Sawyer-to-be

[Shawn]

Hello all! Thank you for this forum! As a long time Woodworker I'm looking to build my own mill. I don't want to make a living from it, I'll leave that to the professionals. I would like my mill to pay for itself and provide me with years of lumber,  then I'd be happy. I'm looking for some tips, links, advice on building a mill. I have seen many home-made sawmills online & must admit that with a coat of paint, they look like the Manufactured machines. I'm looking for a capacity for about a 8 Ft log, about 30" in dia. I have a couple trees that would make great kitchen cabinets in my home. Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Shawn...
Brownstown, MI

[Radar67]

Shawn, Welcome to the forum.

You will find a lot of good information here. The search feature is awesome, just about anything you need to know in the archives. Good luck with your project.

Stew

[woodbowl]

 You can use the search at the top of the toolbar to find almost anything. Here are a couple. Welcome to the forum.


https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=11591.0 https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=13729.0

[DanG]

Welcome aboard!  Here's your first tip:  Don't restrict yourself to only 8 feet.  What happens when someone gives you a 10 foot log?  You don't want to lop 2 feet off and send it to the stove.  At least make it expandable.

[Tom]

With a little shopping you might find a used mill, already engineered, for what you could build a mill.

[Shawn]

DanG,
I have (had now) a 4'x8' trailer bought from harbor freight. I'm going to use the 20" wheels and axle. The steel  frame, along  with 4-7' pieces of c-channel will be 2-7' long rails. So I will be able to cut up to 12 logs. PROBLEM? I probably can't move anything longer than 8' now. If I find a reasonable( and old) tractor then my capacity will go up.
I also have a OLD Wisconsin horizontal motor. I can't make out the HP, but it does have a 1" Output shaft. I just have to rebuild the carb.

[Tom]

Shawn,

Don't limit yourself to shorter than 16 feet.

16 feet makes joists, rafters, fence boards and a lot of other stuff that you would have trouble with on a shorter mill.    10' is minimum for cabinet wood.  You can haul 10' in the back of a pickup.

[DanG]

You don't have to have a tractor, or anything else special to load large logs.  All you really need is a pocket full of ideas, which you can get right here on the ForestryForum, and a bit of want-to.  Our point is, if you set out to build your own mill, you are going to put your heart and soul into it.  Don't skimp on it just because you don't have the support equipment at hand already.  Those things will come in due time.

[rbarshaw]

If I did this right this is a mill that I built, should give you some ideas,


https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=11591.0

I did do it right, what do ya know!

[stumpy]

I agree with Tom and DanG. Don't limit yourself to 8'. Your ability to move logs around is affected more by diameter than length. A 8' by 30" log is much harder to handle than a 12' by 20" 

[Lud]

I too am a longtime woodworker and now a newbie sawyer.  Was going to build my own and have some pieces /parts but found  a right size mill for the right price ,  got it and started sawing.  It's great! 

Do you want to saw or build a saw?


•    Do you have the storage space and drying time?


•    A few trees or a decent amount of forest or a good supply of the spiecies you  work with?
  
  
You found the right place for research!  Read the old threads and work the Search.

  RBarshaw's a flat out genius of making do.

Welcome to the Forum! ;) ;) ;)

[Shawn]

Thanks for all your help. I was wondering how to calculate how much a log weights.

[Coon]

Look to your left hand side of where you are reading.  You may have to scroll up or down a bit but there is a little red tool box.  Click on it and check it out, its very useful and straight forward.

[DonE911]

welcome to the forum. 

As others have said you don't need the support equipment....  it would be nice, but you don't have to have it.  I don't have any heavy equipment, but I can do alot with what I do have. 

I moved some big ones with just a cant hook and some rachet straps.  I use my 4 wheeler for just about everything...  have an Future Forestry Atv Arch on the way to make make it even more of a logging tool.   If you want to saw that big ole log, you'll think of a way to load it....and if you can't someone here will devise a plan... the plan will prolly work too ;)

I considered building a mill for $$$ reasons.  I finally decided I wanted to saw, but I really didn't want to build the saw first.   I started small (Logosol chainsaw mill) and worked up ( Peterson 10" WPF)
Some day I may get a skidsteer or tractor loader....

[Don K]

welcome to the Forum!  This is a great place to hang out. There is a lot of good information here and a little shinanigans going on too. I make do with a borrowed tractor to skid logs and a cant hook to load my little mill, but hey I'm making sawdust just like the big boys  ;D  ;D

[Shawn]

GOOD NEWS!!! I was helping my wifes dog rescue friends this past weekend and guess what I drove?...A bobcat 440. I spoke with the lady who runs the rescue & It was borrow from the neighbor. She went on to say who the lady that owns the bobcat doesn't take care of it. I told her I would be willing to trade maintenace time for use time. What a deal. She will talk to her. The 440 is small and old. But it should push/pull the logs where I need them.

Any mobile sawyers in SE Michigan looking to share in some lumber?

How long does it take for lumber to dry?

BTW, check out Secondchancedobes.com