Good honest review Rick. The only Bandsaw Mill I had ever looked at was a Woodmizer, and they were just too pricey. Glad you’re happy with this Mill and hope it serves you well for a long and prosperous retirement sideline.
Looks like a nice little Mail I like you say you don’t have all the fancy gadgets but it does make lumber for you and that’s the main purpose and it sounds like a pretty satisfied with it and I enjoyed watching your video I see anymore on my watch them again God bless
Well, I just got to say. I just ordered my patriot mill and am so glad I found this channel. I've watched quite a few saw mill videos ( trying to decide whether to buy woodland, norwood, woodmizer, Hudson, etc) and honestly, this fellow explains the issue and his solution better than about any other I've saw. I feel good about my choice now ( Hudson patriot) and will proactively be able to apply 2BO's solutions. Thanks.
@@Twobrothersoutdoors Thank you. I've done quite well over the years listening to the voice of experience and having sawn more than 100K BF qualifies to me. LOL!
@@martinparmer 100k sounds like alot, seveal years ago we had a commercial mill and we would saw that in a month! Been a sawyer for 40 years and absolutely love the timber business. Especially on a small scale now! Check out the vids of our log arches we built to haul logs cleanly out of the woods with a simple 4 wheeler.
I have a hudson it's a good mill to help prevent from dulling blades I recommend laying your logs out posts and pressure washing them and turning them with a canhook to make sure you get them clean
We use a log arch to move our logs so they stay clean for the most part. If we do have to drag a log to get access to it the we do wash it. My previous mill was a large commercial circle mill with a debarker. Dirt was not even a factor. The band mill has definitely been a learning experience. I do like the hudson mill but i am constantly making changes to improve the mill to meet my needs better. This was an early video, as of date we have sawn over 60,000 bf of logs. i will make another video soon to showcase the changes i have made. Thanks for watching and your comment.
On 1X slabs I used to leave my Woodmizer LT20TR at the end of the cut and pull the slab off. No miscalculated next cut because I just pushed the blade over the 16 foot logs at the height I'd just cut.
I made the mistake of using kerosene as a lube on my Oscar 36. The o rings they put on the wheels instead of b57 belts came loose. Believe it or not the axle shaft snapped and the band wheels cracked. I replaced every thing including the bearings with parts made in the USA. One Timken pillow block bearing was $80. BIG MONEY ! The second problem with the was the cross bunks the logs rested on were all different heights making a wavy bottom board. Hudson basically has an all sales final policy. The best things about the mill was the power, the log dogs, I liked the power feed option. If I bought again I would make my own track and fab a log roller and log dogs. In fact I'm considering it again.
We have made engineering upgrades to our mills. Fortunately, the track has not been an issue, it's straight, level and build like a tank. The only bearings I have had problems with is the backer bearings on the blade guides. The water from the blade coolant penetrates the seal and rusts the balls in the bearing. We ordered a package of 10 from eBay and just change them out regularly. They are cheap. I heard Hudson had problems with their head bearings for a few years but seem to have corrected that problem. The dogs I absolutely could not tolerate! Very poor design. I redesigned the dogs to make me happier, but I'm always thinking of ways to make them better. Thanks for the comment!
Hudson certainly does make good quality sawmills. Those were some nice mods you made to your mill. I noticed the enclosure you built for the saw mill head fits pretty tight around it. It certainly doesn't make it easy to get around behind the saw head. Doesn't it also limit the length of log you can cut?
The saw head only goes in 3'. I can get around on the right side pretty easy and i can place a long log on the mill with my log arch. Little inconvenient but 13' and less i can roll onto the track
So......before I forget to ask (might be later in the video)...is it better to have it going slightly downhill while cutting or returning to the start?
The track must be level side to side to obtain a straight cut. We stretch a string from front to back to make sure there are no dips on either side. With that being said we have the beginning of the track a tad lower so the mill will return on its own with a little shove, that allows me the free hand to remove slabs or boards.
