My Largest Band Saw, The Wood-Mizer LT40 HD Portable

After twelve years of use I can say this is a first class band saw. I have put mine through the test. The largest log I put on it was a 48” diameter, 26’ long Redwood that weighed over 17,000 pounds. Wish I took photos of this one. I cut over 80,000 bdft on that one job. The throat is 28” and with logs placed perfectly it can cut slabs this wide. Breakdowns have been essentially non existent and maintenance requirements are minimal, blades, roller guides and belts are the common replacement parts. I replaced the engine with a Kohler 25 HPG when the original Onan 24 HPG wore out after 850,000 bdft. The accuracy is such that I can cut a 20’ sheet of 1/8’ veneer with ease, as long as the blade is kept sharp. A dull blade is the leading cause of most all problems you may hear about. I run a 1-1/4” wide blade with a 9 degree hook. It trailers well and I have had it on some narrow, steep dirt roads with plenty of switch backs and even places where there are no roads. Production rate is as Wood-Mizer advertises, 2,000 bdft of 1” X 12” a day as long as the logs are around 30” diameter and at least 16’ long, its a real work out but can be done by one person in 8 hours. The LT40HD has a hydraulic loader and turner. They make many larger and smaller mills with different features. I will always give this band saw mill the highest recommendation. You can find more details on my web site.

I wanted to add an update. Recently I have been working as a sawyer for another sawmill service who is running a 2000 model LT40 Super Hydraulic with set works, diesel engine and debarker. This saw has several upgrades from my saw and I have found this brings more maintenance and break down issues. To summarize; the more add ons you have the more maintenance and potential down time you may have, caused by break down issues. Sometimes simple can be better. My new experience may be influenced partly by the lack of regular maintenance and repairs of this particular mill.

-- Ron, Twain Harte, Ca. Portable on site Sawmill Service http://westcoastlands.net/Sawmill.html http://westcoastlands.net/SawBucks2/phpBB3