portable mill capable of sawing 12"x12"x40' in New York State

[gus1957]

 Hello,

I'm looking for some one to set up on the farm to saw white pine logs into beams to repair barn sills that are 40' long.

Or maybe buy a mill and which one for that length?

Thank you

[Dan_Shade]

how many logs do you have?  if not too many, an alaskan jig could do the trick for you

[Mobilesawyer]

You might want to consider scarfing a couple of 20 foot pieces together.
This way you stand a better chance of finding a sawmill with a twenty foot capacity.
Even if you go this way you are going to have to provide some kind of ground handling equipment because a 20 foot log that will yeild a 12"x12" beam is going to be heavy.
A swinger sounds like an option but you will have to roll the log over (grunt).
There is on available in the for sale section. :

Good Luck

[DanG]

Welcome Gus!  There are several sawyers on the forum that are in your state, but I don't know if any of them can handle the 40' length.

You've sure come to the right place if you're considering buying a mill.  There is a load of info on selecting the best mill for your purpose.  Ironically, the smaller manual mills adapt more easily to long logs, since adding more track is all you have to do.

[Dave Shepard]

Howdy gus, welcome to the forum. I second the suggestion of scarfing to shorter pieces together. You will still need timbers that are probably 21', as there will be a little overlap. A sill scarf is very simple, it can be as easy as a short half-lap, not like a three foot long stop-splayed scarf with undersquinted butts. ;) :D Do you have any decay resistant species for the sills? If the pine gets any moisture, it won't last long at all. White oak or black locust would be great choices.

Dave

[gus1957]

I meant 12"x12"x40' long. They were originally hand hewn local Hemlock built around 1840.

The barn is 25'x40' - 2.5 stories.

Unfortunately the floor cross beams were cut ruining the integrity of the post & beam frame and floor boards removed to drive heavier machinery through the barn.

And then upstairs there was a 1956 hay mow fire. The fire company removed 1/2 of the tin roof to let the heat out and get water in. So rafters and upstairs beams are charred.

So I need to start with sills- get them up on rock, some wall studding, upstairs replacements and then all new siding,doors & windows.

So I will have more sawing to do then just the beams.

We already had this barn moved a mile down the road and away from the snow plows on side of road to a hay field and have been lambing 60 ewes in it for 10 years -- now this needs serious work or it won't last another 150 years. The sills were already decaying when we moved it on to #2 stone perimeter drain ditch.

I wish I had big Hemlock or White Oak - but none here.

We are thinking about restoring as best as possible to a shop and hay storage and make an addition for sheep - keeping manure away from the wood frame.

I plan on dropping the biggest Pines on the farm this fall and check their size and condition to see what we  really have to work with for lumber to finalyze mill size.

I apprecaite all the ideas possible -- thanks.

I've hand hewn an 8"x8"x25'  pine beam and that is a lot of work.

[stonebroke]

Try getting in touch with Hudsons in barneveld. They sell a lot of manual mills and could get you in touch with one of their customers.

Stonebroke

[stonebroke]

You might also think about putting the upright beams on concrete piers. That would get them out of the sheep manure.

Stonebroke

[gus1957]

 I called Hud-Son and they don't recommend cutomers - only sell mills.And I got info. on them.

Thanks

[Dan_Shade]

call the local dealers, they keep track of that stuff....

the push through mills definately have an advantage for really long stuff.

[Brad_S.]

Along the lines of what Dan mentioned, I once saw an article on an Alaskan mill setup that cut an 80' bridge beam!
Though not portable, Pioneer Mill Works in Farmington, NY, (about 3.5 hours from you to the west) may be able to handle 40'. They had two Woodmizers attached to each other that could handle 40' but I they recently stepped up to a better quality sawmill ( ;D) and I don't know if they kept the 40' capacity.
http://www.pioneermillworks.com/
I am not a big fan of the company and they are not known for modest pricing, but if you must have a 40' beam, they may be an option.

[Dave Shepard]

If you are on the east end of NY, I know a good guy to go to in Stephentown. He has a WM with a 24' BX. He has gone portable with it in the past, but I would guess you would have to make it worth his while.


Dave

[Sawmill Dave]

Gus,

As Brad S mentioned before about Pioneer Millwork in Farmington, NY they have a Timber Harvester sawmill that would handle 40' length barn beems. They square the beem then send it to a Timber Harvester grade Resaw system 12" X 12" Capacity. They would probably be able to work out a price for you. They also have a high speed Weinig Moulder if you needed them to process the wood after. Have a great day.

Sawmill Dave

[krusty]

Gus....you need to hew that log!

