Looking to start out a small milling operation.

KeelerWoodworks · March 16, 2021, 10:48:00 AM

Hello everyone,

I am new to the forum here, having been reading a bunch but never posted so please be kind. I am just curious and want to pick some brains on the pains of starting up your own mill and being very very green to milling. So far my plan is to start out with a Norwood HD36 that I can have portable if need be. I am in NC so there seems to be a steady supply of free pine and oak varieties that I can sell lumber from or use in my woodworking projects. Any advice for a newbie or anyone that may be willing to chat on the side as well when I have questions around starting out? Thanks in advance for any help / wisdom shared.

WV Sawmiller · March 16, 2021, 12:18:56 PM

Welcome. Please provide more info such as you location as we have many members in NC right now and some are probably very close to you. I suggest you search and scroll through this part of the forum as this question has been asked and answered many times.

When we find where you are and who is close I'd contact them and see if you can go observe and maybe off-bear some lumber for them for a while to get a feel for the process. If possible go visit several as we all basically do the same thing sawing logs to lumber but we have all pricked up short cuts and labor saving tips so the more sawyers at work all of us get to watch the more we learn. Good luck and welcome again.

hacknchop · March 16, 2021, 12:22:06 PM

Welcome to the FF and best wishes on your business all I can say is "buy for less sell for more" seems to work for most.

firefighter ontheside · March 16, 2021, 01:23:23 PM

I was new about 4 years ago when I got my mill. I had a little expercience with milling since the mill belonged to a friend and I used to help him mill. I brought the mill home and set it up and milled my first log. Immediately I realized that having places to dry lumber out of the rain were going to be very important. I have lumber drying in numerous places and always need more. Start thinking about where you will dry lumber.

farmfromkansas · March 16, 2021, 01:32:27 PM

Does your area have a good market for mill lumber and firewood? Or maybe you would burn your own scrap. I started as a hobby, keep adding to my operation, but still a hobby. I burn the scrap from the mill in my shop, and build things for my grandkids and neighbors. If I had the strength and energy to build kitchen cabinets, plenty of work out there, cabinet shops have gotten really amazingly expensive. Neighbors got a bid to redo their kitchen, was 50,000. I built my daughter's cabinets a few years ago, and a nephew's. Those kitchen jobs are getting to look big, when you have to saw the lumber and dry it, then joint and plane every board, make all the frames and doors and drawers. I buy plywood for the boxes.

KeelerWoodworks · March 16, 2021, 04:24:08 PM

I am in Zebulon NC, I have googled some local businesses to see who is around and not many hit, I do know that is not all the sawyers in my area by any means. Also have reached out to some different potential clients to try and test the waters on the lumber market. Will be working with a buddy of mine who has a bunch of land and shelters we can dry lumber under and on so space or rent will not be an issue for us. Just selling lumber will not be my only means of money making with the mill, I also do woodworking so paying off the mill and getting "free" materials for those jobs seems like it would help also. Not jumping all in either as I have a full time job that I intend to keep. Appreciate all the advice from people so far.

scsmith42 · March 16, 2021, 04:44:53 PM

Quote from: KeelerWoodworks on March 16, 2021, 04:24:08 PM
I am in Zebulon NC, I have googled some local businesses to see who is around and not many hit, I do know that is not all the sawyers in my area by any means. Also have reached out to some different potential clients to try and test the waters on the lumber market. Will be working with a buddy of mine who has a bunch of land and shelters we can dry lumber under and on so space or rent will not be an issue for us. Just selling lumber will not be my only means of money making with the mill, I also do woodworking so paying off the mill and getting "free" materials for those jobs seems like it would help also. Not jumping all in either as I have a full time job that I intend to keep. Appreciate all the advice from people so far.