Wait till you have to go back to Hudson after the sale- with issues or for service. You won’t be as happy. I too bought right from the factory and to the tune of about 40k. Needless to say I don’t own it anymore and will never buy anything from them again. It’s a shame because the factory is 30 min from me
In reality there are issues with all of them (sawmill manufacturers) I have heard nightmares on several different brands unfortunately. I had an unpleasant experience with woodmizer myself. Customer service is certainly gone out the window. I did go back to HUD-SON with a problem that warranty had run out on and they not only covered it but shipped it too me fast so I could get back into production. Sorry for your bad experience. Thanks for watching and your input.
The only bearings we have had problems with is the small backer bearings on the guides. Even though they are sealed bearings the water for cooling the blade seems to get past the seals and the bearings will stop turning from rust. We took those bearings off, used a small screwdriver to pop out the bottom seal and packed the bearing with a good marine water resistant grease and popped the seal back in place. We do this every couple of months and it seems to work really well.
Wow, that is horrible. I'm wondering if the covid has effected thier ability to get parts to build them. I work in the heavy truck industry and parts are beginning to get scarce and hard to find. All the warehouse inventory was used during the pandemic when no one was manufacturing parts.
They shut down for 3 weeks but the trouble is there's lots of orders and they're not filling them in the order received. I'm at almost 5 months waiting for the trailer I need to use my mill that they said would be in in 2 weeks to a month so they could make the sale.
I have changed alot of little things to make the mill better to suit me. I am very satisfied with this mill and have reached 40,000 bf of timber through it.
To me the Hudson mills look too "home made". They appear to have pretty flimsy frames where the head moves and flexes a lot (compared to Woodland Mills, and Frontier Sawmills cheaper models). The problems you had with the dogs and knees seem inexcusable to me.
It is what it is. I now have 20,000 bf under this mills blade. The mill seems to cut very accurate, and i have had only a few small issues. The gearbox on the cable winch should have a grease fitting for the gears under the cover. I remedied that. The blade tension bolt should also have a grease fitting on it, also drilled and installed that. Years ago i had a commercial circle mill, i made several tweeks to that as well. Everything else on this mill has been satisfactory. Thanks for the input
Yeah, I was kind of shocked at the Knee /dog issue myself but keep in mind, his issue might not be the same as yours and he fixed it. Every mill regardless of manufacturer has a big heavy motor sitting on top of a frame and runs that blade. He said more than once the mill overall was built like a tank. If you're looking for a trouble free solution, maybe you should get your lumber at lowes.
They all have small issues that need to be corrected. I have been a sawyer for 30 years and i know people that have every brand of band saws. Some have worse problems than others. If im going to do a review im going to be honest. Truthfully for the price and the capability to saw 30" wide slabs i am very satisfied. There is always room for improvement.
@mpkunz6336 well said. As I stated on the video, the mill has been pretty much problem free and I have cut way more lumber than the usual hobbyist or homesteader. The changes I have made were to: increase production, make things easier for me, make the mill cut more accurate. If I used the mill as designed it would have been fine.
I bought a whole bunch of stuff at the same time, (extra lengths of track, box of blades, cant hooks) I believe the mill by itself was just under 6k. We are two years into it now and have cut more logs then we can count. The mill cuts great, I'm not one bit sorry I bought this mill.
@@Twobrothersoutdoors I'm nowhere near a facility so I had to get one ordered they said that they were way backed up because lots of people have the same idea right now
The HFE 30 cuts great with no real issues. The Mill is on 4' deep concrete pillars. If I start getting waves the blade is getting dull. Now our patriot is/was a whole different story. It was also mounted on 4' footers, but the track was not heavy enough to support the mill without moving. We mounted the mill on 6x6 beams, length wise. The humidity would make the beams move hence moving the track. We ended up mounting the patriot on steel I-beams, sunk them in concrete. Finally with upgrades to the mill, roller guides, .042 blade instead of the .035 we finally got that mill to cut without waves. Thanks for watching!
