Worth It?

[farmboy6019]

New to the game & just a hobbiest / weekend warrior.   I own 35 acres of 30-year planted, fairly densely spaced pines with limited  smaller cedars and few younger oak & maple.  Considering purchasing a new or used smaller, gas-powered portable saw mill (perhaps a Wood-Mizer, 7 HP LT10 or similar).  Selective harvesting only as want to maintain beauty since we live there also (perhaps thin out 30% or equivalent of 10 acres).  My own lumber needs are minimal.  Interested in selling the wood.  Can I cover costs of mill and perhaps make a few $ selling in small non-kiln dried lots?   Advice much appreciated!

[tcsmpsi]

Not sure what you mean by 'dense'.  Whereabouts are you located?  You should have no trouble, with minimal marketing necessity, to pay for a small, manual mill with 10 acres of trees.

Welcome to the forum.   

[wood monger]

Welcome to the forum farmboy, not sure about your question, but I'm sure someone will be along who will know.

[Magicman]

I personally do not sell lumber but, Welcome to the Forestry Forum, farmboy6019.

[WDH]

Depending on where you are located, you will have a rough go of it trying to sell pine lumber unless it is specialty lumber.   A tractor trailer load of kiln dried SYP framing lumber is selling wholesale from the big mills for less than $300/MBF plus freight.  If you match the price at the big Box stores, you will only kill yourself for nothing.  You cannot compete on pine with the big boys if you are cutting your own logs unless you are cutting something that the big Box stores don't have.

[mikeb1079]

i agree that if your main goal is to pay off the mill it'll be harder if you mostly have pine.  not to say you couldn't do it but it would be alot easier if you have access to hardwoods.  however, many of us bought mills and will never pay them off.      we just like to mill  8)

[hackberry jake]

I also look at it like it saves me money. I haven't sold much of anything, but I have payed for my mill already in what I haven't had to buy.

[thecfarm]

Yes,if you don't count your time.  ;D  Welcome to the forum. A manual mill is slow and you have to do all the work. I have one and I know how slow it is. I just saw for mine own use. Takes time to get the trees out too. I won't mention the money it takes with just normal waer and tear either.

[Magicman]

Just simply being able to produce a product does not generate income.  There has to be a need and a market for that product.

My sawing business is simple because I do not produce a product for sale.  I provide a service.  I have a large sawmill that can handle any logs that the customer has and I am portable so that the customer does not have to load and haul the logs.

[Bogue Chitto]

By just having a mill word gets out and the customers will show up.  I have a LT 40 hd and never advertise.  I have plenty of business, sometimes to much to keep up.  Welcome, farmboy  ;D 

[Planman1954]

I would say buy the mill if you enjoy working with wood and building things. It is a great hobby and very rewarding building things yourself. That would be the determining factor for me. If you don't enjoy that type of thing, the mill will only be a fad and you'll end up selling it. Take care!
(Oh, and one more thing....once you have a mill, you'll discover so many things you absolutely need that you didn't have a clue about before you had it!)