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Started by Papa1stuff, November 03, 2009, 05:34:55 PM

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Papa1stuff

Has anyone had experience cutting runners for pallets ?
1 3/8" x3 1/2" x 4'
Just wondering how many one person could mill an hour .
Thanks for any imput!
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2--2008 455 Rancher Husky
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Ron Wenrich

Probably not enough to make a living. 

A lot depends on the kind of equipment you have.  If it was me, I would want to resaw cants.  I would take a cant and double end trim it to 4'.  Then, put it through some sort of resaw. 

Trying to cut boards will give you lots of wasted wood and very slow production.
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

ellmoe

   With your free logs, if they are of good diameter, you'd probably come out alright. If your having to buy logs now, forget sawing for pallets. You'll be sawing for free. Unless you just want the exercise. ;D

Mark

Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

Papa1stuff

Thanks for the imput.
I don't have to make a living doing this ,but would be nice to pay a little on my expensive hobby ;D ;D
Most of my short logs are good size and I have a lot of them and get more all the time , and yes I do need the exercise ;D
1987 PB Grader with forks added to bucket
2--2008 455 Rancher Husky
WM CBN Sharpener & Setter

SwampDonkey

I'll take two. Well, just answering the question.  ;D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

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2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

fishpharmer

I have zero experience with pallets (a lot of other things too ;)).

I did have an experience that seems relevant to this thread.  There is/was a pallet maker here in my town that was selling his sawmill.  He had a big Cooks hydraulic AC 36 with 40 hp 3 phase electric.  The mill cut fine.  He was wanting to get rid of it because he could buy the pallet stock cheaper then he could buy logs and cut his own.  Anyway, that's what he told me. This was spring of 2009.
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
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Kansas

The problem with 48 inch standard runners is that the big companies cut them by the truckload. Its nearly impossible to compete with them with a smaller mill. A better idea would be to go to companies that make pallets, including some smaller companies, or companies building their own in- house skids and pallets, and look for the unusual sizes. Yesterday we cut some 1 1/4 by 3 1/2 by 114 runners and some 3 1/2 by 3 1/2  46 inch long runners. These are usually smaller amounts, and you can get a premium price for them. The big pallet mills are all about production output, and small runs of unusual sizes don't work well for them.

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