Long time visitor, first time poster! Need advice regarding low budget milling.

hackberry jake · January 17, 2012, 12:50:49 PM

There are a lot of photos of the mill in operation in my photo gallery. The biggest con was the speed, however I have since put a 20hp Honda engine on it that I found on cl and it cuts much faster. For $4k you can't expect a full blown production machine. The pros of the machine come out everytime I have ran it. It cuts log after log and has never had a breakdown. Just keep a Sharp band on it and keep it lubricated and she should last a very long time. It's a very heavy well built machine.

mad murdock · January 17, 2012, 01:35:26 PM

WelcOme Ozarkian and manning. I have a CSM. Have worked around handset circle mills, would like a swing blade, and will prolly eventually build one. I may build a bandmill. IF you consider a CSM you will end up spending your $2000 between a mill large power head bar and chains and other needed accessories. You will be much happier with a thin kerf bandmill, as your lumber recovery is way better, and milling speed is off the charts compared to the CSM

FeltzE · January 17, 2012, 05:06:40 PM

I'd recommend looking at bandmill options. But keep in mind you are working in TONNAGE. A typical log may weigh from several hundred pounds to several thousand.

Starting off a walk by/hand pushed band saw may be your best bet. Why? Because bands cost about $20 each and resharp services are half that including shipping. Working with residential timber you WILL cut nails, and a single nail is reason for a blade change.

Take some time to evaluate your local market after starting to saw, you may find you are in need of portability as it's often easier to move the saw to the timber than the timber to the saw.

I could go on for another 500 word essay but won't, but be aware that soon you will need to budget for a cover for your saw, or a material handling option such as a forklift/loader or even a truck to handle sawdust, logs, or slab.

As always your invited to spend a few days with me at my mill for a free lesson in sawmilling!

Eric

Dave VH · January 17, 2012, 05:40:18 PM

Welcome!
I was in the middle of building my own bandsaw mill when I found a guy that needed a deck on his house that he was willing to trade for. I've got 300$ in labor (my employees and I did the deck in a day), another $200 in building a track for the mill. I now have a small bandmill for cheap. It took me some time to find a deal like that, but they are out there. Don't give up. When this mill makes me enough money, there is an lt40 in my future.
good luck. when you find that diamond in the rough, it'll make it that much more special to you.

Ozarkian · January 17, 2012, 06:00:30 PM

I am talking with some welder/fabricators in my area and am going to price out getting one built. Hopefully it'll be less than $3,000.00 including labor! Anybody know of any great plans they suggest?

Feltze, I am pretty set as to sawing primarily Eastern Red Cedar, and have yet to cut a log that I believe would require a forklift after cutting into 8-10 lengths. Also, most all of the timber I am cutting is coming from my parent's land that's been in the family for over 150 years. I am familiar where most the fence lines have been and still are. However, stray bullets from target practice and so forth could dull a blade quick I bet!

customsawyer · January 17, 2012, 06:04:18 PM

Bullets are not that bad as they are soft lead. The ones with a metal jacket can cause a problem from time to time. Sometimes I will hit a bullet and not even know it till later when stacking the lumber.

steve phillips · January 17, 2012, 06:13:16 PM

hey ozarkian
welcome to the site , its a great site lots of info and helpful folks. im new too
i am building a mill , ole social security dont pay much lol

Ozarkian · January 17, 2012, 06:19:04 PM

I bet some sawyers have found old lead balls from the civil war when cutting into the big old trees. That be cool... As long as blade isn't damaged!
How's the build coming along? What plans are you following, and estimated cost to build?

mad murdock · January 17, 2012, 06:56:47 PM

Linn Lumber out here in ORE sells piece parts, kits or the whole mill. Some guys have gone that route, and have been able to build a manual band mill plus it cuts down on fabrication time. I am sure there are others, There are plans available for little $$. if you are wanting to research the build your own route, I would use the forum search and read through threads on it. Check out the Iron Inventory thread on this forum as well. There are a lot of guys who have posted info on their builds there.

morgoon · January 17, 2012, 08:42:49 PM

Well I guess the name of the game is patience...for me not having a shop, sure eats at my patience, especially when winter hits around here.

Wait long enough the right deal will come along

I bet if you start building a mill, you will be mid way down that road and good deal on a mill will come up...

Lease wise that is my luck anyhow.

I think most guys who build their own mill, usually have a shop at their disposal, and have been collecting parts for a while...so when it comes time to build it might not appear to be as costly as buying outright, but I bet it all adds up.

I bought a homemade mill, with a wisconsin S14d on it, 4 post design and a 24' deck...it cuts nice, all manual though, and it cost me 1500.00...and I had/have to do tons of tweaking on it, as I plan to do a bit of mobile milling this spring.

Usual stuff eh...if you have the time, you probably don't have the money, or if you have the money you likely don't have the time

No expert here just my .02

Ozarkian · January 17, 2012, 09:04:26 PM

Building the saw definitely would be very rewarding, and I would get hands on knowledge inside and out about the mill I would be working with.

