Woodland Mills sawmill trailer stability.

[Sawyer Rob]

I think you have some of that a bit backwards, Norwood was selling homeowner BSM's before Woodland...it all started with the Mark 3...

The Woodland I looked at, was a copy of a Lumbermate 2000, and they weren't the only ones to copy it.

In fact, one company became a Norwood "dealer", then was ordering many extra parts. Turns out, THEY were using them to build a BSM, THEY were selling under their own name!

Norwood sued, won and got it stopped.

I've seen folks major B**ch about Norwood because they bought one and it was too much work, logs are too hard to turn! I've seen one big u-tuber put out some really bad press on Norwood, because some of the bolt heads rusted when he left his mill outside! He was pizzed because he figured Norwood owned him all new bolts!

SR

 

[N80]

Not intending to start a brand war.

I went with Woodland Mills for several reasons.

The first was my set budget. The Woodland Mills was the best mill I could afford. For what I wanted in terms of horsepower, width of cut, length of mill and an integral trailer Norwood and Woodmizer were out of the question price wise.

The second reason was the design. Maybe a little more clunky but the four post design was appealing to me over the cantilever design. I have no idea if there were any practical implications but I just like the 4 post design.

Third is availability. When I considered stretching the budget to get a Woodmizer that I would pick up myself (to avoid shipping costs) it was still way higher than the Woodland Mills and I was given a 45 week minimum back order time even if I picked it up. I've become increasingly concerned about supply line issues lately and I figured if I'm going to do this I should do it as soon as possible. I got the Woodland Mills about 4-6 weeks after ordering it and before the estimated date.

Fourth, Woodland Mills seemed to have a good reputation for customer support. If nothing else they seem very transparent in regard to quality and design issues.

Fifth, a good many videos of happy Woodland Mills owners doing what the tool was designed to do, doing it well and pointing out the shortcomings and quality issues they had without whining about it.

Had money and availability not been an issue I would have gotten a Wood Mizer. There is a dealer near by. It is the highest profile brand in terms of marketing, etc etc.

I also have to say, Woodland Mills is pretty much solely for the hobby/small operation market which means I'm not on the low end of their priority list.

I hate buying Chinese stuff and avoid it when I can. But I also don't obsess about it. That can drive you crazy. I've run into so many brands that claim "Made in USA" when in fact that is only partially true or sometimes hardly true at all when you read the fine print. I'm not even sure the Kohler engine on this mill is made in the US.

Anyway, the deal is done and I own this mill for better or worse. I'm excited so far and so far I'm impressed. It still isn't clear to me that even buying a saw mill was a good idea much less this brand. Time will tell.

 

[Jstpssng]

It's Chinese yet if I recall they are made for a US company to their specs. I may have the wrong company, but aren't they owned by an ex military who gives hiring priorities to vets?
All that I know is they sell a lot of BSMs and chippers... and there's no way that I would have waited 4 years no matter who makes the machine.

 

[Jchonline]

Single axle trailers make me nervous. Single axle with improper tongue weight distribution make me more nervous. I agree with MR, I woudl weight it then at least contact them back with your results and see what they say. To me the pictures show the saw mill in the a processing position, not a traveling position.

Still looks like an awesome mill and a heavy duty trailer.

 

[Jstpssng]

They don't weigh a lot. The mill assembly is just under 800 lbs, plus the weight of the trailer.

 

[N80]

To me the pictures show the saw mill in the a processing position, not a traveling position.

That is actually the traveling position or within an inch or two. And again, the product video shows it being towed in this position.

I would not want to tow this long distances or on the interstate but supposedly it is made for it. Fortunately it will primarily be towed on country roads between my cabin and my daughter's house 15 miles away. All the other towing will be low speed and off road.

 

[N80]

They don't weigh a lot. The mill assembly is just under 800 lbs, plus the weight of the trailer.

Depends on what you mean by 'a lot'. Total weight is about 1800 pounds.

 

[Jstpssng]

Depends on what you mean by 'a lot'. Total weight is about 1800 pounds.

Huh! The trailer weighs more than I realized. I suppose a boat trailer style wouldn't hold up very long. A trailer's one thing I may wish that I had gotten, but I was at the limits of my budget.

 

[s219]

I think you have some of that a bit backwards, Norwood was selling homeowner BSM's before Woodland...it all started with the Mark 3...

The Woodland I looked at, was a copy of a Lumbermate 2000, and they weren't the only ones to copy it.

In fact, one company became a Norwood "dealer", then was ordering many extra parts. Turns out, THEY were using them to build a BSM, THEY were selling under their own name!

Norwood sued, won and got it stopped.

I've seen folks major B**ch about Norwood because they bought one and it was too much work, logs are too hard to turn! I've seen one big u-tuber put out some really bad press on Norwood, because some of the bolt heads rusted when he left his mill outside! He was pizzed because he figured Norwood owned him all new bolts!

