Biggest Mistake: Cedar Sawmill Buyer Beware

I bought a custom sawmill from Cedar Sawmill in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. There was more wrong with the mill than right when it arrived. It arrived with shot guide bearings and it was all downhill from there. I had to do my own custom welding and fabrication and hire a weld shop to straighten the bed of the mill which arrived with a huge bow in it. The pulleys were the wrong size so the blade speed was off. It throws belts. The steel used is extremely thin (not structural at all) and the legs wouldn't hold up a table. I replaced the sheaves of the pulleys with ones of appropriate size. I had to replace the stock guide system with a retro-fit guide system from Cook's Saw Manufacturing. Shawn didn't honor any sort of the warranty he claims and I ended up taking him to court and won. STAY AWAY!
Bandsaw Speed Calculator: www.blocklayer...
Sawmill Blade Speed Article: cookssaw.com/b...
Cooks Guides: cookssaw.com/s...
Matt Cremona Bandsaw Plans: mattcremona.co...
Music for videos: bit.ly/3r0OSsP
Don't buy this sawmill: cedarsawmillll...
#woodworking #sawmill #bandsawmill #sawmilling #sawmillbusiness #sawmillreview #review #toolreview #cedarsawmill #ussawmills

[@Treeoflifewoodworks]

Wow.... what a debacle! As someone who is looking to add a bandsaw mill to my arsenal along with my chainsaw mill I appreciate you warning us of your experience...

[@wmwalkerco]

I wouldn't wish that ordeal on anyone. The only positive in this experience is I know more now about exactly what makes a good mill tick. I think it made me a better tinkerer

[@dnthasslehoff]

I’m sorry to hear about all the wasted time, money, and frustration through this ordeal but thank you for taking the time to inform and educate, definitely missed your content

[@Erik_The_Viking]

Sorry to see what you went through. What a mess. Nice to see you back and provide a warning to others.

[@wmwalkerco]

Glad to be back. Hopefully this video saves someone else the head and heartache.

[@weberwoodshop]

That sucks dude I'm so sorry. But I'm glad you're back!

[@wmwalkerco]

It does suck, but I'm making lemonade. Glad to be back!

[@SkewToob]

I'm really sorry this happened. It is good to see you posting again.

[@uncletom1986]

Put a battery kill switch like they use on boats and it will stop the draining

[@aeroforce100]

Sorry to hear about the obvious and intentional ripoff. Is there a reason that you did not go and pickup the mill?

[@wmwalkerco]

The reason was it was an 18 hour drive and their sales pitch is they deliver them wherever you are. Clearly, I overestimated the quality of the thing that would arrive.

[@MrBobjones68]

I almost went with them myself and am glad I didnt. I am very glad I was able to find a used Cooks MP32 when I did - its absolutely a joy to run.

[@wmwalkerco]

The cooks machines are so nice! Glad you were able to avoid the nightmare

[@VTKingdomsawing]

Geez! I had my issues with my new Woodmizer (mostly QC) but nothing like what you went through! Now I'm really glad I went with WM. If it sounds too good to be true, yada, yada, yada...

[@wmwalkerco]

Yeah woodmizer didn't even take my name or put me on the list it was so bad. I guess if I look at it in the right light, I still wouldn't have a woodmizer even if I had gotten on the list. Truly it had been a nightmare but I'm glad I'm actually making lumber now though.

[@MCsCreations]

Damn... I'm really sorry, Will... What a freaking nightmare! 😔 I hope it works well in the end! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@wmwalkerco]

It has been a nightmare, but with this video I can move forward and not feel like I left something "undone". This frees me up to make content forward now that the mill has been properly introduced.

[@roBLINDhood]

Dude, that sucks! So sorry! When I've dreamed about having a sawmill, I figured I'd pay to have someone good fabricate one based on Matt Cremona's plans. I'm guessing that ain't cheap though. Anyway, glad you are back!

[@wmwalkerco]

It won't be cheap but I think it would still be within reason when comparing to commercially available mills. Next one, I'll weld myself

[@raystormont]

This is what I would do is use this as a cost of learning how to operate a business and now make sure that after paying dearly for the lesson you get the full benifit by never doing this type of deal again and checking the background of any who will supply you with their custom machinery. This way you move forward and put this incident in your rear view mirror knowing this will not happen to you again. Good luck, when fixed mill will likely be productive and you will have expertise to DIY any needed repairs. Ray Stormont

[@507718]

man this sucks, I feel like the ease of "social media businesses" to screw people over has only gotten easier. I remember my parents dealing with a landscape architect who stole money from them and cut corners everywhere. also that image of the ants at end panicking and trying to pull their eggs out it great. looking forward to more vids

[@wmwalkerco]

I thought the ants were cool too! I could watch them do their thing for way too long. Social Media has been an amazing way to connect people around the world and I feel like it's connected communities of like-minded people all over the globe. BUT it also brings the shills and charlatans. I got burned on this one, but I'm making it better and it's taught me the nitty gritty details that make a difference in sawmill design. Speaking of your parents and a landscape architect. There was a "contractor" doing some work on the house a few doors down. Rented a mini-excavator and skid-steer. It sat on that job for weeks. I thought "man that's a long time to have a rental and not use it that much. That's got to be really expensive". Another friend down the road was having the same contractor do work for them as well. He tried to sneak in the rental bill from one job onto the invoice of the other and got caught. I don't understand why some people just try to cheat their way through life, when if they put the same effort into just doing a good job, they'd have a lasting business and something to be proud of.

