Wood-Mizer saw mill

[dave1949]

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

Even using kiln dried, I've been told the preferred method in the old days was to dry-in a house, let it set over the winter, and then do the interior finishing the next summer.

 

[TractorTidy]

Rimshot,
I have an LT 10 @ 4-5 yrs. old. If you're getting a new one, you will have the new bedrail, push handle and new design stabilizers which
will all be a BIG improvement.
I like mine and use it mostly in the fall/winter ea. year. It gets contagious once you saw the first log.
I also have a Kioti tractr (CK30) so you have a good combination!

 

[ptexer]

Putting the wood in the enviroment that it will be used is good. When you dry wood in a kiln say to 6% it does not stay at that moisture content. It will adjust to its enviroment so putting it where you are going to use it is good. The wood will still move with the season.

 

[TractorTidy]

The only objection I have w/my LT10 is not enough power. I have the smaller Briggs @ 7 hp.

 

[newbury]

The only objection I have w/my LT10 is not enough power. I have the smaller Briggs @ 7 hp.

I agree - I almost went with the 7HP and meant to upgrade to a 10hp or larger later. The difference in cost between the 7 and 10HP is about the same as the cost of a 10hp by itself on the web.

 

[PapaPerk]

Hmmm.... How much money could a guy make with a small band saw mill? I know.... Open ended question.

 

[Piston]

Hmmm.... How much money could a guy make with a small band saw mill? I know.... Open ended question.

Not much.
The mills themselves are capable of cutting a good amount in short order, however, they are completely manual. So every turn of the log and each time a clamp needs to be set takes time. The log needs to be loaded on the mill etc.

Without hydraulics, you won't be making much money. I've been asked to mill for other people but turned it down, simply because I would never make enough per hour to justify the cost.

I have however, traded custom sawn lumber as partial payment for used implements. I've found that to work to my advantage in negotiating good deals.

In order to make money you really need to step up to a hydraulic mill, and even then, it's a labor of love. It certainly is a fun hobby and some people are happy just making enough on the side to help justify the purchase. There's nothing wrong with that! After all, that's how I've ended up justifying some of the implements I've bought.

 

[rmorey]

Hmmm.... How much money could a guy make with a small band saw mill? I know.... Open ended question.

We bought a small manual mill in '04. The plan was to do custom work to pay for the mill. It became apparent we needed a tractor to load the logs. Got a CK25, then a trailer to tow it. All in we had $30k. I thought it would take years to get back. We broke even in 2 years. We had a ball and met some great people.

 

[rimshot]

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Rimshot,
I have an LT 10 @ 4-5 yrs. old. If you're getting a new one, you will have the new bedrail, push handle and new design stabilizers which
will all be a BIG improvement.
I like mine and use it mostly in the fall/winter ea. year. It gets contagious once you saw the first log.
I also have a Kioti tractr (CK30) so you have a good combination!

5=

=
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I dunno....do you think the 10 h.p will do the job? I guess it's a bit larger than the 7 but still small when compared to those diesels it not going to be a hot rod. I was just wondering, if you were to saw lumber for somebody and take it out in a percentnage of the total board feet sawn, what would be a fair figure? 25% of the total? maybe 33%?

rimshot

 

[MotorSeven]

I think the 10 hp will be fine. My LT15 has a 15hp and I have sawed up to 26" in diameter hardwoods with no problem. It will take you some time to learn, but don't push a older dull blade and change them out when you can feel the need. There is also a learning curve to lube...how much and what blend. More lube is not always the answer and sometimes I run without any at all. The forestry forum is a great place to read and learn, tons of great info on mills & milling.