Anyone know what is driving the huge demand for sawmills?

[richhiway]

The demand seems to keep growing. I read if you order some Wood-Mizer models you may not get delivery until September. Folks are paying almost new prices for used mills. It would be a good time to upgrade except you can not get a new one! I think in a few years there will be a lot of hardly used mills at low prices.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Have you checked the price and availability of various types of lumber lately? That combined with more people off work due to the pandemic seems to be a big incentive. I understand builders are having major problems because they do not know if they will have the lumber, appliances and various systems they need to finish any major building project.

[mike_belben]

That right there.  Theyre not overprinting sawmills so it takes more weak dollars to get one now.  

[widetrackman]

Well 2 weeks ago crappy spruce 2x4x8 at at local box stores was $5.20, yesterday $6.22  OMG $1174 per 1000 bf. If I figured right

[Nebraska]

That's starting to make the Black Hills spruce trees in our yard "highly valuable" like the little Walnut tree  over in the corner..   whooo hoo!! money money money 💰.    :D   
 It's what Mike said, it's retail pricing, it's bored fed up folks that don't want to sit and watch TV  They want to do something productive, so maybe they can be in control  create some  cash, be cool, make friends, release steam, not have big brother over their  shoulder.  I'd say lots of reasons the addiction  takes many forms.

 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Folks wanting to make a killing selling rough, green and air dried lumber

[Magicman]

I am getting calls daily from folks wanting to buy lumber, although it clearly states on my website that I do no buy logs nor sell lumber.

My Saturday's customer asked about buying my sawmill.  I told him $55K because that it what it would cost me to replace it.  :D

My list has 23 sawing jobs with 5 of them being over 50 miles and 9 being over 100 miles.  7 of the 23 are one day jobs.  I'll saw a 54 mile four log job tomorrow.  One SGU plus mileage/travel.  ;D

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

   Be careful - what if he pulls out his checkbook and starts writing 55K on the spot? Are you ready for a 6 months vacation?

[Magicman]

Yes. 

Actually from the size of the wad he paid me from Saturday, I don't think that he would need a checkbook. 

[YellowHammer]

It's kind of ironic.  Several people I know who had sawmills have taken advantage of the opportunity and sold them for gold prices, making good money and with no intention of getting back into it, for various reasons.  Mainly, its hard work, and they decided they didn't want to make a career out of it.  I know that the guy who bought my fine LT-40 owned it for only long enough for him to get it home to his state and put it up for sale, and flip it for a profit.  Easy money for him.

I was thinking of getting out of the "Sawmilling Business"  and getting into the "Sawmill Business."  I remember the lesson learned during the gold rush years, it's not the person panning the gold who makes the money, it's the person selling the pans. :D :D

[trimguy]

I must admit ,it was me . I bought a new mill last year, and now everyone wants to be like me.😁

[Runningalucas]

I think the sawmill buying frenzy falls under the category of what do in uncertain times.  Our local Kubota dealer this last year, had their highest sales year to date in 2020.  All buying tractors for 'just in case', and I guess realizing the fragility of our society, looking for a change in how they live.

[Sixacresand]

Probably a good time to sell my mill, but I ain't.  

[Bandmill Bandit]

In this country I attribute to the social restrictions of Covid-19 that are driving boredom to unheard of heights. 

Lot of people embarking on projects they have been thinking about for years but had no time for them. Its really starting to drive demand for small job milling jobs locally too.

I have 3 hot tub gazebos to cut in the next month and got calls for a couple more this morning and starting to get calls for privacy fencing material in significant amounts too. Raised bed garden boxes like the one below starting to get attention too.


  

[Southside]

@YellowHammer Are you sure he cleared a profit?  I mean after the truck repairs and all..

[SawyerTed]

Boats, Outboards, RVs, Above Ground Swimming Pools, ATV/SXSs, appliances, hot tubs, metal roofing, building materials, electrical supplies all are in short supply due to people wanting to do stuff while social distancing.  Sawmills, wood splitters, tractors, skid steers and other equipment that hobby farmers and outdoor enthusiasts want are in that category too!

Around here the home improvement/let's build something craze has about run its course.  I'm back to being steady busy rather than crazy busy with small jobs like I was spring-summer-fall of 2020.

Campgrounds and boat ramps were at capacity in the summer and fall.  We were camp hosts at a state park in September.  It was full of new campers, new tents, new bag chairs, camp stoves.  We watched obviously new campers all month set up and make all the rookie mistakes.  Don't get me started on the boat ramps and local lakes on weekends!

I'm thinking in a year or two there will be a glut of lightly used "you fill in the blank".  

[YellowHammer]

@YellowHammer Are you sure he cleared a profit?  I mean after the truck repairs and all..

