# ever been to a woodmizer demo?



## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

Have any of you fellas attended a woodmizer demo? Me and my father in law are looking into getting a mill in the near future, and we have an invite to a demonstration about 45 mins from here.my F.I.L. is leaning towards a swingarm mill (he is a farmer) because of the ability to cut fence posts and lumber for framing without moving the log.I would like to sell him on a bs mill so we (I) will have the ability to cut slabs and larger stock.
sooooo....my questions if you have been are ...
Is it worth our time? Is this just gonna be a guy in a pressed button down woodmizer shirt making a couple passes through some pine, while quoting the owners manual he has memorized accompanied by pushy salesmen. OR is there going to be experienced sawyer /s dealing with individual questions on a more personal level?


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

Call and ask who is doing the demo. I own a WM mill and know most of the guys out of Indy and they are a class act that are not going to pressure you in any way. 

Swing Mills are awesome and have their place but they are labor intensive as you have to keep bending down to pick up boards. A hydraulic band mill will lift the logs and makes it much easier to work with. 

If the demo is a WM owner then you are at the mercy of the knowledge that one person has and it may or may not be limited, thus not getting you the info your looking for. 

There are LOTS of mills out there and WM is a great mill but there are many factors to consider before pulling the trigger on one. 

If you go let us know how it works out.


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## Nate1778 (Mar 10, 2008)

I have never been to one of their demos, but my sawyer has one and I have helped him cut me thousands of board feet. They are cool and I agree the hydraulics flipping the log looks like it takes a lot of work out of the process. I think your FIL will get what he wants out of one and the same goes for you.


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## jaxonquad (Jan 26, 2011)

It is woodmizer sponsored...im not sold on any particular brand, im just trying to sell my f.I.l. on a bsmill.

Personally I've been mulling over a homemade electric powered bsmill...but since he wants to pick up some of the expense :thumbsup: im flexible .


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

We have a couple of milling experts on the forum, Daren and Texas. Ask their views.
johnep


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## fromtheforty (Jan 15, 2011)

If you can, try to find a logging expo or something of that nature. Here in WI, we have the Great States Logging Congress that comes to Green Bay every other year. Its nice to have several different manufacturers operating their mills in close proximatey to each other. You might be suprised how much you will learn about the mills by just watching them cut. I would guess that some type of similar event take place somewhere near you. At the Logging congress here, the demo operators are generally not salesman because they are trying to sell their mills to guys that have a lot of experience in sawing. I would assume that Woodmizer would do the same thing. They should also be able to give you the name of a good sawyer in your area that you can talk to. I'm not a Woodmizer guy because I don't like the cantilever design but they certainly have a strong following and have been around for years.

Geoff


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## Kirk Allen (Nov 7, 2006)

I'm approaching 1 million BF cut with my Woodmizer and cant say enough about them however I have also ran many other types of mills and they all get the job done if they are set up right. Minor adjustments can make your life miserable when it comes to cutting lumber. I got a great deal on my WM and that had a lot to do with why I have it. I truly love a Swing Mill for the LARGE beasts that we cant cut on our bandmill but having both is just a pipe dream right now.


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## WoodMunchkin (Apr 1, 2011)

*Woodmizer demo*

My wife and I both went to a Woodmizer demo here in Wisconsin a couple of years ago. We were simply looking for info on the various portable sawmills - demo was well run - had all the models from the basic to the top of the line. They demonstrated them all and allowed you to view them at your leisure. I would highly recommend attending. BTW - last year I bought a used Woodmizer and couldn't be happier!!


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## joasis (Sep 15, 2006)

jaxonquad said:


> Personally I've been mulling over a homemade electric powered bsmill...but since he wants to pick up some of the expense :thumbsup: im flexible .



I have an electric Mr. Sawmill bandmill....and how you pick should really be determined by what will be expecting to do...commercial sawing, or just cutting lumber for personal use? I sold my Meadows #1, simply because it didn't make any sense to keep that big mill sitting around....but the mill I have now is too small for serious sawing. 

If you have the electric service available, a larger electric bandmil would be the best of both worlds. I would guess that WM would set up an L28 for electric, and then you have the options and hydraulics too.


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## jim douglas (Feb 8, 2010)

It will be worth your time. I have an LT40HD woodmizer & it's a great mill. There are lots of good bandmills to choose from. The guys at woodmizer are very helpful & know there products well. They have excellent service & arn't pushy about selling their mills.
jim


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## rg05 (Jan 6, 2009)

I have been to one of those Woodmizer demos and thought it was alright. A rep came and milled some fir and was very informative. There was no pressure to buy a mill or sign anything he was very knowledgeable with every question I had and very pleasant to talk to. About 6 months after the demo I bought a lt40 and have been very happy with it. I bought it used and woodmizer has been great with their customer service and has gone above and beyond to answer any questions I have or figure anything out I need to. I would definitelly recommend these mills. Also, my experience in Washington is that a lot of people would rather have a band mill cut their lumber rather than a circular saw because the kerf is smaller and you yield more wood. Also, cutting slabs is a nice plus


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## Mizer (Mar 11, 2010)

It will be worth the trip. Wood-Mizer lets their mills sell their self so don't worry about sales pressure.


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## Gerry KIERNAN (Apr 20, 2007)

My brother owns a Woodmiser with the full hydraulics. He has cut thousands of board feet of lumber. The biggest advantage of a bandsaw mill is the reduction in the amount of sawdust waste when compared to a circular blade mill. The cut with band is about .035", depending on the blade thickness. Most circular blades are at the very least .125 and thicker.

Gerry


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