I appreciate your reply. It's a process gathering real world information and using it to make decisions. The pretty pictures ftom salesmen don't always tell the whole story.
@@ABBABEER to be fair to the mills, I don't believe they were built to take the pounding we have given them. We have modified these mills to take the pounding. In hindsight I think we would have gone with the Oscar pro's for a couple grand more.
Thanks for the detailed reply. I pulled the trigger and bought the gfe 30, there are no trailers available for a year out so I am working up a plan to mount mine on one of my farm trailers to get mobile. I'm thinking I will attach my harbor freight backhoe in manner that will allow me to lift it on and off.
@@ABBABEER the track on the hfe 30 is built like a tank. At least mine is. I was planning on using a chain fall to lift the track high enough to set the end on the trailer. Roll the head all the way up the track and fasten it in place the winch the whole mill unto the trailer. Do the opposite to get it off. Make sure to take the cover off the lift winch for the head and grease the gears. Everyone I know that bought this model including mine had no grease in it and caused early failure. My motor mount broke several times as well until I welded a solid plate on the mill for a motor mount. I'll send a link to one of our other vids on the weak spots and different mods I did. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OlQJHZwBfgQ.html
I have a harbor freight towable backhoe that I am brainstorming a way to take the bucket off and use chain ND clevis to move the mill.I will need to secure the backhoe to the trailor. I have attempted to get Unemployed Redneck to chat with me about it because he built his own trailor and he also has the HF Backhoe. I am waiting for him to email me so we can connect. His email address is not public on his videos so I invited him to contact me so I will have his contact info. I think if the backhoe is clamped to the trailer bed or frame there will be room and enough lift to make it truly portable. My mill won't be delivered til later this week but once I have it in hand and can measure, I may be able to invent something. I appreciate you answering my questions because I have the fever but no mill to satisfy my curiosity. The hud son trailer has a long lead time like many of their mills. I was trying to buy an Oscar 60 but settled for the hfe 30 because it was in the warehouse.
@@ABBABEER the trailer is basically twin I beam design with cross members. If you could find an old mobile home trailer or the trailer frame from under an old camper it is a piece of cake to convert. We got an old 30' camping trailer for free and used the frame from under that. We decked it, installed a hand crank boat trailer winch on the front. With the mill head at the far end of the track, two men could easily pick up the other end. Then roll the mill head up the track to the end on the trailer. All the weight is now on the trailer and you can easily skid the mill up the trailer with the boat winch. We did it to move both our mills into place once we got the foundation prepared. If need be I could fasten the mill down on that trailer and make it mobile, the only issue would be to get logs UP to the mill.
Did anyone notice the dark cloaked figure when he was showing off the saw depth chart.... I watch too many youtube videos. I'm picking up on things. BTW buddy you might want to contact ghost adventures.
I won't dispute timberking builds a fine mill. Why did I choose Hud-son? It was close enough i could pick it up myself, no shipping costs. My mill was $2800 less than the cheapest timberking. My mill will cut 33" wide cant. 30"+ was important for plans down the road. I may be a rookie with band mills but I have been a sawyer for 30 years. My last mill was a commercial circle mill. Minimum 4 man operation. I know people with alot of different band mills. They all have thier pros and cons. 40,000+ bf of timber has gone through this mill in the last year. So far its sawing accurately and i am well satisfied with the mill. Thanks for the input.
I understand what you are saying. But if it was me, (I’m 66), I would go for all the hydraulics. Would increase your output if that would be needed, but, the main thing for me would to save my old back from going out. You know, you have done quite a bit of work in that mill. Maybe a few cross braces would stabilize it more. You would know more about that since I’m not a fabricator. My son-in-law is working for a guy right now that has a mill built by the Amish. I’m in southern Ky. Went down for a part and took them two weeks to get it. Everything on mill was hand made. The guy was jumping up and down because of lost time which of course is money. Anyway, good luck pal.
