looking for advice on buying a mill

[Skywalker]

My partner and i own a tree service and put most of our hardwood to firewood, about 50 to 70 cords a year alot of work for beer and gun money. anyway im sure were leaving alot of money on the table, how much can i get into the right mill to cut boards instead of firewood

thank you

 

[thepheniox]

Do you have a crane or some way to get the logs out. I'm in the same boat as you. I have a tree service and lots of wood. I got an Alaskan mill and have used it on a few jobs but it takes a long time to mill a log. Then you have to stack it and dry it before it's worth anything. Then you have to find a buyer. If your busy you'll make more money cutting trees than dealing with lumber.

 

[Skywalker]

we have a 12 ton crane so we have the capability to move logs. as for time its seasonal here in nw pa april til nov. were banging then a standstill. heres the next question, weve done 50 cord at an average of 200.00 a cord for firewood, thats 10 large minus fuel and sweat, is it worth milling the lumber, and also my close friend is a furniture designer so he ll do all the milling in return for some cool wood

 

[RedArrow]

I'm also with a tree service. I had the same feelings about all the wood I've either chipped, or left at the job. I bought a Panthermill2 Panther Chainsaw Mills I've only got about 50 boards cut so far, but I've had great luck with it so far, and they are at a good price. I haven't sold any of the lumber yet, because I have personal woodworking plans with it, but plan to in the future.

 

[hamish]

Do you plan on milling for customers or just selling cut lumber to customers?

Ideally you will want a csm and bsm, both have there pluses and minuses. As you have a tree service and equipment to handle logs your laughing.

Cost wise, you will find that a bsm is more economical although requires a greater capital investment, I would suggest a manual mill such as an LT10, ML26, etc types.
Capital outlay would be approx less than 5K USD to be set up well. Production is greater with a bsm, faster, easier, less fuel costs etc (my csm can burn an entire tank in one 10 foot cut, my bsm runs all day on two quarts and can push close to 1000bf/day. Even with a BSM you will still need a csm, for unique logs, getting others down to size etc.......

Another thing, if you own a csm or bsm and get bitten it can cost alot if you are married, divorce lawyers can be costly!

 

[mikeb1079]

in your situation i think what would make the most sense is looking at an entry level bandmill, typically in the 2-4k range. keep the firewood cutting, just set aside the best logs for the sawmill and cut em when you can. there is no way (aside from a special huge log) that a chainsaw mill makes any sense in your case. you'll need an area to air dry the lumber you cut and it can take up some space but it's not too bad. here's the catch about lumber processing though: it's been my experience that few people want to buy air dried lumber b/c it's still too wet for furniture making. think about building a simple solar kiln. low cost and easy to operate, then you'll be able to kiln dry lumber and command a better price. materials for the solar kiln would be probably 500-1000 ish.

if you go this route you can test the market for your lumber and see what happens, keeping in mind that it may take a while to establish some buyers for your product. if it doesn't pan out you wont have lost much, and you can sawmill in your downtime. good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Skywalker]

Thomas 8020 Bandsaw Mill

heres the mill im getting, around 8700.00 shipped and heres a pic of the new shop where the magic will happen

 

[Skywalker]

not sure how the lumber sales will go, but my good friend since kindergarten just happens to have an MFA in furnature design and will probably benefit most from this mill

 

[Skywalker]

better shop pics

 

[Talltom]

Congratulations, Skywalker. No free weekends for the next 10 years! Now that you've decided on a mill, drying the lumber will be your next challenge. Your friend and anyone who would buy lumber will most likely want it kiln dried. Plus, it will take a minimum of one year outside and six months in a conditioned space to air dry 4/4-5/4 thick lumber to a usable MC for indoor use, and that can generate a lot of in-process inventory. Solar kilns are inexpensive but don't work that well in winter, especially in the snow belt. The only small scale electric kiln I've seen is sold by Baileys. The Sauno kiln comes in 2 sizes and you build your own enclosure. They run $1K to $1,500. I tried to sell air dried lumber to some local hardwood outlets, but they wouldn't touch it. Guess I'll just have to use it myself.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Congrats on the mill. My 2 cents would be if you think you want to start milling and selling lumber from your tree service company start by taking your best logs to someone else that has a mill and pay them to cut them up for you. It may seem like throwing your money away initially but if you can't make money doing it that way then there is not enough money in it by having your own mill. That way you feel out what the market is for the lumber you produce in your local area. Best of luck to you.