Sorry to say...............

[two saw]

.............I sold the mill last Monday.
Hated to, but a run of bad luck, for lack of a better term, left me with little choice.
The place I had the mill set up was owned by 3 family members and it is now in court to be split up among them. Had to move out.  >:(

I live in a developement, all the way at the end, and it is all paved. The road fund committee, Which I am a part, frowned upon the idea of a log truck running over their pavement. Can't blame them I guess.  :

Then, The place I was buying logs, turns out that the fellow selling them to me was apparently telling his brother, Whom owns the business, he was selling me logs.  >:(

No place to saw + Nothing to saw + Not enough mobile sawing to make naything = Mill goes!  :'(

I knew almost nothing of the saw milling business before getting into this. Now I can tell you all that after seeing and using mills in the same price range as mine, My money would have been better spent other places. I won't get into it deeply here on the forum but I feel justified in saying this. I have put 600+/- hrs on this mill and I have logged an entire page and a half of problems I have had to deal with. Some resulting in down time and me fabricating a replacement part and others just a frequently reoccuring pain in the Butt.
I am very mechanically inclined and feel safe telling you that there was just too many good enoughs and short cuts. That is all I am going to say about it now. If some one is considering one of these mills you can PM me and I will give you my experiences/findings and you can draw your own conclusions.
Never again will I make a purchase of this magnitude without looking at and running and researching everything that is available on the market.

I dreamed of having my own complete sawmill with mill, drying sheds, 2 or 3 solar kilns, and maybe even some other finishing equipment to make a finished product, being my own boss and all that. I don't think I have the assets to accomplish that dream right now.

Now I want to take some time to thank all the people on this forum for their time and their support in helping me become an almost sawyer. I would never have lasted as long as I did without your help. I have not given up on the idea of sawing but the next mill I get it will probably get something a lot less expensive and mainly saw for myself and a few others.
I still envision sawing out a timber frame barn and some other buildings to erect on my property.
I will stop by from time to time to catch up on the forum as it is always informative and entertaining reading.

Now I have to focus on getting a career going so I can hopefully get some of the money back I lost. I took a real beating on the mill at auction.

Twosaw.

[Bibbyman]

Hey!  Cheer up...  Don't go away sad. 

There are still a lot of interesting things here on the Forum to get into. 

[brdmkr]

Two saw,

I am sorry to hear of your hard times.  Hang in there and don't get discouraged.  Things will start looking up!

[sawmilllawyer]

Sorry to hear of it. I have'nt got to first base yet, still trying to piece a homebuilt mill together.  I sorta figure one door closes and another opens up.

[WDH]

Hang in there Two Saw.  The going is rough now, but things will look up ;).

[sawguy21]

I have landed on my butt more times than I care to count but always managed to get back up and carry on. The alternative is not very attractive and will come soon enough. Hang in there and keep looking for new opportunities. All the best and hope you stay in touch.

[customsawyer]

Don't let this get you down as others have said in this line of work there is always something to do if you are willing to do it. I hope things turn around for you real soon.

[thecfarm]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck.It's impossible to know and to see what will happen a few years down the road.You will have those people that will tell you,you should of done this and this,it would of worked out better.Hind sight is always 20/20.At least now you know what not to do.Good luck with your next adventure.   ;D

[Ron Wenrich]

I know its little consolation, but I have yet to see a mill that hasn't had problems.  We put in a new mill about 10 years ago.  We have made constant improvements to the mill.  A lot of it was due to poor engineering on the design and the cheapening of parts to fit the budget.  Equipment manufacturers are in the market to sell mills, not make lumber.   ;)

Log supply and markets are always a problem, no matter what size of operation. 

Just stay around the forum and share your experiences with others.  This isn't only a forum, its a network.  When you hire one of us, you get all of us...you included.

[brooksmill]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck also.  Being a fellow W. Va. I too understand the problems you've encountered.  I've made no money on mine yet but hope to sometime.  Keep your head up and may God bless you.

[DanG]

I hate to hear that you had to give it up, Two Saw.  Things just work out that way sometimes.  Too bad you couldn't hold out for a better selling price, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and make the move even if it is painful.

As Ron said, you are one of the gang here, so don't even think of leaving the Forum.  You have made some valuable contributions here, and will continue to do so.  As you reflect on things, now that the pressure is off, you will probably find that you know a whole lot more about sawmilling than you think you do.  When you do get another mill, I'll bet you find some smooth sailing. ;)

[woodbowl]

I have not given up on the idea of sawing but the next mill I get it will probably get something a lot less expensive and mainly saw for myself and a few others.

I hope you can find a way to get back into sawing somehow. There are a lot of small, portable, low hassle mills out there that can saw just as good as the big mills. There's nothing like having a portable mill that sits in the yard like a trailer untill you get ready to do a 3 minute hook up and head to the log pile. Starting out smaller has some advantages without the pressures of bigger buisness.

[Shamus]

Well that can't feel too good, I know many of us have had a hard time making it work. If it weren't for the small woodlot I have for a log supply, I couldn't have kept my blades making sawdust. Funny how I got into the milling business, and ended up as the local firewood guy. Can't force people to buy my lumber all the time. And you sure do have to wear a lot of hats if you're gonna make it work (and hopefully have another line of income on the side, at least in the beginning). But you have a new skill, and hopefully you will put it to use again down the road. Never know what the next chapter will reveal.

Good luck to you two-saw, and try to keep some sawdust in your life if you can...

[jpgreen]

If it's any consolation, you're not alone. I'm also pretty much starting over this year.

Life is what happen's when you make other plans, but when the going get's tough, tough people get going.

Good luck..  8)

[treetech]

It's a tough way to make a living. I tried and failed but that dang old sawdust gets in your blood and perhaps,  someday you will find yourself with a "recreational sawmill". Let me tell you, it's a lot more fun sawing, when you don't have to make a living at it. All the best to you.