If you had the funds to set up a really nice facility for a small scale operation where you milled it, dried it, planed and moulded it. What would be your choice of tools?
Let's not spare any expense. This would be a small scale operation, with high quality tools that required little maintenance and lasted for years. High end tools. The ideal mill shop!!
I had a near ideal shop but then closed the doors when the recession hit in '08.
I had a hydraulic mill (Timber Harvester), skidsteer (Bobcat), edger (Morgan), kiln (Nyle and Koetter), two sided planer for pre-sizing stock, moulder (Logosol PH260) and a Metavic log trailer.
Trouble is, most of it sits idle...you can only use one machine at a time in a small (one man) operation.
If money was no object I would get a front end loader to handle logs and lumber, upgrade the planer to a jointer/planer like a Strato planer, add a straight line rip saw and upgrade to a larger moulder...PH360 or bigger.
my suggestion is don't buy small 'hobby" machines, for alittle more coin you can have equipment that you can do a days work and have a large pile of wood to show for it.
you need to look serious to be taken serious. :)
I'm with rol on this. A lot of people try to buy just enough machine. I can understand that a lot of the time, but sometimes, more machine is better. I have an LT40 Super Hydraulic. Do I cut the advertised 550 per hour 40 hours a week? Heck no, but I can cut in a day what it would have taken me several had I gotten an LT40 manual. Now, I have time to do other things that make me money. The Super cost twice as much as the manual, but does way more than twice the work, with less physical effort. Now, I can be a sawyer, and a timber framer.
Deals can be had for used three phase equiptment. I would start off with any of the name brand hydraulic mills, about a 2,000 bf dry kiln, a bigger tractor with forks (say 60hp), i have had a couple hobby level molders and around here they aren't a necessity. Most people buying product around here want rustic. Square trim, sawmarks, etc. I would get at least a 5hp planer, hopefully bigger (actually looking at the moment).