Long time visitor, first time poster! Need advice regarding low budget milling.

[terrifictimbersllc]

I tell people to bring framing lumber or get 1x3x8's from the big box store.  But I wouldn't buy them for myself.  Start dumpster diving for 1x and 2x lumber and saw them up on the table saw.  Or when you get your mill, first thing saw up several suitable logs into stickers,   cut them 4', bundle them into packs of about 25, with nylon strapping or rope, using thin slats or cardboard between layers of 5,  and put these bundles inside in a warm dry place for a month.  Lots of things to do no?   

[Meadows Miller]

Ill also add stack all your timber on a good base say 6x6 or 8x8"s the length off your packs with 4x3" bearers on every second row off sticks its better to loose a little timber building a good base than loose alot off good timber through poor handling and drying

[broylescc]

Hey guys thanks for the welcomes! I will start a thread as soon as I get home from visiting my brother and his family here in St Loius. I have a few pics here on my phone but can't seem to get them to load. As for a quick run down on myself, I own a custom cabinet shop that has been blesses enough to stay very busy during these slow times. I know several that has not been so lucky! I deal strictly with kiln dries lumber mainly the normal cherry, alder, red oak, etc. I have recently found myself building more custom rustic furniture, mantels, and headboards for fun in what little spare time I have. Recently a small furniture co has asked me to start doing some custom stuff to sale in their store and I want to start logging and sawing my own wood to pick out the wood the most "character". Again I have learned so much from this forum and can't believe after building custom cabinets for all these years, how little I really know about wood! Ive always just picked up the phone and next day had a 1000 bdft of whatever at my door! But honestly I'm gettin burnt out and need a change! But the cabinet shop pays the big bills!

[customsawyer]

broylescc welcome to the forum. This is a great place to be when you are getting started or when you have been at it awhile.

[Bill Gaiche]

broylescc, welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy your stay. bg

[Douglassawdust]

Greetings, not sure if this post is still active but i was in a similar situation as yourself - looking for an entry-level sawing solution to suit my needs. As an extremely motivated DIY-er, i had a huge 200 year old red oak fall over on my property that was about 100' tall and 4' in diameter at the base of the trunk and almost no rot. After i got quotes on its removal from my arborist i decided that it was time to purchase a sawmill to make use of the unbelievable wood in this tree instead of letting it all go to waste in someones woodburner and having to pay for that to happen.

That said, i purchased a WM LT 10 for a little over a K more than you are looking to spend but it was worth every penny. With a little help from friends, enginuity and some fabrication, i made the somewhat sationary mill portable enough to tow around my property with my lawn tractor. This is WoodMizers entery level mill but its a very well built machine. I did a lot of resarch before i bought it and its construction is actually quite impressive when compared to some of the other entry level bandmills out there.

Ive easily had 30-inch 1500 lb logs on this thing and it slices through them faster than you can turn the log for another cut. Ive been producing 18 inch wide quarter-sawn boards that are just so unbelievableable beautiful. Ths machine has worked extremely well for me, and i'd recommend it to anyone looking for an entry-level sawing solution. If anyone is interested i'll be more than happy to post some pictures.

Best Regards.

[ForestMan]

I also have a Woodmizer LT10.  I wanted the LT15, but simply could not afford it.  I did, however, upgrade the engine to a 10 hp and bought a track extension and a couple of boxes of blades, 5 each.  I spent $4000 on the whole package in 2009.  Since then, the LT10 has gotten better.  Stronger pushbar and tracks.

I cut mesquite logs.  It is a very dense and hard wood.  But with a new blade on my LT10, it cuts through it like butter.  I agree too that it takes more time to turn the log than it does to cut through it.

With my setup, I can cut a log up to 18 feet long, although I never have yet.  I have a very simple setup for log handling.  I put two telephone poles in the ground and attached two 2x10's nailed together across the top of it.  It is about 22 feet across, so I also put in a little cement pad in the middle of it so that I can  brace it with a 4x6 when loading heavy logs.  I use two 2-ton manual cable pullers that I bought for $20 each.  It really works quite well, since I do not have a tractor with a front-end loader. 

We do have a tractor with hydraulics on the back.  I have found that you can order forks for the back for around $150.  I might try that too, but have never heard of it being used before.  That would allow for more movement of logs than I can do manually with my cant hook and peavy. 

I am in the middle of building my first dehumidification kiln as well.  It is 12 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet.  It should hold anywhere from 400 - 600 board feet of lumber, which should dry to 6-8 % moisture content within 4-5 weeks. 

Mesquite being an exotic hardwood, the price per board foot is quite good.  I live in the middle of mesquite central here south east of San Antonio.  My property has quite a few mature mesquites on it.  I'd say probably over 100.  And I have thousands of smaller mesquites on the property too.

Whether or not I can sell my lumber, I can always make a final product out of the lumber, be it cutting boards or furniture, or flooring.  I should be able to sell some of this part-time.

The mill was brand new two years ago.  I have a tarp over it now, and am getting ready to put a roof over it soon.  Just because it is called a hobby mill does not mean that it is inferior.  I don't use it for more than a hobby right now, but I plan on building a business around it.  It does its job and it does it well whenever I need it.  I had occasion to call the company for help one time, and they sent me a replacement part no questions asked.  I think it arrived in two days.  The service you get when you buy a mill should also be considered.  In my experience, Woodmizer's service is first rate.

With 200+ logs to cut, just think of the backbreaking work it will be to cut them up with a chainsaw mill.  Although they have their place, it probably is not enough mill for what you have in mind.  My bandmill has been excellent for my needs.

I wish you success in your venture.  And welcome to the forestry forum.

[ForestMan]

I just saw that you own a EZ boardwalk mill, congratulations!  I hope it serves you well for years to come.

[thecfarm]

Douglassawdust,welcome to the forum. What's all the lumber going to be used for? Congrats on your new saw. We would like pictures by the way.

[wood monger]

Welcome to the forum Douglassawdust.

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum Douglassawdust, and congratulations on getting the WM LT10. 

[Douglassawdust]

Greetings everyone and thanks for the kind welcome. This forum is a great resource.

thecfarm, most of the lumber will be used for remodeling projects around my home and the homes of my friends and family for cabinet panels, frames, baseboard, custom doors, and wide plank flooring and maybe even some custom rustic staircases. I added a few pictures of the process in my gallery called "Old Red Oak".

ForestMan, good to hear from a fellow LT10 owner and your experiences. Your mesquite forest sounds awesome - id like to see some pictues of that mesquite. I like the sound of how you are loading your logs. Handling and turning these monsters is back breaking work, and ive been trying to come up with a safer and easier way than just some ramps and a cant hook. Good luck with your kiln and selling your lumber- something id like to do as well. A lot of what ive used of this red oak has been air dryed in my garage for a year and then another 8 months in my basement with a dehumidifier. it works but it takes forever. I too picked up a bed extension for about 17 logs 16' long, eastern white pines i got for free for helping take them down. I figured the cost of the extension and a couple weekends worth of work is worth the timbers for framing a new roof on me garage. I agree with your assessment of the LT10 too, its an entry level machine but it does what its supposed to do and it does it well.