@Southside  knows the whole story.  The guy found my add at 3:30 pm, got in his truck, drive I guess 5 hours that evening from Georgia to North Alabama, showed up about dark, left a little later, sawmill in tow, after paying with a huge roll of cash and headed home.  He was only 30 miles or so from his house well before dawn, and he hit a deer and did major damaged his high dollar, year old pickup truck!
Luckily, no damage to the mill.  
Then, a few weeks later, I get a call from up north, Virginia way, and the guy said he had paid a lot for a used mill, found out it was mine, and was calling to see if there was anything wrong with it.  I told him I had just done a full alignment and everything was tip top.
I asked him to check under the bandwheel covers to look for sawdust and since there was none, I'm pretty sure the original buyer never even cut a stick of wood on it.
I wonder who has it now.....
 

[mike_belben]

There is a very simple reason.  


What makes a person lunge to buy?  Knowledge of a price hike to come.  It always seals the deal.  "Well ive always wanted one and was gonna get it next spring anyway by if i wait i pay more so today is a savings.. Lets go place the order honey.  


Our money supply has never been expanded this rapidly that i know of, so real prices have never risen this rapidly to adjust, so more people are seeing the future price rise than ever before, in all categories.  It is driving people to hurry up before they cost more, on everything.


What makes people wait it out?  Knowledge of a coming sale.  Yes there is a lot of purchasing today because of money printing and impulse control and boredom.. But theres a lot of foreclosure sales coming for the same reasons right behind it.   


Do the opposite of the herd and youll always do well. 

[Stephen1]

I received 2 calls last week to buy my my mill. I told them 200k , you get a mill, kiln, forklift and all the wood in my shop. 
One guy said he will think on it and call me back. 

[donbj]

Do the opposite of the herd and youll always do well.

Lots of truth in that Mike.

[mike_belben]

Well... dont worry, i have proven you can do the opposite of the herd and still be a screw up which is why i said "you" not "we!"

;D

[boonesyard]

I as just offered almost 25% more than I paid for the mill 3 years ago, it's just nuts.

[jay_d]

I think it's a combination of extremely high priced junk at home depot (my rough green air dried is better than their planed kiln dried), youtube videos about making big bucks sawing, and maybe about 10% the girl with the big butt sawing cherry logs in yoga pants. 

I've had a mill in the past, and due to the long wait time on a new anything, I started building one myself, and if the bubble don't burst in the next few months I'm gonna build 2 or 3 cheap manual mills and stick them on facebook

[Southside]

Wait, what?  I watch a lot of sawmill videos and that has never come up in the recommend list. 

[SwampDonkey]

  Have you checked the price and availability of various types of lumber lately? That combined with more people off work due to the pandemic seems to be a big incentive. I understand builders are having major problems because they do not know if they will have the lumber......

But that doesn't solve the lumber issue because no homes will be built in some parts of the country from portable mills with lumber not graded or stamped. The local building authority will stand over you with a stick until you take it down. It's fine for barns and outbuildings and I'm sure there are lots of those projects around. The neighbour has been building a hog barn from home milled softwood lumber. No inspections on that size/type building. I must say, by the looks of it, it will be mighty strong. ;D

I would argue that lumber in this region is not in short supply, mill yards are stuffed with lumber around here. Crabbe lumber across the river has piles and piles of it all kilned. I've never seen the lot ever empty.

Up my road here we have been cutting wood and selling it all fall from 3 woodlots, within 4 miles. No one is setting the world on fire as far as production goes, but it's moving. This is aspen pulp and softwood logs.

[SwampDonkey]

All that free government money, gotta spend it. Doesn't have to make sense. :D :D It's like the poor man with 5 kids, never had any money at the end of the month. Gets a big inheritance cheque, two new ski-doos and a four wheeler and new car. Play time. I seen that happen with a couple fellas that got a big Workman Comp cheque. All that stuff now junk, still no money. :D :D Might as well just call it government stimulus, they know it all comes back in. :D

[VT_K9]

New here.  Been looking around for awhile. Here's our case:

Just ordered a new wood-mixer two weeks ago.  We were told it would be early to mid august (30 weeks specifically).  

We just had our 70 acres logged as part of land use in VT.  All types of wood taken with it mostly pine and hemlock. The least taken was maple at our request to be able to expand our sugarbush. 

At the end of the logging period we noticed a rather large pile of decent hemlock which could be turned into boards for siding on a larger garage, sugarhouse, and two sheds.  

I called the the regular sawyer we use and his first words, with a chuckle, were call me in the spring.  I confirmed what he meant and it seemed likely that he may say call me in the summer.  I found another sawyer and after talking with him he wanted the logs moved to his place, but would travel to ours.  

We have about 10,000 Bdft or maybe a little more ready to go.  We started talking about a small mill.  Actually have mentioned it a couple times over the years.  I know from real research a few years back (on this site) a small mill would be nice to have but it's not what is preferred to complete the pending job in a timely manner.  We started with a machine which could be upgraded as needed.  Not much of a savings in the end (likely longer waits if you really wanted to wait for the upgrade to arrive).  

Plus the thought of being able to make new posts and lumber as needed for potential projects and maybe a little money on the side.  Maybe something to go with sugaring when I retire to keep me busy... stilly many years away.

I see the mill as a very long term investment for the property.

Mike

[richhiway]

Thanks for all the interesting answers. Three guys at work bought tractors last year and I kind of get that. It just seems a bandsaw mill is kind of a specialty item, there is a lot to go along with owning one.
For many years there was only one I knew of in my whole county. He would come saw for us on occasion. That is how I got interested in it. 