SR

The Mark III was a much beefier mill than Woodland's first mills and even their recent mills. It had a much beefier track. Woodlands's first mills literally used smallish 3/16" thick angle iron for a track, in short sections bolted together, with simple flat plates for bunks. The Mark III track was built like a railroad trestle in comparison.

Norwood did not enter into the low-end market until a few years ago when they introduced their Frontier lineup. Check this one out:

Frontier Sawmills – Products

The similarities to the Woodland design and construction is uncanny, you'd almost swear it was a Woodland with yellow instead of green paint.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

The Mark 3 originally came with a "wooden" track, you are thinking of later model Mark 3's after some updates, and the Mark 3 were a low end mill.

Norwood kept adding updates to get to the Mark 5, then in 2000 out came the Lumbermate 2000, which was/is a bigger beefier mill, but still considered a starter mill.

I know the complete story of the china Norwood mills, I'm just too lazy to type it all here. lol

BTW, I've milled out lumber with them...

SR

 

[KennyG]

Probably my biggest complaint is that no bolt heads were the same size as the nut that went on the bolt. Always one millimeter off. This created a lot of switching out of tools, which we had plenty of. I cannot imagine why anything would be designed that way. We both had impact drivers, wrenches and sockets but even when you were doing 30-40 bolts the same size the access to them was always different so you were constantly changing sockets and wrenches back and forth.

I think they do that so that someone with only one wrench set can put it together (and not use his rusty old adjustable wrench).

 

[N80]

I think they do that so that someone with only one wrench set can put it together (and not use his rusty old adjustable wrench).

I thought about that but good grief an extra wrench and a couple of sockets would solve that problem. Maybe another $30?

I guess they might think that if I'm so cheap that I bought a mill that I have to put together myself that I might be too cheap to buy an extra wrench.

 

[nisaacs]

Probably my biggest complaint is that no bolt heads were the same size as the nut that went on the bolt. Always one millimeter off. This created a lot of switching out of tools, which we had plenty of. I cannot imagine why anything would be designed that way. We both had impact drivers, wrenches and sockets but even when you were doing 30-40 bolts the same size the access to them was always different so you were constantly changing sockets and wrenches back and forth.

Thats pretty normal for metric bolts and is not exclusive to Woodland Mills. Us bolts in 7/16's and 9/16's are that way. Bolt head is smaller than the nut.

 

[N80]

Thats pretty normal for metric bolts and is not exclusive to Woodland Mills. Us bolts in 7/16's and 9/16's are that way. Bolt head is smaller than the nut.

Does anyone know why? I'm just curious.

 

[MossRoad]

Does anyone know why? I'm just curious.

Yes. A typical wrench set only has one wrench of each size. If the nut and bolt were the same size, you couldn't put a wrench on both of them at the same time. That's why they're different sizes.

Also, has to do with how much surface is needed to hold. If the nut were the same size as the bolt head, it would be a fairly thin nut, OR a fairly large bolt head.

 

[N80]

Yes. A typical wrench set only has one wrench of each size. If the nut and bolt were the same size, you couldn't put a wrench on both of them at the same time. That's why they're different sizes.

If that is actually the reason it sounds like the worst reason ever. Most people who are going to actually assemble something will have a wrench and a socket.

I had a funny thought when I saw a Wood-Mizer video and there was a decal on the mill that said "Built in USA". I thought, heck, my Woodland Mills saw was built in the USA too...........because I built it!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Norwood did not enter into the low-end market until a few years ago when they introduced their Frontier lineup. Check this one out:

Frontier Sawmills – Products

The similarities to the Woodland design and construction is uncanny, you'd almost swear it was a Woodland with yellow instead of green paint.

After re-reading your post today, I think I now see the confusion...

You see it as Frontier copied Woodland. BUT, the part you are missing is, the Lumbermate (designed and built by Norwood) came BEFORE the Woodland OR Frontier!

Woodland copied the Lumbermate, and Frontier also copied the Lumbermate, BUT the Lumbermate was THEIR own mill, so they copied themselves.

The Lumbermate came first and was dropped when Norwood came out with an even bigger mill, (todays design) and brought back the Lumbermate design as a lower cost mill built in china.

The whole idea of a homeowner BSM got started with the Mark 3 in the early 90's, like 91 or 92 by my friend Peter Dale.

SR

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If that is actually the reason it sounds like the worst reason ever. Most people who are going to actually assemble something will have a wrench and a socket.

I had a funny thought when I saw a Wood-Mizer video and there was a decal on the mill that said "Built in USA". I thought, heck, my Woodland Mills saw was built in the USA too...........because I built it!

Now you sound like John Deere, they "assemble" a tractor and call it "building" a tractor. lol

BTW, both Woodland and Norwood are Canadian company's... (someone asked me that)

SR

 

[Jstpssng]

Is it really that important who made what first?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Is it really that important who made what first?

It is to the company that came up with it...

I bet it is to Peter Dale, as he holds many patents and has to continue to defend them...

SR