Any Sawmill owners?

[sheepfarmer]

Interesting. Have a good friend in the pallet business with a huge woodlot and he has a mill. It's a big one. I think it was over 20 grand and it turns out some serious dimensional lumber for his pallet business.

One thing that I've always wondered about is what happens to the bandsaw blade if you hit something in the tree like a rock or some metal?

Reason I ask is because I have an Alaskan chainsaw mill and I've ruined chains before.

I have to agree, for personal use, you can buy truckloads of dimensional dried umber for the cost of admission.

The bandsaw blade is generally toast. The better the mill the more expensive the blade. Mills cutting veneer won't touch logs from farms or residences for fear of hitting embedded wire or nails. Too costly.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

The bandsaw blade is generally toast. The better the mill the more expensive the blade. Mills cutting veneer won't touch logs from farms or residences for fear of hitting embedded wire or nails. Too costly.

Saw mills up here Xray logs for that reason and other reasons too.

 

[Ike]

Sawmill blades are actually tough. I have hit and cut in half alum pulleys. nails and bullets. Those did not ruin the blade just had to sharpen it. I hit some 3/8 la bolts once and that made me crap my pants. Slipped the belt plus stripped all the teeth off the blade. I see someone talking about an hourly or daily fee. This is not a good idea reason being if there is several blade changes a day you could lose an hour or more. Stop for lunch with a daily fee you pay for it. I have heard a lot of stories about other mills that sawed before me but I never passed any of this on as it was not my practice to run another bus down just to get work. I had several large customers that I sawed for many times, Many were contractors that used the trees they removed from the sub div and used them back into the houses they built on this lots. There are 2 of theses in the Holland area that I sawed all the floors and 90% of the trim in the houses. I charged by the BF and only charged a setup fee if I had to move the mill once it was set up

 

[RCW]

Saw mills up here Xray logs for that reason and other reasons too.

Maple spiles are a concern in syrup country.

Plastic taps have been common for years, but it takes a sugar maple 60+ years to reach marketable size, and they can reach 200+ years old easy.

 

[Newlyme]

.....One thing that I've always wondered about is what happens to the bandsaw blade if you hit something in the tree like a rock or some metal? ....

I used to work in a pallet shop many...well a long time ago. We got our wood the next step in the logging process, from the local sawmills. Occasionally you could hear the bang in the machinery from the foreign objects in the lumber. Hoping you didn’t get hit with the stuff flying out. Sometimes when pulling the wood out and separating it you find a bullet cut in half. We changed a few blades.
No X-rays back then.

 

[Ike]

Maple spiles are a concern in syrup country.

Plastic taps have been common for years, but it takes a sugar maple 60+ years to reach marketable size, and they can reach 200+ years old easy.

As long as they are aluminum they just knock the set out of the blade. Steel ones that someone made they ruin the blade. That worst thing I ever hit was a steel cable that someone hung over a branch and it grew into the tree plus the horse shoe hanging on the other side of the same tree

 

[Mike.O]

Replies keep coming... Great! thanks guys!

So I guess at the end of the day, can decent dimensional lumber milled?Disregarding the hard work, low production rates and the need for lots of trees, can it be done with a step above the cheapest mill?

I understand and am greatly appreciative of all the posts, but it seems like the general consensus is it's slow and hard work. Also, plan on wasting trees. I'm ok with all that, I just would hate to sink $5000 into something and have a total turd or need to invest thousands more in upgrades or repairs.

If decent lumber can be milled, with maybe a 10 pack of blades and not much more expense, I could deal with all the other drawbacks. It would be my dad and myself working with no specific timetable or deadline, just two civil engineers playing in the woods.

I just can't shake the idea.

 

[RCW]

So I guess at the end of the day, can decent dimensional lumber milled?Disregarding the hard work, low production rates and the need for lots of trees, can it be done with a step above the cheapest mill?

Hell, it can be done with the cheapest mill.

You will be milling wet/damp wood. Of course, everything should be stickered for a while out of the weather.