[Strangewoods]

I saw some logs with a guy on occasion but I get tired of waiting for that one day or two a year he wants to fire up the mill, taking my logs there, then bringing all of the lumber and the slabs back.
 I been wanting one. Wouldn't break the bank to buy one, I like the work, I got 200 acre of woods. A lot of cedar swamp. I want to build a bunch of things. I had no idea the demand right now!
Do I buy one, use it,maybe sell it in a few yrs or..wait a few yrs and hope the used market is flooded. 
I too am concerned a big price hike is coming. 

If I could go cut cedar posts out of my woods and sell them 4x4x10s for 46$ like menards I'd be a millionaire. 

I could cut em! Probably couldn't move too many tho and no where near that price. It's a great thought though!

[Bandmill Bandit]

The requests for custom milling are really starting to come in daily now for spring sawing jobs. Pretty much 1 to 3 ish a day now and got 3 I need to go do inspection visit before Friday and 2 repeat customers that want the milling done last half of march. Have 4 to go do inspection visit next week and 1 that  will go cut next week, weather permitting. So 10 total that are on calender, 3 are committed, the 3 inspections next week are 90% committed and the 4 inspections are likely as they are referrals from repeat customers. 

2 of them are talking like they will move their logs the mile or 2 to Bent's place, one of my best repeat clients yard/landing. That way I can just saw at the one place for a couple of weeks. 

The combined log count was at 160 on the weekend in a mix of 12's and 16's, 12" - 16" average with about 25% 20" diameter small end, mostly white spruce and some lodgepole pine and Bent said they all had at least this week and part of next week to finish skidding out what they have on the ground. 

Bent figures will be about 260 to 300 logs between the 3 of them.      

[TKehl]

Hi my name is Ted, and I just ordered a sawmill during the rush.  (EZ Boardwalk 40 scheduled for July) Lol  For me it was a combination of factors.

1.  I sold my smaller bandmill last year, as I wanted to upgrade. I've been looking for about 5 years.  The model I wanted was not selling at much of a discount used. And when they were available they sold quick.
2. People keep asking for live edge boards and such, which is difficult to do on a swing mill.  
3. Little bit worried about inflation.
4. The money's right right now.  Have four kids, and stimulus money came in ( lol swamp donkey) which pushed me off the fence.  We're also working overtime at work and will be for several months if not most of the year.
5. I needed something to look forward to.  As mentioned in #4, we are working overtime for the next several months. 60 to 70 hours a week, plus farm work, and the kids activities.  Need something to keep me motivated and my mind right on these 12-hour days...  

[esteadle]

But that doesn't solve the lumber issue because no homes will be built in some parts of the country from portable mills with lumber not graded or stamped. The local building authority will stand over you with a stick until you take it down. 

I always hear complaints about building codes on the front (cost) side. Nobody ever talks about the lives saved, and the property and structural damage prevented by having building codes. But anyone with a roof left on the house after a storm should be very thankful that building codes and inspectors exist and are enforced. 
My local inspector passed my rough sawn porch as up to code when I built it from my own air dried lumber from my own mill. Equivalent measurements to code and correct joins and appropriate fasteners were the main considerations, not whether it was stamped and graded. 

[Strangewoods]

Holy wah... if I gotta wait till JULY or beyond I might just wait it out another year. Could bite me in the ars and end up being 2 but at some point things are going to have to slow down? and some percentage are going to look to offload these mills?  Strange times we're in. 

Will patience pay off or bite ya in the ars end?

[Walnut Beast]

It's that way with everything. If I ordered a Gooseneck trailer yesterday it wouldn't show up till August. That's just the way it is now

[TKehl]

I'm not saying this is what it is with sawmills, but with a lot of industries there are delays for material and lack of labor. I know we had a hard time getting certain materials over the summer, and we can't seem to hire anyone who will stay.  Though we did manage to hire someone who was just smart enough to milk the cove and leave policy for 7 weeks out of the 2 months he was employed with us...

[Bandmill Bandit]

But that doesn't solve the lumber issue because no homes will be built in some parts of the country from portable mills with lumber not graded or stamped. The local building authority will stand over you with a stick until you take it down.

I always hear complaints about building codes on the front (cost) side. Nobody ever talks about the lives saved, and the property and structural damage prevented by having building codes. But anyone with a roof left on the house after a storm should be very thankful that building codes and inspectors exist and are enforced.
My local inspector passed my rough sawn porch as up to code when I built it from my own air dried lumber from my own mill. Equivalent measurements to code and correct joins and appropriate fasteners were the main considerations, not whether it was stamped and graded.

It is actually quite easy to get a timber frame or log builder locally that is certified to stamp your own site milled lumber. I work with a couple of them. The fines for NOT getting it certified are kinda high and the inspection/certification costs are reasonable. Also no insurance co will insure without a proper build/material inspection docs and most counties won't issue occupancy certs untill all that is in the file with the all inspection reports in the file. It can be a bit of a pain but I think it is the right way to do it.