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TomChum
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# Posted: 28 Mar 2012 11:23pm - Edited by: TomChum
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Who knows about portable sawmills? I don't think I'm interested in the chainsaw types, except for roughing out a beam. I wouldn't try to cut lumber for a living, more just to make use of the tight-grain Fir that I have . My trees (the ones I would cut) are mostly less than a foot diameter. I don't think it makes a lot of sense to cut your own when a board costs $2.25 at the store. But bigger beams cost a lot. And the idea that I could go cut my own board in less or the same time it takes to go to town sounds cool too.
Anyone know which to buy and also which to stay away from? I am currently interested n the Hud-Son Oscar 121, which is about $3,300.
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BadgersHollow
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2012 12:46am
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I purchase an Alaska Mark II chainsaw mill off craigslist for a hundred bucks. It is very labor intensive to us. If you need fiber in your diet, press on one of these babies for an hour - patewy. Goggles are a must. I agree with you..for anything other than beams or a mantlepiece, home depot is the way to go. I've heard bandsaw mills are effective, but spendy.
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justincasei812
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2012 08:38am
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I have a friend who build a sawmill from scratch. It works well, actually he built two of them. Built the first one figured out what he did wrong then built a second with improvements. This can bbroken down and moved. So if you have some welding skills and a few bucks you should be good to go.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2012 08:49am
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we have guys around here that will come out to your farm/camp /etc and cut your down trees for so much a board foot!!!! with wood miser type portable sawmills---way cheap per board foot!!!!!
i hade a several huge pines cut up a serveral years ago, my neighbor has some cut as well---cost us a 100 bucks each, we built him a nice tractor parn out of his, and i used some 24" to 30" wide boards in my old camp and used some at my pole barn & gave some aways as well.
They hardest thing is handling the logs..... we used a tractor with boom pole to move the logs around.
btw on rough cut wood--all the board (1" x 10") and battern (1" x 21/2") delivered from another state for my HEMLOCK siding on my cabin build was $1040 bucks!!!!! Check Craig's list for rough sawn wood or portable sawmills!!!!!!!!
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TomChum
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2012 01:55pm
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TH I like your siding! $1040 delivered? That's cool.
That's pretty interesting, I wonder what they charge out here for the whole deal (standing timber - to - boards). Having a sawmill would be cool, but then I have to worry someone will steal it.
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fpw
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2012 06:08pm
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I purchased a TimberKing 1220 a few years back. The machine paid for itself in a short time. It is so hard to get to my place, it is easier to cut everything for my own use with the TimberKing.
Much less work than a chainsaw mill. Woodmizer makes an LT-15 which is similar to the TK 1220. Woodmizer also makes an LT-10. These mills run 3k-7k new.
You can take a look at used mills at the sawmill exchange to get an idea as to what they run.
http://www.sawmill-exchange.com/Equipment_/Band/Manual_Band_Mills/manual_band_mills.h tml
Chainsaw Mill
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TimberKing 1220
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justincasei812
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2012 08:15am
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The TimberKing looks a lot like what my friend had built but without the panels which I like for safety. His base is stationary and the top part is what adjusts. I do have a question about the jug is that water to cool the blade?? If so what is the flow rate.
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fpw
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# Posted: 30 Mar 2012 10:02pm
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The jug is filled with water, there is line that runs to the blade. Water is dripped on the blade to keep it cool and clean via a little throttle valve. The water drips a drop a second or so. When cutting something with a great deal of sap, like pine, you increase the water.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2012 01:41am - Edited by: TomChum
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OK, so I got the Hud-Son Oscar 121. It works pretty good. 10HP, and they say it can cut up a 21" log if you do it just right. I put a 16" log in there and I'd say another 5" (to 21) is a stretch of the imagination, it would take a bit of chainsaw time to shoehorn a 21" log in there but I guess you could. It comes with 12 feet of track which allows you to cut a 9' 8" board. I needed 10' boards, so I extended the track with wood, and it "works OK". I will build a couple real 6' sections soon. (Hud-Son sells these 6' track sections for $605 each. They're just angle-iron, I will build some myself....).
Having just 12' of track (for sub-10' cuts) is not enough, I recommend anyone contemplating a sawmill to keep that in mind. You can't cut 12 feet with 12 feet of track.