My operation is about 45 - 60 minutes from Zebulon, depending upon traffic. You are welcome to stop by and visit.
There is a lot more to milling than just pushing the blade through the log. Understanding wood movement and drying related shrinkage is important, as is knowing how you intend to market the lumber.
Material handling is another big issue - both logs as well as lumber.
Send me a PM if you'd like to get together sometime to discuss further.
Scott

Patrick NC · March 16, 2021, 04:48:59 PM

Quote from: KeelerWoodworks on March 16, 2021, 04:24:08 PM
I am in Zebulon NC, I have googled some local businesses to see who is around and not many hit, I do know that is not all the sawyers in my area by any means. Also have reached out to some different potential clients to try and test the waters on the lumber market. Will be working with a buddy of mine who has a bunch of land and shelters we can dry lumber under and on so space or rent will not be an issue for us. Just selling lumber will not be my only means of money making with the mill, I also do woodworking so paying off the mill and getting "free" materials for those jobs seems like it would help also. Not jumping all in either as I have a full time job that I intend to keep. Appreciate all the advice from people so far.

I'm about 3 1/2 hours from you so it's quite a ways to drive, but I have a hd36 and would be happy to let you check it out if you want to. Send a PM if you want.

firefighter ontheside · March 16, 2021, 05:26:32 PM

You can look on FB marketplace and see who is selling lumber there. That's where I do most of my selling.

WV Sawmiller · March 16, 2021, 07:22:42 PM

I would not be anxious to try to sell lumber or saw for others till I had sawed a lot of lumber in practice and was comfortable I could saw quality lumber. Lots of us used our practice lumber to build a drying or sawmill shed or other outbuildings. The same is true with drying and other processing. Saw your own stuff then some for family and friends and let them know it is practice so start with the lower grade logs till you know how your mill will react to different woods, sweep, shake, knots, crotch wood, long wood, short wood, off-center piths, etc.

I'd take Scott up on his offer and go pick his brain and learn everything I could from him and any others near by who may chime in.

When I got interested I found this site and I went back to the start of this part of the forum and read everything here from start to finish on sawmills and milling. There's info there on sawing techniques, maintenance, insurance, business cards, advertising, safety, etc. If you do a websearch on any sawing issue you will almost certainly be directed to this forum. Good luck.

moodnacreek · March 16, 2021, 08:17:01 PM

After you get comfortable sawing and have a supply of logs the real work and problems start. Sorting and stacking [to dry and store] is what I mean. Always saw the same lengths and try hard to make a stack of all the same item. Not doing this was my biggest mistake. A year latter and someone wants a few hundred feet of 1x 10 and you have to take 5 piles apart to fill the order? You won't have time to do this, trust me. And don't try to get all the footage you can from a log, although you should know how, go ahead and waste a few feet with the chainsaw to get a nice run of same lengths and if possible close diameters. I hope this helps at some point.

farmfromkansas · March 16, 2021, 08:21:13 PM

Howard is right, when I hired guys to saw years ago, they screwed up my wood. One guy sawed a big stack on the inch scale instead of 4/4. Another guy was real careful to square up the logs, and left big chunks that would have made the best boards. Also that guy sawed all my oak quarter sawn, when I wanted it flat sawn.

samandothers · March 16, 2021, 08:35:27 PM

Welcome! There's a member here with a Cooks sawmill in Durham Area. There is a Woodmizer dealer in Oakboro. I thought of Patrick having the Norwood too and he chimed in.

This is a great place to learn about the business. I second a visit to Scott's to pick up on his knowledge of the business, drying, sawing, and selling. Also reading here will help you figure out your niche.
.

bushhog920 · March 17, 2021, 04:26:36 AM

Find your niche and stick with it. Filling cut list with cuts you don't have will wear you out. But if you are the go to guy for ??? and you have 1000 in stock everyone will be happier.

Tristen · March 19, 2021, 08:12:21 PM

Research, how to build lumber stacks, how to cut stickers, how to build a sawmill shed, then build twice and many lumber stacks as you think you need, cut twice and many stickers as you think you need, and build your milling shed twice as big as you think it should be. Every free min you have spend reading on the forestry forum, these guys are full of knowledge and are willing to share it. The knowledge i have gained on this site is invaluable !