[Engineer]

I don't know of anyone in your area that can handle 40' with a portable mill.   Actually, that's going to be somewhat difficult anyway - for a Wood-Mizer, you'd have to have the main mill plus a 24' extension and connect them on site.  Probably will be somewhat expensive.   If you foresee a lot of this type of work, long beams that is, a used LT40 manual mill and a new 24' extension from WM might be a good bet.  I don't think a bunch of extensions for an LT15 will be economical.   Cheapest route would be an Alaskan mill, but I don't know how hard it would be to saw 40-footers with a chainsaw mill.

If you'd want to buy the beams, I think Mead Lumber in Queensbury, NY can do something that big.  Not sure though.

[Dave Shepard]

I was a participant in sawing a few 32 footer with an alaskan, it's something I'd like to avoid in the future. ;)


Dave

[Dan_Shade]

The alaskan definately wouldn't be fun, but it's an affordable and viable method to get the job done. 

A lot of it depends on how many beams are needed.

[Haytrader]

Ironically, the smaller manual mills adapt more easily to long logs, since adding more track is all you have to do. Quote from DanG.

It really doesn't matter what color of mill, as long as you accomplish your goal, to saw the desired length and width, which is what you asked advice for. There are several black, blue, red, alluminum and others that can be extended easily to do what you want to do.

[DanG]

Gus, after all you've said about your project, I'm thinkin' you oughta be thinkin' more about buying a small, manual bandmill.  I would be looking at something in the class of the Woodmizer LT15, Timberking 1220, Norwood Lumbermate, or whatever Baker's current small model is.  I wouldn't go for the smallest, such as the LT10 or Baker Woodbuddy, as your logs will likely be too big for them.  I just think you would be much more satisfied with having the ability to cut your own lumber for a project like you are facing.  With the investment being well under 10 grand, the mill will more than pay for itself on the project, and it will be worth most of what you have in it when you're through, IF you can bear to part with it. ;D

[Dave Shepard]

A log that will yield a 12"x12"x40' is going to have to be at least 16" small end, how big is it going to be at the butt? Unless you have some really straight trees with minimal taper, that is going to be one heck of a log to try and make a beam out of. Not trying to scare you away from the project, but it is going to be an undertaking without proper equipment.


Dave

[beenthere]

For a sill, seems scarfing a couple two or even three 12x12's would be the thing to do, and then maybe could go to a better species, such as white oak.
I'm with Dave on the size of the butt of a 40' log that will yield the 12x12 timber.
And I think you should be scared  ;D ;D ;D
But hopefully it is taken as just additional ideas to consider. 

[DanG]

Creating those beams will be a challenge for sure, but it will be a fun and rewarding challenge.  Doing something like that requires some extraordinary logs and extraordinary effort.  That's why you can't trot down to Lowe's and pick up a 12x12x40 for 50 cents a board foot.

Fast forward about 50-odd years and imagine some old guy telling his grandson, "See that old barn over there?  I once met the fellow that moved that barn, back when I was a kid.  He made the biggest beams I ever seen with this little tiny sawmill.  Folks can't do things like that anymore."

;)

I've got trees right here in my yard that would make those beams and could be handled on a LT15.

[Ianab]

This is one way of doing it.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=8172.msg110736#msg110736

The 12x12 does complicate life with a swingblade beacause you will need to roll and re-level the log 1/2 way through sawing it. But given enough trach extensions it can be done. ;)

Cheers

Ian

[Brad_S.]

Fast forward about 50-odd years and imagine some old guy telling his grandson, "See that old barn over there?  I once met the fellow that moved that barn, back when I was a kid.  He made the biggest beams I ever seen with this little tiny sawmill.  Folks can't do things like that anymore."

Hopefully the story teller would also add: "It was a tiny machine that used one of those old time internal combustion engines that burned fossil fuel." :D

I don't think we're giving Gus1957 (btw, a very good year) enough credit. He states he has hand hewn a 25' beam so he must have some concept of how a log squares down, and he is ready to fell some large trees on his land for this project, so he must have some comfort level in the woods.
I'm with small manual mill, extra long track school of thought.

[Dave Shepard]

I am not second guessing Gus1957's ability, just brainstorming. If you put an idea out on the table, then nobody can say "Hey, you never told me about that!" ;) I would say that a manual mill with a bunch of track sections would be more versatile than a chainsaw mill. It will be quicker for both beams and scantlings. Remember, Gus1957, you should do what feels right to you, we can find plenty of ways to skin a cat for you. ;) ;D Buying your own mill is probably going to be more initial investment, but you will have the ability to saw out whatever you need, whenever you need it.


Dave