Am I crazy to try to start a mobile saw mill operation on a $4000 budget?

[terrifictimbersllc]

My LT40 Super....or, not and....
4400 pounds, or 36", or 20.5 feet, about 27" maximum board width

That being said, I've sawn probably 5200 pounds, about 42" (oval log 34 x 42"), more like 20 ft 8" without "scooching", and nothing can be done about the 27".

[backwoods sawyer]

If you spend all your $$$ on tools you will need to go make some more to operate on.

Are you crazy, well we need more info to deturmine that

12' x 38" pulled in tight with the clamp is a max load for the hydraulics with loading arm legs flat on the ground. Soft ground and side hills reduce that a bit.
About the time the log is half way loaded, the loading arm legs start sinking in the soft ground, the mill starts to buckle up lifting the inside legs and shift towards the log is when you know you have to much log
Now you have to get rid of it and reset the mill and that all cost time. 

 

[Brandon1986]

So being fairly green at milling let me pose this question to those of you that are trying to handle those 5k# + logs.  My plan for handling those is trim them down to a manageable size with my 660 and mini mill. Why can't you do that, aside from a possible loss of useable wood which if properly planed wouldn't be that much it would seem to me. Or possibly the time it would take to do it?

[Magicman]

There is nothing at all wrong with trimming logs down, just time consuming.  Even with my sawmill, anything over 36" has to be trimmed either with the sawmill or a chainsaw.  We call it Bibbying out of respect for one of our senior FF members, Bibbyman.

Just curious ... what drove you to replace hydraulic pumps?

A couple of different instances related to the motors, not the pumps.  It was simpler to replace the pump/motor unit than to wait for the motor repair shop to get the necessary rebuild brush rack kits.  I did have one pump that was leaking fluid but it was still pumping fine.  I ended up with a spare pump/motor assembly, so any failure in the future will not cause any appreciable down time.

[Delawhere Jack]

Just skimmed through some of the replies and didn't see this mentioned.

You can mill mobile with a manual mill, but you won't be able to charge as much per hour. Or if you charge by the board foot, it's going to take you longer to produce as much as a hydraulic mill. You're looking at at least a factor of 2x difference.

I started with a manual mill, using a hand winch to turn logs. After turning an odd shaped 1,200 lb cherry log one day, I got home, had one beer and went to bed at 7:30pm.......And slept like a log.

You've got to have an idea of what the end cost per board foot is going to be for the client. If that price is going to approach the retail price of comparable lumber (which is also dried and usually surfaced), they aren't going to hire you. Some small jobs I do, say one or two cherry or walnut logs, where the client has no equipment on site, the cost for milling approaches $1/bf. That's ok, because the lumber will be worth much more than that. On softwoods that would be a deal breaker.

Anyway, give it a go. Just keep in mind that $800 pickup trucks have a way of becoming $2k, then $3k, then $4k trucks...... Don't ask.

[JoeB]

Well said Delawhere Jack! X 2

[Nate379]

A fresh cut Poplar has a tanker full of water in it. 

I had one last night that at 20ft I could barely lift with the skid steer.  It was over 5000lbs.



I chuckled at the "one very cold ~20* morning".  20* is sweatshirt weather for most Alaskans.  -20* on the other hand is getting pretty cold.  My equipment starts getting cranky... And me too!

[Cedarman]

At minus 20, I don't even crank.

[Brandon1986]

My $800 pickup was a steal I think I could clean it up a little and sell it for $2500 pretty easy, but thats one of those things that is a debateable sawmill expense in the first place due to the fact that I will use it way more for other things in life than milling, to include a minor restoration project just for fun.

I already had decided on the fact that sawing demensional lumber for profit would be limiting with my set up and the type of local wood, so if I do it profit margin would be VERY slim. I guess I just like to cut lumber and once cut I don't have much to do with it so making it cover itself is all I really want.

Another idea I was tossing around was building and selling sheds. I think selling a finished product would be much easier than selling raw lumber. I THINK (and correct me if this is a bad idea) that if I frame it with spruce and side it cottonwood (when its kept dry it lasts just fine) I might be able to sell those with next to no overhead.

On a side. Note if this post doesn't land in the right spot or looks funny I'm sorry but I am experementing with doing it on my Iphone

[york]

Brandon,ya did ok with your phone-have a friend who is into the shed thing and there is a waiting list for his sheds....

[Tom the Sawyer]

Brandon1986,

"I guess I just like to cut lumber and once cut I don't have much to do with it so making it cover itself is all I really want."

That statement may shoot your business plans in the foot.  IRS deductions for business expenses, depreciation, etc. are predicated on the intent to generate a profit from your business endeavors.  That statement pretty much indicates that it is a hobby and most deductions would not be permitted.

[Nate379]

Swing by the shop today, I'll be here till pretty late.  I have a bunch of bandsaw blades you can have.

[Puffergas]

Another idea I was tossing around was building and selling sheds. I think selling a finished product would be much easier than selling raw lumber.

Sheds are a hot item at two auctions that I go to every year.

[Brandon1986]

Sounds like I found a winner idea then!

[Brandon1986]

Nate just saw you're based in palmer I am suprised to run into someone on a world wide forum that lives so close. Which shop is yours?

[Nate379]

Mat Valley Milling, not owned by me, I am just a partner so to speak.  I have my own company setup there, Valley Firewood.
I don't do any of the lumber making, not sure how to run the Woodmizer even. 

The bands got tossed in the scrap metal pile, not sure if the scrapper guys are working this weekend or not till Monday.
They are good blades, most have been sharpened a few times.  They are rusty a bit and we have a metric ton of them in better shape so decided to toss them.
Probably 10-12 of them.

Dunno if it's something you can use or not, but figured I'd offer.

[Brandon1986]

Oh yeah Russ Fransic (sp?) is one of our old customers. We used to haul him saw logs all the time!  Hey if they need an extra set of hands some time in the winter let me know I would very much like to work for a mill just to learn a little better! 

[Nate379]

Lumber has been real slow the last year or two.

That's why I mention the market is pretty saturated.  We stay floatung by being diversified.

[Meadows Miller]

G'day

And welcome to The Forum Brandon 

By all means you can start with bugger all  I have had to do it afew times in my life so far infact starting all over again rite now   

You are on the rite track with doing sheds cabins and such Mate 

Regards Chris