I don’t know much about it, but looking at it it looks like they reworked the LM29. I bought an HD36 4 years ago and I love it, but with the costumer service situation right now I don’t know if I would buy it today. I’d be a little leary of not being able to get any support if I had a problem. Flip side is if you’re pretty mechanically inclined you can buy the mill and put it together for half of what some of the others are selling a machine for. Keep us posted - even if you get something else. Happy new year - may your logs be straight and your blades stay sharp!
I don’t know if there’s a digital manual or not. I thought that my HD36 was shipped without a manual, but then figured out that it was inside one of the boxes with the owners edition cap and some of the other papers. I figured that out when I was watching Dave Boyts video on assembly lol. I see on YouTube that there’s already a couple of short videos on assembly so maybe it will tell you if it is in one of the boxes. If not maybe Norwood can expedite one.
I ordered my LM30 and a 4' extension in November 2021 and it arrived about 6 weeks later but was shipped with an owners manual that was written in what I presume to be Dutch, (don't know for sure since I can't read the language). It took another couple of weeks for the English version of the manual to arrive and by then it was hard winter and I had to wait to assemble it.
I finally was able to start assembling it this past weekend (April, 2022) and while assembling the track I found that the leveling feet were not sent with the extension kit. I shimmed that area and moved on with plans to acquire the feet and add them later. Once I got to the sawhead and started assembling it I found that the cap and tether for the water tank was missing, I carried on to the next step only to find that an entire box (box #14) was missing. At this point I had to stop and come home.
One important note: My sawmill property is 2 1/2 hours away from my home, I plan to eventually move there but for now I have to travel.
I got back home and tried contacting Norwood, the only way to get through to them is via email (no one will answer a phone there), after 3 days I finally get a reply and thankfully they are going to take care of the issue.
That is where I am at this point. I hope that once I am finished and am actually sawing my own lumber that it will have been worth it but at this point I am inclined to advise anyone researching sawmills to look elsewhere, Norwood's customer service leaves a lot to be desired and it has me very concerned about how the mill is going to work if I ever get to complete the assembly.
Here it is a month later, I almost have my mill completed. I am still waiting for 2 leveling feet to arrive, (they should be here Wednesday). I have been very frustrated by the lack of quaility control over shipping and the lack of customer service but as I have been assembling the mill I have to admit that I am very impressed with how solid this thing is. I have it assembled enough that I was able to make a few practice cuts with a log that did not have much lumber value and the LM30 cuts like a hot knife through butter.
If everything goes well I will be doing final adjustments and begin sawing usable lumber next week.
I tried to download pictures to share but I cannot figure out how to convert to a .txt file; if I get that figured out i will share pics.
I am starting to gain a lot of confidence in this mill and am looking forward to next week.
I'll chime in, as I just got my LM30 a few weeks ago. Total time from order to receiving was only about 4 weeks, and everything arrived as it should, so I had a great experience with that part of things. The mill also went together with no real issues.
The only head scratching I had during assembly was around the top support bar on the saw head. They obviously did a re-design on that part, and the manual has not been updated to match. I got a bit aggressive with the self tapping bolts and an impact gun and snapped 2 heads off. Guess it's not going anywhere at least!
I also re-designed the weak shut-off valve conneciton/spigot for the water lubrication (manual on off option here). A lot of people have complained about it, for good reason I think. I solved it with a quick 3D-print and a brass fitting to make it a solid connection with no leaks. I can share more details for that if folks are interested.
As far as actual sawing goes, it's been great! I've processed a few smaller logs, about 8' long, 15-20" diameter, and it chewed through those no problem. I found my initial few boards had a bit of bow, but I spent some extra time leveling the mill and that cleared that problem up. (I built the mill in the garage before moving it to it's current spot and obviously some things went out of level on the transition)
Hi Nick, your set-up looks a lot like mine except I have the leveling legs added which raise the mill about 10" (I think) and I have a 4' extension. I would like to find out more about the water shut-off because I agree that is a weak design.
I am jealous that you are already sawing and my mill is not even complete, I ordered mine on November 26,2021.
That stinks Scott! Sorry you have had such a delay on getting what you need to get sawing. It feels like Norwood went through a bit of a rough spell, along with a lot of other companies, and hopefully things are getting better. Doesn't help you right now unfortunately!
