Going the sawmill route

[OcoeeG]

Hello,
I plan on buying land and building a small (16x24) timber frame on it beginning this summer.  I have dreams of buying a band sawmill and using waste wood found on Craigslist and around town to complete this project and maybe some wood from my land once I buy it.  My question is for those people who have done this or know someone who has.  How realistic/possible is this.  I have been doing lots of research and it seems like you can make a good amount of lumber in a reasonably short time frame.  I am not fooling myself into thinking this would be the easiest way of going about this but I think it would be the most satisfying.  I used to run an Alaskan chainsaw mill a little while back and thought it was so amazing to take a tree and make awesome looking lumber out of it.  Chainsaw milling is painfully slow and lots of hard work but it was fun and amazingly satisfying to see those boards come off.  I know a band sawmill is not a walk in the park but it will be infinitely easier than the CSM.  A little about me I am 37 years young, and in excellent shape, reasonably experienced in the building trades, building with wood and using machinery and whatnot.  I am a teacher so I will have all summer to mill the wood and start cutting timbers.  I feel like I am being very realistic in my ability to do this but I wanted to get a second opinion.  I know Don P has a mill but I am not sure how many others here have gone that route.   Opinions, advice, warnings??  Let me have it! Thanks in advance.

[Don_P]

Welcome to the forum OcoeeG,
Is the name from the river? I've looked at the bottom of that creek a few times  .
You know what I'm going to say. It sounds like you've been bit, it's hard to get the dust out of your blood once you've had the fun. As far as I'm concerned opening up a log is like digging for treasure. You could of course bring in a portable miller to do the work. It depends on whether this is going to be an ongoing hobby and whether you have the space to set up and not upset anyone. My mill is stationary and I've found it better on large jobs to bring in a portable miller rather than move the logs. There's any number of paths to the top of the hill. Do be aware that any timber that's been down this long is already being recycled by nature. For structural use look it over very carefully. And then there is the inspector. I need to have structural wood graded in some of the places I work, ~$300-500. Non structural is no problem.

Is this going to be a modification of Sobon's shed or do you have another design to show 

[OcoeeG]

Yessir, that is right, your thinking of the right river.  I used to work there for many years as a raft guide and still go there on weekends to kayak.

I have been bitten bad.  I am pretty sure this is the route I am going to take.  So I plan on using the lumber/timbers I cut on this for the cabin, outbuildings and eventually a bigger place when I can afford it, among many other things I am sure.  So for me it is worth the investment and imagine it will pay for itself in a very short time.  I will more than likely make it stationary but it sure would be nice to make it portable.  Those trailer packages are a bit pricey though. We'll see.  I plan on building in rural SE Tennessee, so restrictions, inspectors and things of this nature are LESS of an issue.  They are pretty laid back around here.  So I doubt I will have to get them inspected.  I could be wrong, I still need to do that part of my homework. 

There is a timber frame guy a few hours away in Paris, TN that does classes and designs timber frame plans.  The plan for now is to take one of his classes as soon as I get back stateside and use one of his plans.  I figure if I invest that much in him I outta have a friend, advisor, mentor during my project maybe for life.  He has a pretty good reputation for being extremely helpful anyway.  Here is his website: I want to build the Timberline.  It is the third picture down. 
http://www.grandoakstimberframing.com/timber_frame_store.html
I want to make the front door in the 16' side opposite the loft, and add a nice 8 or 10 foot screen porch on it.  Looking at some of the plans on here I am now thinking about adding a little loft office on the front.  Just something wide enough for a desk.  Have some nicewindows in that Queen Post truss that the deck looks out over some pretty view.  (Told you I got it bad)
Like I said I will have lots of questions...
Thanks again.

[yankeeredneck]

I think you have a good feel for what you are up against. I looked at the website you are talking about .... I think with the proper mind set you will be successful.

[tommytebco]

be sure to read Oljarhead's thread if you haven't already. He owns a bandsaw mill and has posted a lot about it's use.

I would think he can answer most of your questions.

[OcoeeG]

Great Tommy thanks! I did a search but either I suck at searching forums or this forums search engine is crappy cause it came up as nil.  I will check it out now.

[OcoeeG]

Well I looked of Oljarhead and some of his post but I could not find him.  There are no members named Oljarhead or Jarhead.  Could someone guide me in the right direction? Thanks in advance

[rick91351]

Sure glad to help:

You might try this for Oljarhead's main thread..................... Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=7672.0

He is a real member and so listed................. page 89  shows he has reached  Journeyman, and a member   Since 2009-10-07, with 1,564 posts. 

