Want to mill own lumber. Would like input. New to it.

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What portable mill do you recomend and what is the cost?

I read that the woodmizers are back ordered for 44-59 weeks. The HF ones say currently unavailable.
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I have a Wood Mizer LT15 Wide.
pretty happy with it. $10K. There are cheaper ones. I recommend spending at least $25k to get something with hydraulics and debarker. Well worth the cost in the amount of time it saves. I spend most of my time moving and positioning .

But EVERY brand of sawmill is a year out on orders now.

Local guy here advertised $120 hr. + $125 setup fee. He also charges for milage to and from the job but 8 can't recall the amount he was asking. Keep in ind that for a lot of the jobs, you need some type of equipment on hand to handle the logs, like a skid steer or Kubota. An 8 hr day can run well over a grand.

$120/hr is very high. Most charge around $70/hr.
I charge $50 because I’m new and still don’t really know what I’m doing.
 
I read that the woodmizers are back ordered for 44-59 weeks. The HF ones say currently unavailable.


I have a Wood Mizer LT15 Wide.
pretty happy with it. $10K. There are cheaper ones. I recommend spending at least $25k to get something with hydraulics and debarker. Well worth the cost in the amount of time it saves. I spend most of my time moving and positioning .

But EVERY brand of sawmill is a year out on orders now.



$120/hr is very high. Most charge around $70/hr.
I charge $50 because I’m new and still don’t really know what I’m doing.
I hate waiting!
 
I hate waiting!
My son bought his Woodmizer back 6 yrs ago, fully hydraulic, diesel powered, fully computer controlled cut settings. We're doing a job for a friend on Sat. 2 nice ponderosa and a good cedar, all hazard trees on flat ground right in the middle of town on 1/2 acre. We bid the job at $ 2k, which was $500 less than a bid he already had.. My sons traveling about 6o miles of mountain road to get here, so it's going to be an interesting day. I'll try and post pics when we get started.
 
I cant believe the none to be had thingy!!!! WOW!! When I bought my Timber-Tuff a few years ago, it was delivered in 3 days from Northern Tool ! ---- guess times are changing! --- Anyway for casual or small time use they are still a good buy.
IF you want to saw on a commercial basis, then you would probably want one of the expensive fancy ones.
I cut for friends on mine and you can run a LOT of logs thru it in an hour. I like the simple "no frills" of it --- No hydraulics or computer crap to give problems on them!
Everybody has their preference as to what they want.
 
I cant believe the none to be had thingy!!!! WOW!! When I bought my Timber-Tuff a few years ago, it was delivered in 3 days from Northern Tool ! ---- guess times are changing! --- Anyway for casual or small time use they are still a good buy.
IF you want to saw on a commercial basis, then you would probably want one of the expensive fancy ones.
I cut for friends on mine and you can run a LOT of logs thru it in an hour. I like the simple "no frills" of it --- No hydraulics or computer crap to give problems on them!
Everybody has their preference as to what they want.
I'm partners with 2 friends on a Mobile Dimension mill. Designed and manufactured in Troutdale, Oregon in the early 70's. Powered by a VW motor, reliable as all get out and spits out lumber like nobody's business. One man can make a lot of lumber real quick!
 
I got a quote last night for $2k to cut up our 20-22 trees.
Starting to think that a good Alaskan jig and a good saw is the way to go.
I don't mind the labor.
 
I read that the woodmizers are back ordered for 44-59 weeks. The HF ones say currently unavailable.


I have a Wood Mizer LT15 Wide.
pretty happy with it. $10K. There are cheaper ones. I recommend spending at least $25k to get something with hydraulics and debarker. Well worth the cost in the amount of time it saves. I spend most of my time moving and positioning .

But EVERY brand of sawmill is a year out on orders now.



$120/hr is very high. Most charge around $70/hr.
I charge $50 because I’m new and still don’t really know what I’m doing.

That depends on if they can work from home or must travel to site. Plus their equipment, manpower and experience will determine their potential milling speed. A 14hp engine cuts at roughly twice the speed of a 7hp engine.
 
