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EZ Boardwalk & Kiln Questions

Started by rdaustin211, November 05, 2019, 03:47:24 PM

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rdaustin211

I've been lurking in the background here for probably about 5 years but on Sunday I picked up a new to me EZ Boardwalk 40. I've been wanting a mill so long and now I finally got one I hardly know what to do first. I've been taking logs to my buddy's circle mill once or twice a year so now it'll be nice to have my my own mill at my disposal. My wife wants some flooring made first of all and I already have a big pile of red oak logs.  Problem I'm having is trying to find a kiln around me (Middle Tennessee area) to dry my lumber. I knew of a kiln that a guy had set up close by in a insulated shipping container and he just never got his sawmill operation up and going so the kiln has just sat there for years. The dehumidifier inside the shipping container is the KD250 from Woodmizer. I contacted him and he said that he doesn't have time to mess with it but that he'd love to sell it to me.

If I can get a really good deal on this, do you experienced guys think that this would be worth it. I see green slabs for sale everywhere but I don't know where these people are drying these slabs. How much do people charge to kiln dry other peoples lumber??

Thanks for all the information over the  years. I love how this boardwalk is built and I hope it lasts me a long time. It only has 62 hours on it now and it looks and runs like its brand new. Happy sawing y'all!!!! 

Southside

Yes a quality kiln is an excellent addition to a sawmill operation, but and this is a big caveat, you won't get good kiln dried lumber out of a kiln if you put in poorly sawn lumber. That is not a dig at you or your mill at all, just be prepared for two learning curves and the pitfalls that will happen along the way. 

As long as you approach things with the mindset that it will take a while to dial everything in and be able to get consistent, quality, finished product then you will do fine. If you need to sell the first board that comes off your mill as high dollar flooring to keep food on the table at the end of the week then you will be setting yourself up for a difficult path to success. 

As far as drying lumber for others, that's a whole different ball game. First you are creating competition and secondly you are limited to what and how they have sawn the lumber. If someone brings you pith split red oak blanks and yellow pine with un balanced sapwood then gets upset and blames you when it dries looking like bananas, well what are you going to do? 

Best to dry and market your own products. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

rdaustin211

Well my wife and I both have great jobs and people think I am crazy when I talk to them about sawmills. Especially people my age (34). We don't need the income of the sawmill at all so I'm not worried about making money with it. If I do sell something or offer a service however, I want to be in the same ballpark as everyone else around me as far as price goes because I don't want to undercut someone that is trying to make a living with their sawmill operation. 

The flooring is just something that I want to produce for myself. I've built most the furniture in my house I think that it would be awesome for my kids to be running around on floors that were milled from the trees on my farm. I just like producing things myself. In doing this though people always like the ideas that my wife and I have and try to get me to build things for them too. The mill was just a really good way for my family to be more self reliant and maybe produce a little extra cash to buy another piece of equipment for the farm or something 

I really only wanted to dry a couple loads of lumber in this guys kiln and he wants me to buy it so it generated a few questions on my part..

thecfarm

All I know is you will like sawing. I have never seen a Boardwalk in person. But kinda reminds me of the Thomas I bought. They look rugged. I set mine up about 15 years ago. I have never moved it or had to relevel it. I have turned some big ones and the cants have made a noise when they hit too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Oddman

I'm 30 and I have the same mill as you Rd, if your like me then you know this sawmilling deal is in the bloodstream and it's going to be a long term thing...I don't know why the kiln would be a bad buy, you've got 2 loads in mind for it and I'd say by the time your done with those you will have another load in mind. The business part of it needs local research on your part, but even if you never sold the kiln as a service it could enable you to sell KD lumber/slabs and also be a vital part of a finished product sale such as furniture or molding/trim.
Good luck with the mill, I love mine!

Oddman

Another thing, the kiln is forever a useful part of a potential business, whereas the mill may be outgrown if you need more production. You may need another kiln some day to scale up but would still get good use from this one.

At least I think that's how it would work, I've got no kiln experience myself

Nebraska

Congratulations on the new mill. You will love it. I wish I would've had mine in my thirties as well. 

farmfromkansas

I got my mill after turning 50, and while it is a lot of work to saw lumber, is great fun.  I don't worry about making money with my woodworking, mostly it is for fun, and for some unknown reason, have found that I enjoy work. Also have seen the need for dried lumber, and the next thing you need after getting a mill, is some way to dry it.  So if you do not need to borrow the money, would probably buy the kiln if it were available to me. Especially if the price is right.  
Most everything I enjoy doing turns out to be work

SawyerTed

Price the flooring and price the kiln.  If the kiln is operational and the price is right buy the kiln.  Even just drying lumber for personal use, the kiln will pay for itself.

Lack of a kiln is keeping my business from growing as quickly as it could.  I'm formulating a plan....
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

YellowHammer

If you are going to use the lumber in your house, a kiln is the only way to sterilize the wood.  Bugs live in wood, and bugs will come out at the most inoppurtune time after installation.

Most of the live edge slabs we hear about from our "competitors" are only air dried.  Their customers become our customers when they see bug dust and holes in their new bar top. 

I haven't used that mill, but I'm sure it's a good one.  

There are two completely different learning curves, as has been said.  That's part of the fun, but fun turns to something else if doing custom sawing or drying.  

As far as drying for others, I see many, many sawmills in my area operating daily, and lots of kilns sitting idle.  There's a reason.  If you are sawing and screw up, you only kill two boards, the ones on either side of the kerf.  If you are kiln drying and screw up, you kill the entire load at once, several hundred boards.  If you kill a customer's load, you owe them a lot of money.  Most "kiln operators" around here have done that, and it only takes one or two dead loads to flip the kiln switch off.  

If it's a good deal, jump in with both feet, and get wet. 8)

 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Skipper11A

You're going to be very happy with the EZ Boardwalk 40 for personal use.  If you try to mill for a profit you really need hydraulics.

The kiln you're asking about is a dehumidifier,  does it heat treat the wood?  I have time to let my wood air dry but I have the insect problems that YellowHammer talks about (I fight them with Boric Acid but some boards are harder to treat than others).  I wouldn't buy  a kiln if it didn't heat treat to kill the bugs, but those are my needs which may be different from yours.

K-Guy

rdaustin211

The KD250 is made Nyle for Wood-Mizer and is the same as the L200M except the nyle has a pretty red face on the controls. ;D

Skipper11A
Yes it can sterilize and set pitch in pine.
Nyle Service Dept.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.
- D. Adams

rdaustin211

The KD250 is made Nyle for Wood-Mizer and is the same as the L200M except the nyle has a pretty red face on the controls. 

Thanks for all the info fellas I appreciate it very much!! This was one thin I had been wondering about so thanks for answering my questions..

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