what kind of saw mill should we buy?

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My husband wants to buy a saw mill. He wants to use it to mill trees from our property (15 acres of hardwoods) and also for our sons to use to set up a business when they get older, if they want to. He is looking at a Timbermill, but these are expensive, although they seem worth it. Anyone have experience with these or other brands, and have advice on what to purchase, what to look for, and what to avoid? Thanks Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), March 11, 2001

Answers

only thing I would add,, PLEASE set it up close to me

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 11, 2001.

Mary! Ole Jeep has a woodmizer bandmill. He had owned previously, a circle saw and got rid of it after see'n/read'n about these bandmills. Several brands exist but he chose the woodmizer because of it's "track record" and also because he found an Amishman that had one to sell---cheap! He would'nt have anything else now. I've help'd'm work it and it's really not that hard. All electric/hydrolic controls takes all the hard work out ofit. The bandmill is more cost effective than the circle saw because of the waste 'kerf'. A band is thinner than a circle blade. Parts are readily available--they're made in Indianapolis, INdiana. The price is not cheap when buying a new one but you just get what you pay for. Matt.24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), March 11, 2001.

Not contributions, just wanted to say that I have keen interest in one of these things... I sure would like to hearfrom someone who actually cut wood with one of these rigs and what the pluses and minuses are. What to do, not to do, expect and what you really are in for. Thanks, Willy

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), March 11, 2001.

I have a friend in town who has a Woodmizer. He has cut me lumber with it from a downed Walnut and Elm tree on our property. It came out really nice. He bought his new and I think it was around 18-20 thousand dollars. A lot of money, but then it will make a lot more than that back for you if you cut lumber from logs for others. And a by product is the slabs which can be cut and burned in the wood stove for free heat. David A Jones

-- jonesey (jonesey@bigfoot.com), March 11, 2001.

I have used a couple of chainsaw mills and am very satisfied.

Here are some sites that I found useful, although I wish I had seen the Procut site first. http://www.procutportablesawmills.com/ http://www.granberg.com/ http://www.haddontools.com/lumbermaker.html http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/tresl39.html

This is supposed to be a good reference on about 80 mill manufacturers, but it isn't free (about $15). I have no experience with other mills.

Hope this helps.

http://www.sawmill-exchange.com/encyclo2.htm

-- Marty Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), March 12, 2001.



Second try:

I have used a couple of chainsaw mills and am very satisfied. Here are some sites that I found useful, although I wish I had seen the Procut site first.

href="http://www.procutportablesawmills.com/"

These are good for making boards:

href="http://www.granberg.com/"

This one is good for making beams (also an excellent manual, including how to build a simple cabin):

href="http://www.haddontools.com/lumbermaker.html/"

href="http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/tresl39.html /"

This is supposed to be a good reference on about 80 mill manufacturers, but it isn't free (about $15). I have no experience with other mills. href="http://www.sawmill-exchange.com/encyclo2.htm"

Hope this helps AND i did not mess this post up too much. This is the first time I have used HTML.

This html code used the following as a guide: Go to Yahoo!

which came from: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2090/#jumpto

-- Martin Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), March 12, 2001.


sigh

-- Martin Boraas (boraas@miliserv.net), March 12, 2001.

Hi,

If you don't want to spend a fortune try the Norwood advertised in Countryside. My friend sawed out his whole cabin, garage and flooring with his. Now he's sawing for other people from time to time. Don't get me wrong, Woodmizer is the best but a huge investment for something you may not like doing after you've done it a while.

-- Peter (pdfitz@mkl.com), March 12, 2001.


Thanks everyone. I guess no one has heard of TimberMill? Or is it just too expensive. I wonder how it compares to the Woodmizer? Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), March 13, 2001.

Mary, chain saw mills: very slow. You'd never be able to have a successful business.

Wood Miser: excellent saw, but be sure to get the water jet, which blows away at least some of the mud and small rocks which can dull the band saw blade very rapidly. Also, the Wood Miser can 't saw large diameter logs.

Mighty Mite: has three circular blades (one 24" vertical blade, and two eightish inch horizantal blades. Cuts three sides of a board at once. The log remains stationary, and the saw moves back and forth, dragging the freshly cut board back to you on the return stroke. This mill can cut ANY diameter log. You can even cut a log which is already lying on the ground, if it's too big to move. It's also a lot more tolerant to dirt and grit than the Wood Miser. Its only drawback, as far as I can tell, is that it has a much larger saw kerf than the Wood Miser, and therefore generates a much larger pile of sawdust. (larger pile of sawdust equals less actual boards) The Mighty Mite is also incredibly fast, if you are milling large diameter logs.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), March 14, 2001.



First, check out www.sawmillexchange.com. They list used sawmills, and are very helpful and efficient. I found mine there, a type of mill I had never heard of, the Ross Bandmill.

I was very close to buying a mill made by a company in California, I think it was wizard engineering. They made a little bandsaw mill that they could ship UPS, that cost about $3,000.00. I used a Woodmiser for about a year and they aer great, but as previously reported, expensive. We had the $14,000.00 model without the loading and turning hydraulics because it was hard to justify another $5,000.00. You can still load and turn any log the mill can accomodate, it just takes a little longer.

Since mills retain their value faily well, it makes sense to me to get a cheap one first, see how it goes, and then upgrade if you have the volume to justify it. If not, not too much spent. Be sure you have a good source for blades and sharpening, you can go through several blades a day.

-- Rod Perrino (redjouster@aol.com), March 16, 2001.


Great idea! Thanks a lot! Mary

-- Mary Fraley (kmfraley@orwell.net), March 17, 2001.

Forget bandmills and chainsaw mills, I've tried them all. The absolute best answer is a swing blade saw by Peterson sawmills. Made in New Zealand by a Canadian, this mill does true quarter sawing, it is quicker, more accurate and smoother than a bandmill (and a lot more versatile) and easir to use than other mills. Check out their webpage, or talk to me. Greg

-- greg cranston (gregc@helix.net), November 21, 2001.

woodmizer mill is the only way to go you can find them second hand through the sawmill exchange online

-- thomas milner (tjmilner@dixie-net.com), February 03, 2002.

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