[@MrTapanes]

Glad you're back, sorry to hear you were ripped off. After all is said and done, it looks like you probably could've built (or had built) a better one cheaper yourself.

[@wmwalkerco]

Oh absolutely. I was trying to avoid another big project and let someone else do the work, but I could have made a better mill for cheaper with all I know now.

[@pmelchman]

Nothing wrong with telling the truth Will. Very informative and insightful video. You know what they say, ‘ Sometimes the truth hurts.’

[@wmwalkerco]

I put a lot of value in the truth. It's also a lot easier to tell a cohesive story if it's true.

[@samuelvmoura]

This sucks but, at the same time, with the experience you had here, have you thought about perhaps making your own sawmill brand? it seems like you have learned a lot about them and you know what they need and how they need to operate and output, especially since you found a local shop that can do good steel work.

[@wmwalkerco]

I actually have thought about it and have joked with my business partner that we could make one hell of a mill with everything we know now. I truly enjoy the milling side and spending time outside on the farm though. We have plans of making a dedicated wide cut stationary slabbing mill at some point and maybe upgrading our mobile mill to something with hydraulics. We're still planning outbuildings, drying sheds, kilns and more equipment, etc. One day maybe.

[@mattelias721]

@@wmwalkerco You know, that's actually a fabulous idea when you consider that reputable companies are citing a 70-week lead time... you've got a good entry point there with at least regional markets.

[@GopherWoodshop]

So Sorry there are despicable crooks like this out there. Hope you can move on from this horrible experience.

[@wmwalkerco]

Just needed to get this video made so I could move forward with better content now that the mill has been introduced.

[@reforzar]

Woah. That’s a bummer.

[@jackiehill4970]

Was this mill from Broken Bow Oklahoma?

[@wmwalkerco]

It sure was

[@jackiehill4970]

@@wmwalkerco I live outside of Broken Bow. He was a plumbing contractor in the Dallas, Fort worth area before he started this business.

[@wmwalkerco]

Well I guess he knows $#!t runs downhill

[@robertmabry4172]

Sounds like you were the first investor in his kickstarter campaign. That sucks.

[@xw6968]

there is nothing to kick start here with this machine, and i think they know this. he just got cheated.

[@wmwalkerco]

I got took for sure. It wasn't until after it showed up that I found more disgruntled consumers. On the flip side, I'd still be waiting on a mill from Woodmizer or the like. The guy sells them like he is really proud of them, and I can't tell if he's delusional or literally just never used or seen another sawmill before.

[@Bikeeast]

Yikes. There has definitely been an explosion of demand for sawmills the last few years. Less than honest people capitalize on that. I bought my mill a couple years ago based on online feedback that the company had great customer service. Yes, it is manufactured in China, but backed by a company that stands behind it's products 110%. I say 110% because they made an upgrade to something after I bought the mill, and sent it out to existing owners for free.

[@wmwalkerco]

What'd you end up with? I looked for so long at so many different mills.

[@Bikeeast]

@@wmwalkerco a Woodland mills HM122. I don't have any heavy equipment to move logs so it is more than big enough for my needs.

[@WoodturningWithJohnMarro]

Sucks Will, I am glad to see you back though.

[@wmwalkerco]

glad to be back. Been a long time.

[@RussellBond13]

Handing over cash before you know what you have is always a mistake.

[@wmwalkerco]

I do regret it and it won't happen again though I already got burned on this one

[@bradnutter41]

Oh wow, now thats a story from H@ll! So many different problems. So sorry you had to deal with that! Best of luck in the future! He really laughed? Definition of shyster.

[@erikleorga]

Man I thought the Frontier OS23 I bought was garbage. Sorry you got so burned.

[@wmwalkerco]

Good to know about the OS23. People ask me about the smaller mills like that all the time. I wonder if the bigger models are just as bad.

[@erikleorga]

@@wmwalkerco The OS23 was horribly designed and thrown together without a lot of thought into function. My list of complaints is long.

[@kevin_delgado]

Awful that you have had to go through this experience. I hope you'll be able to get enough out of the lumber you are able to mill on the machine to pay for a better one down the road.

[@wmwalkerco]

Now that it's cutting better I'm moving some lumber. Just a big bad hiccup to start with.

[@kevin_delgado]

@@wmwalkerco Glad to hear things are on the upswing, sir!

