Portable Saw Mill

[schwalby]

I may be a step closer to being able to start my build!!!

Question is does anyone here have any experience with portable / small saw mills? Something like the Wood-mizer LT10. http://www.woodmizer.com/us/PortableEquipment/ManualSawmills/LT10Sawmill.aspx

There is going to be a decent amount of pine to clear and the thought is why not use it. Hoping to be able to make wood planks for interior work, either in the garage or living space above. Trying to learn how long the wood needs to dry. Should it sit awhile as logs first or best to cut asap and stack, with air gaps, under cover.

I do have access to a nice old planner and joiner which will be moved on site when the time comes.

Any input, advice, general knowledge?

 

[sberry]

Its about like buying a drain oil furnace cause you have 5 gallons of old oil to get rid of, personally I would figure out what I wanted, cut list, and pay someone with that type of mill to do it, be done without investment. There are lots of sites for that crowd with good info on drying,, times and methods.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Take your logs to a sawyer to get them cut. It's cheaper than buying a portable mill and the cost is very reasonable for rough cut. I just had an big red oak, one hickory and a poplar cut for a total of $366. I will still need to let it air dry for another 9 to 12 months but then a trip thru the planer and joiner will give me a bunch of nice 2x lumber for work benches. Can't wait for a red oak frame with a hickory top in the new garage......

By the way, that load of lumber maxed out a twin axle 24' trailer.

 

[demographic]

You are possibly well aware of this already but there's a very good milling forum HERE which covers equipment from chainsaw mills through woodmizers and so on.

Its well worth doing a search on there and finding out as much as you can.

Regards Scott.

 

[schwalby]

Thanks Scott I will definitely check that forum out. I had found a few forums but you never know how good the info is, that is why I asked here. But now I have a recommendation so good to go.

I had thought about bringing the wood to a saw mill but 1) nothing that local and 2) I don't own a full size truck or a trailer so it would take a **** load of trips to haul it all back and forth. I am going to be looking at over 2,500 board feet to just do the lower area.

I am guessing the $3,000 for a new mill would be earned back when needed that many board feet.

 

[southalabama]

After a hurricane a buddy couldn't get anyone to salvage is timber. He bought a used woodmizer. He bought one with hydraulics and a trailer. I would definitely get those features. He also bought their blade sharpening tool. After he cut all his wood, he sold it for the same price he paid.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You have to dry it.

 

[Lugnut64052]

I have an Alaskan chain saw mill. I run it on an 076 Stihl engine with a 36" bar. Works great, highly flexible, easy to pack out into the timber, but is pretty labor intensive. I believe they're only a couple of hundred bucks, but you do have to add in the price of bars and chains if you do a lot of cutting.

If you decide to look into chain saw mills, there are lots of You Tube videos.

Finally, the classic work on milling with chain saws is Chainsaw Lumbermaking. They're scarce and pricy....you can get one here.

 

[930dreamer]

A friend in the PNW called in a sawyer and they fell it, cut it to size and stacked it to dry on sight.

 

[5lima30]

If you are going to use the lumber for interior work you really should have it kiln dried. In this area we pay about .20-.25 a board ft. to run it through the kiln. IMHO it is well worth it and a bonus is it kills any insects in the lumber.

 

[roalco]

X2 on Will Malloffs book. The best reading on cs milling ( actually, milling in general) you will ever find. Out of print and a steal at under a hundred bucks. One hands on book you will never get rid of!

 

[383 240z]

My buddy just had a woodmiser LT25 out at his farm, it was on loan for a few weeks, we used the **** out of it. Things I learned, only run the water on drip, or it plugs the exhaust chute, 2 have a skid steer handy to load the logs, did you know they are heavy?? It REALLY helps to have 2 people on hand to work it, you can make a big pile of scrap in a hurry helps to have somebody to help move the boards and stack them, 1st pass, one siders,ect. also blades, Have a bunch of them on hand, we went thru about 10 of them total (we cut a little over 5000 board ft). Then after we were done I found that I can get flooring grade cherry 1" x random width x random length. from a local Amish sawyer for $0.20 a board foot $0.06 more if I want it planed. Yes that is not a misprint, I ordered enough to do the second floor on my house (about 1300 sq ft) He sells first cut (furniture grade) cherry for $1.20 per BF. I will be ordering enough for the first floor this spring. Keith

 

[bacpacker]

A buddy of mine has a woodmiser and has cut at least 5-6000 ft for me. It does a good just with very little waste, when compared to a circular mill. There is some techniques to sawing the lumber but nothing difficult.
You will want to stack and sticker the lumber after it's sawn. The stickers go in a vertical row between each layer of lumber, every 24 inches for the full length. How long for it to dry without running it thru a Kiln depends greatly on where you store it and the humidity of your location.

 

[demographic]

Finally, the classic work on milling with chain saws is Chainsaw Lumbermaking. They're scarce and pricy....you can get one here.

X2 on Will Malloffs book. The best reading on cs milling ( actually, milling in general) you will ever find. Out of print and a steal at under a hundred bucks. One hands on book you will never get rid of!

Erm Cough, cough

 

[roalco]

Erm Cough, cough

Yeah, but nothing like the roar of 137cc of 090 chewing through a log.....
;-)

 

[demographic]

Yeah, but nothing like the roar of 137cc of 090 chewing through a log.....
;-)

Its very rare indeed to see an 090 for sale over here, there's more 070s, 084s and Husky 3120s and even they are quite rare. I suppose we just don't have that many massive trees.

 

[Lugnut64052]

090s are fairly scarce over here too. Thanks for the link, by the way.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have hired a local with saw mill three times and each day did 2,000 plus board feet of lumber. Only one time did he have to change the blade, and even then he said it was dull from the last time he had used it. He sharpens his own and carries plenty of extra's. The more dirt and mud on the wood the more often you dull blades. And yes it will work you to death as they can saw faster than you can sticker and stack the pile by yourself. Also cover the stack with tin, fiberglass hd tarps , etc to let it air dry without rain going through the stack from the top. Leave it out for at least a year before you start trying to work the wood. At $200 each time he came it would take a long time to buy the $30,000 wood miser hydraulic he used and pay a helper for the days labor.

 

[roalco]

Its very rare indeed to see an 090 for sale over here, there's more 070s, 084s and Husky 3120s and even they are quite rare. I suppose we just don't have that many massive trees.

Well out here on the wet (I mean west!) coast of BC they were used for years for the big stuff, now they are mostly relegated to collecting dust, and backyard milling as the workers safety cops ruled years ago that saws without chain brakes were verboten in the workplace. I still have a nearly new 090AV (last model) in the shop but mostly use a couple of old husky 2100s for most milling ( except if I REALLY need to use the 60" bar!). Funny thing I've noticed tho'... The older I get the heavier those saws get... Go figger....