Homeowner band saw options under $3,000

[axs]

I'm a homeowner with 40 acres of untouched woodlands. This winter uprooted more trees than any winter in the past 20 years. Between my yard and the neighbors' there could be over 1,000 mature trees downed from what looks like a nasty microburst plus the regular storm damage.

I've been making firewood and giving it away to various winter-heating charities. This is growing to a point where we have annual cutting/splitting days in which everything we produce is donated. And I still have more firewood than I know what to do with.

I don't need the money and don't want to deal with the hassle of selling stuff, but am looking to do more with my land. It is time to make lumber for various projects around the house.

The chainsaw method looks too time-consuming as I don't have but a few hours per week to put in the woods, so I'm thinking full-on saw mill. Do you guys have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

 

[fordf150]

harbor freight. I have one and for $2300 delivered i cant complain. couldnt find a coupon that would work so i paid full price. so far i have around 1000 bd ft stacked in the barn drying and havent had a problem. not the most accurate mill im sure but for my use i would buy another without hesitation. a solid base to set it up on will drastically increase the accuracy. mine was originally set up railroad ties and the boards were wavy but i have since set it up on a car trailer and it is acceptable now. If i would actaully take the time to level it and bolt it down im sure it would do even better. a skilled operator would also help.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Something to consider is buy a good mill, use it for a while, and sell it.

Have done that at the shop with Woodmizers. Put 3000ish hrs on them and sell for close to new retail.

Speed is another consideration. 1000 bd ft is maybe 2-3 hrs of work on a decent sized mill.

 

[mesupra]

I also purchased a Harbor Freight Saw Mill, I have cut around 3000BF with it. They really are great little mills, very simply, easy to use and low maintenance. I also purchased another set of tracks allowing me to saw longer lengths, and two pieces of 3.25"x1/4" flat stock allowing me to fasten all the tracks together for one continuous rail of 20'6". Awesome little mill for what they are. All said and done with improvements I am in around $2700. I think when I come to sell the mill in the next couple months I can easily make my money back and have a pile of wood to use as well.

Oh yea VT ain't too far away.

 

[fordf150]

Something to consider is buy a good mill, use it for a while, and sell it.

Have done that at the shop with Woodmizers. Put 3000ish hrs on them and sell for close to new retail.

Speed is another consideration. 1000 bd ft is maybe 2-3 hrs of work on a decent sized mill.

I have probably 8 hours invested in making that 1000 bd ft and that is just squaring up a cant and making inch thick boards whatever width the cant is so i get what your saying but for me a $10000 mill and selling it even 6 months later wasnt an option. I am planning on doing exactly as you suggested with my processor though. I figure i can use it for 2 or 3 years and sell it for close to what i have invested in it.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I have probably 8 hours invested in making that 1000 bd ft and that is just squaring up a cant and making inch thick boards whatever width the cant is so i get what your saying but for me a $10000 mill and selling it even 6 months later wasnt an option. I am planning on doing exactly as you suggested with my processor though. I figure i can use it for 2 or 3 years and sell it for close to what i have invested in it.

The mill we run was many times over $10k. Woodmizer Super Hydraulic LT40.
I realize that's a different realm of machine and for a homeowner it wouldn't make a ton of sense. The smaller machines like lt10 or LT15 are great homeowner units.

The SC14 processor looks alot like the Blockbuster unit.

 

[axs]

Thanks for the ideas fellas. I think the Harbor Freight route is the best way to get my feet wet before jumping into something more. I love the idea of potentially getting thousands of bd ft out of a couple days work (figuring I can get 2-4 hours in per day).

I read upgrading the blade on that machine improves the performance drastically. Also seeing two different models and would expect the larger motor to get more reviews, but that's not the case. They're the same price, so what gives? Why not go for the 301cc machine instead of the 280cc?

301: http://www.harborfreight.com/saw-mill-with-301cc-gas-engine-62366.html
208: http://www.harborfreight.com/saw-mill-with-280cc-gas-engine-61714.html

Am I missing something?

 

[fordf150]

i believe they actaully come with the same motor. i will double check mine. do some reading on that harborfreight mill before using it. there are lots of people that have them and have figured out some of the weak points along how to repair them. grease the lead screw for height before putting it together is the big one. i have gotten the board footage out of mine simply because my wood is being used in a barn so a crooked/wavy/tapered board doesnt matter much to me. i am also just squaring the cant and cutting boards at whatever width that happens to be. If you slow down and try to make nice boards that are a set width/dimension the bd ft per hour will probably decrease dramatically. the harbor freight mill is a copy of the woodland mills sawmill so you might look at them too. im sure they are better quality on some of the moving components plus easy replacement parts and bed extensions for just a little more money. they also come with kohler engine i think instead of a predator(honda clone)

 

[kimosawboy]

Axs
Before jumping in the deep end with a Harbor Freight, you might want to look around and see if there is a used decent saw out there for you. The sawmilltrader has a used Hudson in your range, there is the Woodlandmills new, at the same price.......Lots more out there.
Not too knock the people who have one and have commented, just if it was my money I would stay far,far away from HarborFreight.
G Vavra

 

[fordf150]