I'll see if I can get some pictures up of the shut-off setup. I can refine what I have a bit more still, but it's
doing the job now so I likely wont mess with it until I need to.
Uploaded a couple of photos to the album here showing the drain modifications.
I put a o-ring in between the adapter and the tank to stop the leaks. You can see I got a little over-zealous when tightening it and broke a small chunk off. Still holding water fine though, so I left it.
I like the photos, your set-up looks really good.
I changed my mind, I am not jealous; when I see your set up it makes me more excited for what I know is about to happen. I will be leaving Friday for 10 days alone on my property where I hope to complete my mill and saw a few logs.
Thanks for sharing
A quick update guys,
I have completed my mill and just like you all said when I cut that first 12'long 6"X6" and it was perfect I was completely over the moon. All of the previous frustration was instantly gone.
I want to thank you all for the advice, encouragement and comradery.
The week came and went pretty quick and I am anxiously awaiting my next trip to my property to start a nice little lumber pile.
Thats great Scott! Glad it finally all came together (literally)! :)
I've cut up a few more logs, and the only down side is that I found some metal in one and dulled up 2 blades in the process. Guess I'll have to look into getting a sharpening system of some sort. Off to do some research on those!
Thanks Nick, let me know what you come up with I might be doing the same thing.
We were just discussing sharpening in another discussion and someone mentioned Woodmizer's resharp program; does anyone have any feedback on that?
Bill, I had not thought about a sign but now that you mention it I think that would be a perfect keepsake.
My first actual board was from a 8" sweetgum that had been laying on the ground for two years; I considered it to be worthy of wasting since I was not sure how my mill would be cutting. I have a decent 1" x 4" from it that would make a good sign for my future Mill shed.
I sincerely hope that you have better luck with Norwood than I did; I will probably never have any business dealings with them again. I wish now that I had got placed on the 9 month waiting list for the big orange company.
I'm in the process of putting my LM30 together and have had a few hiccups. First off was being short a bunch of bolts, then finding out I was missing the block holder for the adjustable blade guide. Got past those without too much problem (although the wait to have a customer service rep pick up the phone was too long). And the bag numbers referenced in the manual don't always match up with the bag that a part is actually in. Holdovers from when it was the LM29, I figure.
But now I'm finding that the instructions and pictures in the manual for connecting the safety switches and the emergency shutoff switch don't match up with any of the wiring on my engine (13.5 HP Briggs electric start). I mean, it's not even close. Has anyone else run into that?
I was missing an entire box (#14) from my LM30. I have the Kohler engine so I cannot answer on the Briggs. Don't wait for someone to answer the phone because it will not happen! Go ahead and send an email, you will probably get a reply within 24 hours.
The manual that you received will have a lot of incorrect information in it because it is just a renamed (but not revised) LM29v2 manual. There will be several things in the manual that will not make sense or that you simply cannot do; You are going to have to rely on your mechanical apptitude or this forum.
I wish you the best of luck and as many on here have told me as soon as you start sawing your first log you will forget about all of the problems assembling the mill. Although that is true I still have a very dim view of Norwood as a company.
Well, on my last call (for the missing blade guide block holder), I was on hold for about half an hour. I put the phone on speaker and set it down while I did some other work on my computer (stuff I could drop at a moment's notice) while I was waiting, so that wasn't quite as painful as the old days of landline phones where you had to sit around with the phone to your ear.
Hey Trespasser, honestly, I did not connect the safety switches for the covers. I imagine they are the for "regulation" reasons, but running it myself, I'm not fused.
The emergency switch is connected, which is just two wires to the shut-off switch on the engine. I did NOT use the include vampire clip things included as they are horrible in all use cases. I just cut, and soldered the wires together. Can send a picture if you like to show how the emergency button is connected.
Hey All Glad i bumped in here, Just placed order for LM30 with GX390 trailer pack, supposted to pu in 2 days, I guess there isnt a way to confirm if all things are in there while its in a crate & we would know only upon opening/assembly. Really funny thou b4 coming to this forum i bumped in to the jobs sections of site & saw technical writer being the newest in list, says creating user friendly technical manual with help of product & marketing is 1 of job role. Hope to look few videos n also learn from you guys.
Welcome to the club!
While you are waiting take advantage of this forum, there are a lot of good sawyers here that are more than willing to help you out with advice, tips and tricks. I have learned a lot from these guys and I am sure that you can also.
