# a decent starter machine



## MrFid

Thanks for this review. Very good information. I didn't even know HF made a mill. Would be a fun toy for me someday. I'm glad you're enjoying yours.


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## Pointer

Thanks a lot for the info. I have indeed been thinking about and researching mills. I huge mill with hydrolics on it would be great, but as you pointed out, the price is hard to justify. I too just want to saw a few logs to build my projects. I am not interested in going into business. I will take another look at this mill after reading your review.


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## Albert

Thanks for the review, I bought a different brand and am also having fun with it. Curious about where you get your blades as I don't find them on the HF website. Also the sharpener you refer to, any more info on it?
Thanks again
Paul


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## Racer2007

> Thanks for the review, I bought a different brand and am also having fun with it. Curious about where you get your blades as I don t find them on the HF website. Also the sharpener you refer to, any more info on it?
> Thanks again
> Paul
> 
> - Paul


I don't know about the sharpener but you can find the blades at this site.
http://store.cookssaw.com/band-blades/blades-for-harbor-freight-sawmill/box-of-10-cooks-xcel-black-12-1-1-4-x-.042-x-7-8-blades-clone.html


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## vonrow

Richard has the link for the blades. Sorry I didn't quite explain where I got them from . But ya, Cookssaw.com was the site. As for the sharpener, I use my 4" angle grinder with a standard grinder wheel. It's best if the wheel is slightly used and has a rounded outer edge instead of a square/flat edge. The blades are probably the easiest thing to sharpen. YouTube has a boodle of videos that cover different scenarios as far as sharpening -but they all follow the same basic idea-trace, or just barely graze the shape of the teeth LIGHTLY with a grinder or dremel.

I've been using a small angle grinder with a standard grind wheel on it (rounded and well used is better for following the J hook than a new wheel with it's flat outer edge) I don't have a saw-set for the teeth, so for a bent tooth I use a large crescent wrench with it's jaws set close together with the blade between them -semi snug fit. I then take a tiny brass hammer to gently tap the bent tooth to it's correct pitch while holding the wrench with the other hand to steady the blade. ***********************************? Sure. Effective? Yup. But what about the DucTape? Keep it handy for those cut fingers… haha

Cooks does offer a saw set and a blade sharpener, but I'm not quite ready to shell out that much $ for either of those options. There are other sites and places that offer sharpeners too. However, I can maintenance a blade in under 20 minutes with the tools above and be back to cutting lumber in about the time it would take to just set those fancy tools up.


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## NormG

I also was not aware that HF had a mill, thank you for the review and it is definitely more affordable to me and something that as mush as I would use it cold be a great option


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## DDWW

It's one of those dream tools that's hard to justify for my situation. Every time I'm cutting up a deadfall, maple or black cherry for firewood i stop and think its not that crazy.

Thanks for the review.


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## sawmillwidow

My husband wants to buy this mill, I was happy to see the link to where to purchase blades, as I had no luck. If you have had to repair the machine, where did you go to buy parts? Thank you!


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## vonrow

Repairs? To date, only a minor one -and it did not require a part replacement. I managed to snag the throttle cable and pulled it out of the throttle lever. It was my own dumb fault -something I managed to do when lifting the saw head onto the deck and forgot to make sure my lift straps were in the right spot-I won't be making that mistake a second time. As for the fix? I just had to reinstall the cable and it's retainer on the throttle lever. A couple pairs of pliers and a wrench from my toolbox. (and some colorful metaphors for managing to do something dumb…)

Parts? That is probably one of the nicest things about this mill. The engine is straight out of Harbor Freight's engine catalog -the Predator line. Parts can be sourced for those engines from any competent small engine shop and from HF's customer service. The internet is also chock full of parts distributors. And if it ever came to it, one could buy a complete new engine right from HF (on sale) and be back in action. Just about any part on the saw can be sourced from your local hardware shop. The bolts, bearings, lift cables, pulley wheels, drive belt, etc could be swapped out or upgraded with locally obtained bits and bobs. If he knows how to swing a wrench, this mill should be easy enough for him to keep it going. *and a purchasing hint: sign up for HF's email notices and discounts, then go ahead a "view" the HF page for the saw-maybe add it to your cart, then let it sit there for a few days. Maybe a friend of yours could view it too, but not make a purchase effort. In about a week or so you might find that HF sends you or your friend a super coupon for an additional % off -then the drop the sale price on the mill too ;-) ( I confess, this is how I played the game last spring, hehe)


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## vonrow

Just a few shots of the stuff I milled out last summer… boards range from just under 9' to just over 5'. My finally tally on total board feet cut last year was just over 4,100.


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## Albert

Do you ever have trouble with 'wavy' cuts? I find that a new blade cuts well but only for a very short time. We cut a lot of Douglas Fir and I think it may be junk in the bark that is dulling the blades. Kind of a hassle to change the blades and it gets expensive to have them sharpened or replaced.


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## vonrow

Ya, junk in the blade can really mess things up. I try to peel the bark whenever possible. And I've got into a habit of sharpening the blade when I see any marks or changes in the cut patterns, especially with oak and sappy pines. I try to keep the blade tensioned & sharp as best I can. It's a small mill so that doesn't take much. I imagine a larger rig would involve more work in that regard. I know with old pine logs, if I'm moving too fast the blade gums up and makes a funky cut at each branch node. Sometimes I just have to move a little slower through certain species. Green Pople, Aspen, and green Ash now… those are like butter and this thing slides right through those.


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