Portable Sawmills

[Red Squirrel]

Anyone have experience with these? They seem to range a lot in price from a few grand to 10's of thousands. Eyeing this one:

RR5022A - 22" Sawmill RATO - Range Road Canada

22" Range Road Portable Bandsaw Sawmill

range-road.ca

I'd probably eventually convert it to electric as it will be run off grid but I would leave that as a project for later. I was going to build one but at this price it practically makes no sense to build as I would probably pay close to that in materials anyway. With lumber prices as they are this will pretty much pay for itself as soon as I mill enough lumber to build a small shed.

I'd be mounting it in a stationary location, so no need for trailer option, which does seem to add quite a lot to the price. I'll eventually want to build a shelter over it so it will become a fairly permanent setup.

I have a feeling the prices will go up by summer so thinking of buying now even though I won't get to use it for a while.

 

[MtnMan]

Over the years, I've helped a friend with his saw mills. From a very simple stationary one, with pull start motor, and cranks for raising/lowering the head, to portable ones he towed from site to site.

They all can make some amazing lumber, the difference is how much grunt labor it takes to produce it, and how board feet of finished lumber you can produce in an hour.

I used to run the mill while he did the off bearing (he is younger), and if often took both of us with cant hooks to roll some logs. It can handle 21-foot logs up to 36 inches in diameter.

His newest one, his third, is all hydraulic, with log loader, and you can roll and clamp without leaving the controls, and you don't even have to walk with the head, powered by a 45HP CAT Diesel.

For him, it's a side business, he comes to your property, cuts your logs, and leaves you with lumber and a slab pile. He charges by the board foot on larger jobs, so faster production is to his benefit. All his mills have been WoodMizers.

Suggestion, look for a used one, when someone is upgrading their mill, they typically sell their old mill.

 

[lxskllr]

Check this forum...

The Forestry Forum - Index

The Forestry Forum - Index

forestryforum.com

You'll get better answers than on a tech forum. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. The mill you linked seems kinda cheap, but maybe it'll work for your intended purposes? I don't know enough about them to give guidance. I use an Alaskan mill, and I don't particularly enjoy it. It's the hardest way to make lumber short of using hand tools, but it serves my purposes of making construction grade stuff for projects. I'm glad I have have it, but have no interest doing it for hire.

 

[herm0016]

I think its more useful if you are wanting to actually make lumber to go with a circular saw style mill. this is more flexible and you can easily quarter saw for more stable lumber. this style also seems to be more portable and less labor to make the lumber, as you can cut on each forward and back, and also you can just flip the blade from vertical to horizontal instead of having to move the log every time. They are very rare to find used though. This style mill also allows you to cut any size log if you get creative about how you cut it. a band saw mill allows a lot less flexibility on how you saw the log, and the size of logs that are able to be cut. if you do want to do slabbing with it, you can pick up the slabbing blade attachment. electric would be tough. you would need a huge electric motor and 3 phase power to run something like this. lucas sells a 3 phase electric version of their larger mills.

check out wranglerstar on you tube, he has a Lucas mill and has done some videos on it.


I have some experience in the lumber industry, and we have a 5 acre homestead where we are quite independent.

the mill in you link is a basic Chinese bandsaw mill and I would not expect it to be very good. the wheels will not be well aligned, the blades wont track properly, you will have trouble holding the correct blade tension and keeping it consistent, you will be running blades that are really not as wide as they should be for the task, etc.

we decided last year "No more junk" It has been nearly life changing to have all nice, reliable and well built equipment eg. a 50 hp tractor that can actually lift 2200 lbs, small equipment that always starts, nice tools that are no compromise, a great and heavy duty tool box that is a joy to open and close. no more harbor freight, no more Chinese junk. longevity and reliability are king on our property and we are way better off for it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah I guess this is a "you get what you pay for" situation. They seem to work decent from the videos/reviews I've seen but this is no pro tool either and guess I should expect breakdowns and what not. I don't see myself pumping out lumber to sustain a business or anything, though at some point I may want to at least go small scale and sell some. I have 40 acres and I have crown land on 2 sides so I have access to tons of lumber. I will also need to clear an area to start building so I will end up with a lot of lumber just from that alone.

