While I was reading some posts, I have noticed that many people have there own sawmill and I see many advertisement for sawmills. I have few questions and I am expecting some honest answer at least.
1. Is it hard to operate the saw mill?
2. What is the best saw mill for hobby?
3. This is very important question how do lift the log to put it on the rail in order for sawing process.
4. What is the best one to purchase is portable or with trailer.
5. do they come electric I mean plug in electricity outlet or it has diesel engine
I appreciate your answer.
Quote from: alsayyed on November 26, 2005, 10:24:15 PM
1. Is it hard to operate the saw mill?
I don't find it "hard" to operate a sawmill, it can be a tiring day, but it's certainly not "complicated" at a low level of production.
Quote2. What is the best saw mill for hobby?
This one will be open for debate forever! If you are strictly hobby, and don't care about good production, then a small manual mill will suffice, if you want decent production, you'll need a bigger mill. I think a general consensus will always be buy the biggest mill you can afford.
Quote3. This is very important question how do lift the log to put it on the rail in order for sawing process.
I use ramps to roll the log up onto the saw. My ramps of the month are some sawn up poplar. I'll use it until bust it up, then I'll upgrade.
Quote4. What is the best one to purchase is portable or with trailer.
a trailer is convenient, but it depends on how much you want to move it. Also, having a trailer will make you more available to do work for other people.
Quote5. do they come electric I mean plug in electricity outlet or it has diesel engine
my saw has an 8hp gas engine. some manufacturers offer electric and diesel models.
Quote1. Is it hard to operate the saw mill?
No... there is a LOT to learn about sawing, to get the best results and work quickly, but the mills are generally pretty easy to operate.
Quote2. What is the best saw mill for hobby?
I assume you have relatively small logs to process, so a manual bandsaw would suit your needs. Something like a Woodmizer LT15 or similar. Have a look at the sponsors various mills. The Norwood mill may be an option for you because it is supplied in kit form and you assemble it yourself. That would make it much easier to ship around the world.
Quote3. This is very important question how do lift the log to put it on the rail in order for sawing process.
With the manual sawmills loading can be done with ramps and a winch or if the mill is not on a tralier the bed is close to the ground and the logs can be rolled on using a cant hook (look at Logrite Tools)
Quote4. What is the best one to purchase is portable or with trailer.
Do you have to transport the mill to your logs or can you bring the logs to the mill? A trailer version will cost more than a fixed setup, but it's much easier to move.
Quote5. do they come electric I mean plug in electricity outlet or it has diesel engine
Most of the mills can be powered by electric motors, but you will probably need an industrial type electrical supply. Motors will be 3 phase 10-20 HP, much more than a domestic supply. Electric is quieter and cheaper to run if you are in a fixed location. Normally the mills run an industrial petrol engine, or diesel for the larger mills.
Cheers
Ian
And Dan types a little faster than I do.. :D
Hello alsayyed and welcome to our forum. I'll try to answer your questions as honestly as I can, and hopefully, others will come forward with their opinions as well. :)
1. No, it isn't difficult to "operate" a sawmill, but it isn't easy to make good quality lumber consistently, either. Most mills are fairly easy to operate, but the real skill is in reading the log and knowing how to cut it for maximum benefit. This is one of those skills that will only come with study and experience, and one that you will never finish learning about. However, you can expect to be producing acceptable lumber in a relatively short time, and enjoy watching your expertise grow with every log you saw.
2. There is no best sawmill. Each sawyer must decide which mill suits his own situation and budget best.
3. There are numerous ways to load a log on the mill. All of them require at least one of the following: Money, hard physical labor, or innovation. I happen to favor the last of those options. There are numbers of ways to load logs, and the best way to find out about them is to continue reading this forum. Do a "forum search" on log loading and you will be busy reading for quite a while. ;)
4. Only you can determine if you want your mill to be portable or stationary. Most mills offer the options for either.
5. As far as I know, there are no mills that you can just plug into the wall. The electric ones all require heavy duty 3 phase power. Most of the portable mills are powered by small gasoline or diesel engines.
I hope this has been helpful. :) :) I see that others have responded, and we all seem to share similar opinions. ;)
Several mills can be plugged into a 220v dryer plug. They are not 3 phase, but these are also the smaller mills like the LT15.