“Purchased the OS35 few months back and took couople months to assemble - slow but go method - have been cutting some 3 ft diameter oak and popular logs for slabs and timber beams. Saw has performed outstanding but do hate to keep cleaning out the sawdust but part of keeping things moving along. Highly would recemend the saw for most any lumber project.”
“It is a very exceptional sawmill, anybody that owns one or purchases, 1 will not go wrong. As I said before, there's a couple small minute, things that can be changed as you have to keep much of there's your belts depending on a manufactured. If there's a defect, don't use it. Other than that, it is very, very nice. Sawmill.”
“I have sawed up 10 big logs aleady, several over 30" in diameter, on my OS35 and love it! Assembly was quite a big task but the manual is excellent and Support has been great when ever I had a question! It's not fancy, I didn't get any of the options, so sawing logs is a real workout, but it gets the job done! ! The accuracy of the cut (+/- 1/16) is amazing and the 22 hp engine is perfect for cutting thru hardwoods, including walnut, hickory and oak!”
“This is an incredible piece of equipment enabling you to turn logs into lumber. It’s that simple. Setup is a breeze and it’s built to last. If you are thinking about getting into the portable sawmill game don’t hesitate. Go big right away and do yourself a favor and buy the OS35!”
“Overall, its a decent saw especially for the price. Ive processed several large pines and some smaller hardwoods so far. Full disclosure this is my first saw mill. All of my previous woodworking experience is with smaller table saws, hand saws, etc. My experience:
The good:
- the price, for the size of wood this saw can handle it was one of the most affordable on the market while not being a sketchy brand
- you can get really high quality cuts off of this saw, it took some dialing in likely from my personal inexperience, but was able to get almost perfect smooth cuts consistently with effectively no saw marks
- in general the construction of the saw is solid, heavy duty metal parts used all over, but I do have some specific complaints (see the bad section)
- the mobility is nice, and I have used it in a very limited manner, but I wouldnt say this saw is setup for continuously moving around
The bad:
- assembly was a bear, I watched several of the youtube videos of other people assembling and tried to follow the instructions as best I could, I like to think im fairly competent and handy, but this one wasnt easy. I found several scenarios where I didnt have the right number of bolts or size of bolts and ended up mixing and matching with what I was sent to get over the finish line. One of the major challenges was not all of the hardware bags were clearly labeled or labeled at all. I was also randomly sent parts for a kitchen faucet with my saw which really threw me for a loop
- overall build quality is pretty good but there are some things that really stick out as poor. The biggest concern for me are the jackstands for supporting the saw up off the trailer. The stands are very wobbly and flimsy and I have noticed the saw move substantially when loading logs, ive done my best to create a flat stable landing pad for each of the stands but this is still a major miss, The trailer fenders for the wheels might as well not be installed. They are so flimsy and loosely connected when assembled that I would be afraid they would fall off if actually moving the saw on a road. The crank handle for the saw head to move up and down has already broken off on me as well. Not critical but definitely frustrating.
- I did have a drive belt go bad very early on, and with my lack of experience, ended up ruining 2-3 blades because they kept getting thrown off the drive wheels. The belt ended up twisting in on itself which caused the blade to jump off. I cant fully blame the belt for ruining those blades, but also disappointed that a belt would fail that early in operation. To Frontiers credit, they sent me a free replacement belt once I figured out the issue and called them.
- Not sure if this is on me still, but I do notice quite a bit of saw dust tends to build up inside the drive housing, I do end up having to clean it out usually once or twice per log being cut
Overall, the saw works and you can get good cuts off of it. Its not going to be the top of the line saw with all the frills and best quality you can imagine but its also not the most expensive saw out there.”
“For an entry level cost mill, it is working good. Very much like the horsepower and electric start. I am milling large diameter cottonwood for unique projects and so far I am happy with the mill. I would buy it again.”
