what mill should i buy

[jimmy]

I've been pulling out my hair trying to decide what mill to buy. I'm looking to spend around 17k. i would like at least hydraulic log loaders. I'm going to build my house out of my own wood on my 40acre plot. i would also like to do some custom sawing in my spare time. i also have a seperate 50 acre plot that is loaded with large white and red oak trees. does anybody have suggestions on which brand to purchase?

[Captain]

Hey Jimmy,

Help us out a little....Circular or Band?  New or used?  

There are many ways to look at a mill, and decide value for the dollar....

Speed?
Accuracy?
Labor savings?
Productivity?
Over-run?
Log species?
Log quality?

Captain

PS 17K would land ya a nice 10" Peterson WPF...(you were talking about framing lumber and large Oak trees...)

[Jeff]

This is not going to help answer your question at all, I'm just thinking outloud.

If I was out in the country and had a nice chunk of land and was sawing for myself, I'd have just what corley5 has. An old manual circle mill that is as nostalgic as it is functional. History just drips off those things. Besides it invites visits from sawmill buddies that just want to hangout at the mill. kinda like here. I'd hang my old logging tools around the shed and get me a can of go-jo to keep right there cause my hands would always be greasy from tinkerin. I'll bet laying in your own sawdust looking up at your own old mill as you work on it has a whole different feel then where I am at today. At our mill I gotta get it fixed and get back to work. If it was my own mill and I was laying there in the sawdust, I might just take a nap.

[Bibbyman]

I know the process can drive a guy crazy.  So many things to think about and ways to look at it.  I suspect about everyone with a mill on this board can recommend the brand or at least the type of mill they have.

I'd suggest looking at and trying out as many mills as you can.  Talk to the owners.  Maybe you've done that already.  If not,  the mill manufactures can help you locate mills in your area that somewhat match the model you think you would be interested in.

Some make their decision based on the price per pound ... or per horsepower... or longest list of features, etc.  But they may miss out on good training, service, warrantee, quality, etc.

If you're thinking of only one major project,  even buying a lower cost mill may not be the most economical choice.  I always look at the "total owning cost" as the first cost minus what the machine will be worth 1, 2, 10 years down the road.  It may be that the mill you wish you had got would have been the best value after all.

But caution, makin' sawdust is addictive you know... ;)

[Captain]

Amen to what Bibbyman said - plus one thing about the addiction......I don't get anything else done around the property anymore.....

[Minnesota_boy]

Hey Jeff,
I hear ya!  I've been there,  laying on my back in the cool sawdust, looking up at the broke stuff, figuring out how I would fix it.  Looking up at that blue sky  

and at the angry customer who was paying the help while I laid on my back.  

[Kevin]

One of the problems with buying a mill is finding the extra cash to invest in log loading and moving equipment.
I think many folks buy the mill then have no way to get the logs to it.

[D._Frederick]

jimmy,
Sawmilling is a lot of hard work with any of the small portable mills, it requires you to handle a lot of pounds of wood a day. If you go to a manual band mill or a swinger, you are going to do a lot of walking in addition to handling the cut wood. If you have fifty year old legs, you may want to spend more to cut down on the physical effort. If 17K is all you want to spend, you may want to look at a used MD mill. They will cut any size log and do not require a lot of walking.

[Ed_K]

 Jimmy, If you haven't looked at all the diferent types  :-/. Find a forestry expo, and check out as many as you can. This is where you should see my hands rubbing back and forth 8) 8) 8). Remember mill support equip, is necessary  ;D.
 Ed

[Kevin]

Ed;
We are the mill support.  :D
What he needs is log loading stuff.

[ladylake]

Jimmy I saw a few post back you were lokking at a B20. I bought one 3 months ago. I
think it works great way faster log handling than the the woodmizers I've been around. (only 2) Sawing speed a little faster, 27HP Kohler Woodmieser had 24HP onan and they saw nice flat boards. Also a little chaeaper. Computers setworks is really nice too.  Steve

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Take a lot at what's on sale today:

http://sawmillexchange.com/band3.htm

Phil L.