Even still, stuff can twist some after milling. If I remember right, air drying is 1 year per inch of lumber thickness...

 

[SidecarFlip]

You can make descent dimensional lumber with an Alaskan too. Just takes a long time and makes a lot of chips.

If i was to build a log home, an Alaskan and suitable saw would be a necessity.

 

[RCW]

You can make descent dimensional lumber with an Alaskan too. Just takes a long time and makes a lot of chips.

If i was to build a log home, an Alaskan and suitable saw would be a necessity.

I hauled the butt log from a broken-off black cherry out years ago - guessing 28" dbh or so, maybe 7-8' long. Nice short log.

Borrowed a buddy's bolt-on mill thingy and sawed 'er up. Had a Shindawa 575 (?) at the time, made it work....and cherry isn't very hard.

Made some pretty darn good 8-quarter boards....

 

[RCW]

That worst thing I ever hit was a steel cable that someone hung over a branch and it grew into the tree plus the horse shoe hanging on the other side of the same tree

Not with a mill, but once was felling a big hollow beech.

Gotta be careful with those......back cut with top of bar and suddenly gray dust starts blowing out with the sawdust away from me.....B.F. rock had heaved up into the hollow tree.

After a new chain, she came down...I hate beech.....

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'm lazy. I have large enough Kubota's that I cut them halfway through and push them over. I leave about 8 foot sticking up and then chain the end and pop out the stump. Amazing how the lever works.

 

[Ike]

Not with a mill, but once was felling a big hollow beech.

Gotta be careful with those......back cut with top of bar and suddenly gray dust starts blowing out with the sawdust away from me.....B.F. rock had heaved up into the hollow tree.

After a new chain, she came down...I hate beech.....

I sawed a lot f walnut and much came from in the woods. It was like a magnet. I don't think I ever sawed one that did not have a nail or some metal in it. Porcelin iinsulators the bade did not even scratch them but sure removed the teeth. The nail holding them on was hard and it did wonders for the blade

 

[Clintsfolly]

I have rented a Woodmizer a few times and find it to be better then buying. No upkeep,no repair and no sharpening. Plus you get someone that know how to run it and should know how to get the best from your logs.

 

[Ed Hill]

Ed Hill's Shade-Sawn Lumber: I am a retired forester, so I thought it would be interesting to sawtopsy trees. I bought a used Wood-mizer LT-15 with the 12 volt feed. A nice unit, though I found I broke several blades before I learned to properly secure the logs on the frame. I searched for and found a 6 foot peavey in order to turn the larger pine logs I had to saw. I bought a used M7040 Kubota because the L4330 I had couldn't quite pick up the larger logs I was getting. I now have a yard full of air drying lumber. I have learned the effect of high broken branches on the inner tree; how far butt rot can creep up; the effect of tension wood in a leaning tree; the amazing work of beetle grubs in downed wood. Bullets and aluminum are no problem to saw through, but it is very bad to saw into the log dogs on the mill, and the blade is ruined rapidly. If you sharpen them yourself, you could save them, maybe, but when you send them out, the sharpener throws them away! As a retirement hobby, with no pressure to make a profit, a small saw mill is enjoyable. I would say, anyone else should seek an itinerant professional, and enjoy watching him or her saw your logs into lumber. The biggest pain, by the way, is moving and stacking lumber, handling slabwood and disposing of all the sawdust. The actual sawing goes along good.

 

[DaTow'd]

We have a Mobile Dimension Saw Mill that sat on a floating barge 80 nautical miles from the Pacific Ocean for many years. The industrial VW engine is made from aluminum/magnesium and was very badly corroded being in the sea water air,
I rebuilt another engine from parts from a '72 Bug engine using the old crank shaft and cooling tin and thrust bearing from the old engine.
It is amazing machine that can handle any size log. You dial in the size board you want it cuts the accurate board and then the engine and blades return back to the start bringing the new board with it. Dial in another board size and while you are stacking it the machine makes another, it will keep you busy.

there are some cool youtubes on it working
great machine
cheers
Hank