Books on using a portable saw mill

[soggyboot]

Can anyone recommend a book they've read on sawing and milling lumber, that really helped them? Thanks. SB

[POSTONLT40HD]

Yes...."The WOODMIZER" owners manuel.

Written by: Wood M. Izer. 

All jokes aside, no I have not read any books. I have learned a lot from watching videos and asking questions here on the Forum.

You can also use the search box for SPECIFIC questions you have.

WELCOME TO THE FORESTRY FORUM "SOGGYBOOT" You WILL HONESTLY learn a lot here!!!

[moosehunter]

All the info you need is right here!! Just start reading

[Ohio_Bill]

Moosehunter you are 100% correct  . A great source of information  on a bizzilion  topics

[terrifictimbersllc]

I read Will Malloff's book "Chainsaw Lumbermaking" many years ago and referred to it many times since.

This is a good book too (Wengert, "Sawing Edging and Trimming Hardwood Lumber"), I started to read it and misplaced it, I've got it somewhere I hope.    http://books.google.com/books/about/Sawing_edging_and_trimming_hardwood_lumb.html?id=NE3WAAAACAAJ

[Dan_Shade]

Do a search on member "Tom" and read all of his posts.  He was a tremendous wealth of information.

Tom stepped from this world into the next this past November, but his contributions to the forum will keep on giving.

[thecfarm]

soggyboot,welcome to the forum. Do you have a mill? Lots and lots of info on the forum. Ask away too and we will gladly help. Always good to talk about questions,even if they have been asked before. We don't mind.

[Chuck White]

I would suppose that any of the sawmill's owners/operators manual would be a good choice.

I know the Wood-Mizer manual is very specific as to setting up the mill and operating it!

[Kansas]

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Is it the mechanics of sawing? Running the mill as a business? Owners manuals can be great for how to saw lumber. Take the business plans the companies provide with a grain of salt. Too often times, they are written for optimal conditions. As stated, that is a huge wealth of knowledge here.

[Larry]

I don't have it but wish I did.  I do know somebody that does, but they have never offered to let me borrow it.

Maybe we can get somebody to review it for us.

TH used to have a pretty good video also.  Unfortunately it's not at my local library either.

[rwthom279]

Welcome soggyboot!  I'll agree with all the previous...I have found that if you have a question, the search box is your freind.  You will get HOURS/DAYS of reading, real hands on experience, opinions on equipment, troubleshooting, etc., etc., etc.  You will find one question leads to another....I actually use "notebook" to copy/paste when I come upon important technical issues.  Kinda like a FF Do's and Don'ts for me.  Keeps my head a little better organized!

At least here there is no sales pitch, and the replys to questions always seem to help more than just you...other people reading may have the same problem.  The "Search Box" will outdo what any book company, none have the information that this community/forum has,does, and will provide. I was just bragging this morning how I was up late last night finding/reading  a solution to a problem....actually solved 2 more in the process.   Who needs G@@GLE....we got The Forestry Forum.   

[dgdrls]

I would suggest the catalog from Suffolk Machinery Corp. for Blade knowledge.

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

Best DGDrls

[Mooney]

It's interesting that this topic popped up!

Wood-Mizer has been working with an expert in the field, and longtime sawmill owner/operator to get his book published on this very topic. As soon as we actually have copies in hand, I'll post a link to it.

The book is over 350 pages, and is called, "Manufacturing & Marketing Lumber Produced by Thin-Kerf Band Mills." I've read the book, and I believe you guys will find it very valuable. Sorry it's not available yet!   

[Cedarman]

I started brand new with a WM LT 30 in 1983.  Probably the most beneficial thing I ever did was take a week long lumber grading short course a year after buying the mill.  A good book on grading lumber would be at the top of my list. A log grading course would be right up there too. You will make or lose more money knowing lumber grade and log grade than anything else.
If you plan to make this a business and want to be one of the best, you will need to invest the equivalent of getting  a college education.
The owner's manual for your mill should be studied like the bible.  Having your mill tuned properly and proper blades for the job will help tremendously.