I did mention that "I" personally do not have a shop, however, my awesome neighbor owns a full welding and fabrication shop next door, he manufactured and works on Dune Buggy's and other stuff - extremely nice and smart guy.

He already made it clear that he personally wouldn't want to take on the project, which is understandable. He is nearing retirement. But I approached him today about possibly hiring out one of his skilled workers to help. He agreed to take a look some pictures and plans tomorrow, and will talk to his guy for me. We're gonna see if he thinks it would be financially worth my while to build one. Fortunately I have a brother in law and some friends who are welders that would probably help for some pizza and beer 8)! they don't have as nice a shop as he does though... :-\

I don't want to be one of those "annoying" neighbors, so I guess I'll get the wife to bake him some cookies or a pie for giving his advice! Who knows after he see's the plans and knows what I am going to be doing with it... he may want some lumber sawn! ;D He may want me to saw some boards to put a privacy fence between us if I keep harassing him!

Buck · January 17, 2012, 11:35:30 PM

After a nice dinner, foot massage, and some smooth talking (lots of alcohol 8)) my Wife might just agree to let me buy one of those!... Hey, it's worked before - she married me! ;)

Quote

;D..He's gonna fit right in around here dont ya'll think? :D

Carpenter · January 18, 2012, 01:20:14 AM

Not to discourage you, but, you could do like I did. I bought an old handset circle mill which was basically a set of metal parts. And I split the cost with a buddy, so my share of the mill originally was only $500. Well, several thousands of dollars later, not to mention the time spent on the mill itself and support equipement. My wife basically insisted that I stop putting money into that old mill and buy one that worked. We bought an EZ-Boardwalk 40 and I have been very happy with it.

Ozarkian · January 18, 2012, 01:28:27 AM

So my mind has been going non-stop today! I posted Wanted ad's in several different city's and have increased my price to $3,000.00. I don't think it will matter how much sucking up I do, nor how many blenders of margarita's I make, my wife is very set on that price. Which is fine with me right now. I am waiting for some responses, hopefully I get a couple of offers that are good. Otherwise, to the scrapyard I go... I'll give it a couple/few weeks of checking online before I decide to build, I am ready to start cutting now though!

I have seen a couple of cheap models, one for example is from Harbor Freight. It seems like a decent setup but the motor is a bit small in my opinion. How hard do ya'll think it would be to buy a cheap model and put a little bit bigger motor on it? Of course, that is considering I could come across a good cheap 13 hp+ motor...

Ozarkian · January 18, 2012, 01:36:08 AM

Not discouraged at all Carpenter, thank you for the feedback. I am essentially considering all options in my budget, we don't have the finances available to exceed $3,000.00. I have 3 kids, one is still a baby, and a very beautiful wife to spoil. I know I will be able to make it work (somehow) within my budget. It may take some time and patience, but I am confident I will make it work. And many pages later on this topic, you'll see some pictures of beautiful cut eastern red cedar, walnut, and persimmon boards! Then, shortly after I can upload some of the projects I have planned. ;D

Please, keep the comments coming! I like hearing advice, it makes me feel better suited to make a well informed decision. :P

zopi · January 18, 2012, 01:46:08 AM

Three grand...lt 10 new from the factory....and ypu are cutting lumber instead of messing with someone else's junk.

In the terms my wife laid down, you simply are not buying an lt10, it is too small, and you will outgrow it! You are getting a fifteen.

I love it when she is right.

Meadows Miller · January 18, 2012, 06:38:27 AM

Great Minds Think Alike Zopi

:D :D;)

Well Young Ty has a lt10 and he has put some pretty fair size logs though it

;) :D :D ;D ;D 8)

With HP You will notice it with hp but it dont mean you cant cut a good ole whacka timber per day on them My first band when I was 15yo was a Jonsered 6000+ Bansaw mill with a 2095 Chainsaw as the power unit they where rated at like 7 hp and I cut a power off timber on it untill some usless

so n so stole the head unit when i was about 21yo

you will be suprprised just how much you can get done if you put some planing into it and are organised Mate ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D 8) 8)

Regards Chris

Magicman · January 18, 2012, 07:33:51 AM

You seem to be in a rush and wanting it to happen...now. Slow down. The right sawmill will become available and at your now increased budget. Remember that you will still have some startup cost.

I would be very wary of getting a sawmill brand other than the builders/suppliers listed on the left. They are all top of the line and proven machines. The very last thing that you need is a lesser quality sawmill. :-\

thecfarm · January 18, 2012, 08:00:10 AM

A bandsaw mill can and have been built,but if paying someone else a good hourly amount is different. I could not afford to have one built by someone else that have never done it before. Nor could I build one,even though I have one to look at. There's ALOT to getting things straight up and down and side to side.