The Alaskan WASTES about half of the wood!!!---- Keep that in mind! .035 to .042 approx., for bandmill blade and from 1/4 to 1/2 inch PER cut for chainsaw .! Thats why bandmills have taken the market over all others. I used to have a Belsaw M-14 --- best saw on the market BUT a 1/4" kerf, but it would work the tails off 3 or 4 guys running it!
If you are going to just cut beams with them ----not quite as much loss. I only use mine to skin the few big logs I do so they fit the bandmill.
 
The Alaskan WASTES about half of the wood!!!---- Keep that in mind! .035 to .042 approx., for bandmill blade and from 1/4 to 1/2 inch PER cut for chainsaw .! Thats why bandmills have taken the market over all others. I used to have a Belsaw M-14 --- best saw on the market BUT a 1/4" kerf, but it would work the tails off 3 or 4 guys running it!
If you are going to just cut beams with them ----not quite as much loss. I only use mine to skin the few big logs I do so they fit the bandmill.
 
I've taken that into account. I can buy a really nice saw, jig and aluminum ladder for less then he wants to cut it.
Plus I'll have it for the future
 
Actually,------It comes down to personal preference as to what type saw anyone wants to mess with. We are not in a heavy wooded area, logs are scarce and smaller than what commercial guys will cut so people bring them to me to cut on the bandmill. They help turn the logs on the mill. Most of them can be rolled on by hand but the few that are too heavy I fork them on with the skidloader IF needed.
I like the Timber Tuff cause it sits right on the ground, comes apart easy for moving or storage and dont take up a lot of space.
All of them have good and not so good points .
There are a few of the fancy mills around here but they wont touch small logs, OR 1 or 2----gotta be a whole bunch!----most of them cant hold or cut small logs, and the ones that will try to cut small stuff charge 10 times more that the wood is worth.
 
Do you have to use a 36" bar in the Alaskan mill?
What is a good bar for milling?
I know that you want to use a ripping chain.
 
Do you have to use a 36" bar in the Alaskan mill?
What is a good bar for milling?
I know that you want to use a ripping chain.
I covered Mill and bar sizes pretty well in post #4

In post #8 you stated that the Biggest Spruce was 18”, if that is the case, then and you are determined to CSM your trees, I would suggest a Granberg G778-24 mill, and a 28” bar.

3/8” Pitch chain in either 0.58 or 0.63 Gauge should be a good choice for you. IIRC, you were considering a Husqvarna saw, and.058 is a pretty common gauge chain for Huskies, I’m pretty sure that 3/8” .063 is easy enough to find as well, the larger the gauge the better it will carry oil, which is important when milling, and set your oiler to MAX

With the 24” mill a 28” bar is a Very common size, and while it might not quite max out the capacity of a 24” mill, it should come close, and handle everything that you are currently wanting to mill

A solid one piece milled bar rather than a laminated bar, with a Sprocket Nose, Not a “Hard Nose” would be your best bet. Make SURE that your nose end bar clamp is in far enough that it doesn’t crush the nose sprocket

Again, I think that for you a Granberg G555-B Edging Mill would be a very worthwhile companion tool to have. I haven’t priced them lately but should be under $150 shipped

if you have, or have access to either an upright bandsaw or tablesaw, either would speed up production and be more accurate for making dimensional lumber from the slabs, this is one of the ways that the G555-B Edging mill will come in handy, to give you a good straight side for the bandsaw or Tablesaw fence. Also after you “Top Slab” your logs, you can side slab your logs, which will let you mill a larger log on a smaller mill, which also makes for narrower slabs for the milling saw to cut. If trying to maximize the yield, remember to account for the kerf thickness of your cuts if you side slab both sides of your “Cant”

It’s a Good thing that you don’t mind the Labor, because CSM’ing that much is going to take a LOT of work, and a LOT of TIME, but the G555-B and a band or Table saw would definitely help with both Time and Work

Good Luck, and above all, Stay SAFE


Doug
 
I really appreciate the information.
Yes the largest spruce is about 18.
There are some other trees in the property that are larger and I will eventually cut down and process. So I would like to go 36" off thy bat.
What would you recommend for a jig for 36?
 
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