[CalebL]

I don't have it but wish I did.  I do know somebody that does, but they have never offered to let me borrow it.

Maybe we can get somebody to review it for us.

TH used to have a pretty good video also.  Unfortunately it's not at my local library either.

Sorry Larry.  You are more than welcome to borrow the videos.  What's your address, I will drop them in the mail today. 

[Larry]

I was just teasing a bit and didn’t even know you had them.  I would like to watch them sometime.  I’ll pick them up next time I’m down your way.

For the other members did you find the videos a good learning experience?

Like Cedarman I went to the grading school which helped a lot.  Every chance to pick up knowledge is an opportunity.  The old Kansas Forest Products Association used to sponsor field days at different places.  Several were at member Kansas’s sawmill.  I really miss the learning experiences we had than.  It was also good meeting other sawyers from around the midwest.  And the food was pretty good too.

[Bump]

The videos were quite disapoiting to me and would say read a little on the subject with a simple Google and you will do better.  I love my WM mill but there expertise for sure is not educational material. The video was poor at best.

[CalebL]

The videos were quite disapoiting to me and would say read a little on the subject with a simple Google and you will do better.  I love my WM mill but there expertise for sure is not educational material. The video was poor at best.

I wouldn't say they were poor as they helped me getting started and answered a lot of questions I had about my blades and production.  If I had to do it over again, I would buy them again.  I still watch the quartersawing video from time to time as I don't QS much. 

[CalebL]

I was just teasing a bit and didn’t even know you had them.  I would like to watch them sometime.  I’ll pick them up next time I’m down your way.

For the other members did you find the videos a good learning experience?

Like Cedarman I went to the grading school which helped a lot.  Every chance to pick up knowledge is an opportunity.  The old Kansas Forest Products Association used to sponsor field days at different places.  Several were at member Kansas’s sawmill.  I really miss the learning experiences we had than.  It was also good meeting other sawyers from around the midwest.  And the food was pretty good too.

No worries Larry.  I thought I had mentioned I had bought them to you but neglected to offer you a chance to see them.   

[bandmiller2]

Learning to run a sawmill from a book is like learning to ride a bicycle from a book,it helps but you just have to do it.When I started milling in the eighties there was very little written pretty much only Stan Lundstrom's booklet.Seems sawyers were not writers and writers were not sawyers. Frank C.

[Kansas]

I miss the old days of the KFPA having events, learning classes, you name it. Sad to see the industry in this state simply disappear. We have our new building up; I have been kicking around the notion of trying to put something together this spring or summer. There are still a lot of smaller sawmillers who might only be doing it on the weekends. And people are always interested in wood related events.

[Okrafarmer]

Not to poke fun, because I haven't been to Kansas yet, but some of us are still getting used to the idea that there might be trees in Kansas.... 
No offense intended.

It was the same way when I went to Texas, I was amazed how many trees there are. It goes to show, you can't let the stereotype of a place fool you.

Back to the OP, I have also been looking for a good book. I consider myself a decent writer, so the idea of writing such a book interests me, but the problem is that I am just a beginner at milling. 

[Kansas]

At one time, Kansas was the 3rd or 4th largest producer of walnut logs. Don't know where we are at now, but walnut is mostly what is logged now. With the mills disappearing, its too many miles to ship other types of logs at 3.80 a gallon for diesel. I don't know how far I would have to go into Missouri to find a grade mill with a check that didn't bounce.

[Okrafarmer]

Wow, we're exactly opposite. There's very little walnut here, but millions if not billions of pine (mainly yellow, some white), oak (red and white and various others), yellow poplar, and sweetgum, with a fair addition of ERC, red maple, sycamore, river birch, hickory, and cherry. We have around 100 species here within 50 miles from me. But walnut is scarce. However, log prices of all species seem to be rock bottom here compared to most states.