i have a lot of questions on doing my own milling.
first let me explain my purpose for doing so. i am having a company come on my land and build a metal siding pole barn and i will be building a house in part of it, my land has a lot of big straight pines on it and i am wanting to use this to cut my own lumber to build my house looking like it would save me around $10000on lumber. Now i know it will take a lot longer and be a ton of extra work but I'm up for it if it saves me a lot of money.
i have been looking at the woodland mills HM130 with a track extension in order to cut at least a 20' board.
what are yalls pros and cons about this machine, preferably the cons, i want to know what is bad about it why and if i can live with it. by watching the videos online of it, it seems to be a solid machine that is very precise.
please let me know yalls opinions.
thanks
Dustin Williams
First thing I would do is to check to see if your country lets you use rough cut for building.
Quote from: Kbeitz on August 11, 2017, 03:15:47 AM
First thing I would do is to check to see if your country lets you use rough cut for building.
Agreed, that's the first step. The rules vary from place to place, so you start there and see what is allowed, and find out the actual rules, and the loopholes. Like getting your plan Engineer approved for "rough sawn" or some other "local lumber" law.
Even if you have to use graded timber for the structural parts, it's usually possible to use all sorts of materials for "non-structural" applications like cladding, floor boards, fittings, trim and furniture etc. The structural studs and trusses are usually not a huge part of the cost, and can be built with cheap (but grade stamped) wood, and never seen again. Wooden flooring and trim (that costs real money) can be used as long as you have the setup to process it.
Other places are basically free to build what you want. In that case, start sawing.
Welcome to the Forestry dwcustomknives
I have the hm126 it's a darn good saw I bet you the hm130 is just as good a saw or better
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, dwcustomknives!
First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
You are contemplating using a "hobby" type sawmill for production sawing. There are reasons why hydraulics for log handling and power feed are available on higher production designed sawmills.
Adding your location to your profile helps with question answering.
That's a question I asked over a year ago when I started making plans to build a cabin. It wasn't long before I bought a HM130 mill and started practicing on some cottonwood logs.
I have yet to get the mill on my remote property and start serious milling. It will happen, but I've got a much clearer perspective on how much time and effort will be involved. If your desire is to get a pole barn built, there's a lot better ways to achieve that goal than using a manual mill on your own trees. if your desire is to spend a heck of a lot of time exploring the different ways of making sawdust then you should buy that mill tomorrow. You may eventually save some money along the way.
A big issue from my view is whether you will want or need to kiln dry the lumber before you use it. That's another degree of complexity and cost that you may not have taken into account. Running your lumber through a kiln will kill any insects that are in the wood and will set the pitch, if that's an issue. Softwood vs hardwood, and your geographic location, will determine what your kiln drying needs might be. I'm fortunate in that pitch doesn't appear to be an issue in my desired white spruce, and bugs are only a concern to the bark of living trees. If you update your profile to show your location, folks might be able to offer some insight.
Also, welcome to the forum!
I have a Woodland Mills HM126 and have only one complaint. It's not hydraulic. Manual mills are a lot of work. But enjoyable. For one person it takes me a while to get one log milled, but I'm not 20 years old anymore either. If I had help and was in better shape I could get a lot more done in a day. I'm dreaming of getting a WM LT35HD or LT40HD one day in the next year or so.
Handling and turning 20' foot logs without hydraulics sound like hard backbreaking work .If you enjoy sawmilling fine but if your just looking at it from $ savings you'll be cheaper to buy your framing lumber.
