Looking to buy a mill

[McPeekKY]

my first post on the site! anyway, im thinking about buying a mill in the spring and i was wondering if you could give me your opinions on the different brands. looking to spend up to $15,000. thanks

[Kirk Allen]

Welcome to the site! 

What type of sawing are you looking to do?  Hobby woodworking wood support? part time cash-few days a month, Every weekend, work towards part time to eventually go full time?

All are factors that I think most will agree will play a role in your decision. 

How physical are you?  I was going to ask how old but that would have upset Frank 

Hydraulics are a MUST in my book unless you have the support equipment to move and load your logs.  Its a time saver, back saver, and overall I think that one option pays for itself pretty quick in the time saved.

[McPeekKY]

I plan to work it part time, hopefully going full time.  I dont care to say that im 19. I have a backhoe i could use to load the logs, but i think a hydraulic loader would be nice

[Stevem]

Welcome aboard our little world.

Questions you need to ask yourself:

Do you at least a little love affair with wood?   Your going to be learning a lot about a lot of different kind of woods with a small mill

What size logs are you going to mill?  Small, large, huge, or Oh my God!
Size of the mill pretty much governs what you can saw.  Oh you can spend a day quartering a huge log with a chainsaw to fit a mill but is it worth it?  (Sometimes it is!)

Where are you going to get logs?  Free wind falls, loggers, uncle Joes back yard, you already own them?

Are you going to saw hardwoods, soft woods, or both?  Where's your market for sawn wood?

If you saw your own trees (as in ownership) what are you going to do with the lumber?  Sell it?  To whom?

Do you have a place to store sawn boards out of the weather to dry them?

Are you going to custom cut?  Where?  Do you need to be mobile or do you have a place to set the mill up and stay there and have the logs brought to you?
 
Are you going to need hydraulics to move logs?  They are a real time and back saver.  (nothing to do with age Kirk  ) 

Lots of other questions you need to look at.  Some of the answers we need to know to better guide you toward what will fit your needs.

Two places to check out for used mills are sawmill trader with a banner ad on this site or here:  http://www.sawmillexchange.com/

There is NO BEST MILL.  Depends on what you want it to do.  I have a Lucas for a reason, others have band mills or dimension mills for a reason,  their reason.  You tend to learn the strengths and weaknesses of any mill you own.

Support from the manufacturer is important so do consider that.  If I lived next door to a sawmill distributor or manufacturer  Just bet I'd have one of their mills. 

Get the biggest motor you can afford.

Ask lots of question.  I've discovered that just about everybody with a mill is willing to help either with time or advice from their experience.  Just don't ask for money, we don't have any.   

Welcome again.


 

[Sawing/poolman]

HI MCPEEKY ,I AM ON MY SECOND MILL NOW.I STARTED ON A MANUAL KASCO THAT CUT16 FT 24 INCH IN 93.PAID 9,000 FOR IT AND SOLD IT FOR 5,000 6 YEARS LATER.I HAVE A B20 TK NOW.LOADING LOGS WITH BACK HOE IS GREAT FOR YOU.WHAT SLOWS YOU DOWN WHEN SAWING IS A SMALL MOTOR AND NO LOG TURNER MADE IN THE TRACK. BRIAN

[Gasaw]

Hey MCPEEKY. I run 3 different mills that fill different needs. 1st 97 Woodmizer LT40HDD,love the mill owned since new. 2nd Lucas 618 to handle the large-odd shaped logs that won't fit on the WM. The Lucas has a very different method of use and setup,but once you get used to it its easy to use. And finally an Alaskan MkIII with 3120 Husky 4 and 6ft. bars to do natural edge table tops,etc. 
 
If your going to do this as a hobby look at a Woodmizer LT-15 with expansion into nit ch markets capability with the planning head that can go on it to do landscape timbers,log cabin tenions,etc. Feel free to ask any questions. Good Luck! Tod

[McPeekKY]

Hey MCPEEKY. I run 3 different mills that fill different needs. 1st 97 Woodmizer LT40HDD,love the mill owned since new. 2nd Lucas 618 to handle the large-odd shaped logs that won't fit on the WM. The Lucas has a very different method of use and setup,but once you get used to it its easy to use. And finally an Alaskan MkIII with 3120 Husky 4 and 6ft. bars to do natural edge table tops,etc.
 
If your going to do this as a hobby look at a Woodmizer LT-15 with expansion into nit ch markets capability with the planning head that can go on it to do landscape timbers,log cabin tenions,etc. Feel free to ask any questions. Good Luck! Tod

its not really gonna be a hobby...i have heard of the alaskan mills. is there a place to look at them online?

