Wood-Mizer saw mill

[Pete Eberhart]

Hey Rimshot,
My neighbor and good friend has a bandsaw mill which he let's me use in exchange for logs. He had it build 4 years ago by a local Amish fellow. It has 30 inch capacity, a 13hp Kawasaki engine and sit's on a trailerable frame. Log lengths are 16ft max. Cost of the Mill at the time was $3000 but after asking, it would cost $4800 today. I really enjoy working with it and have build several projects using wood off my hill. First project was a concrete pad and barn-overhang to protect it. I'm sure you will velue your's too.
There are several fellows in my area that started small with sawmills and now have more work than they can handle. One fellow pay's 2 helpers $18.50/hr just to meet demand. He charges .38/bdft
Pete

 

[mattridessleds]

Love my Lt35hd. Can't go wrong with woodmizer. The customer service is top notch.

 

[SPIKER]

Hi guys here is the forestry site someone mentioned and I'm there reading a lot someday might get me some $ saved up to buy a mill but so far just dreaming.

http://www.forestryforum.com

Lots of great guys there saving ya some time learning by asking questions from them.

Mark

 

[mattridessleds]

Hi guys here is the forestry site someone mentioned and I'm there reading a lot someday might get me some $ saved up to buy a mill but so far just dreaming.

http://www.forestryforum.com

Lots of great guys there saving ya some time learning by asking questions from them.

Mark

This is a great site. I spend a-lot of time there reading too.

 

[mattridessleds]

Hi guys here is the forestry site someone mentioned and I'm there reading a lot someday might get me some $ saved up to buy a mill but so far just dreaming.

http://www.forestryforum.com

Lots of great guys there saving ya some time learning by asking questions from them.

Mark

This is a great site. I spend a-lot of time there reading too.

 

[ptexer]

I keep an old LT40 in repair and am able to use it. The wood mizer company is outstanding in my opinion very good tech support. The machine is great still makes great lumber after years of service. It does make a lot of sawdust so you might consider planting blueberries.

 

[SuperCobra]

I don't want to hijack the thread but I'm curious what kind of code obstacles people have run into milling their own lumber for construction. I've read threads where people have built their entire house out of home milled lumber. However, in my county I don't think I can even use it to build a deck. I read where someone in the county purchased an old timber framed building and wanted to erect it on their property as a residence and the county wouldn't let them because it wasn't the standard kiln dried conventional lumber with a grading stamp on it. While I'd love to get one, I'm afraid the only thing I could use the lumber for would be fence board and outbuilding siding. I don't think it could even be used for framing for outbuildings here but I haven't looked into it in depth.

 

[MotorSeven]

Cobra yes that is an issue in a lot of places. That why I picked where I am before I retired and built my entire house out of 90% rough milled lumber.

 

[rimshot]

Thanks for all the excellent comments. So far as using local cut lumber, I have built three garages and one entire hiuse with the local cut lumber. Many of the sized studs came from clear white pine. Isn't it a stupid law to tell us we have to have a stamp on a 2 X 4 as opposed to clear white pine.....sheesh! But it's so. Reasonable building inspectors usually allow rough stuff so long as it is properly sized.

I built a house out of local logs and that was after over 6 mos of being stuck and stacked. The drywall was finished to perfection that fall and the person living there heated with a wood stove. Over the
winter that dry wood heat kiln dried the final 5 or 10% of moisture out of that house frame and it popped every nail in that finished drywall. That was before we were screwing the drywall. I learned sometimes it's not a bad thing to dry your lumber first.

rim

 

[ptexer]

You have to have the lumber kiln dried to be sure all the insect in the wood will die. Lumber can have some powder post beatles in it. That seems to be the insect to watch for in my area. I would think different areas would have different problems.