Just Curious

[liveoak70]

I'm really considering the purchase of a bandmill. I'm just curious about how much work you owners are getting with your sawmills. Do most of you do it as a hobby, do you get more jobs then you ever really expected to, do you do it for a living??etc.....

[Bibbyman]

It was never a hobby for us.  Although we had no real clue what we were getting into we knew it was work.  We justified our first LT40 manual mill in '94 to saw lumber for use around the farm and to maybe saw some for our relatives and neighbors.  It kind of took off from there.  But that was back in the time when all the small circle mills in the area were literally dying off.  The old farmers that ran them just couldn't do it any longer and there were no one taking their place.  So we got in during a transition era. 

We kept expanding and upgrading until we were full time and have been so for the past 6 years. 

We keep getting new customers.  Just talked with a truck dealer the other day and he asked if we could saw dump truck side boards for them.  He listed a number of sawmills he was able to get these from that are no longer in business.

[Jeff]

Bib's hobbies are going to shows and looking at sawmills, making videos about sawmill, posting on the Forestry Forum about sawmills, and giving anyone that needs it, sage advice about sawmills. Other than that, it's not a hobby.

[Magicman]

If you are going to do custom work, then you need more than a hobby sawmill.  You need one with hydraulic log handling capabilities, Debarker, and Setworks of some sort, for starters.  I was lucky in that I found a used WM SuperHydraulic sawmill without even knowing what I was looking for.

Markets have to be developed.  Don't jump off into it without a game plan because if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.  I'm not trying to be negative, far from it.  I operate a portable sawmilling service and stay as busy as I want to be, but I am also finishing up my 10th year of sawing.

From reading some of your other posts and responses, there seems to be a market for a portable sawmilling service in your area.

[T Welsh]

Keep you day job! unless you have some sort of connection in the industry. I have owned my own tree service for 30+ years now. and if I had to rely on the mill only I would be eating pb&j,s every day. I like them though!!! Big investment,big learning curve,hard work. I guess you get the picture. on the other hand, like most of us,we wouldnt trade it. I love what I do,I get to meet great people,play in the woods with my toy,s,play with logs and big machines. I wouldnt give it up. and it is profitable!!!! just hard honest work. working a sawmill full time is a though nut to hoe. hope I didnt scare ya. just being honest. Tim

[cypresskayaksllc]

I wanted a sawmill for a long time. Had a guy come out and saw some cherry up. After that I had to have one. The only way I could afford it was to have it pay for itself. I wrote out a business plan and got a loan for the mill. Bought a used WM super like MM. I thought the manual mills would be too hard on the back to work steady on. Ive had it since Feb of this year (operational since march). Practiced sawing my own logs for a while. Made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot. I also learned that theres a lot more to learn. Ive had some jobs here and there but not enough to take to the bank. But the jobs are coming and Im getting a little more known every job. Right now I dont "have" to make money on it. Im glad I dont because Id be pretty hungry. But saying that I am optimistic about the future of me and my mill.

[liveoak70]

It's good to hear honest comments. I appreciate all the information. This is a great website!

[Frickman]

I log and saw for a living. I run a Frick handset circle mill, both grandpas had mills, and I am the fifth generation to own one. Right now is a bad, bad time to start up a commercial mill. Probably the worst it's been in my lifetime. It's a good time to start a small, bandmill based business though. So many medium and large commercial mills have shut down that there are alot of opportunities out there to produce small, custom orders of lumber. Our lumber business has picked up the last few months because we're one of the few mills in our area that's still operating steadily. Many of the orders are for industrial blocking which tend to carry a lower profit margin than grade lumber, but at least they're orders and we're keeping our doors open.

[Banjo picker]

Liveoak what do you see yourself doing with a mill?  Running it full time or just cutting some for your self and friends...Its a double edged sword...while you could not make a living with a hobby mill very easily...you also don't really need to have a big hyd mill to do hobby work with....The band for my mill cost about $32.00 each and it will burn about 10 gal of diesel in a day of fairly hard running...With a smaller mill I could get  bands for probably $20.00 each and cut the fuel bill in half...but couldn't cut the big logs as fast....Thats only a couple of twists there are more...Tim

[Bibbyman]

If anything a mill can be a hobby killer.   I use to do a lot of shooting, reloading, gun collecting and restoring, and hunting.  But no more.  I have a 77 'Vette that is sinking lower and lower in my garage.  I've not even tried to start it in maybe 10 years.  I had a half dozen muscle car ear Olds Cutlass' that I sold a couple of years back because I didn't have time to keep them up or to even drive them.





68 442 my son and I restored (in the driveway)





72 Cutless Supreme convertable - 350 4b, buckets, 350 auto, air.

Both going to their new owner.  :'(

[Piston]

I'm one of the odd balls I guess.  I do it completely for hobby, I've never made a dime with the mill (granted, it is a hobby mill :D)
I don't intend to make money off of it, I thought about it for a while, but when I was thinking about it I was considering upgrading to a hydraulic mill, so if your thinking of going into business, I would skip the LT15 and similar. 