Warning!!! Sawdust is addictive, once you are exposed you will be wanting more!
I got my LM30 today but it came without a manual. Is there a digital manual?
Beavertooth
I ordered my LM30 and a 4' extension in November 2021 and it arrived about 6 weeks later but was shipped with an owners manual that was written in what I presume to be Dutch, (don't know for sure since I can't read the language). It took another couple of weeks for the English version of the manual to arrive and by then it was hard winter and I had to wait to assemble it.
I finally was able to start assembling it this past weekend (April, 2022) and while assembling the track I found that the leveling feet were not sent with the extension kit. I shimmed that area and moved on with plans to acquire the feet and add them later. Once I got to the sawhead and started assembling it I found that the cap and tether for the water tank was missing, I carried on to the next step only to find that an entire box (box #14) was missing. At this point I had to stop and come home.
One important note: My sawmill property is 2 1/2 hours away from my home, I plan to eventually move there but for now I have to travel.
I got back home and tried contacting Norwood, the only way to get through to them is via email (no one will answer a phone there), after 3 days I finally get a reply and thankfully they are going to take care of the issue.
That is where I am at this point. I hope that once I am finished and am actually sawing my own lumber that it will have been worth it but at this point I am inclined to advise anyone researching sawmills to look elsewhere, Norwood's customer service leaves a lot to be desired and it has me very concerned about how the mill is going to work if I ever get to complete the assembly.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
Here it is a month later, I almost have my mill completed. I am still waiting for 2 leveling feet to arrive, (they should be here Wednesday). I have been very frustrated by the lack of quaility control over shipping and the lack of customer service but as I have been assembling the mill I have to admit that I am very impressed with how solid this thing is. I have it assembled enough that I was able to make a few practice cuts with a log that did not have much lumber value and the LM30 cuts like a hot knife through butter.
If everything goes well I will be doing final adjustments and begin sawing usable lumber next week.
I tried to download pictures to share but I cannot figure out how to convert to a .txt file; if I get that figured out i will share pics.
I am starting to gain a lot of confidence in this mill and am looking forward to next week.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
I'll chime in, as I just got my LM30 a few weeks ago. Total time from order to receiving was only about 4 weeks, and everything arrived as it should, so I had a great experience with that part of things. The mill also went together with no real issues.
The only head scratching I had during assembly was around the top support bar on the saw head. They obviously did a re-design on that part, and the manual has not been updated to match. I got a bit aggressive with the self tapping bolts and an impact gun and snapped 2 heads off. Guess it's not going anywhere at least!
I also re-designed the weak shut-off valve conneciton/spigot for the water lubrication (manual on off option here). A lot of people have complained about it, for good reason I think. I solved it with a quick 3D-print and a brass fitting to make it a solid connection with no leaks. I can share more details for that if folks are interested.
As far as actual sawing goes, it's been great! I've processed a few smaller logs, about 8' long, 15-20" diameter, and it chewed through those no problem. I found my initial few boards had a bit of bow, but I spent some extra time leveling the mill and that cleared that problem up. (I built the mill in the garage before moving it to it's current spot and obviously some things went out of level on the transition)
Hi Nick, your set-up looks a lot like mine except I have the leveling legs added which raise the mill about 10" (I think) and I have a 4' extension. I would like to find out more about the water shut-off because I agree that is a weak design.
I am jealous that you are already sawing and my mill is not even complete, I ordered mine on November 26,2021.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
That stinks Scott! Sorry you have had such a delay on getting what you need to get sawing. It feels like Norwood went through a bit of a rough spell, along with a lot of other companies, and hopefully things are getting better. Doesn't help you right now unfortunately!
I'll see if I can get some pictures up of the shut-off setup. I can refine what I have a bit more still, but it's
doing the job now so I likely wont mess with it until I need to.
Uploaded a couple of photos to the album here showing the drain modifications.
I put a o-ring in between the adapter and the tank to stop the leaks. You can see I got a little over-zealous when tightening it and broke a small chunk off. Still holding water fine though, so I left it.
I like the photos, your set-up looks really good.
I changed my mind, I am not jealous; when I see your set up it makes me more excited for what I know is about to happen. I will be leaving Friday for 10 days alone on my property where I hope to complete my mill and saw a few logs.
Thanks for sharing
Scott F.
