N80
Super Member
I'm thinking about getting a saw mill. I do not need one and I do not intend to sell lumber.
I've got a cabin on 250 acres that I've had for close to 20 years. There is always a big oak or hickory or cedar blown down. And I just hate to see it go to waste. We use some for firewood but a lot just rots in the woods.
My son-in-law has been ripping a big cedar with an Alaskan mill. It is slow and tedious and hard work but those cedar boards are gorgeous. He is siding a large chicken coop with the boards. It will last forever.
I plan to build a pole-barn type shop with a cement pad floor in the future. So I could use lumber for that.
So I want a saw mill. Budget is fairly low but requirements are fairly low too. This will be a hobby situation not a job. Pine. Oak. Cedar. Maybe some other hardwoods. The budget situation might be fluid. My son-in-law would pitch in some. A cousin across the road would probably pitch in some as well.
What do I need to know? Best brands? Features I can't live without? Things I need to know about storing and drying lumber? Dealing with saw dust?
Thanks for any basic info or considerations.
I've got a cabin on 250 acres that I've had for close to 20 years. There is always a big oak or hickory or cedar blown down. And I just hate to see it go to waste. We use some for firewood but a lot just rots in the woods.
My son-in-law has been ripping a big cedar with an Alaskan mill. It is slow and tedious and hard work but those cedar boards are gorgeous. He is siding a large chicken coop with the boards. It will last forever.
I plan to build a pole-barn type shop with a cement pad floor in the future. So I could use lumber for that.
So I want a saw mill. Budget is fairly low but requirements are fairly low too. This will be a hobby situation not a job. Pine. Oak. Cedar. Maybe some other hardwoods. The budget situation might be fluid. My son-in-law would pitch in some. A cousin across the road would probably pitch in some as well.
What do I need to know? Best brands? Features I can't live without? Things I need to know about storing and drying lumber? Dealing with saw dust?
Thanks for any basic info or considerations.