Sustainability

[Woodsman1220]

I am so pleased that I have purchased a sawmill.  It feels great to have such a useful tool.  I am able to put nearly every bit that comes off my mill to use and save and make a little extra money while doing so.  Besides the lumber, we are able to heat our home with slabs and limb wood in our woodstove, I am able to sell firewood in bundles along the road in front of our house on the honor system and the sawdust is used to bed our horses (except for the little bit of walnut which has to go in a compost pile). Friends and co-workers purchase some lumber from me nearly every week and a fella stopped by and wants to purchase my pine slabs and trimmings which I otherwise just burn in a pile (that does keep my pyromanic tendencies in check though).  My son bought a farm last year that has some woodland and will need lumber for barns and fences.  I am also able to do projects with very nice lumber that I otherwise would not be able to afford.  There seems to always be someone who has some trees that they want removed and ask if I want them.  I find that I am quickly becoming quite busy with my little side hustle. I fully expect that the mill will pay for itself within a year.  It also satisfies my entrepreneurial spirit after so many years of working in the steel industry and being a reliable provider for my family.  I am happy and excited that I decided to give it a whirl and purchase a mill.

[Patrick NC]

Congrats on the mill. It seems that sawdust is an addiction and once you're hooked, there's no turning back!😁

[Gere Flewelling]

Woodsman1220-  Welcome!  Looks like you have planned well.  Love to see some pic's of your operation.  Especially your mill.

[Brob1969]

All the things you've mentioned are the reasons I bought a sawmill, in addition to the fact that I am a general contractor. 
I've long wanted to own a sawmill, and as lumber prices skyrocketed last year I knew it was time.  I researched so many different manual mills and searched daily for an affordable used one.  

Having my new-to-me mill at home now and I am so stoked to start turning all these logs into usable lumber!

[quadracutter222]

Congrats on the swinger, I have the same model and really like it.  Fun to run and fast cutting!  You are correct that pretty much every part of the log that comes off is usable, I even found some gardeners to come clean out my bark pit because they wanted mulch ;) 

How much track did you get?  Do you have the carbide teeth or insert?

[Woodsman1220]

I really like it too.  I think that not having to turn logs without the expense of a hydraulic machine is a great advantage.  Tear down and set-up makes portability not quite so great though.  I have four sections of track per side so I think I can cut about 20 feet.  I have only cut 16 feet of length so far.  I was not too happy about the sharpener and ended up just using a cordless Dewalt angle grinder to sharpen the saw.  It is quick and I can hold the flatness of the tooth profile pretty well by hand now.  Taking the time too sharpen often makes a big difference in how hard it is to push the saw through the log.  I did not get the inserts.  I have a saw doctor about 25 miles away who replaces the carbide teeth for $5 per tooth.  I suspect that overall the circle blade has some pretty good advantages by being able to sharpen it many times while it is still on the machine and can be re-tipped indefinitely.  Sometimes I wish I did have a hydraulic band mill to easily move around and load logs onto.  It would also be easier to cut slabs a bit wider without having to switch to the chainsaw mill attachment.  I haven't used that yet but know I eventually will.  I also like the idea of the planer head attachment.  Their are pros and cons to any machine.  I am happy with the swing blade for most of what I use it for.  

[trimguy]

Welcome and congratulations. Sounds like it's working out good for you.