Thanks for yalls responses.
i know its going to be hard work but i have never been afraid of hard work. where i am located is out of city limits out in the woods off of a couple dirt roads. I will double check on the codes but i doubt it be a big deal, there will not be any load bearing walls in my house since i am building inside of a pole barn that will be built to engineering specs for specific wind and load ratings that are required for this area. So as far as any one is concerned all im doing is having a 40x80 shop built.
i will also be cutting some hard woods to build butcher block counter tops, might even have enough to do hardwoods for the house as well. will be doing a porch across the front and part of the back of the house so there is a lot of work that i can save a ton with a sawmill.
on the wood i was going to be air drying since most of it will be pine and down here it stays in the high 90's till sometime in october and doesnt really get cold till january and february. what i am thinking is when the MC gets lower i can move it into my building and put a big fan on it to help lower it even more, maybe wrong, if i cam please let me know! like i said i am a total newbie to this and am doing a ton of research on this before buying a mill. dont want to just jump feet first with no knowledge at all.
most of my pines i have on my land are around 24" diameter and around 60' tall and straight which is a good thing. hardwoods i have hickory, live oak, white oak and maybe a couple red oaks.
another question, i am planning on buying the linux sharpener that woodland sales, its seems like a pretty simple process to set up and get going. what are yalls thoughts on this sharpener. seems that it would be more beneficial to buy a sharpener versus buying new blades everytime.
thanks
I'm in South Georgia and within a week or two pine is dry enough to use for exterior siding and such. If you have a covered area with open sides to store it run the fans on it 24/7 after you stack it and it'll dry in no time. My problem right now is keeping it from molding even with a fan blowing on it. I've been spraying the boards down with bleach before stacking and it has really helped a lot. If I had a couple of the big 42 inch drum fans to blow on it I would probably not have an issue at all.
Quote from: dwcustomknives on August 12, 2017, 01:53:27 PM
[snip]
most of my pines i have on my land are around 24" diameter and around 60' tall and straight which is a good thing. hardwoods i have hickory, live oak, white oak and maybe a couple red oaks.
Check the Forestry Forum Toolbox (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=toolbox) for the weight of those 24" pines. You'll see why Magicman pointed out the hydraulics on production mills. An all manual mill and operator are happiest with logs about half that diameter.
Quote
another question, i am planning on buying the linux sharpener that woodland sales, its seems like a pretty simple process to set up and get going. what are yalls thoughts on this sharpener. seems that it would be more beneficial to buy a sharpener versus buying new blades everytime.
thanks
Are you sure that's not "Lennox"? Linux (https://www.kernel.org) is an operating system kernel -- software. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe there are sharpeners needing software to operate now. :)
Most of my pine logs are around that size. You just need a good size tractor or something to handle them. I usually use my tractor front end loader and a chain with an old cant hook attached to it and wrap it around the log to turn it on the mill. Get you a 6 foot Logrite cant hook. You'll need it.
Quote from: dwcustomknives on August 12, 2017, 01:53:27 PM
....... having a 40x80 shop built......
......the linux sharpener that woodland sales.........it would be more beneficial to buy a sharpener versus buying new blades everytime. ....
how tall are the walls, and you can always add lean-too's to the sides.
I have a 30x64 pole barn that i am adding 16 foot wide roofs to three of the sides
blade sharpening is a great idea, could either buy one or find a sharpening service.
look on YouTube for some that use a profile stone mounted on a radio arm saw or a chop saw.
I have a Timberking talon sharpener and setter, looks similar to the Woodland Grindlux Blade Sharpener.
before i take the dull blade off i idle down the engine to the lowest speed, then engage the blade clutch, then use an angle grinder with a wire wheel to remove any buildup on the band blade.
i do all of this while standing BEHIND the blade teeth.
also here are some useful sawmill mods
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,7789.msg1397352/topicseen.html#msg1397352
and a Poll on blade angles
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,95785.msg1477473.html#msg1477473
Sawdust blower on a bandmill
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,21322.msg354064.html#msg354064
Building Plans › Miscellaneous
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/miscellaneous
Awesome thanks guys. I have a tractor so I should be able to handle the logs. I won't be doing it by myself anyways.
I will be able to store the lumber in my shop to aid in drying as well as use several big shop fans.
Thanks for the links. I will read over them. Been reading a ton on air drying. I will take into consideration about the mold. I'll do the bleach spray for sure.
I'll be using most of this lumber at first for framing my house on the inside. What would y'all recommend for the MC for framing. Below 15%??
You can frame with green lumber right off the mill as long as it's got good airflow. My shop I'm building now used the lumber for the floor joist same day I cut it or within the next day or week. Especially SYP. It dries fast. You may not even have the mold issue I've had. It's very humid here. I know most of Texas is pretty dry.
