plowhog
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2015
- Messages
- 3,103
- Location
- North. NV, North. CA
- Tractor
- Massey 1710 / 1758, Ventrac 4500Y / TD9
I received a Woodland Mills HM130MAX about a year ago. Like you, the arrival of the sawmill prompted purchase of a larger saw. Which is how I got the Stihl 462.I ordered a Woodland Mills HM126 band saw mill on a trailer.
Your new mill lists 26 in max log diameter. But in the real world, you will *rarely* ever mill a log that large. To do so, it would have to be perfectly straight-- with no bends. And not have any knots, warts, etc. on the outer edge. Even 1" over limit stops your mill. Been there, done that. I've had to use the 462 to "shape" a crooked log while it was on the mill. I don't like cutting with that much metal around.
As you shop for a saw, I'd consider that your *typical* max diameter log is more likely something like 22" - 24". Not that you couldn't cut even a huge log for firewood-- it's just that the slightly smaller diameter is going to be the sweet spot for the mill.