Need help with plans......

[Mr Mom]

     Firecord...Thanks alot for the site.

     NORWISCUTTER...The mills i can afford would be all manual and production rate is not that big of a deal just want to cut lumber for me right now. That is why it is not on a trailer yet. If people want wood cut they will bring the log to me.

     Modat22...i have about everthing i need to build it but there is some things that i have to get still. I have to buy as i build because of diffrent parts sizes.
   
     GF...Thanks alot for the site. Look like a very good mill. Hope that mine comes out looking half as good.

     Could i use 2" pipe for the cariage frame?? There is a oil field supply company close to me an they have black steel pipe everwere.

     Thanks Alot Mr Mom.

[jrokusek]

I should have mentioned that if you are planning on doing this full-time and making a living from it it's in your best interest to buy a commercially made mill.  If you've sawed for years on various machines and are a heck of a fabricator you can probably make a better one that most manufactures. 

As for me, I assumed that the value of my mill, as far as resale value goes, was worth almost nothing.  I could take the engine, pulley's and trailer tires off and make a go-kart - the rest would have value only as scrap. 

[Mr Mom]

     jrokusek...well i am not a heck of a fabricator i am just a hack at fabricating .




     Thanks Alot Mr Mom

[Minnesota_boy]

My main point wasn't about buying a bright and shiny mill, it was that the time you spend building your own has value too.  My time milling is worth between $25 and $50 per hour, depending on the job.  Your building time is worth that too as that is what you have given up while waiting to get the mill built.  Now your cheap homemade mill has a lot more cost, doesn't it?

[willknot]

Hello Mr. Mom. I think most of us that build our mills don't plan on making a living at it anyway so for me I look at it like the first couple jobs I do for myself are gonna pay for it. A buddy of mine heard I was building a mill, I told him I would have around $3,000.00 in it when completed, He then told me I was crazy because his dad bought a new one for $6,500.00 and it wasn't worth building one. A couple of weeks ago he happened by and asked to see the mill I was building, I pointed him to it and did his jaw drop. He plans on bringing his Dad by to see it. He says I got two to threes times the mill they got and he no longer thinks I'm crazy.Oh ya, they bought last year and haven't milled anything yet as they have been making improvements and increasing it's capabilties since.I plan on making sawdust for the first time this weekend and am I stokked.
Buying a mill wasn't an option for me. It never even crossed my mind.(only because I have a full service machine shop at my disposal ) I did lots of homework and also tried to sketch things out ahead to save time in the shop.I also built it heavy enough so I could add options to it later.There's a couple of things that I've learned for sure from this project.
1. I will never build another one!
2. I will never sell it!

Good Luck Willknot

[Mr Mom]

     Minnesota_boy...I understand what you are saying. I dont count my time as lost beacuse i dont plan on doing milling full time and even if i bought a new one i would have to mill a bunch of wood to get good enough to be able to charge people money to cut lumber for them.

     Willknot...I know what you are saying about the prices for mills.I dont have a problem with what they charge for them and if that is what they need to stay in the game then it is fine with me. This is why i asked if anyone had plans.
     I wish i was in your shoes and have a metal shop at my disposal.
     Good luck on your first milling. We need pictures to see that you did mill some lumber .

     Thanks Alot Mr Mom

[Dan_Shade]

i really believe you can build a base-line manual model that's actually worth a crap for a few grand, whereas the cheapest "usable" models are now like $3500....

you can buy a 25hp engine, and trailer tires, and make a frame for almost that....  while using my Oscar 28 today, it was pounding through my head, simply because those small mills just don't have the production capability.  I don't mind the manual part, I do mind the slow, under powered, vibrating part.

[jrokusek]

     jrokusek...well i am not a heck of a fabricator i am just a hack at fabricating .
    Thanks Alot Mr Mom

Aw shoot - don't let that stop you!  There's a guy on this forum that used a CB400A Honda motorcycle engine with an auto transmission, pallet racking and various other misc parts and he has a working machine.  Seems to cut just fine.  Don't let being a hack stop you!  I'm nothing more than a redneck hack who gets to wear a tie to work.   

Here's the thread I'm thinking of:  http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=11591.0

[Mr Mom]

     jrokusek...A tie i only were them once or twice a year . Well i am going to my dads today to see what parts i can find over there.


     Thanks Alot Mr Mom.

[dad2nine]

Gary, I took a look at your website real nice operation you got there. Very clean and organized web site too.

[Modat22]

If you enjoy building stuff don't let the time you spend on it bother you. I make little wooden projects all the time and wouldn't dream charging what I think My time is worth. If I'm working for myself I'd give myself one heck of a discount

Just give yourself a very flexible building schedule, I made the mistake of setting completion times and gave up on those. Now I'm not worrying about when I'm 100 percent complete because it ain't ever gonna be 100 percent complete. I'll probably always come up with something else to put on there. Just the other day I was wondering where I was gonna put bed and coffee maker.

[Mr Mom]

     Modat22...I have decided to build my mill.
     My time line is done by spring and if i dont then i dont.
     My schedule is work on it when my wife says i can. I asked the neighbor if i could use his garage beacuse the little white stuff will be flying here soon. He said that i could.
     For the next few months i will be geting parts and when it is nasty outside i will start building.


     Thanks Alot Mr Mom