Portable Sawmills

[BoomerD]

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.

agreed. And a set of forks for the tractor would be a huge help.

 

[snoopy7548]

This is turning into an expensive endeavor. Figure $20k all-in on everything you need, you'll need to produce 2,000 usable 2x4s (at a current price of $10) just to break even, not to mention cost of maintenance and time spent on all this.

For a small shed, do you need more than say 200 2x4s? That's $2k at $10 per, less than the cost of your machine and you can get them right now, kiln-dried and ready to go.

And if you try to sell the 2x4s to recoup that extra $18k, you'll have to make sure to kiln-dry them, or no one will want to buy them unless they're using them for outdoor projects.

Figure you give people a "deal" (why pay some yokel $12+ for artisinal 2x4s when you can get kiln-dried ones for $10?) at $5 per 2x4, you will need to mill and sell 3,600 2x4s.

Also, watch out for termites and other wood-eating insects. Without kiln-drying, they'll be on that raw wood like uh... wood-eating insects on raw wood. One colony will wipe everything out.

I suggest you just build your shed with 2x4s from Home Depot, otherwise you'll need to turn this into a full-time job just to break even, if you even can.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Oh I plan to build a whole cabin eventually. The shed is going to be one of the first things I build but it won't end there. I also want a huge garage/shop. Though since I need to build a hut for the actual saw mill, and a kiln I might just make that whole building double as a shop too. The kiln is basically just going to be a well insulated building with lots of fans and humidifiers going all day.

I don't need permits on this property so I can build as many buildings and make them as big as I want.

 

[deadlyapp]

This is turning into an expensive endeavor. Figure $20k all-in on everything you need, you'll need to produce 2,000 usable 2x4s (at a current price of $10) just to break even, not to mention cost of maintenance and time spent on all this.

For a small shed, do you need more than say 200 2x4s? That's $2k at $10 per, less than the cost of your machine and you can get them right now, kiln-dried and ready to go.

And if you try to sell the 2x4s to recoup that extra $18k, you'll have to make sure to kiln-dry them, or no one will want to buy them unless they're using them for outdoor projects.

Figure you give people a "deal" (why pay some yokel $12+ for artisinal 2x4s when you can get kiln-dried ones for $10?) at $5 per 2x4, you will need to mill and sell 3,600 2x4s.

Also, watch out for termites and other wood-eating insects. Without kiln-drying, they'll be on that raw wood like uh... wood-eating insects on raw wood. One colony will wipe everything out.

I suggest you just build your shed with 2x4s from Home Depot, otherwise you'll need to turn this into a full-time job just to break even, if you even can.

Unfortunately I don't think any one of us are going to convince squirrel otherwise on this journey he's on. He can learn on his own when he's covered in sawdust and his machine blows up after 100 cuts.

 

[lxskllr]

It's not that expensive. The only "extra" machine is the mill itself. He's gonna need a tractor-like thing on acreage anyway. It's few grand for an entry level mill. Big deal. He can make his own lumber, and that's a cool thing to do. If he likes milling, he can eventually buy a better mill, and make an actual living sawing wood if he wants to. The only way to find out is putting out a few grand and trying it.

edit:
I would *highly* suggest the Squirrel checks out the forum I linked earlier. While a few grand isn't much money, it is when the machine doesn't meet expectations. Buy the right thing the first time. Trying to cheap out will bite you in the ass more times than not.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Yeah tractor is something I'll want but not quite ready to spend on that yet, but after trying to do stuff manually I may end up giving in. I'm always checking for used though to get an idea of pricing.

The mill itself is going to come in at around 5k tax in once I add extra accessories. Spare part kit, belts, blades, extension kit etc...

Though is it really the case that you only get 100 cuts before stuff goes wrong? That seems very low to me.

I will also check out the other forum to get a 2nd opinion though. We still have like 6+ feet of snow on the ground right now so I have a lot of time to think about this before I pull the trigger.

 

[sdifox]

Maybe look into powering mill with tractor. Hell you can go all the way back to wood burning steam sawmill.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That looks like a cool setup. Don't quite have budget for a tractor yet though.

Been looking at ATVs (used) though to get a feel for what people are selling. Going to try to find something in like the 2-3k range. Between the saw mill, building the shelter for it, and ATV I can see myself spending close to 10k this summer alone so going to be quite a lot of money but I will save in the end vs buying lumber for everything I want to build.

 

[sdifox]

That looks like a cool setup. Don't quite have budget for a tractor yet though.

Been looking at ATVs (used) though to get a feel for what people are selling. Going to try to find something in like the 2-3k range. Between the saw mill, building the shelter for it, and ATV I can see myself spending close to 10k this summer alone so going to be quite a lot of money but I will save in the end vs buying lumber for everything I want to build.

err wait a few years til supply chain goes back to normal.

 

[waffleironhead]

I really have to wonder how you plan on moving those logs around. A 12"x8' pine log is in the 300lb range. You are going to have to devise some ramps, or pulleys and hoists to brute those things around. Maybe a truck bed mounted hoist? A log skidding trailer? I hope you arnt planning on just dragging them thru the dirt with your quad, as the dirt that gets collected in the bark will dull your saw blade super quick.

 

[Red Squirrel]

That is still something I need to figure out, that's why I'm thinking an ATV, that is the cheapest way. Once I can get the log close to the mill then it's just the thing of rolling and mandhandling the logs. A tractor with fork lift attachment is the most ideal but way out of my budget but I do eventually want a tractor as it will be useful around the property.

Probably use cables, chains, snatchblocks, winches etc too. My setup will evolve with time as I figure out the best way to do things.

 

[lxskllr]

ATVs are useful and fun, but not as useful as tractors. If you really want to skid logs with an ATV, get a log arch. That'll make it a lot more feasible. It'll also add ~$1k to your pricetag unless you build something yourself, but if you get something nice(Logrite), it'll last the rest of your life.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I want to see if I can build something. I already have extra tires from my truck I can use. A little overkill but it should work. I'm thinking a shaft tied to 2 of them, and then a long arm, and then chain it to the log, then chain other end to ATV. The log itself is basically a trailer. Or, build an actual trailer and carry a couple logs at a time. (whatever the ATV can handle) May end up going that route as I will need to haul a lot of stuff throughout the property anyway.

And yeah eventually I want to get a backhoe tractor as that would be the most useful around the property. I'm not looking forward to digging the outhouse by hand but it will need to be done before I can afford any equipment.

I actually need to finish converting my home garage into a shop so I can start building stuff like this. Eventually I want a large shop on the new property so I can get into more serious fabrication stuff.