Once I get into a situation where I have more disposable income then yeah I totally get the philosophy of buying better quality right off the bat. I eventually want to get a tractor as well.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Happen to find this review, and yeah it seems these are super wobbly and super cheaply built. Like worse than I would have thought.

So probably better off going with something else. I don't have a lot of money to throw at this but I do want to learn how to weld so I might actually go with my original plan and build one. With price of gas I can't even afford to go to my property though so I might actually postpone all of this and focus on my garage, I do want to insulate and finish it and turn it into a shop. Once I have a proper work area then I can get into fabrication like welding etc and maybe play around with building one. So maybe I'm better off doing that this summer and leaving the property bare for now.

There's also Woodland that makes mills in that price range. What made this one attractive is the fact that there's a few local places that sell them though so I like the idea that I can go see one in person first. But yeah I think I will probably pass on it for now.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Looking into the Woodland ones, a bit more expensive but they seem to get better reviews and are built better for the price. They are also a Canadian company so parts are easier to get. Still made in China though.

I'd be looking at a bit over 4k for their smaller model when all is said and done. (taxes, shipping etc) Still pretty decent considering it will pay for itself when I start using it.

HM122 Portable Sawmill

woodlandmills.ca

I don't have room for it now though so I think I will wait a few months for snow to start melting to order it. Going to want to clear an area on my property, build at least a basic platform and set it up on it. With price of lumber I may even do a cement pad.

 

[MtnMan]

Do you have a plan on how you are going to dry the lumber?

Depending on the final use of your lumber, air-drying can take 6 months.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Have not quite planned that but yeah once I get to the point of using live trees I'd want to have a setup to dry the lumber. Probably build a lumber warehouse where I can stack it on 1x1's to keep it all separated and have a bunch of fans and dehumidifiers in there. That's a topic I would need to read up more on to find the best ways. I'd probably date my lumber too, at least by year/month. I would need to do the same for firewood too so probably use the same setup.

At the start for lumber I want to use right away I'd try to use mostly dead trees. I may also need to actually buy some just to at least have usable lumber on hand to get started. I will want at very least a shelter for the actual saw mill before I even start assembling it. Probably do a pole barn style building with logs at first and smaller dimension lumber for the skeleton then tarps for walls. Buildings will be a little rudimentary at first until I get more productive.

Need a way to haul logs out of the bush too, that's something I have not given too much thought yet. I don't have an ATV or Skidoo or anything yet. As money permits I will equip myself better with stuff like that. I can always use winches and pulleys and other rigging at first.

 

[deadlyapp]

I think you are highly optimistic for thinking you'll be able to produce builder grade dimensional lumber cheaper than buying it, just in the objective of being more self sufficient. If you're mostly trying to get the benefit of having wood already on your property, I'd look into simply getting someone to come fell the trees, dry it, and cut it for you. Use your time more meaningfully.

 

[MtnMan]

I think you are highly optimistic for thinking you'll be able to produce builder grade dimensional lumber cheaper than buying it, just in the objective of being more self sufficient. If you're mostly trying to get the benefit of having wood already on your property, I'd look into simply getting someone to come fell the trees, dry it, and cut it for you. Use your time more meaningfully.

That's my friend's business. He brings his portable saw mill to your property, where the property owner has the logs decked up. Property owner provides a wish list of what he wants in the way of lumber dimensions, assuming that can be achieved based on logs provided.
He mills, and stacks with stickers, charging by hour on small jobs or board foot for larger jobs, then takes his mill and goes away. He will negotiate rates if the property owner provides his own labor, primarily off bearing boards from the mill.
It is then up to the property owner to move sawn lumber to where it will be allowed to dry, or even to have it kiln dried.

The slab wood is also a great source of wood for the wood stove. When I helped him, and if the property owner didn't want it, I would come home with a half cord of slab wood loaded into my truck every day.

