Thinking about going into business

[lineguy82]

I'm new to the site. I'm a lineman by trade, but raised a farmer. I want a mill that can produce but won't break the bank( I've got a baby at home). What do you guys suggest?

[thecfarm]

lineguy,welcome to the forum, First question,been around a mill before? You need buyers for lumber,not just the one that say they will buy,show me the money. ;D Others will post.

[mikeb1079]

well i suppose that depends on what you mean by produce but....

if you're thinking about milling some for personal and some for sale i would think a manual mill would do just fine.  they can put out alot of wood if you wanna work.  that's what i've been doing.  after a while you'll have a whole shed full of slabs.   ;D  the usual suspects are wm lt10, ez boardwalk jnr, norwood lumberlite, etc etc....

these all can be had for under 5k and have decent resale if you want to upgrade.

if you want to be portable and saw for others as a business part time i wouldn't be w/o hydraulics.  but it's a large jump in price with used machines starting out around 10k.

[drobertson]

 Lineguy I have to say how big is the bank?  I always tell folks that ask me about my mill, a super lt 40, 32k worth new, the original payments were 700/month,  can a pick up truck make this payment and then some? This is a conservative number, but if you can cut four or five logs a day you can pay for the mill if you can sell the lumber.

[Schramm]

I never discourage people for getting into business, but I am hoping that you are thinking about keeping your day job and making this a weekend job until you get a feel for it.  Owning a running a business takes a lot of work, effort and sometimes for a $0 return when you are just starting out.  However if you have a good gig and are looking to supplement your income with some additional money to see how it goes you will do well.  I have owned my own business since I was 18 and I am now 47 and as with all businesses there are ups and downs and on your ups you have to prepare for the downs because there are downs.  I started as painter (painting mostly Victorian Homes), then moved into decorative painting and for the last 9 years have been making antique mirrors and selling them all over the world.  My suggestion to all that are thinking of starting a business is dont loose you day gig til you have what you want to do set in place and PAID FOR!  I do not take loans out for anything but not everyone can do that so I can only speak for myself but I always buy what is within my means even if it is the lesser machine until I can afford better.  I choose the Wood-Mizer Lt10 not because I couldnt afford better but I think that it is a great entry level machine and will serve me well for what I am going to do.  I do not want to discourage you I am just saying these things cause business is rough and requires you A LOT and takes you away from family when you really want to be there.  Customers come first and if they dont, you wont have any!  Keep this in mind this is only my opinion but something to think about.

Rob

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Lineguy, Welcome. Congrats on the Baby. 

Check out the "FOR SALE" topic on the Forestry forum home page. There may be some mills on there and you can get an idea of what a GOOD used one is going for.

[Magicman]

First, Welcome to the Forestry Forum,    lineguy82. 

New is good, but do not overlook the used market.  There is a "For Sale" board here on the FF, as well as several other sites. 

Yes, you can make a few $$$, but you need to decide what your market will be and then develop it.  That sounds easy, but not always is.  In my case, I thought that I would saw and sell lumber, but as it worked out, I found a market in the portable sawing end of the business.  Some sawyers do develop a selling market and some do both.

[customsawyer]

Welcome to the forum.

[bandmiller2]

Lineguy welcome,it takes a good job to support a sawmill,thats not too far from the truth.To start consider it a hobby cut for yourself and branch out to friends and customers.You will know if its for you and if you can turn a buck.If you have the location and the skill a used circular mill is the most bang for your buck.Many times you can buy a circular mill complete for the price of an option on the fancy bandmills.Consider log handling equipment too. Good luck. Frank C.

[dgdrls]

Lineguy welcome,it takes a good job to support a sawmill,thats not too far from the truth.To start consider it a hobby cut for yourself and branch out to friends and customers.You will know if its for you and if you can turn a buck.If you have the location and the skill a used circular mill is the most bang for your buck.Many times you can buy a circular mill complete for the price of an option on the fancy bandmills.Consider log handling equipment too. Good luck. Frank C.

Welcome!    Bandmiller2 makes a great point. if you have the location ( flat/level site) and a roof is nice,   stationary circle mills tend to not like the sun as i understand.
There are lots of options out there for mills, you need to narrow down your needs then wants and decide if a band or circle will do.
Then the fun starts  test drives!!

DGDrls

[Cedarman]

Make a full blown business plan.  If you don't know how to make a really good business plan, then learning how to do that is the first step.
It doesn't have to be just one scenario .  Personal use, or selling some lumber, part time, eventually full time.
Nothing wrong with making if for 4, 5 or more situations.  This will give you an idea of the money side of things.
With your farm background, you know how much support equipment you can need.  Welders, torches, wrenches, cant hooks, chainsaws, etc
With your background , you should have some good skills that will do you justice when you get a mill.
If it is just going to be hobby type, then you should have the money up front or pay out of your day job.
If it is going to be business, then you can use profits from that and get a loan that you are comfortable with.

[Kingcha]

My only advice would be ask lots of ??? and listen to these guys as they have good advice.   

I will be ordering my mill in April.   I am 90% sure that I am going with the woodmizer LT15.  The main reason I am going with that one is that I want to go with the diesel engine option.   I will be a stationary mill.  I have forestry land and I am planning on sawing for myself first and for most.   Once I am sawing I do hope to sell some of my lumber.   That is my starting point.  I also hope to cut for others if I can find the markets.    I will be able to pay cash for my mill so making money at first is not a priority.  I will learn on my own trees and go from there.

Good luck in your venture.   Sounds like you have a good job so I'd buy a little bigger then you think you need(I had originally looked at the lt10 ) ..........AS Long its within your budget.   I hear WoodMizers have good resale value, which is an added reason I am going with them.

[hackberry jake]

If you can fabricate, the cheapest route would be to buy a used manual mill and add hydraulics to it yourself. There have been at least half a dozen of us that have went with homemade hydraulics. Pineywoods is the go to guy, hale has built at least three that I know of and probably the inspiration behind the rest of us. You can add hydraulics for around $1,000 depending on all the bells and whistles.