Hud-Son sawmills, experiences ?

[Renze]

Does anyone use a Hud-Son band sawmill ? I want to build one myself. Hudson seems to have the lightest and most simple design. I was wondering if its any good ?
The timberline also is a 4 post design, though a lot heavier.
I have several lengths of 100x40mm tubes around which i could use. It would be more than the hudson (which looks like 2x2 inch ??) but less than the timberking.

Woodmizers cantilevered head, i am afraid it will start to vibrate and get sloppy over time, and will make irregular cuts.

Anyone experience with either brand ?

 

[Adiredneck]

I used a 36" Hudson. I had never done any lumber before, but in one day I had gotten pretty efficient at it. The only thing I did not like about it was the electric winch. It was too fast. It would go right by the measurement on you & you would have to go back & forth a couple of times. If it was my mill, then I would have put a couple more pulleys on it to "gear it down".

My neighbor bought a smaller Hud-son this summer. It has the manual crank. Good unit. When I buy one, it will be a Hud-son.

My brother in law's father has a T A Schmidt mill. I don't care for the design of the dogs that hold the logs.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Renze,

Check out norwood mills:

Portable Sawmills and Forestry Equipment, Norwood Industries Inc.


My cousin has one. Although he hasn't processed much wood he likes it.
It is a mid range price/mill. Some good features. It is cheaper because you have to assemble it - many peices. But there is a manual, video/DVD for assembly. It took him two weekends to put together. His is mounted on axles and wheels and has a trailer hitch with lights etc.

The nice thing is if you bend a rail you can replace the one part easily - unbolt and replace.

I took a 3 day milling workshop and used a brand new woodmizer... and yes, because of the cantilever design it did create some problems. There were a few other attendees there and one owned a norwood - he didn't have the same problems as the woodmizer - it basically vibrates a bit and creates more 'waves' in the boards. Of course if you are planning them it is not too much of an issue.

Good luck...


Lloyd

 

[tbenn7362]

Hi,
I have had an oscar 30 for several years on a trailer. It is not a bad mill all and all. I have made quite a few modifications along the way. the biggest issue is with cable system for lifting the saw head. THey are always breaking. I switched mine over to chains and it is a lot better. I am in the process of adding a servo motor for the lift. IN the end they are a great hobby mill but not for every day use.

 

[bedway]

Go to DIY bandmill.com. Lots of information and several fellas there who have built their own, myself included. bedway

 

[sandman2234]

The Forestry Forum is also a great place to talk bandmills!
David from jax

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php

 

[Renze]

Thanks guys, but the bandmill is postponed for some weeks/months..

When rethinking, i found it not a good idea to use the 5" round pipes i have, for a sawmill bed: It will be hard to weld the crossbars in it, and it will be hard to weld the V-groove wheels level and square to round pipes.

I will use the pipes for a grader frame, and either find used, or buy new steel for the bandmill when the time is there.. For the grader i have most parts, cutting edges, moldboard, wheels and axle, hydraulics, so i will do that project before investing anything in the bandmill.

 

[miramadar]

My father-in-law has a 36" Hud-Son and I spent a significant amount of time operating it last summer. They're a good machine...easy to use, powerful, efficient. Just keep a sharp blade on it and it works like a charm. We ran it for 6-8 hours a day for about 9 weeks straight and didn't have any serious problems. The winch switch broke, but we just installed a new 3-way in it's place. It was a 30-minute job.

One word of advice though. I would pour a concrete pad for the rails to sit on. My father-in-law used treated 6x6 posts. They worked fine...until it rained. When they got wet, they would swell a little and the track would be slightly unlevel. It would still cut, but the boards came out a little tapered on one end.

 

[sawbuck61]

My experience was with an 05 Oscar 30 w/16hp Briggs, and it was not a good one. They are cheaply built and over-priced. I owned the mill for 3 years, and used it on a weekly basis. I would rate it as follows: Value = Poor, Construction = Fair, Ease of use = Good, Portability = Good, Customer Service = Good. For $6K Hudson could have used larger steel framing to keep the mill from collapsing upon itself after multiple uses causing inaccurate milling. On a positive note, other than the poor framework, the Briggs worked flawlessly, the saw head did it's job correctly with only minor repair issues. I ended up selling the sawmill, just got plain tired of having to repair it. When I am ready for another sawmill, I will either build one myself or get a Woodmiser.

 

[beenthere]

For the money, they can cut good lumber. But they will need good support under the light frame. If heavier frame, that means they would cost more money.

Keeping the frame on good support means taking extra time or investing extra money. But the Hud-son mills can cut lumber just as accurate as the more expensive mills...just takes more time and effort.

The feature that allows this mill to be portable in the back of a pickup is a plus. Just another "get what we pay for" rules of the road.

