Bandsawmill recoupe cost?

[AaronB]

I am considering buying a bandsaw mill, something like the LM2000 or Mister 26, BUT I have a question about recoupe the cost. Not wanting to make money or anything, just to make sure I would be able to use it enough.

Right now I have 25-30 trees to cut up, mostly red oak, and was planning on cutting them into boards for woodworking. What happens after those trees are gone? How hard is it to get other logs, to make the expense worth it over the years?

Just a stumbling block I have on spending so much, just wanted to see if others have run into a problem getting logs. I see lots of people making studs, lumber for houses, etc, so it seems a mill can be very useful.

 

[excess650]

I suppose it depends upon the area you're in and how much competition there is for logs. Some landscaping and tree service companies are grateful to have a place to get rid of trees. Word of mouth for "custom, small scale milling" helps. Check with builders and developers and ask to be notified when they're taking trees down. Advertise your services, hand out business cards, etc, and you may well be inundated with work.

 

[BIG JAKE]

:agree2: Where I live we have a lot of forest land. I get 5 cords for 20.00 and they don't care what you use it for. So when they thin the forest, I'm there to haul logs out but I have to winch/skid/load. Doug fir, white fir, and ponderosa pine for most part. Once people know you mill the word kind of gets out and you can get logs that way. I've had people give me cherry logs, etc. Craigslist is another way you might get the word out too-could also contact city gov'ts, tree service/power companies-anyone you can think of that might have reason to take trees out even highway depts if you have blowdowns maybe. I'm just throwing some ideas at you. What kind of trees do you have around your neck of the woods?

 

[redprospector]

:agree2: Where I live we have a lot of forest land. I get 5 cords for 20.00 and they don't care what you use it for. So when they thin the forest, I'm there to haul logs out but I have to winch/skid/load. Doug fir, white fir, and ponderosa pine for most part. Once people know you mill the word kind of gets out and you can get logs that way. I've had people give me cherry logs, etc. Craigslist is another way you might get the word out too-could also contact city gov'ts, tree service/power companies-anyone you can think of that might have reason to take trees out even highway depts if you have blowdowns maybe. I'm just throwing some ideas at you. What kind of trees do you have around your neck of the woods?

Next time you're at the FS see if they have a thinning unit in some Juniper. That stuff is priceless for mantles and such. It cut's real nice, but there's a trick to keeping it stable after it's milled.

Andy

 

[English Oak]

Yes the first cost of one is alot. My friend Ian has a woodmizer and he gets given free wood from urban arborists all the time. He's also build a simple dehumidifier kiln which has inproved the time it takes to recoupe your cost. It help to know what the going rate for wood is in your area.
Also hiring out you services to other woodworker to custom cut logs for them. If you have some oak good money is gained from milling thick mantle place blocks. It all depend on who and whats in your area. It worth asking around before you make the choice. People have and make money from bandsaw mills in the most unlikely places. I once came across a guy who had the large woodmizer and he lived in central london..?? good luck, T

 

[JJuday]

I think the Wood Mizer site has a equation to show potential customers how they could pay for their new mill in a given amount of time and just mainly using the money you can make with it to pay for the mill. But like everything else it sounds a lot better than I think it really is. Maybe if lumber prices go back through the roof like they did last year, and I mean the end customer prices, Lowes and Homodepot and such. There is a lot of Amish around my area that have small home based mills, no portable ones that I have seen though, can't imagine why!?!?! Josh