Sawmills break. Fact. After-sale serviceability is perhaps more important than anything!Hit something metallic in a log, break a belt or drop a log in the wrong spot, all real and common things that happen.
The ability to get your mill repaired and back in service without major headaches should be considered in the buying process. The best companies don’t just make sawmills, they’ve got as many or more people dedicated to servicing, repairing and improving their products. Some even keep all service records for customers so when they sell the mill the new owner has an entire service history. Kinda like that guy who kept all his oil change receipts on that Honda Civic for 300,000 miles? Yea, that.
If you plan to use the mill professionally or operate VERY remote, having easy maintenance and serviceable parts on hand is imperative to success. Downtime is money for any sawyer, but when parts are out of reach and the job must get done you won’t regret having a machine built with service in mind.
Then again if milling is your hobby, maybe grinding, welding and fabricating is too? So if you love to tinker, all you need to know is will your grounding clamp fit on the steel! It is made of steel, right?