[MountainDon]

himself.....     http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=4881

[OcoeeG]

thank you gentlemen!!  Oh I had no doubt he was a member, I just couldn't find him.  I will give it a look.

[comanche]

I used a chainsaw mill - the logosol M7, this summer to build my 3 sided log cabin. I did the chicken coop, floor joists, and the logs themselves with it. It's somewhere between the Alaskan Mill and a bandsaw. Pretty fairly priced- i got mine used with the Husky 346XP for $2000.

Pros: Easy to use- my fiance was running it by the end of the summer. (She now hates it and will not go near it, I guess that's what 3 weeks straight does to someone...), no electricity needed, light weight, and the chainsaw doubles as powerhead and feller.

Cons: Logosol has some horrible customer service- waiting weeks/months for parts that were needed (they are now outsourcing all of their US based products to baileys), can be a b*tch to get it to cut even. There'd be days we would by trying to cut a 7" log and one side would be 6 3/4 and the other would be 7 1/4, then we'd tinker, level, try again, and the opposite would happen. Had a few frustrating spins with that before I finally handed it over to the Mrs.

It's a pretty good machine. I'd say if you could find one cheap enough it'd be worth looking into. Heck, I might even sell you mine.

[Pine Cone]

For my project http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=8030.0 I bought a load of logs from the company I work for and helped a friend of mine who has a Woodmizer bandsaw mill up beams and misc 1x boards for my 14'x14'  timberframe with log infill cabin.  Used boards I milled up for my ceiling, gable ends, and misc. sheds and outbuildings so far. 



With my logs prepped by debarking and cutting to length we cut enough lumber in 3 days to keep me busy for years.  I've used about half of what I milled up so far, and it will take another major building project to use up the rest.

You can mill up better wood than you can buy without much difficulty, but there is a fair amount of effort involved in finishing up the boards and timbers into their final finish stage.  That said, I'd do it again if needed, and may turn some western redcedar logs into decking next summer.

Don't know if you know anyone in the forestry or logging biz, but you might consider buying a load of logs like I did.  Otherwise, there seems to be a fair amount of logs sold on Craigslist in western Washington. 

[OcoeeG]

Commanche, thanks for the heads up on the Logosol.  I think I am just gonna splurge and go for it.

Pinecone,
Wow what an awesome project.  That seems like SOOOO much work all the scribing, cutting, trimming and fitting.  Makes me feel a little better about my timber frame.  I am just gonna fill the hole with dimensional lumber and side it.  Those log infills are no joke.  Amazing job though.  I have been reading your post .

[Arky217]

Commanche, thanks for the heads up on the Logosol.  I think I am just gonna splurge and go for it.

OcoeeG,

If you get a Logosol, you might be interested in looking at the post I made on the Arborist site some time ago.
The link is  http://www.arboristsite.com/milling-saw-mills/109108.htm

I used a Logosol M7 to mill all the lumber that is in my house.
The post contains tips on how to tune the M7 for maximum accuracy and effectiveness.
There are also tips on chainsaw milling in general.

There are pictures that show my homemade log arch I used with my ATV to get the logs
to the mill. They also show the homemade loader to load the logs onto the Logosol.

Best of luck,
Arky

[comanche]

you bet- a few things with that.
make sure to keep your chainsaw clean & your blade sharp. If  you are running it all day you should switch your air filter mid day, then at night clean them both in hot soapy water. Take some air and blow out all that gunk in the machine (not filter), too. I would recommend using the Northern Tool bench grinder to sharpen chains... http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200327449_200327449 and would you look at that- it's even on sale this week for $90. I mix my gas a little rich as well- had an old timer tell me that, not sure if it's necessary or not. Also, take your time and really get it level and make sure to keep up with tightening all the nuts & bolts.

Hopefully Bailey's is better for you than Logosol was for me.

Happy Milling

[OcoeeG]

Arky, that log arch is slick!!!  I might need to have a fabricator friend do one of those up for me.  I also like the log loader, can you give me a bit more background on that?  I am most worried about handling the logs.  I will not have the money for a skid steer or a tractor so I am trying to get ideas on how to move and load 18-25 inch dia logs around.  Any advice you can offer would be wonderful.

[Arky217]

Arky, that log arch is slick!!!  I might need to have a fabricator friend do one of those up for me.  I also like the log loader, can you give me a bit more background on that?  I am most worried about handling the logs.  I will not have the money for a skid steer or a tractor so I am trying to get ideas on how to move and load 18-25 inch dia logs around.  Any advice you can offer would be wonderful.