[Stevem]

RE: chainsaw mills


Click on the banner ad above for Lucas Mills and that will take you to Baileys who also carry chainsaw mills

[Gasaw]

http://granberg.com/    Is the site of the company that makes the Alaskan mills.

Like the other posts have said you need to figure out what size and species your going to cut mostly will determine which mill is best suited.

The small Woodmizers are easy to transport and setup,but slow to saw but they can do operations that my LT40 super hydraulic can't. 

Also if your getting trees from tree services and/or around habitation(Houses, fences, etc) learn the signs of fences and where stuff has been nailed to a tree! A small metal detector is helpful too.

In my business I prefer to saw larger logs rather than small ones. As a general rule I won't cut a log that is smaller than 12" top unless were making posts. All of the commercial sawmills around here reject any log larger than 28". So that gives me an opportunity to saw the larger logs. Its nice when you can get 400-500Bdft. out of one log. The down side is the logs are heavy, so the slabs tend to be rather large at times.

[McPeekKY]

I have about 50 acres of untouched forest land to harvest from.  Poplar, oak, pine, cedar, and cherry are the common species. I want to be able to cut the larger logs, at least a 30" diameter

[Kirk Allen]

I wouldnt wast much time or money on a chain saw mill like the Alaska mills as those are VERY labor intensive.

The Lucas slabber works great as does the swing mill.

When you start talking 30" logs those are big and your going to want either a hyrdraulic band mill or a swing mill. 

Average out the size your going to cut and that helps to determine what to buy.

If the majority of my logs were in that 30" catagory, I would be swinging, as in swing mill. 

Yes a band can cut up to 36" but for those of us that have done we know the extra work it takes, and time.

My average lately seems to be logs in the 20-26" range. 

[Carl Middleton]

Build one with a four stroke engine and I'D BUY ONE.

[Stevem]

And you might consider putting your post in only one thread to keep your creditability.

[Carl Middleton]

Not like their banner is allready at the top

[mountainlake]

 I'd stay away from a chainsaw mill, too slow, a lot of fuel and a lot of wasted wood.  I'd get a used hydrailic bandmill with at least 25hp, more would be better , computer setworks increases production a lot. There are some real good deals out there. A swing mill would work good also, I'd like to have one for the big logs.    Steve

[Kirk Allen]

Lots of great advise! 

The only advise I have is anyone that is trying to sell their stuff, DO IT ON THE FOR SALE BOARD!

[Stevem]

The only advise I have is anyone that is trying to sell their stuff, DO IT ON THE FOR SALE BOARD!

And maybe in ONLY one thread?

[Cksawmilling]

welcome MCpeekky to the wonderful world of "so many choices)! My advice is be honest with your self about what your actually going to cut on your mill, its easy to dream over your budget. If your start alittle small at first you can build you customer base more easily, and you can always expand to something larger later.  You can find other sawyers in your area by contacting differant saw makers, but dont visit them close to home. We can be a touchy bunch if we think you might take food off our tables! Good luck i hope we can help you out with any questions. 

[WildDog]

When you decide on the kind of Mill you want, you might check on www.SawmillTrader.com as the selection of privately owned Mills that are posted is growing, around 180 plus Mills so far!

You could always post a Wanted Ad as well.

Another options is to create an Alert, and the system will notify you when an Ad is posted that meets your criteria, with links to the Sawmill Ads that match.

There is no charge for posting Ads on SawmillTrader.com it is completely Free! 

Dave

SawmillTrader.com

[Post Oakie]

The Alaska mill is pretty inexpensive, as long as you've got a chain saw that'll run it.  The bar and chain can cost about as much as the mill itself.  I use one to break down the big logs so I can get them on the sawmill.  I can get some wide slabs out of the middle, then quarter saw as much as possible from the rest of the log.  Wide slabs from the first big log (44" dia walnut) more than paid for the Alaska mill.  Logosol also makes some good chain saw milling systems.

As for cutting logs bigger than the throat of the saw, I do that all the time, and have never considered it a problem.  For someone starting out, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a chain saw mill, which you can use for wide slabs once you move up to a band mill.  Sawmill & Woodlot magazine's Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-out issue has a pretty good rundown on a lot of the portable mills out there and they have a lot of reviews of sawmills.  Most of all, visit some mills in person.  Most manufacturers have a list of customers, and can help you find one in your area.