educate a new guy on saw mills please.

[ktm rider]

Ok, I'm not new to the site but i am new to the Mill section of the site. I live on a farm with PLENTY of large trees on my property. I recently read an article about milling your own lumber ( if you have the trees ). Well, now I am intrigued. I need some suggestions on what I would need to mill my own lumber for a nice horse fence around one of my fields. Other than the saw of course.
I don't want or need anything fancy, just something that will get the job done without breaking the bank of course... any suggestions????

 

[BobL]

Ok, I'm not new to the site but i am new to the Mill section of the site. I live on a farm with PLENTY of large trees on my property. I recently read an article about milling your own lumber ( if you have the trees ). Well, now I am intrigued. I need some suggestions on what I would need to mill my own lumber for a nice horse fence around one of my fields. Other than the saw of course.
I don't want or need anything fancy, just something that will get the job done without breaking the bank of course... any suggestions????

Questions
- How big (To some people LARGE - 30" ,to others they mean 60" diameter) are the trees
- What sort of saws do you already have
- How much $ are you willing to spend
- Do you already have a mill type preference in mind?

 

[dallasm1]

What kind of trees are they? A fence made from anything other than pressure treated wood (unless it is redwood, cedar or some other rot resistant wood) doesn't last very long, especially the posts. Milling your own lumber requires a large investment in time and education, read: On the Job training! It would be a shame to see all of your hard work return back to nature in a couple of years. However there is NO DOUBT that once you start milling your own lumber, you will find many pleasing and long lasting ways to use your own lumber. I started with a Granberg Mark 3 alaskan style and a used Stihl 084. I am still using that combination and I am very pleased with it. Once you start it will be hard to curb your enthusiasm. Milling and CAD are complimentary diseases. If a person has one he usually has the other as well. There are some great recent posts on new guys with their questions (springtime?) - Check them out. Good luck and welcome to the jungle!