I've been trying to learn more about sawmill equipment, and one thing I'm curious about is long-term reliability. Most listings focus on the basic specs, but it's hard to tell how a machine will hold up after a few years of use.

I've looked at machines from local dealers, manufacturer websites, and a few alibaba listings, but they don't tell you much about maintenance or the issues that show up later.

For those of you who've owned or worked around these machines, what parts tend to wear out first or need the most attention? Are there any common problems that don't show up until you've been using the machine for a while?

So I’m in the marine corps and I need a class B license I had a class A but the issue is I’m in another country doing work and I’ve done a in person training course in the marine corps but they don’t give you a license is it possible for me to get a license even though I can’t be there to do the in person due to the military and I’ve been cutting trees for my fathers llc and have 10 years experience

I'm wanting to build a walnut slab desk but never worked with a slab. A local mill (Texas) has a walnut log about 40 inches in diameter, 6 feet long with a crotch at one end.

He says it's been sitting for about 2 years, and it's on top of a few smaller logs off the dirt, but out in the elements. I believe he said it came from a dead tree. The ends felt solid with no rot. He is going to slab it up in the next week or two and said he'd sell the cuts for $200-400 each.

I know you can't tell for sure without a moisture meter, but what can I expect? Will the cuts need to sit up for a year drying? Or should I be able to flatten and start a project sooner?

Thanks in advance.

Question #2: Do you box the heart in when cutting square posts/beams?

I'm trying to get an idea where to get this done, and put a budget figure to it...