Axs
Before jumping in the deep end with a Harbor Freight, you might want to look around and see if there is a used decent saw out there for you. The sawmilltrader has a used Hudson in your range, there is the Woodlandmills new, at the same price.......Lots more out there.
Not too knock the people who have one and have commented, just if it was my money I would stay far,far away from HarborFreight.
G Vavra

i tried searching for a better used mill but had no luck so i went with harborfreight because i was impatient and didnt want to wait for a deal to fall in my lap on a used but better mill. from my research a harbor freight mill requires you to be a tinkerer and be able to repair stuff on your own. all the bearings are standard and can be bought on ebay. blades are standard 144" blades that can be bought cheap. i think i paid $15 each for blades shipped to my door and i used 3 blades to cut that 1000 ft. my plan is to use it for a year or 2 and sell it to upgrade to a better mill when cash flow is better. harbor freight sells junk and some decent stuff for the money. my experience and lots of other peoples is that the sawmill is one of their better items for the money.

there are some really decent mills out there if you increase your budget to even $8000 but the OP asked about a $3000 or under mill and since i didnt have any luck finding a used one for anywhere close to that price i figure your stuck with a harbor freight or woodland.

 

[Dobbs]

It is a bit above your price just give a quick look at a EZ Boardwalk Jr.
$4200.

I have one super well built mill for the money!


Dave

 

[bayard]

i have a woodland mill. it works nice for part time or hobby milling.last year i think it was 3400$.

 

[hunterbuild]

I'm still using my harbor freight mill. Got a couple years on it now. After a few repairs at first, it doing fine. I did get a bigger motor, but I just don't need it yet as I'm mostly cutting pine. The head was sipping down, put a vicegrip on the handle to lock it down. It's an other step but a $6 fix. I'm getting very good even cutting out of it.

 

[Cody Colston]

I bought my used Logmaster LM1 about four years ago for $3500. It was only 2 years old and it came with a cant hook, a large tool box, about 15 band blades and a rubberized canopy large enough to cover it while sawing. It wasn't long, however, until I wanted it to be mobile so I had Logmaster build a trailer for it...another $2000. Then I got tired of manhandling logs and bought a tractor with FEL (along with some other implements)...another $12,000. A couple of months ago, I replaced the Chinese-made Honda clone engine on the mill with a real Honda electric start engine (both 13 hp)...another $900.

The point is that a mill is just the start...sort of like turning where the lathe is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm a woodworker so I use most all of my sawn lumber for projects, although I did saw ERC siding for my house and enough Pine construction lumber and siding to build a 10' x 20' building with an 8' shed extension all the way around. I keep all of my yard/garden tools and equipment in it and park the tractor under the shed extension in back. Even with the additional stuff like the trailer and new engine, I've more than paid for the mill just with the house siding and construction lumber. I'm well on the way to paying for the tractor with furniture I've built and sold.

A manual mill is slow especially compared to something like the LT-40 super and it's a lot of work but 1000 bf a day is realistic if you have decent logs and a helper. You won't saw that much by yourself on any manual mill.

I would re-think the HF mill and instead look at one of the better mills like a Woodmizer, Norwood, EZ Boardwalk of even the Logmaster. I suspect that once you start making lumber, you will not want to sell your mill unless it is to upgrade so why not start with something worthwhile.

BTW, there's a long thread over at the Woodworking Talk forum, sawing and milling portion about the HF mill from owners of it. Definitely check it out before you buy.

 

[fordf150]

I can't imagine doing any kind of milling without a FEL. it's much easier with one. I load the logs with mine then stack the lumber on some 8 foot pallets. When I have one of those full I carry it to the barn and haul the slabs down to the fire pit to use on the weekends. Doing all of that by hand would take forever and be very exhausting

 

[KiwiBro]

It is a bit above your price just give a quick look at a EZ Boardwalk Jr.
$4200.

I have one super well built mill for the money!


Dave

Agreed. Can't harm to register with them an interest in a used or demo one. You never know your luck, but worth a shot:
http://www.ezboardwalk.com/Category/used-band-saw-sawmills

 

[kimosawboy]

There is a Woodmizer LT10 bandsawmill on your local craiglist (http://burlington.craigslist.org/tls/5045118940.html) for 3800, check it out..haggle on price!!!

 

[axs]

Instead of starting a new thread I figured I'd bring this one back up. Let's raise the budget to $10,000 for a fall purchase. On the research path there is either not enough info or too much to confuse the decision. But, at this moment, I'm leaning toward a Woodmizer LT or a Turner.

With the extra budget, let me explain what I'm trying to do and look forward to hearing opinions on the best mill for the money. The bulk of what I'll be milling is pine, poplar, and maple ranging from 14 to 36 inches in width. I'm guessing this saw is going to be at least a 3 year commitment, so resale value is a consideration. I just want to crank out enough board/feet to knock out a ton of projects around the house.....figuring the savings on lumber alone will make the saw worth every penny.

P.S. Thanks for all the help on the sub-$3,000 saw. It helped lead me to raising the budget.

 

[Dobbs]

Look at the EZ Boardwalk 40
$7200 without the trailer package. $7800 with the trailer package.
The resale is good also. Try to buy a used one.
They are buit like a anvil.
Dave

 

[fordf150]

i looked at cooks sawmills. seemed like decent mill but out of my price range so i didnt research them any further. start around that same $7000 IIRC