@@thekentuckian8375 thank you, im retiring very soon and this was to be a supplement income. I had not planned to cut this much but the market was good. Friend of mine has a fully hydrolic woodmiser and its a beauty. But.......@ $40,000? 😳 It would have to run 24/7 to pay for it. Thanks so much for the great discussion and watching our vids.
Well, that's a good observation. Although I had a high production circle mill for 20 years before I sold the business, this was my first band mill. I truly expected to be able to run the blades until they broke, which is exactly what I did. We have Amish close by that could set teeth and sharpen blades. They used a diamond wheel that cut the gullet and teeth at the same time. We just kept sharpening them until they broke. I bet Some blades had 10 sharpenings on them. Even ones missing teeth. This mill is so forgiving it just kept cutting. In Hindsight, we ran the blades way past their life expectancy. At present, we sharpen our own blades & set the teeth. After 4 sharpenings we toss the blades, and I still have problems letting them go. We keep our logs off the ground from woods to mill. No dirt what so ever. I'm sure That contributes to the life of the blade as well.
That's great! I sharpen blades as well now. I profile the rock to cut the gullet and face at the same time. Just got a Norwood Hd36v2 and am waiting on parts right now. Glad to see someone that "runs it like he owns it"... Thanks for the reply.
@@williamprophett9148 this started out as a hobby for retirement 🙄 lol, I have cut way more wood than this mill was designed for. I've made many mods, including upgrade to a 20hp Briggs and electric mill head lift. Good luck on your mill! Thanks for watching and your interaction with us. We have a lot of milling videos, it's fun to look back and watch how much we have learned. From circle mill to band mill was certainly a learning curve!
Personally I think you paid WAY too much for it. I have a Woodland HM126 with nearly the same specs as this one 14 hp Kohler 24" live edge ability standard 10.5 lenth ( mine is now 17.5 trailer mounted) $4200 delivered with 10 blades.
Before I purchased this mill I researched all brands including woodland mills. According to woodland mill specs. There are a few major differences between your mill and mine. Your mill can cut up to 26" log, mine can cut up to 30" log. Your mill has a maximum cut of 24" live edge, 21" board. My mill can cut up to 32" wide board or live edge. 33" if I remove outboard guide. Your mill has drive belt incorporated into the band wheel. My mill has a separate drive belt. Your mill comes with bolt together everything, my mill is solid welded frame and track. My mill is built right here in NYS. Your mill is built at what location? The specs of the HM 130 are closer to the specs on my mill than the HM 126. The HM 130 of course is more expensive than your mill. Not that I am down playing your mill, if you're happy with it that's all that counts. But you cannot compare the two, just like I cannot compare the homesteader 28 to my mill the homesteader 30. Two different size mills. As is the HM 126 and the HM 130. Thanks for commenting.
Will never buy a Hudson again , 121 , 14.50 Briggs are junk , they had a hundred excuses, tabs that hold the motor mounts needed to be cut for vibration, or it splits the Briggs motor block , the 121 I bought was later years wasn’t welded but split the block anyway, their warranty isn’t worth spit just like the mills!! Spent more time working on it than sawing lumber!
Thanks for your opinion, I personally have been a Sawyer for over 30 years on a Commercial circle mill. I have seen many, many mills over the years. They all have short falls. I don't care what brand they are. I have modified this mill to suit my preference and needs. Any problem I've had with original parts on the mill Hud-son has been quick to warranty it and get the parts out to me quickly. Hud-son's service has been too notch. Are there flaws with the mill? In my opinion a few small changes would make the mill better. I have 100's of thousands bf of logs that have gone through this mill and all in all I can't complain. Especially with the price I paid for the mill. Thanks for sharing your comment.
This video is 4 years ago. This mill has been used hard and has paid for itself several times over. This mill has cut hardwood almost every day for 4 years. At this point I have no complaints. Hud-son builds their mills tough and simplistic. Most parts can be obtained locally if need should arise. Hud-son has an outstanding warranty and stands behind every mill.