[@ervintaylor6508]

Man there's no way you should have started fabricating anything for that thing you should have gathered up a few of your boys hook that thing to the back of your truck and went and visited that guy at his shop and got your money back and let that thing sitting in his front yard which is probably where he made it

[@wmwalkerco]

Thats a long haul to Oklahoma for me. I agree I shouldn't have had to fabricate anything period though.

[@olivier2553]

Why are you complaining? They offered you the opportunity to launch a new business fixing their crap. Sorry to hear about your experience.

[@bs838]

Holy shit man. You should have vetted the purchase with your youtube audience, we could have probably called out his bullshit and avoided your agony

[@wmwalkerco]

I probably should have. Ive tried to use "posts" before on this platform but they never get any responses so it's hard to connect on that level on this platform

[@myhoneyshandmade1077]

That's a horrible experience. Don't judge all of us Oklahomans by this incident.

[@wmwalkerco]

I try not to judge. You're Okie in my book!

[@myhoneyshandmade1077]

@@wmwalkerco ha

[@FernRiverDesigns]

What a headache. Looks like you're on the path to having a machine that cuts the way a mill should!

[@wmwalkerco]

It's getting there!

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

While watching your video I decided that I would trade my nearly new Wood-Mizer LT40 Wide mill for yours. But then you ruined it by fixing it. That being said.............no deal on the mill. Instead of calling it a "sawmill shaped object" it's easier to call it a POS (Pretend Oklahoma Sawmill) Good, but sad, video. Good luck. Dave

[@wmwalkerco]

Dang that would have been a helluva swap! I love calling it a POS!

[@mattelias721]

Will, great cautionary tale, and my sympathies. I've followed you more or less from inception here on YT, and you don't deserve this kind of buttpain. My other thought, for what it's worth and keeping in mind I am by no means a lawyer, you may want to think about either editing this content or taking it down - your statements about Mr. Shady out in OK might be construed as a basis for a defamation suit against you... and I'd be willing to bet he's the type who would do exactly that.

[@wmwalkerco]

I thought about it long and hard. Nothing I've said here is untrue and I have the text and photo records to show it. My lawyer advised me it was OK. I do appreciate the concern and it was definitely something that crossed my mind. Rest assured I sought council first

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

And people always want 'Made in America'😂😂 That the table isn't even close to flat is hilarious. Literally no effs given. That the guy sells such junk is unreal. Even the Chinese look at that and say WTF!

[@wmwalkerco]

Oh man, he pitched the "made in USA" and "we employ veterans" thing really hard. At the time I thought it was a plus. The longer you look the worse it gets.

[@kurtsmith4657]

That sawmill shaped hunk of steel is an absolute POS. I had a similar experience w/ seqouia sawmills, absolute turds. I spent more time working on the stupid machine than cutting wood. Ended up buying a large TK2400, 70hp kubota diesel, thing cuts like a monster, no down time other than switching blades and occasionally belts etc. Lesson I learned is, buy the largest heaviest sawmill you can afford, TK, cooks, WM, Baker all make good sawmills, I personally like 4 post fully supported hydraulic mills but you pay for it. Hope your rebuilt sawmill works out for you. Hopefully Sean goes bankrupt and stops making sawmills.

[@wmwalkerco]

That TK2400 is a beast! Yeah this isn't the most efficient mill but at least it's making lumber now. I also like the 4 post design and am baffled you don't hear about more issues with the cantilever WM design.

[@kurtsmith4657]

@@wmwalkerco Yeah, i feel your pain that Sequoia was the same deal, terrible design, cheap parts etc. Im glad your up and running and its cutting flat.

[@rednexcavator]

@@wmwalkerco The cantilever WM design is proven and tested, really can't be questioned after 40+ years of their mills being used in production sawing. I'm on my third WM mill and all they need to keep sawing and making money are routine maintenance, wear parts, and occasional alignment.

[@GoMrBob]

that stinks.... sorry man

[@wmwalkerco]

I'm making lemonade. Just couldn't not make this video and let it slide.

[@markpashia7067]

Too many slick talking salesmen and not enough real craftsmen out there. They took advantage of a shortage and backlog. I hate to say it our systems suck on these type issues with slow uneven courts and a judgement is often just a piece of paper. Might just be best to sell the judgement to a pro and let them try to chase him. That would free you to move on and make the best out of a bad situation. Good luck. Sometimes it is best to put them in the rear view mirror and learn a lesson. At least he did not use some patriotic plea to scam you the way he did.

[@wmwalkerco]

I've accepted this as a very expensive lesson. I realize I'll probably never see the judgement money. Ive tried to sell the judgment to a few agencies but I haven't found one that will take it because it's less than 6 figures unfortunately. If you know of a service that I could sell to, I'm all ears!

[@redcardcsgo]

Frist

[@raydeese4439]

Wow!!! You suck tube is playing your video like your saw dealer works there too!!!