It's a way to get lumber you can't buy. One job I helped him with, we cut a bunch of 20' 4" x 9" beams from yellow popular. Went back to that property a couple of years later and got a tour of the home he had built with lumber from the first visit. Those beams made some impressive vaulted ceilings. The black locust boards we cut made an absolute gorgeous porch and deck.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Would be worth looking into, but I kinda like the idea of just doing it myself at any time and it will end up cheaper. The upfront cost will be higher though, I figure about 5-6k if I account for any extras like cement piers or pad etc.

Maybe another 3-5k for an ATV or other piece of equipment to haul logs. I don't think I will do it by hand. I will try at first with 8 footers but I don't think it's realistic. A tractor would be the best but I'm looking at closer to 10-20k for that.

Eventually would want to convert the mill and ATV to electric to save even more money but that is a project that is a bit more involved and would come later.

Basically once I get to the point that I built a small building like a shed with the lumber I make, the sawmill is basically going to pay for itself. A 8 foot 2x4 is over 10 bucks after tax now days. 16 foot 2x10 is over 60.

Might get into selling lumber too, but probably not, as I will be better off just using it for my own projects.

 

[deadlyapp]

Would be worth looking into, but I kinda like the idea of just doing it myself at any time and it will end up cheaper. The upfront cost will be higher though, I figure about 5-6k if I account for any extras like cement piers or pad etc.

Maybe another 3-5k for an ATV or other piece of equipment to haul logs. I don't think I will do it by hand. I will try at first with 8 footers but I don't think it's realistic. A tractor would be the best but I'm looking at closer to 10-20k for that.

Eventually would want to convert the mill and ATV to electric to save even more money but that is a project that is a bit more involved and would come later.

Basically once I get to the point that I built a small building like a shed with the lumber I make, the sawmill is basically going to pay for itself. A 8 foot 2x4 is over 10 bucks after tax now days. 16 foot 2x10 is over 60.

Might get into selling lumber too, but probably not, as I will be better off just using it for my own projects.

Again - this is only if you value your time as worthless. You'd have to cut 600 2x4x8 to make up the cost of the saw, and that's without considering possible maintenance costs for cutting those 600 boards, and who knows how much scrap you generate by messing up as you learn how to cut. I don't know about you, but my time is worth more than that.

By any means, I wouldn't make a shed out of wood framing. Steel buildings are so much better structurally if you want any type of height at all and these days you can buy them pretty much ready to be assembled out of the box.

 

[Greenman]

Again - this is only if you value your time as worthless. You'd have to cut 600 2x4x8 to make up the cost of the saw, and that's without considering possible maintenance costs for cutting those 600 boards, and who knows how much scrap you generate by messing up as you learn how to cut. I don't know about you, but my time is worth more than that.

By any means, I wouldn't make a shed out of wood framing. Steel buildings are so much better structurally if you want any type of height at all and these days you can buy them pretty much ready to be assembled out of the box.

Lots of people turn a profit running portable saw mills. Now that lumber prices have gone well beyond insane I would guess there is pretty good money in it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Lots of people turn a profit running portable saw mills. Now that lumber prices have gone well beyond insane I would guess there is pretty good money in it.

Yeah I would probably consider selling some on the side too. Will need most of it for myself at first but I'll hit a point where I have lot of excess. Once I want to move on my homestead and live there I will want a way to make money on the side so that would be one way. Especially once I get to a point where I convert everything to electric. Then my actual costs will only really be maintenance, replacement parts etc. I'm very far from that point though. For now it's to use for myself.

Money is limited, time is less limited, so I'd say my time is worth as much as whatever money I save. It's almost like I'm being paid to do it. At least that's how I see it when I choose to do something myself instead of hiring it. It's either that or I'm sitting at the computer all day. May as well do something productive.

 

[lxskllr]

There's also just doing it cause it's a cool thing to do. People don't get paid to go to DisneyLand, but they still go.

 

[MtnMan]

Also consider the blades. You are going to need multiple blades, and either get the equipment and learn how to sharpen them, or pay to have them sharpened.

Depending on the hardness of the wood, you may be changing blades every couple of hours of actually cutting time, and occasionally they do break. Then there is the unseen metal in the wood you might hit.