Not only has this mill not made me any money, it's also cost me quite a bit of money!  However, I saved about 2 grand worth of lumber when building a fence behind my house, and used the trees I cleared for the fenced in area to make the boards from.  I enjoy going into the woods, cutting a down a nice tree, hauling it to the mill, and milling it into something useful.  I've done it enough to know that it is a great feeling and something I thoroughly enjoy.  Sometimes I'll go a couple months without ever firing it up, but then when I need/want it, it's right there. 
I don't use it all that often, and certainly don't make money off it, but I don't ever see myself without one.   ;D

[Collima]

I have a full time logging company and I'm a realtor.  Bought a manual mill for just hobby work.  Primarily for just personal use lumber.  In under 6 months I had to upgrade to a fully hydraulic mill with a lot of material handling equipment because I had so much work.  I don't advertise except on craigslist and I'm still swamped year round.  Now my woodmizer lt50 can't keep up and I'm currently looking for a commercial circle mill.  The work is out there. 
I can't lie though.  The wood business is tight.  It's tough to make it all work. You have to saw a lot and be efficient at what you do. 
But yes.  The work is out there!  My advice to you... Buy a hydraulic mill!  Manuals work fine for personal use, but if you plan on doing it to make a living you'll want hydraulic

[Jeremy2200]

I would definetly suggest buying a hydraulic mill. I bought a manual mill back in March and built a trailer under it. I am already realizing i need a hydraulic mill. I know there is at least enough work out there to pay the note on a hydraulic mill.

[Piston]

I should add that my full time job has absolutely zero involvement in any type of related business in sawmilling.  In other words, if I did tree work or maybe land clearing, or even surveying or something that had to do with the 'woods', it may have been enough to push me to a hydraulic mill.

[zopi]

I believe these mills need to be kept mostly in their niche...it is a tough and rooked row to hoe to try and compete in the lumber market...you have to find your niche...I think there is alot more mo.ey to be made out there selling the service, than selling the lumber...with some specialized exceptions...oddball species or odd pieces for rough furniture for example...now that my little mill is mobile, I am going to go set it at the next job I get a decent lumber log at and saw the log onsite...I bet the lumber sells before I get done...if not...it will be a nice addition to the barn I am remodeling...
Already have a few folks asking me to saw for them...tree service can be rough, but it sure is fun...

[Coon]

I got a manual mill this summer and am already looking at purchasing a portable hydraulic mill as the custom jobs keep rolling in.  I may not be that busy right now but come later this fall and winter when the farming is done I will be busier than all get out.  I have in the neighborhood of 160,000 bdft worht of work if I want it.  There is no way that I will take all of this on with my manual mill though.  I will however just keep chewing away at it though as I can get to it. 

[Carpenter]

     I bought the mill with a few specific projects in mind.  But it ties in with my construction business quite well.  I try not to even make lumber sales.  Although all sales are good of course.  I'd rather sell finished product.  I don't cut a lot of dimensional framing lumber on the mill either, you can buy the stuff already kiln dried and planed for $.60/bft at the local lumber yard and I sure can't compete with that with a manual mill.  But with the mill I can cut full dimension lumber and beams larger than the local lumber yard carries and I can cut siding and shingles and a few specialty products that you just can't find around here and if you could it would cost an arm and a leg to get.  And yes, I could buy these things from the local commercial sawmill, and I'd probably be dollars ahead, (it's not a huge commercial sawmill and they do custom cut) but, it's so much fun to be able to produce the product myself from the tree. 
     I bought the mill with the idea of filling some down time from the construction business.  But since I've had the mill I haven't had any down time,  and none coming in the forseable future either.  One of these days though I think I'll have some down time and I think I'll be glad that I've got the mill.

[Chuck White]

I think that the biggest gain (other than the $$$$$) is the satisfaction of doing the milling ourselves.

I feel as others have said, if you are going to be doing a lot of sawing, go hydraulic and if only for yourself, go with what you can afford and justify.

Make sure you look into "used" mills, you could save around 50%.

[liveoak70]

Great input. Thanks for all the information. I think I will try advertising the service before buying a mill to see what kind of response I get.

As far as used mills, how much $ am I looking at to get a hydraulic bandmill in good condition?

[Chuck White]

Great input. Thanks for all the information.
As far as used mills, how much $ am I looking at to get a hydraulic bandmill in good condition?

My mill is a 1995 and I got it in 2008, so 13 years old and only 487 hours on it.

Got it for $15K compared to new at $27-28K.

[liveoak70]

Why would you guys use a bandmill over a circle mill say a lucas with slabber attachment?

[mikeb1079]

it's starting to sound redundant but i would also like to echo the comments above regarding mill selection.  i've recently just finished building my own manual mill that would be an equivalent to a wm lt 15 or similar.  while it's light years ahead of my old chainsaw mill, if i were cutting to make money (not just a hobby) i would quickly sell it and buy a hydraulic mill.  log handling and lack of setworks make it a poor choice for anything other than occasional use.  i think something that alot of fellas on here have gone thru is the " i'm only gonna saw for myself and some friends..." and then buy a small mill.  well once the word gets out that you have a mill there's gonna be alot of folks that want you to saw for them, and a manaul mill is slow and hard work.  so i guess it really boils down to identifying just what you want to do with your mill.  i don't regret building my mill as i've learned alot but i'm also strongly considering selling it at some point and buying a used hydraulic mill.
good luck! 

[Magicman]

Why would you guys use a bandmill over a circle mill say a lucas with slabber attachment?

Good question, and the only true answer that you could get would be for you to actually put your hands on each and then decide for yourself.  Their capabilities and log handling abilities are completely different and geared toward different usages.

[beenthere]

Need one of each to cover the bases. ;)

[ladylake]

Why would you guys use a bandmill over a circle mill say a lucas with slabber attachment?
[/quote

Kerf loss and the abilty to cut wide easy.  Steve]