How many sawmills have you seen run (personal and commercial)

[hackberry jake]

I have only seen two personal mills run. Mine and an old belsaw down the road. YouTube videos don't count. I still to this day have only seen one personal band saw operate (mine) and I haven't seen a swing mill yet. I've seen three commercial sawmills run. All with a 50" head saw. One with a 2" run-around resaw and one with a six head resaw for pallet material.

[redbeard]

There's a huge mill 20 miles from me Sierra Pacific and have yet to tour it. I think its the biggest in the state .

[Jeff]

I doubt if I could count them up. 

[beenthere]

Too numerous to count....hundred or so, maybe 200.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Gee Wiz Jake, 

In this group of "saw dust hounds," you should ask how many they have operated...no that is probably half the number of the one's they have seen.... :D :D :D

[rmack]

I have worked on new construction in probably 20-30 mills capable of 400,000 to 500,000 fbm per 8hr shift capacity.  various different approaches, mostly linear production or at least to the highest degree possible.

Most jobs kept a small crew on for a while to iron out any bugs, I was often on that crew. those big mills are very interesting to watch.

11.5 hrs on my lt40  :D

[VictorH]

Well I've watched a mill with an under and over circle blade running, also a shingle mill run off a flat belt, and 2 woodmizers.   

[m wood]

I'll be in minority too.  As teenager, lived practically in the parking lot of Roseburg Lumber(oregon).  Never stepped foot inside.  In my 20s, spent 4 months( 1 summer) running circ mill with VW pwr plant making cants.  6 yrs ago watched and tailed off a TK for an hour or 2.  Sooooo, "2", barely.

[thecfarm]

I go to the Logging Expo in Bangor,Maine every 2 years,it coming there this year!!!! Swing mills,Mobile dimension,bunches of WM,a few Thomas,a few of Sanborn,I had some cedar sawed up years ago on some circular mill,Baker,a shingle mill,Hudson,a few of Norwood,2 commercial sawmills,some sort of CSM,13 differant kinds so far.

[Chuck White]

I don't know for sure, probably 10 or so.

I've operated 2, my FIL's Wood-Mizer 1992 LT40G18 Manual and my Wood-Mizer 1995 LT40HDG24 Hydraulic.

[bandmiller2]

Been the sawyer on four mills, two circle two band.Before I set up my first circular mill in the mid eighties I traveled around to watch mills operate and get a feel for how to set up for the best log handling.Probibly watched eight or so mills mostly handset.I was amazed at how efficient some mills were at one phase of the operation then how they dropped the ball ,and tied up the operation,on anouther. One short fat little sawyer was grease lightning,but had a low powered IH gasoline power unit and it slowed him to a crawl,a big diesel and his output would jump.Not as many mills around now. Frank C.

[Raider Bill]

Not counting the ones at a sawmill show I went to I've seen 2. Jeff's and Dannys.

[GDinMaine]

Exactly 2 WM bandmills that includes the one I own.
I also had the luck to visit three large commercial mills with computers measuring and deciding what gets cut out of each log.  It was jaw dropping speed.  At one mill (framing lumber mill) they sawed logs into lumber faster then I could say it. 

I try not to think about those when I'm sawing.  It would be too demoralizing. :D

[r.man]

Five commercial, three portable band and two personal circular. The personal circulars were the most interesting since they had been built by the owners, other than the carriage. The one fellow used old cars for a power source. He would back one in block it up, remove the rear end and extend the drive shaft to the mill. Put a manual throttle on but left the car intact otherwise. When he wore out one, he would find another cheap one and repeat. Only one of the commercials still exists and the neat personal circular has 20 yr old trees growing in it.

[Jay C. White Cloud]

Jake, I haven't ignored your question, I don't think I can count them and sound plausible, especially if I include water and man powered saws...

I will go with what I have personally operated:

2 swing blades

4 band mills

20+ chain saw mills

[dboyt]

Lost count of how many I've seen.  I'll narrow it down to what mills I've owned.  Granberg mill with double-ended bar, Logosol M7, Timberking 1200, TimberHarvester, Norwood MX34.

[wwsjr]

Went by local commercial mill yesterday to look at logs for sale. The mill is closing when the logs on hand are gone. They are running a 8" band with flitches going to multiple gang saw to edge. It is actually very old setup, but it is amazing how fast the headrig and gang produces lumber. They are going to continue running a Hurdle mill cutting 7'X9'X10'2"crossties with side lumber going to furniture frame stock. "Fast". I have run LT40 manual, LT40HD, and LT40 Super that I have owned. Worked with WM at shows where I have run LT15, LT50, and LT70. I sawed 1 log on a TK B20 (I think) that a friend of mine owned.

[ND rancher]

3 counting mine.A circle mill that I helped off bearer on,Wood-mizer Lt15 that I demoed ,and the one I own.

[justallan1]

I've only seen my own portable mill, but have worked in commercial logmills and a few planer mills throughout my life.
Allan

[jimparamedic]

We camp alot and if I drive by a saw mill I stop and ASK if I can look around or watch them saw. I like the old circle mills but band mills are cool to. Ive been at 100's of saw mills and have not been told no yet. Been put to work sometimes too. Saw dust junkies will do just about anything for a fix, after three days in a tent with the kids and wife.

[scully]

I know for me in the 100's mostly Wood-Mizers , every year since the 80's anything new etc used a bunch as well all typs {WM} been to a couple shows and seen the other big names setup and runnig ,like Timber King etc . I've never actualy been hands on a circle mill but have seen a few small ones operating over the years . Did a service call once at a place on their sprinkler system and they had a multi head mill running ,I got to check that out up close WOW ! Been around to a fair amount of local sawyers and seen their setups . It was a great education over all of sorts because when I finaly got the opertunity to get my own ,research never entered the picture I had known for years exactly what mill I wanted without question or second thought ! My addiction started a long time ago now I have become a hard core user !

[Texas Ranger]

Like Jeff, too many to count, in a previous life I was the state contact person for mill data in a five (5) county area.  Before that was college visits to mills from one man to three shifters.  Biggest was a steam driven bandsaw mill on the Mississippi River in the boot heel of Missouri.  Probably no longer exist, but at the time was cutting 6  foot dia logs, coming and going.

[Wick]

 3. An old circular mill driven by tractor PTO,  a woodmizer, and mine. All within a few miles of eachother. There are also a few commercial mills in the area but have never toured them. I do remember when the G.P. plant caught  fire when I was a teenager, you could see the glow from a long way off.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I may average 20 to 25 a year and I have been doing this for 50 years.  This includes a few chain saw mills, many small portable band mills, a dozen or so swing saws, and oodles of medium and large band and circle mills.  Most have been east of the Mississippi, but I did spend several years in the Rockies and saw a good number of mills there too, as well as in the West Coast and Alaska, and even some in Alberta, Ontario and the Maritimes.   Did see some in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia, as well as in the Carribean Island and Brazil.  thanks for the opportunity to reminisce.

[millstead]

I have never seen another band mill except mine operate I have had two frick saw mills one i still have and I have seen about 6 other circle mills operate