An entry level mill will not have a debarker, which cuts a shallow saw kerf ahead of the saw band to remove any dirt, grit, small rocks embedded in the bark. A dirty log, one that has been dragged out of the woods, can dull a blade in only a couple of passes.

 

[deadlyapp]

There's also just doing it cause it's a cool thing to do. People don't get paid to go to DisneyLand, but they still go.

I mean that's called a hobby. I'm not sure if sawing logs repetitively could ever be considered a hobby. If you're making giant slabs that have very interesting patterns that you then turn into tables and other furniture - that's a bit different.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't enjoy milling cause I don't do much woodworking, but I enjoy using my own product when the need arises. If I were in Red's place, I'd want to mill my own wood too, just to be able to do it myself.

edit:
and he might love doing it. A lot of people do, and a few grand is a cheap gamble in the grand scheme of things. If he really thinks it sucks, he can sell the mill and get a bunch of money back.

 

[snoopy7548]

Have you considered hiring a group of woodland gnomes to do the milling for you?

 

[Red Squirrel]

I have read that the blades do dull fast too, did not realize they dulled THAT fast. Thankfully they are not too expensive though, and I may eventually get the machine to sharpen them or just see if I can find a place that does it, depending on cost. But yeah need to clean the wood before milling it and it can make the blades last a bit longer. Might use a pressure washer or something.

Once I'm setup to the point that I can go in winter I will probably want to do most of the harvesting in winter as it will be easier and cleaner to drag the logs. I'll want to get a skidoo for that.

I've been thinking it over though, and I think I may wait before I jump the gun as I still have a lot of work to do on the land before I even get to the point of wanting lumber. Need to clear an area as a start and that could potentially take all summer.
I may potentially hire some stuff out but it can get very expensive to have heavy equipment brought that far.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah so think I'm going to go with the Woodland, it seems to have good reviews. I inquired to see if by chance they have electric models as special order as I'd prefer to go electric, but if not I will just stick with gas for now. I don't have any place to set it up and depending on how much time off I get and the weather etc it's hard to tell how soon I will be able to set it up as I need to clear an area and build a solid platform and shelter but hoping to get it going by mid summer.

I will probably want to order before summer though as with inflation etc the price is probably going to go up.

Price of lumber is not budging, almost $10 for a single 2x4, so I think this will be a good investment.

 

[BoomerD]

A couple of thoughts...
First, do you have electricity to your property to power the electric model?

Next, if you go with gasoline/diesel, could the sawmill be portable/trailer mounted so you don't have to leave it there unattended? You've mentioned the horrible theft problems there before.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I will be using solar though anything over 3HP will start to get a bit expensive inverter wise. It looks like the Europe model is 5HP 3 phase so that is a bit tricky to drive... even in a residential setting. Probably want a 48vdc to 3phase AC driver so I can run straight off the batteries. I'd probably setup a dedicated power plant for saw mill building, which would probably eventually double as workshop. Theft does worry me but I hope that I'm far enough away from town that it's not going to be an issue. Going to make sure it's not obvious that there's anything there, if you drive by it just looks like bush. Trail will be just big enough for an ATV and I'll probably toss trees in it when I'm not there so it looks abandoned.

They do make trailer ones but you actually pay like double for that and I don't really want to have to haul it back and forth either, so I want it stationary. I'll want to build a hut over it so it's out of the elements. Eventually a full building.

But yeah if a sensible electric option is not available I may stick with gas for now, I can convert it down the line. I will still need gas for ATV/skidoo etc anyway so not like I'll be able to get away from that for time being. Goal is to eventually convert everything to electric though.

 

[waffleironhead]

The real plus of DIY sawmilling is being able to make large amounts of 1X material. Especially with the prices of osb and plywood right now. Sub-flooring, siding, roof decking, etc.
I used to have access to rough sawn 1x and used it to side quite a few out buildings.
Since it looks like you are planning on doing this solo, might I suggest looking into a compact tractor. Something along the lines of a kubota b2301/2601 or L2501 would make log handling a breeze and would have more all around utility than a Quad or a snow machine.