Shipping container as sawmill shed?

[York Woodwright]

I'm looking for advice or thoughts on using a 40 high-cube shipping container as a sawmill shed. Here's my situation and my questions...

The mill has sat for three years (lymphoma can get in the way of life) but with my renewed strength, I want to start milling again. The mill is on a friend's property. He is an arborist and has brought logs home (mainly hardwood) for me to mill, and we will split the proceeds. I have the use of his loader, crane, etc. 

I don't want to work in rain and snow, so he suggested I get a 40 foot container with a high ceiling and cut off the front wall, to make a shed with the solid wall to the north to keep out snow. He has two such containers which he uses for his business, and is happy for me to add a third one on his property. I am wondering about having a 28 foot opening at the door end of the container, perhaps 7 feet in height from floor (see diagram). That would give me about 10 feet at the enclosed end for a workbench, blade storage, tools, etc. 

Because the container is only 8 feet wide and my LT40 width with wheels is 6 feet, I am hoping to remove the axle assembly, resulting in a 4 foot wide bed. Removing the hitch assembly might also make it easier to move about. I have gone through forum posts about stationary setups and am encouraged by others' experiences. The local Woodmizer folks discourage me from removing the wheels, but I plan on bolting the fine-adjust outriggers to the steel floor to obviate any problems (+/- rubber pads to reduce vibrations). I have no intention of using the mill in a portable manner. In addition, I am wondering if I should obtain the Woodmizer board return system to make up for the narrow working space. I am also wondering if I will be beset by noise and ventilation problems.

I covet your thoughts on how you might configure a container for this purpose (or why you would not use one), and about making it stationary. 

Charles

 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I am suffering from claustrophobia just reading this post but that may just be me. I don't know what kind of sawdust evac system you are planning but I foresee lots of missed sawdust, bark and such on the floor under the mill that may be hard to reach. I can't imagine the heat and fumes build up sawing that close to a solid wall with that low a ceiling. Is this for winter time sawing in Canada or Alaska? If not... How about light? Yes, I foresee major noise issues.

   I love shipping containers and I hate to be a bubble buster but this is not a use for one that jumps out at me. Good luck.

[Southside]

I have two insulated shipping containers, one is my kiln, the other is a storage unit - there is no way I would want to work in one of those with my sawmill.  My suggestion would be to build a "floating roof" type of building where you literally construct a pole barn with only a roof over it. You can then add on roll down sides - canvas or shade cloth works great - this gives you a shelter you can work under year round and is about as cheap as is possible to build, not to mention safe when it comes to exhaust gas and sawdust.  

[frazman]

I have a shipping container that I use for storage and the HM 126 mill and I personally wouldn't convert the container for my mill as some concerns as previously mentioned. Opening a large section of the metal wall could create problems and would have to be reinforced in some way with snow loads during the winter.

If you have the opportunity to use one of your friends container as a wall and purchase a second one, you could then build a roof over both of them at the space required between them. This would make for a nice long cover area and lots of storage space with you own container.

[WV Sawmiller]

   We even used shipping containers in Iraq and Afghani land where we placed 2 parallel with a working area between than placed trusses across the inner/adjacent sides for shade and shelter from the rain and such. You would have to contend with snow build up on the 8X40 roofs unless you placed your trusses across to the outer sides to shed the snow off the side and that might get pricy and unweildy to build but you'd have a solid wall at your sides, storage in the conexs and you could close in the ends. You'd need your mill positioned perpendicular to the conexes for log access so I guess you'd have to have the conexes at least 32-36 ft apart (assuming the mill to be about 26' long) I'd want 3-4 ft of working room around each end. So if you had 36' of work area plus the 2 8' conexes that would be 52' trusses and whatever pitch you had to plan on for the snow load so pretty long. It would give you a 36' X 40' work area - unless you uses 20' containers then you'd have a 36' X 20' work area.

  I'm talking out my rectum here and not even sure the conexs would support the weight of such a roof with your snow load so check that before taking anything I suggest as gospel.

[TKehl]

Just thinking that for the same money, you would be better served by a carport.  

[petefrom bearswamp]

My sawmill shed was a simple pole structure 12 wide x 28 long x 10 high, open all 4 sides.
Modified Alaskan slab with 4 runs of rebar in the footer section and 6" of 3000 pound concrete with steel mesh.
18 years later no cracks in the floor and it is now storage.
worked well but  didnt saw much in the winter.
Got a little snow drift in it once in a while
28 wasnt long enough so added a 6' shed roof on the operator end
Was fairly cheap to build in 2002.

[firefighter ontheside]

I like the carport idea.  That is where my mill lives.  MIne is 18x26.  MIll sits sideways at one end so I can load logs from the side.

[mike_belben]

I wanna say connexs stacked correctly can hold up something outrageous like 300T.  Years ago i looked into it and just multiplied the individual can rating x the number that the highest current stackers are using in shipyards on the super cargo ships.  

People cut whole walls out all the time.  Arthur trovei trucks around port jervis cuts the entire side out of schoolbusses for engine storage lining the whole property, and they dont fold.  plenty of snow there and a bus is nothing compared to a can.   We piled whatever we wanted ontop a connex, anywhere. Cars, no problem.  On dryvans you could only really use the corners. 

[Haleiwa]

One of the nasty things a container tends to do is cause a lot of wind swirl.  Snow accumulates on the downwind side.  An open side will likely be far less dry and protected than you expect.

[charles mann]

After sleeping/living in containers converted into housing for 3 deployments, when power went out, it was hellishly hot or arctic cold depending which of the 2 season we were in. I wouldnt want to work in 1 like you are describing, mostly for previously mentioned reasons. I also advocate for getting a container, placing it near the other and building a roof across. I did that with my "shop". 2 20'ers, with 16' between them and a roof that spans across both tops of the conexes. 

[Ianab]

As you have a sawmill it shouldn't be a big job to saw out a "carport" that's cantilevered off one of the existing containers? That way the back wall is sorted, you need some roofing, a couple of sturdy posts for the corners, a large beam to sit on top of them, and smaller joists running back to the top of the container to hold up the roof. Some board and batten to go on the end walls, and you have a 3 sided sawmill shelter. 

Possibly 4 posts if you are limited to the length of log you can saw? That way the opening can be the size of the biggest log you can handle, and then the wall extends a bit further. 

[Crusarius]

2 ideas in my head about this.

1. 2 containers parallel to each other with truss bridging across. On one end extend the trusses over a beam line that will make an open end. The sawmill then can sit under the gable roof perpendicular to the ridge. This will give you clear span the full length of the truss with no need for columns blocking your log loading.

2. (Probably not good depending on wind lift) Single container in center with long trusses resting on container making a covered area on both sides of the container. This could also be modified to have the trusses off center and supported by a beam line. Unfortunately, the beamline would interfere with log loading on the mill that would be under the roof.

Storage containers are designed to be stacked quite high. The strength of a container is not in the sheathing on the walls. It is in the frame around the outside. you can completely remove the walls and still have just as strong of a frame. (as long as we are talking vertical load), when you get into side loading that does change. Most likely that will not be a problem with what your doing. 

a third idea that I have always liked is to setup like option 1 above, but add a stem wall on top of the container that is 6-7' high then set the trusses on that. That will give you storage on top of the container for whatever you need to store. another great thing about it is that you now have a portable building that can be broken down and relocated as necessary.