[Corley5]

I agree Jeff.  I can't say as I've ever taken a nap under the mill though.  The nice thing about one of these old circle mills is you can get one pretty cheap.  Without a big mill payment to make so what if you're not running it.  It doesn't need to pay for itself and any money you do make with it you can put back into it for repairs ;D or preferably to buy support equipment like a forklift, edger, planer, log turner, kiln and whatever other related toys you can think of.

[Buzz-sawyer]

There is nothing more comfortable than laying in sawdust after cleaning excess dust away....it conforms to the body like a $2000 bed....my mill was paid for the day I finished building it(out of an old manual mill)...from that day on it has been all profit and the MOST enjoyable job I have ever had.....I also sawed most of my houses lumber out on it
Don
P.S I spent $1250 for the old set works and a blade and diesel motor....

[BW_Williams]

 Jimmy, make a list of what you want to do, try every mill you can, I would imagine with the oaks a bandmills would be nice.  Hire someone to mill a couple logs for you and you will learn alot.  Have fun and stay safe, BWW

[Ron Wenrich]

Let's see, we started with an old hand mill which cost $1k.  Then we added a power unit for another $1k.  Added a loader for $5k.  Of course, that was a number of years ago, but low priced mills are out there.

I saw a used automatic circle mill for $14k a few months ago.  It was "portable".  I run one like it for several years and you could put out pretty good production.  But, I wouldn't want to take it into someone's back yard to use.

If cash is a problem, then turn some of those larger red and white oaks into cash.  If you have veneer quality material, you shouldn't be hacking on them with any type of saw.  There is more money in moving the log then moving the lumber.  Know your markets.

[Oregon_Sawyer]

I bought a used WM Hydraulic for 18,500 added about 2000 in upgrades.  Ran it for five years, cut out my house and about 300,000 bd ft for others.  Just sold it for 16,000.

You can get a fully hydraulic mill if you will go with a used one.

I wish I had thought more about how I was going to move the logs.


If I was starting over I would buy the best WM I could buy and get a skid-steer for support equipment.

Loren

[Frank_Pender]

The number one thing I have always suggested folks look at is: what is the type of lumber you are wanting to saw, for either yourself or others.  Out here in Oregon our primary timber lumber product is dimensional lumber from Douglas Fir trees.  I then decided that is what I wanted to produce.  I looked at mills for three years before I purchased my first Mobile Dimension Mill.  I now own three of them.  Would I change?  No way!.   Is there a place for band mills?  Yes, but not for what I want to produce and for the precision I want to have as well as production.  
Steve, One other thing, make sure you have the dollars for acquiring log and material handling, if not hire the lumber produced.  You will save your back, etc.

[MrMoo]

Jimmy,
Sounds like you're getting lots of good advice here. My $0.02 is to find folks in your area that have mills and go work with them for a few hours. After a while you'll start to notice what's engineered well on those machines and what's not, in the end that will help with your decision.
Bibbyman pointing out service and support is important too.
Mike

[DanG]

Jimmy, there are 2 Mobile Dimension mills on Sawmill Exchange right now, located in Washington state. One is $9000 and the other is $8000. One is stationary and one is trailer mounted. Either of these would get you started in fine style, and leave enough of your 17 grand to buy a used forklift, loader tractor, or skid steer. In my opinion, the learning curve for a new sawyer is a lot less steep with the MD mill, than with a bandsaw.  Loading the mill with a forklift, etc, is a lot quicker than the loglifters on most hydraulic mills, too, unless you have a live deck feeding the lifter.
The MD is almost fully automatic, which is to say there is very little manual handling of logs, and the operator stays in one place. Each pass makes a complete board, so when you take it from the mill and stack it directly on stickers, you are through with it.
I'm not trying to sell you on this type of mill, but just pointing out that you have some good choices out there besides the bandmills. The automation on that $8000 MD compares favorably with a hydraulic bandmill costing at least twice that.