What to look for in a sawmill

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I'm thinking of buying a sawmill. What should I look for? Cost is a consideration, hydraulic lifts etc are nice but too much of a luxury. I can retrofit something later and I do have loader tractors to shift logs and a 3pth forklift. A bandsaw for sure but what size? Any tips would be appreciated. Anyone build thier own?

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), December 30, 2001

Answers

We just bought a sawmill last year, a Norwood; haven't assembled it yet. We bought it new, but there's a website for buying and selling used ones, that has every kind and size imaginable, from home-built ones to $50,000 ones. It's at http://www.sawmillexchange.com/

-- Elizabeth in E TX (kimprice@peoplescom.net), December 30, 2001.

The Norwood. It is advertise in the Countryside Small stock Journal. I checked it out and I purchased one. I find it to be all and more than any homesteader needs. It is awesome. I cut hedge, oak, and hickory. If your in pine woods you can get by with a smaller engine. I chose the 20 horse.

At present we are building a 42 X 56 foot pole utility barn. After that will build a large home/hunting lodge. All lumber and timbers to be cut with the Norwood. below are links of question answered. JR

http://www.norwoodindustries.com/lumbermate.htm

http://www.rockler.com/faq/faq_lumbermate.cfm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/milling/files/Member%20Photos/Robert% 20S/

-- JR (jr3star@earthlink.net), December 31, 2001.


There is a Wood Mizer made in central Indiana. I have been to their factory and they look great. Try www.woodmizer.com

-- Mel Kelly (melkelly@webtv.net), December 31, 2001.

I bought mine from Thomas Bandsaw mill here in Maine. Most are about the same. I bought a 20hp Honda motor to run mine. Yes it's bigger than what I need,but it came with a oil filter. That oil gets real thin on a hot July day. I also can cut 20 foot logs,if I wanted too.I didn't buy the hyd lifts either. Money being a factor and the pay back wasn't there. I only use it for my own use. I also have a loader too on my tractor.It's a slow operation. I cut the trees down,haul them to the sawmill,put them up on the brough,I can put 5- 6 up at a time. I roll them on with a cant dog.Then I start to saw lumber. Don't think it's going to be fast,it's slow. But it's cheaper than going to the lumber yard.I do all this alone. One more person makes a big differant.I would buy the biggest motor you could,and a longer track. I seem to buy something that is too small.I use it for a while than realize I should of went bigger,that's why the 20hp motor and the 20 foot track, bigger than what I need. Ray The Farm

-- Ray Chesterville,Me (thecfarm@midmaine.com), December 31, 2001.

Thanks, I've looked at both Norwood and Woodmiser saws. The later being built heavier I still like the Norwood saw very much. Plus they are built about 2 hours west of me. I priced one without an engine for about 4500 Canadian (if I remember right) I was thinking of running it off a hydraulic motor and avoiding the small engine vibration and maitenance. I saw a company selling sawmill kits in Farmshow. It definately looked better than the home built car wheel versions the paper was describing. I have standards, they're low but I have em.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 01, 2002.


I got excellent service out of my Kasco bandsawmill. I bought the lower priced version, without hydraulics, but had no trouble pushing the carriage through any log. It had an 8 hp industrial briggs, and rarely bogged down. The carriage would handle around a 16 or 17 ft log. It was very well built. The frame was steel, not stamped out of alloy, like some. It's built near Shelbyville Ind., and the people there were great to deal with. You can buy or make additional tracks if you need to cut longer timber.

-- Truman Dodson (gamefarmone@hotmail.com), January 03, 2002.

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