portable band mill and kiln service

Garlic · June 01, 2017, 08:10:01 AM

I have recently have my woods logged since nothing has been done with it since the thirties. I have about 40k in material that I need cut and would prefer to find a portable mill to come in and cut it on site. I have had one quote so far the man wants .35 flat saw and .45 quartered saw and $80 per day for his machine. I am not sure whats going rate but trying to get others input. The other issue is trying to find a kiln to dry the material. Any and all insight would be grateful!

nativewolf · June 01, 2017, 08:21:39 AM

in terms of kiln drying.

What are the species mix? I see mix in the piles, or my eyes are getting worse ..well I know they are but still...looks mixed but I see different piles and 1 that looks like it is softwoods.

What dimensions are you cutting?

How are you going to organize it for the kiln? Won't they want similar species/thickness on the same load in the kiln?

50 Acre Jim · June 01, 2017, 08:29:36 AM

That's a lot of wood! What are your plans for it after it's dried?

Sixacresand · June 01, 2017, 08:41:39 AM

Looks like a sawyer would be on location for several days, by the size of the pile of logs in the photo. The $80 per day woud cover expenses if he is from out of town, an off bearer's wages, support equipment and material handling not related to "just running the mill". The $0.35 per BdFt is reasonable for just running the mill.

Have you considered buying your own mill and mill it yourself?

Den-Den · June 01, 2017, 09:22:51 AM

Does that price include stacking & stickering?

I suggest letting it air dry for the summer months while you look around for a kiln that will do the job. Transporting all that lumber to a kiln will be a fair sized job. Planning the stacks so that they can be lifted with equipment you have available will make transportation much easier.

WV Sawmiller · June 01, 2017, 11:22:08 AM

Quote from: Sixacresand on June 01, 2017, 08:41:39 AM
Looks like a sawyer would be on location for several days, by the size of the pile of logs in the photo. The $80 per day woud cover expenses if he is from out of town, an off bearer's wages, support equipment and material handling not related to "just running the mill". The $0.35 per BdFt is reasonable for just running the mill.

Have you considered buying your own mill and mill it yourself?

X2.

I am not that far away and this is very much in line with what I would expect for a similar job.

You did not indicate that I noticed what support you will be providing. Are you providing an off-bearer? Skid Steer? Tractor? If so be sure the sawyer knows this when figuring in his quotes to you but I still think this is very reasonable. Good luck.

Garlic · June 02, 2017, 07:12:17 AM

Wow lots of questions so I will try to go through and answer or explain. First there are a few types of species there which will be cut. Quaking Aspen will be use mostly because I have, Sassafras, Cherry, Yellow Poplar, Hard and Soft Maple, Black Locust.
The mill coming in supplies all labor as well as the skid steer. He will let me labor if I so choose but it is not necessary. I am going to have everything cut 4/4 yes he stacks and sticks it. But he cuts his own stickers which will cause staining. The kiln dried fluted stickers are .80 a piece!! Unless anyone knows where to get them cheap I might have to deal with some shadowing. We have one local kiln but they are not sure they want to commit to drying this much even I don't need it all at once and it could be done in stages. Plus they charge .55 a BD FT which seems high. The sawyer will be set up there for three to four weeks from what he told me. I figured I would let it sit drying over the summer until I can find a place to ship it to and of course it will have to be stacked so I can load it onto a semi. The thought of buying a mill has crossed my mind and it seems that it could be a good side gig. In this area there a lot of amish and there use to be a lot of portable mills but most are stationary now. I will have to think on that......

derhntr · June 02, 2017, 01:43:53 PM

Gonna be a chunk of coin to get it sawed

Garlic · June 02, 2017, 08:27:21 PM

So I have a 32x 60 building that all the material is going to be cut for. Bottom half is shop with caretakers living quarters up stairs. As far as cost it is going to be around 12k to have it cut so not to bad cost wise compared to buying. At this poit there .06 in logging cost. The pictures you see there is 120k bd ft. I just sold a bit over half which will cover logging , band milling and part of the kiln drying.

