For a origin of timber , as well as a profitable business , a portable sawmill can be a key piece ofequipmenton your farm . The seasonal nature of farming signify there are slack fourth dimension as well as times of low income , and there are always construction projects that range in scope from replacing a few gameboard on the front porch tobuilding a barn .
Wood You Rather?
My first experience with a sawmill was in the early 1980s , assisting on an old circular sawmill feed by a flat swath which was driven by a tractor . Besides the obvious hazard of exploit in the proximity of an unshielded 5 - foot vane that occasionally threw fist - sizing clod of wood in random directions , the mill had the tight habit of throwing the belt ( which also lacked rubber shielding ) . Hardhats and hearing protection were unheard of . Somehow , I managed to keep all consistency parts and some of my listening intact while mill enough lumber to work up the passive solar post - and - ray home where my wife and I raised our kinsfolk ( and still occupy ) .
From that experience , I got “ sawdust in my veins , ” and when portable set - see sawmills became available , I took a serious look at buying one . A isthmus - sawing machine lumbermill is an efficient , low-priced and safe way to covert logs into lumber . These mills are now available in various size and prices , ranging from a $ 3,000 no - frill “ hobby manufactory ” to $ 80,000 production machines with 60 - horespower diesel engines and full hydraulics .
I needed timber for a b and several sheds , and I had a good supply of logs on my own property , so I purchased one . While hydraulic systems were uncommitted , I opted to save some money and purchased it as a manual lumbermill . The engine power the band - saw steel , but muscle power does all the log manipulation .
stripe - saw blades take about a 1⁄8 - column inch kerf — less than half that of the old circle sawmill , which means they recover more baseball bat from each logarithm and need less power to run . The blade be about $ 25 each , last for about four hour of cut oak tree and can be sharpened several times . Manual Mill typically apply air - cooled gas engine in the 7 1⁄2- to 25 - HP range of a function . The 23 - horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine on mine , for example , runs all day on 3 gallons or less of fuel , and swear out a 20 - inch diameter by 8 - groundwork oak log into 2 - by-4s in about half an minute . Dave Boyt
Benefits
Being capable to mill lumber the exact sizing I need is a huge benefit . To replace the decking on my trailer , for example , I milled white oak log into 16 - foot by 13⁄4 - in - boneheaded planks for a perfect convulsion . One of the most coarse postulation for custom - cut lumber is a hearth pall , but a batch of my Sir Henry Wood go to woodworker across the land for slab tabletops and other one - of - a - kind piece of furniture .
Over the past decennary , the mill has provided me with lumber and a germ of income . As word of honor get around that I had a lumbermill , I started getting phone call from neighbour for items including fencing and barn timbers . One of my pet jobs is milling lumber “ soupy ” trees from family belongings . Building furniture from these trees let them remain part of the family for generations . Spring is always a busy time for me , because I live in tornado - prone Missouri . Anyone competent with a chain saw is in mellow demand . latterly , I expend a full day helping a crane manipulator remove a huge tree from the roof of a house in a nearby town and get some beautiful oak tree lumber , as well as request to facilitate remove other polish tree from the storm . Dave Boyt
A portable lumbermill can be a useful tool , even if you do n’t have a author of timbre on your own holding . expanse Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree services are an excellent source of log at a minimum toll , because it saves them the effort of cutting them up and hauling them off to a landfill . They can be a source of a wide diverseness of species , include sycamore , cherry , walnut , sassafras , box elder , elm and hedge . The winder is being available to pick up the log apace , as tree service ordinarily do n’t get paid until the grounds is cleaned up . Woodworkers , in turn , welcome strange species for their projects . Specialty cutting , such as fourth part - sawn sycamore , can bring high prices than walnut , particularly if your mill can cut encompassing slabs .