 

[VroomVroom]

Father has a hudson, I didnt get a chance to read this thread through as I'm at work!, but He likes it much. I tend to lose threads and forget what I replied to , but if you have any questions send me a message. I have pictures as well....and I know the guys who make them, I guide them moose hunting often. I Might be able to send them an email if you like, say your interested. They put fathers on a chassis with wheels you take off, I recommend that. You can tow it around and dont have to worry about levelling the track so your lumber is straight while getting sawed.

 

[justinja]

I just purchased a brand new Hudson 330 pro and the thing shakes like crazy. The boards are wavy and inconsistent. The dealer tells me this is normal and all sawmills out there regardless of brand will shake this bad. I have a video of it if anyone was to see it. Thanks for the help in advanced.

 

[newbury]

I just purchased a brand new Hudson 330 pro and the thing shakes like crazy. The boards are wavy and inconsistent. The dealer tells me this is normal and all sawmills out there regardless of brand will shake this bad. I have a video of it if anyone was to see it. Thanks for the help in advanced.

The dealer is pulling your leg.
Post the video.
My Woodmizer LT10 barely shakes until the band gets dull.

If it's your first mill make sure everything is absolutely set up correctly.

 

[justinja]

Hudson 330 pro sawmill shaking problems. - YouTube

Just copy and paste this in the google search. That is the only place it will show up in. It won't work in the bing search engine. Take a look at let me know what you think. I have been struggling with this mill for a month now. In the second day it filled the oil up with gas. Took it back to the dealer and they changed the oil and asked them to fix the shaking and this is what I got back. Telling me there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[TnAndy]

Woodmizers cantilevered head, i am afraid it will start to vibrate and get sloppy over time, and will make irregular cuts.

Owned a Woodmizer LT40 since 1991, cut over a 500,000 bdft and it cuts just fine. Zero 'vibration'...where is THAT coming from on a mill? If you're getting bad cuts on a WM, you are feeding the head too fast, or you need to put a sharp, correctly SET blade on it.

AND Woodmizer has the best blade technology out there. Most band blades (Simmons, Lennox, etc) are made for use in pallet machines.....where they never cut over 6" wide cants. Useless in wide log cutting.

 

[justinja]

Using new double hard woodmizer blades 167 inches long. If I feed it fast or slow it still shakes. The band wheels don't look or feel centered.

 

[TnAndy]

Hudson 330 pro sawmill shaking problems. - YouTube

Just copy and paste this in the google search. That is the only place it will show up in. It won't work in the bing search engine. Take a look at let me know what you think. I have been struggling with this mill for a month now. In the second day it filled the oil up with gas. Took it back to the dealer and they changed the oil and asked them to fix the shaking and this is what I got back. Telling me there is nothing wrong with it.

1. How do you set the blade tension on that machine ? WM uses a small hydraulic cylinder you wind up my hand to a certain PSI to set it. Run it too loose, and the blade will vibrate some.....but it has to be REALLY loose. Your blade tension may not be right.

2. What type of tires are on the wheels ?

I use the Browning belts that came stock on the WM, BUT once, while in an adverturous mood, I did try a set of some kind of orange colored "high tech" urethane tires from Suffolk Machinery (Timber Wolf).....they were the biggest pieces of crap I ever bought ( LOVE their tooth setter, though )....you were supposed to heat them in hot water for 1/2 hour or so, then put on the wheels....I never could get them to work right.....they would not "seat".....tires were off center, and gave a world of vibration. MAYBE you have that type of tire. I went right back to the regular Browning belts and never had a problem again.

3. Check the camber, or wheel angle....if adjustable. Is the blade running true on the wheel center (high point, or crown ) ?

WM uses a single bearing on the outboard wheel, (they probably already figured out a pair of bearings is a LOT harder to get right than a single bearing... ) instead of a shaft and pair of bearings like that Hudson in the video. IF none of the above are your problem, my guess is the bearings are not aligned correctly, causing a vibration in that shaft the wheel is on.....OR the wheel is not balanced.

 

[justinja]

Everything is set perfect according to the dealer. He brought it back to me and I haven't even taken it off the trailer. I started it up to make sure it was good and the video is exactly what I got back that us suppose to be normal. I have many people in this area that tell me this is the worst they have ever seen. I am just wondering if I should be asking them to get rid if the shaking or if I even have a leg to stand on. I keep the dealer coming back to make adjustments in it and it doesn't get better. I am wasting logs and on grade material I lose a lot more money. I ran it for two days and had trouble. Dealer went on vacation for 10 days and vaguely gets back to. Now we are a month into this and no wood to sell that worth anything. I appreciate everyone's input on you views. Thank you.

 

[TnAndy]

1. I'd tell the dealer YOU come out and saw some decent lumber with it.

2. I'd be over his head to Hudson directly.

 

[justinja]

I finally got the sub dealer back to my place to help me figure it out. The band wheels are out of center and not balanced. It sounds like they are sending new ones in the mail to change them out. I did talk to the manufacturer and was not too much help.