Well, as you can see in my pics on that link, I hauled all my logs using that arch with a 4-wheeler, as big as 24" x 17'.
Of course, if the ground is steep, the 4-wheeler is not going to work so great.
The arch was light enough to unhook and push by hand over the logs, thus enabling me to get in some tight places without much clearing.

I just dropped off the logs parallel to the mill, rolled them to the edge and used the log loader to raise them onto the mill bed.

I enjoyed the logging and milling more than building the house, but I probably would not do it again. When I bought the mill, lumber was very high, but by the time my lumber was dry, lumber prices had fell dramatically.

Arky

[OcoeeG]

Right I understand how you did it but tell me more about the log loader.  It looks to be some metal frame with a hand crank winch that raises the bar.  That thing would lift 24" by 17' logs vertically 3 feet onto your sawmill?  If so that is pretty impressive.

[Arky217]

Right I understand how you did it but tell me more about the log loader.  It looks to be some metal frame with a hand crank winch that raises the bar.  That thing would lift 24" by 17' logs vertically 3 feet onto your sawmill?  If so that is pretty impressive.

Yes, it's just a vertical square tubing with a pulley at the top and legs at the bottom to keep it from tipping over; the hand winch is mounted about chest high.
The cable from the winch goes up across the pulley and down to hook to the middle of a 6.5' long rectangular tube bar which has chain hooks on each of it's ends.
At each corner of the sawmill bed, there is attached a 4' chain. The chains are laid out on the ground, the log is rolled onto the chains, and then the ends of the chains are hooked onto the hooks of the rectangular bar. Then as the bar is lifted by the winch, the log is rolled up on the chains and onto the sawmill bed.

I just checked the link that I posted. Looks like the pictures are gone for some reason.
Were the pics there when you looked at the link ?
The pics pretty much show how the loader works.

Arky

[mgramann]

I have been considering getting one of these as well.

I found this ad on craigslist, and am wondering if any of you have had any experience with this brand.  The price seemed reasonable at $2000

Portable sawmill made by Hud-Son forest equipment of Barneveld, NY.

18" diameter by 9' long Log Capacity
Powered by a 6.5hp Vanguard recoil start engine (Briggs & Stratton commercial grade)

This mill can be easily stored when not in use, it is light weight and can be rolled into a corner of your garage for storage. The whole unit including the two 6' track sections weighs around 425 pounds. The unit is pushed through the log with very little effort. Replacement band saw blades cost around $20 each- not very expensive, and blades can be re-sharpened. It has a hand crank winch to adjust for board thickness. This mill is ideal for sawing your logs into boards, or re-sawing boards to the needed dimension.

This mill is new, other than the test cuts you see in the pictures. I am selling this mill because it is an extra demo- I sell these as a side business.

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/for/2713976078.html

I apologize in advance when the link is deleted.  Here is the company website for future reference. http://www.hud-son.com/index.html

[Don_P]

If you want to slowly cut up branches that looks like it might work. The capacities and engine are too small to do much work. For very small time hobby and craftwork maybe otherwise that is mighty light. I think Norwood and Kasco also have a model in that range.

[mgramann]

If you want to slowly cut up branches that looks like it might work. The capacities and engine are too small to do much work. For very small time hobby and craftwork maybe otherwise that is mighty light. I think Norwood and Kasco also have a model in that range.

So it wouldn't be the route to go for cutting building studs and siding?  Even if one wasn't in a hurry?

[Don_P]

I don't think there's enough machine there. That is too short, too small an engine to survive and pretty small diameter capacity. Many trees are just getting to good mature timber at that diameter. For a hobbyist getting wood for the occasional jewelry box or cabinet it would work.

It is however just about impossible to compete with commodity lumber with a small mill. I can run many times faster than that little mill and rarely saw studs and framing. Buy typical framing at Lowes.  But, you can't go to Lowes and buy an 8x8 or even a nice oak board at a reasonable price... so those are the kinds of things I usually saw... trims, panelling, timbers, cabinets.

I called a portable bandmill on this job to cut the trees up into boards and timbers. There were alot and I didn't want to bring them all home to my mill over the nat'l forest ridge. His mill is as close to a production mill as they come, he's running a 70hp turbo diesel.  Someone else may have better experience on that end of things. My gut feeling is that although you can slow down to a point, it's still dragging steel through wood. The little hudson is approching a benchtop bandsaw powerwise.

[Arky217]

Ocoeeg,

The reason that I did not see the pics on my post on ArboristSite.com was that I was not logged on; you have to register and be logged on to see post pics.

The link is:

http://www.arboristsite.com/milling-saw-mills/109108.htm

I just looked at the post again. The fifth picture down shows just how the loader works.

Arky