

[camastown]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZpzvjTBHhYhttp://www.turnermills.com/ here is the best bang for the buck. I am new at this too. I bought my mill 1 year ago. I have had real good luck . What is real nice about the turner mill is that it is built simple, no expensive clutch or hydraulic tensioner .The only parts that can wear out are available at napa. It uses a v belt to drive the saw. all the mills are built identical, the only difference is the engine he bolts on. I flew back to new york to see his operation and he is a first class guy and he hand builds every saw himself. The track is built from 3/8 thick steel and is very heavy duty. I looked for 3 months before I bought a mill and this kept coming up as the best. I paid around 5800.00 with a 24 hp honda v twin motor. I wish I would of bought the 36" mill but I got the standard 30". The lt 15 is a joke in comparison. I have dropped a 2000lb 30" log 17' long on the deck and did not hurt the tracks. If this was a lt15 or a hudson mill they would of been bent into a pretzel. This mill is so easy to use,Bill turner is a sawyer and he built it to be efficient and productive. He has beat his competition at the saw mill shootout a few years back. The most unique part of the saw is that it runs on rubber tires, Sound micky mouse at first but after understanding the principle of it, it all makes sense. The blades run cooler and they will last longer,and you do not need to use coolant on the blade. I have milled many board feet of fir with lots of pitch with no build up. I just add up the options on the timberking and to get the same mill specs the 1220 would run around $8085.00 vs 5800.00 from turner.   check out the website, I would love to talk to you about the mill, so if you have any questions feel free to call me ,Just PM me for my cell number. You may get my voice mail (Hamilton Glass)thanks Tracy heres the web site http://www.turnermills.com/