Cedarman · January 18, 2012, 08:02:45 AM

To make money with a sawmill there are 3 things to balance.
1st log supply, you seem to have that covered for now.
2nd mill and needed equipment, canthook, chainsaws, fixit tools, place to keep inventory, stickers, place to put sawdust, slabs, place to store logs etc
This you are working on.
3d Marketing and sales. This is where you will make the profit to expand your business. While you are figuring out the sawmill part, it would be a good time to find some markets. Where are the markets for the products you want to make. See what they pay, how much they can use over what period of time. Who are your competitors and what do they get for their wood.
All 3 are important, but 3 is where you make your money.

You are making a capital investment. An investment that will make a return by using it whether supplying your own material or selling material. You are in a value added situation. Know the cost of each step of your adding value. This will also tell you where to focus your time. The value you add must be more than the cost of adding it or in the end you will have a money pit.

Making sawdust is the easy part. Osarkian, have fun on this great adventure.

paul case · January 18, 2012, 08:58:56 AM

I ,like carpenter, started out with a circle mill. I actually had 2 of them at the same time. I learned that they can be very dangerous. The same can be said for some of the homemade bandmills I have seen on youtube. Running without guards and the blade breaks is funny to some of them, but what if a child was standing there? Many who have built their own bandmills who come here and post pics get this advise from forumites, ''Put some guards on that''. Those things can keep someone from getting hurt.
I said that to say this, If you build your own mill ,put some sheilds on it. Most folks seem to be in a big hurry to get it in the wood, but man with no shields they are dangerous.
IMHO, If you take the time to build one right, and put all the time and effort into getting it to cut straight and true, It will cost you more money than what you can buy one for. PC

Ozarkian · January 18, 2012, 10:01:02 AM

Ya'll are very smart individuals, and I appreciate all of the very much needed advice. In regards to being in a rush... I will admit I am fairly excited and eager to get up and running. However, I am also naturally somewhat of a cautious person. I have run a few small businesses in the past prior to my current occupation working in the corporate world. Which is the reason I have come here to gain some priceless insight and information from each and every on of you. You all have obviously been in the business for some time and I respect your generosity of mind.
With that being said, I will definitely NOT commit to any purchase or begin any building until I have run it by here to get ya'll's feedback pc_smiley. I have funds available, but really prefer to wait for my tax returns to be completed (beginning of February) first. So, even then, unless I am 100% confident that the purchase I am making is the "right" purchase and the most bang for my buck I will hold on to my hard earned money... regardless how anxious I am to start making some sawdust. I will just use my chainsaw and chop down

a few more tree's to add to my stockpile. That'll nip the sawdust bug in the butt for the time being!

Bill Gaiche · January 18, 2012, 10:50:14 AM

Ozarkian, I would add to this list of does and donts. I built my own mill. It took me about 3 months to complete. I am retired and its for home projects. Building one needs some special attention as to getting everything right which can be done. My mill cuts perfect for me and I am glad that I built it. It has given me a complete understanding of how everything works and why. If I were you and you have the money at lest most of what a mill could be bought for, I would buy one that has been built and tried by alot of sawyers. You could go and see anyone of the F/F members mill cut and see first hand what you are getting. They can tell you there weakness and strenghts. Plus gain some first hand experience. You will also have a company that can supply any part that needs replaced and advice on your mill. I say buy used or new and you can be assured that you will be making sawdust the same day. Good luck, bg

Chuck White · January 18, 2012, 11:19:13 AM

Quote from: Bill Gaiche on January 18, 2012, 10:50:14 AM
Ozarkian, I say buy used or new and you can be assured that you will be making sawdust the same day. Good luck, bg

Good points Bill!

Ozarkian,I would suggest you keep your eyes open for a used mill.

Many of us on the Forum run mills that we bought used!

If you buy used, you could be saving as much as half, over the cost of a new mill.

Ozarkian · January 18, 2012, 11:44:16 AM

I strongly desire a good used mill for the fact buying used does save quite a chunk of change. Also, unless it needs some work I can begin cutting same day.
Building one, to be honest, most likely will not happen. UNLESS one of the welder fabricators that I live by and grew up with can guarantee a very well built solid structure within my budget and a reasonable timeframe. I know a few out here in the Ozarks who have solid workshops in their backyard - along with piles of scrap metal, riding lawn mowers, experience, and equipment to tackle such a project with minimal new materials investing.
Cost of labor is my biggest concern. I have little concern of their ability to construct a mill that will perform as good if not better than buying a new/used mill from the name brand manufacturers.
I feel good about taking small steps towards my goals. Can't wait to feel that sense of accomplishment building stuff from trees I cut down and sawed into lumber myself.
My son was watching me watch a video on YouTube of somebody demonstrating their mill cut boards, he is 5 years old. He said, "Dad, when I grow up like you I want to do that.". It made me proud and I want to make that dream come true for him.