PC-Urban-Sawyer · June 02, 2017, 08:34:08 PM

Does your state require structural lumber be graded? If so you may have a major hurdle to cross in order to use the lumber for framing the intended structure.

Good Luck!

Herb

WV Sawmiller · June 02, 2017, 09:53:02 PM

Just piddling for the most part. Sawed one old wormy WP log. Got one 4" mantel and a few boards off the side. Will see if woodworkers want them.

I practiced sawing some cookies for a customer I met yesterday who wants a bunch of chestnut cut into cookies. We talked about gang cutting and I tried sawing 4 in a row and failed miserably on some scrap buckeye I had laying around. I found out my clamp has just enough lip to rest the log on. Works a whole lot easier with a helper especially if you want to cut ovals. We were trying to over complicate that process. I just need to make a box or chute so knock them off backwards and let them slide out of the way. I can easily cut a 30-36 inch x 6-8 inch diameter log into 1" cookies in under a minute. Can cut down to about the bottom 4" and could put a shim under it to salvage part of that.

A customer brought his wife by. He had told me wanted a mantel and was open to almost any wood except walnut. Of course he bought... Walnut. I had a 10' X 18" X 2" live edge slab I had not put up from the last time I moved it. He wanted something 80" wide X 23" deep. He was okay with a spacer in the back so I trimmed/squared off the back side of the 10' piece off to 15-1/2" at the narrowest point then cut another 8' live piece down to an 8"X2"X8' to make the spacer. Both were salvaged off the same tree. Should actually make a pretty mantel but first time I ever had anyone want one that deep.

Found I had a small basswood I had knocked down the last time I cut a couple of dead cherry trees. I cut it up into approximately 5" square piece 4' long. May cut them shorter later but threw them on a load to a flea market trip for tomorrow.

scsmith42 · June 02, 2017, 10:45:06 PM

His rate for quartersawing is dirt cheap. We charge $1.00

WV Sawmiller · June 03, 2017, 07:10:31 PM

Deleted by author.

Garlic · June 04, 2017, 09:19:46 AM

All of this material is going to be used to finish a gambrel shop with care takers quarters. Its not going to be used for structural. Plus this is an agg building so I am exempt from zoning except for electric meter and septic. No permits, no inspections! I really have no idea about the pricing. This guy did some cutting for a friend of mine about five years ago so he called him for me and those were the prices he gave to him. So if .45 is cheap for quarter saw I have nothing to compare it to yet. Thanks for the insight!!

taylorsmissbeehaven · June 05, 2017, 01:01:31 PM

Sounds like a good deal to me. If he is charging $80/day for helper and skid steer I would like to have his number!!! Good luck with your project, Brian

esteadle · June 05, 2017, 06:28:25 PM

I'd say you are getting a very good rate and deal at the prices you were quoted. Sawing 4/4 is slow going and results in a lot of lumber piles and walking back and forth. Cutting stickers is going to be free for you, as no one I know tallies stickers into the board footage.

If I quoted this job, I'd charge you $60/hr for machine and sawyer, or $75/hr with a tailman/laborer, and no skid steer. My prod. rate is about 1000 bf/day with a tailman, so my rate would put you at $600 / 1000 bf. and you are getting it done at $430 / 1000.

I'd say take the deal.

Garlic · June 06, 2017, 07:49:43 AM

Wow I didn't realize that's a heck of a price difference!! No I know an amish guy who has a stationary band mill and he said he would do the cutting for .20 but I have to haul it to him. Still big price difference!!

Treehack · June 06, 2017, 08:16:49 AM

Having access to a bunch of timber is why I bought my mill. I don't mill for a living like some of the pros here(maybe when I retire :D) but it would be difficult for me to put a price on the enjoyment of cutting my own lumber when I need/want it. Sounds like you have a great offer on the table. If this is a one time gig, I would go with your guy. If you see more of this sort of thing in your future, may want to invest in your own mill and catch the fever.