I can say I've made some great boards and a LOT of sawdust. I have a large pile of 2x12s (real 2 & real12). I'll use the boards for my shower house. One blade broke, and the other is now dull, so fun's over until I get a new (bandsaw) blade.
One thing I can say is don't buy a sawmill unless you can deal with huge amounts of waste. I have a close-by place to dump it, and will burn it after the rains come (or snow). Lucky for the Kubota, the waste would be a LOT of additional work. And this is from a very small mill, slightly larger than the 'hobby-size'.
That's a 9X12. Cool huh? I cut it into 2 X 12s.
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This is the 2nd huge load of sawmill waste (in one day).
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Wood 'track extensions'. It works in a pinch, and could easily make it better.
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fpw
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2012 07:52am
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Nice. You are right dealing with slabs is a pain in the tail. I use a little jig and cut the slabs up into firewood sized pieces. I have another pile that will be a very large bonfire once the snow comes my way.
I have about 15 blades that way I can cut while I have 1/2 the blades in the mail getting sharpened.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2012 09:34am - Edited by: TomChum
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Yes some of those cants are good firewood, but I already have a lot of firewood.
I wish the salesman would have pushed more blades on me. or at least told me I'd go thru one a day. I didn't cut any dirt, as far I could tell, and mostly peeled bark first. I can see the usage of a 'debarker' tool. I suppose it's just to clean off a path ahead of the blade.
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BridgeBoy
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2012 01:32pm
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Hi TomChum,
I may decide to purchase a mill some day for my land. I like the Hudson and Woodmiser mills. I believe they seem to be most popular. Did you compare prices and features with other mills?
Thanks
Bridge boy
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TomChum
Member
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# Posted: 4 Sep 2012 03:06pm
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I did some, but mostly relied on others doing the research. The general consensus I heard was that Woodmizer was better quality, but 2x price. For cutting boards for money maybe woodmizer is the way to go? I heard that Hud-Son "wear parts" are all general parts, available anywhere. And that nothing goes wrong with a Hud-son anyway. Basically I was having a hard time letting go of more than $3300 for my hobby use so went with the Hud-Son. Plus there was a Hud-Son dealer nearby and I could go there and pick it up. Better check into shipping costs when you price a mill. Oscar 121 and its 2 track sections weighs 435 lbs.
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TomChum
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# Posted: 21 Sep 2012 10:59pm - Edited by: TomChum
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Headed down to the meadow to cut some logs. Bringing transportation because I know I'll need to zoom back to the cabin for something.
Ended up moving the logs with the truck; 6 logs took the whole day! There must be a better way. The little tractor can't lift these logs because they're wet. Its very difficult to get them up on the trailer, about 1 hour per log.
I need to get a 3-point lift, then with some dirt in the front bucket I think I could move logs pretty well, (keeping them out of the dirt).
A sawmill is like getting another mouth to feed..... "Got WOOD?"
Like a moped on the back of an RV
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Moving logs with a trailer and a dolly
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aktundra
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2012 10:58am - Edited by: aktundra
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Tom -
Thanks for the updates on the mill. I am about to buy one and have had my mind set on the Woodmizer for the last 3 years. Does the Hudson mill cut pretty straight? I had read some take a while to adjust right.
I guess once I buy the mill I need to figure a good way to move logs... I was figuring log arch with ATV for summer. I can move logs pretty easy in the winter with my snowmachine. Getting the logs on the mill might be another story!
Also do you have a beam maker attachment for your chainsaw? I thought I saw one in your 12x16 cabin post. What kind is it?
Thanks
AKTUNDRA
explore-build-do.blogspot.com
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TomChum
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# Posted: 22 Sep 2012 11:14am
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Hi AK,
I can't comment on how straight the Hud-Son cuts in any comparison to Woodmizer. I ended up buying it because it was almost 1/2 price of woodmizer, and I don't think I'll make any money at milling for a long time. But I will have project wood whenever I want it. It probably cuts half as straight.....it cuts crooked when the blade gets dull, and that happens after one log with dirt in the bark. HudSon comes with Woodmizer blades.
You will learn lots of ways to roll logs, and use their own weight to lift the other half. The snow has to be firm to move a log with a snowmobile or you just dig a hole.
For the chainsaw I have a Beam Machine, I got it from NorthernTool
http://www.beammachine.com Watch a YouTube. You pivot, then advance, align, and pivot again. It's hard work, ergonomically, and you have to keep the tip out of the dirt.
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