Dave Boyt
(Saw) Dust in the Wind
If you want to await into sawmilling , a good seat to start is arranging a visit to a local sawyer . Most will be willing to show you the basics , and any three sawyer beetle will have a half - dozen judgment on matters including cutting techniques and which brand of chainsaw is better .
While many sawyers in the main welcome some free labour , do n’t bear them to share their sources or customers with you . It takes years of heavy work to build up a business . It pay off to be flexible . I have set up out in pastures , as well as driveway and front yards in Ithiel Town . Any stage composition of primer with enough space to maneuver the logs can become a web site for milling .
As for the business organisation itself , social media is a sinewy tool to market your service , sell timber and generator logs . I have had some response to ads on Craigslist , but Facebook present people a better idea of who you are and what you have to offer . Repeat customer and give-and-take of mouth keep me pretty in use .
commend business cards . I ’ve had a number of hoi polloi discontinue by while I was milling at a customer ’s locating — or even when fueling the truck — to ask about sawing — or sometimes just wondering what the heck I ’m towing , which provides me with the chance to make up a just yarn before advertize the business .
While many sawyers charge for custom film editing by the board foot , I charge by the hour . Do n’t sell yourself shortsighted . My general rule is to charge three times what my time is worth—1⁄3 of the fee go to fuel , equipment maintenance and amortisation , 1⁄3 for taxis and insurance policy , and 1⁄3 for my pay . With a piddling experience , you may gauge your fee by look at the logs . My fee averages around $ 0.35 per plank foot , but the cost is mellow for small or round-shouldered log , which take longer to ignore and give way less baseball bat .
Tools & Gear
The lumbermill itself is the biggest investment funds in the business , but you need a few other tools . A good chain saw in the 60 - cubic centimetre ’s tops the leaning . In addition , I have a 95 - cc sawing machine with a 42 - inch bar that I utilize to quarter logs too bragging for the pulverisation . ( My criminal record log at this time is a 50 - inch - diameter sycamore . )
Operating a grinder as a mobile service means you need a fomite capable of tow the mill . A four - bicycle - driving , 3⁄4 - net ton flatbed truck is ideal . My manual mill weighs only 1,800 pounds and tow easily , but large James Mill with hydraulics can weigh more than twice that .
A flatbed trailer is also useful for drag log and lumber . I do most of my sullen hauling with a 12,000 - Irish pound gross weight logarithm trailer with electrical brake and breakaway braking system . To load logs either onto the house trailer or on the mill , you need a proficient winch . I use a chainsaw - power winch to parbuckle logs up a duet of ramps , but an galvanising windlass and bass - cps battery can also do the chore . Miscellaneous tools include a ca nt hook for sour logs , a small axe and a twosome of 8 - inch plastic logging wedges .
Dave Boyt
Personal protection equipment deserve special mention as an essential investment in your business sector . For milling , eye protection is a must . I extremely recommend hear protection , brand toe boots and leather glove .
For chainsaw oeuvre , get a duad of chain see chaps and a feller ’s helmet . Chaps will cease a concatenation see before it bites into you . Considering that the average emergency brake room visit for a chainsaw combat injury involves 112 stitches , there is no excuse not to wear them . The helmet includes a hardhat , hear protection and face / eye protection . woods chips choke the sawing machine at close to 60 mph , and it only admit one in the centre to send you to the hospital .
Sawmilling is n’t for everyone , but if you do n’t listen hard work , being out of doors and casual retentive 60 minutes ( on a late chore at the customer ’s location , we finished up after dark , operating by the headlight of several vehicles ) , it can be a great way to make an income . I have made some good friends through the business concern , stimulate to have it off some of my neighbors better , and even wound up with fresh produce , unwarranted mushroom-shaped cloud and dearest for my efforts .
Dave Boyt
If you are interested in setting up a small sawmill , search YouTube for “ Dave Boyt Sawmill ” and that should bring in up a few of my video .
This taradiddle to begin with appear in the September / October 2019 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
Dave Boyt