I know little about pine and nothing about pine in TX. Would you need to set the pitch? I hear about some pine in some places oozing pitch when it gets hot.
Looking into this now could save a TON of headache later.
Help with the sawmilling and a plan to handle and store the lumber properly is as important as hydraulics. Sounds like you've got help and have a plan. If you frame with lumber that's not completely dry, just don't close up the walls before it drys below 20%. Usually you get good air drying in a frame as long it's not covered on both sides.
Being psychic as I am, and also able to pick up on subtle clues, I'm getting the sense that you might be into the knife making or have a close relative that is. I wouldn't mind seeing a link or little info about what you do with knives.
Quote from: TKehl on August 12, 2017, 05:47:30 PM
I know little about pine and nothing about pine in TX. Would you need to set the pitch? I hear about some pine in some places oozing pitch when it gets hot.
Looking into this now could save a TON of headache later.
i have no idea what you mean by pitch, can you explain?
i am probably going to get the MC to below 20% before i even start framing.
Quote from: btulloh on August 12, 2017, 06:11:07 PM
Help with the sawmilling and a plan to handle and store the lumber properly is as important as hydraulics. Sounds like you've got help and have a plan. If you frame with lumber that's not completely dry, just don't close up the walls before it drys below 20%. Usually you get good air drying in a frame as long it's not covered on both sides.
Being psychic as I am, and also able to pick up on subtle clues, I'm getting the sense that you might be into the knife making or have a close relative that is. I wouldn't mind seeing a link or little info about what you do with knives.
heres my website to my knives. just as a disclaimer, because i have had forums get up tight about this, i am not trying to undermine anyone or company that may be a sponsor to this forum that sales knives of any sorts.
dwcustomknives.com
Thanks for the link. You do nice work.
You must be in east Texas to have the trees you listed. That put you close to fishfighter, a member of some notoriety. ;D
Pitch is the resin in pine trees. Some species are more resinous than others. Pine pitch in framing lumber is not so much of problem, but if you use pine inside, say for paneling or trim, the pitch will bleed forever and leave a sticky surface. Setting the pitch is done by raising the temperature for 24 hours, usually to around 160F. It hardens the pitch and keeps it from oozing and bleeding. Check out the drying and processing forum. It is frequently a topic of discussion.
Quote from: btulloh on August 12, 2017, 06:44:47 PM
Thanks for the link. You do nice work.
You must be in east Texas to have the trees you listed. That put you close to fishfighter, a member of some notoriety. ;D
Pitch is the resin in pine trees. Some species are more resinous than others. Pine pitch in framing lumber is not so much of problem, but if you use pine inside, say for paneling or trim, the pitch will bleed forever and leave a sticky surface. Setting the pitch is done by raising the temperature for 24 hours, usually to around 160F. It hardens the pitch and keeps it from oozing and bleeding. Check out the drying and processing forum. It is frequently a topic of discussion.
ahh gotcha, wont be using any pine inside for finishing or at least not right off so i can come up with something to heat it with later. Thank you
Don't be concerned with the pitch on framing lumber. Also the first framing lumber that you saw and sticker will be plenty dry by the time that you get to using it. Stack it outside covered with metal roofing and then move it inside as needed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1765.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1386728258)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/DSCN1788.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1386944051)
Here are pictures of framing lumber for a new home that was sawn in 4½ days by 6 people, with a Wood-Mizer Lt40 and a Wood-Mizer edger.
Nice!!!!!! I can't wait to get started!
Most of my lumber will be 10' and over. We will have 10' ceilings in all rooms except living which will be 12'. Since it will be in a pile barn I won't have to worry about rafters!!
I took a look at your website and those knives are killer. If I dare look again you will have a customer :D
I like the rattle snake scabbard
https://www.dwcustomknives.com/gallery?lightbox=image_nb1
Thank y'all very much!
At the moment I am not taking orders due to fixing to start this house project so I won't be in the knife shop for a while.
You should look at the EZ Boardwalk mills
You will like the hp on big logs