Palmetto State
A quick update guys,
I have completed my mill and just like you all said when I cut that first 12'long 6"X6" and it was perfect I was completely over the moon. All of the previous frustration was instantly gone.
I want to thank you all for the advice, encouragement and comradery.
The week came and went pretty quick and I am anxiously awaiting my next trip to my property to start a nice little lumber pile.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
Thats great Scott! Glad it finally all came together (literally)! :)
I've cut up a few more logs, and the only down side is that I found some metal in one and dulled up 2 blades in the process. Guess I'll have to look into getting a sharpening system of some sort. Off to do some research on those!
Thanks Nick, let me know what you come up with I might be doing the same thing.
We were just discussing sharpening in another discussion and someone mentioned Woodmizer's resharp program; does anyone have any feedback on that?
Scott F.
Palmetto State
Bill, I had not thought about a sign but now that you mention it I think that would be a perfect keepsake.
My first actual board was from a 8" sweetgum that had been laying on the ground for two years; I considered it to be worthy of wasting since I was not sure how my mill would be cutting. I have a decent 1" x 4" from it that would make a good sign for my future Mill shed.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
Jealous of you guys cutting. Our LM30 is supposedly in the packing stages. Hope to get an email any day giving us a shipping and arrival date.
Chuck
Norwood LM30 on the way!
I sincerely hope that you have better luck with Norwood than I did; I will probably never have any business dealings with them again. I wish now that I had got placed on the 9 month waiting list for the big orange company.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
I'm in the process of putting my LM30 together and have had a few hiccups. First off was being short a bunch of bolts, then finding out I was missing the block holder for the adjustable blade guide. Got past those without too much problem (although the wait to have a customer service rep pick up the phone was too long). And the bag numbers referenced in the manual don't always match up with the bag that a part is actually in. Holdovers from when it was the LM29, I figure.
But now I'm finding that the instructions and pictures in the manual for connecting the safety switches and the emergency shutoff switch don't match up with any of the wiring on my engine (13.5 HP Briggs electric start). I mean, it's not even close. Has anyone else run into that?
I was missing an entire box (#14) from my LM30. I have the Kohler engine so I cannot answer on the Briggs. Don't wait for someone to answer the phone because it will not happen! Go ahead and send an email, you will probably get a reply within 24 hours.
The manual that you received will have a lot of incorrect information in it because it is just a renamed (but not revised) LM29v2 manual. There will be several things in the manual that will not make sense or that you simply cannot do; You are going to have to rely on your mechanical apptitude or this forum.
I wish you the best of luck and as many on here have told me as soon as you start sawing your first log you will forget about all of the problems assembling the mill. Although that is true I still have a very dim view of Norwood as a company.
Scott F.
Palmetto State
Well, on my last call (for the missing blade guide block holder), I was on hold for about half an hour. I put the phone on speaker and set it down while I did some other work on my computer (stuff I could drop at a moment's notice) while I was waiting, so that wasn't quite as painful as the old days of landline phones where you had to sit around with the phone to your ear.
Did you actually get to speak to someone?
Scott F.
Palmetto State
I did. I spoke with Tracy, and she was friendly, polite, and got the missing part sent out quickly.
Hey Trespasser, honestly, I did not connect the safety switches for the covers. I imagine they are the for "regulation" reasons, but running it myself, I'm not fused.
The emergency switch is connected, which is just two wires to the shut-off switch on the engine. I did NOT use the include vampire clip things included as they are horrible in all use cases. I just cut, and soldered the wires together. Can send a picture if you like to show how the emergency button is connected.
That would be great! I'll message you my email address.
Hey All Glad i bumped in here, Just placed order for LM30 with GX390 trailer pack, supposted to pu in 2 days, I guess there isnt a way to confirm if all things are in there while its in a crate & we would know only upon opening/assembly. Really funny thou b4 coming to this forum i bumped in to the jobs sections of site & saw technical writer being the newest in list, says creating user friendly technical manual with help of product & marketing is 1 of job role. Hope to look few videos n also learn from you guys.
Norwood LM30
Welcome to the club!
While you are waiting take advantage of this forum, there are a lot of good sawyers here that are more than willing to help you out with advice, tips and tricks. I have learned a lot from these guys and I am sure that you can also.
Warning!!! Sawdust is addictive, once you are exposed you will be wanting more!
Scott F.
Palmetto State