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Suitable Area To Locate A Small Mill

Started by plaindriver, November 07, 2012, 04:19:28 PM

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plaindriver

Have mercy on me, I am a neophyte. Just retired and moved to rural Tn.
The place I bought has a barn, its 40' deep, and 30' wide. Basically, there are three sections, each 10' x 40'. The middle 10' is concrete, while the two 'wings' are still dirt. I keep my truck and tractor in the middle, and use the left wing for various implement storage. The left wing or bay is open. It actually is about 9' 4" w by almost 40' long. Trouble is, there are the 8"x8" bearing support posts, 10' on center.  I am close to pulling the trigger on a small Hudson or Woodmizer mill. Is this wing or bay a suitable place to operate a mill? I dont expect to deal with large logs, maybe 10' x 16" dia would be the largest. I hope to make shelves, some furniture, tables etc.

If the wing of the barn isnt suitable, I would have to erect a steel canopy type structure for it. 

  

  

 
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Ianab

Personally I wouldn't set up in the barn. Mess, those support poles, and ventilation (running a gas engine inside is not good)

I'd set up outside at first, and saw out some wood to make a lean to or small saw shed. Fully open on one side, for fresh air and easy log access, but enclosed enough to work in the bad weather. You will have a sawmill and logs, so all you need buy is some roofing material and some nails / bolts etc.

Then use the spare barn space to store your air dried wood.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

grweldon

Great barn "Plaindriver".  Welcome to the fourm!  I'm building a barn of very similar design, my bays are 12' wide x 36' long.  I plan to put store my mill in one of the outside wings, but the wings will be open or at least have a way to open them.  I'm not sure I will be milling while the mill is inside, it is quite messy and the poles make it hard to remove slabs and lumber.  Ianab gave you some great advice.  You'll have fun building the lean-to for the mill! 
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Chuck White

I think I would put up an "open sided" lean-to on the side of the barn and set the mill up in there.

You will have to deal with the slab and sawdust, so sawing in the barn would be a lot of extra work.
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

customsawyer

The advice given is the way to go. Remember you are new to the area so when the weather gets a little rough you can do something else inside the barn with the lumber you have already cut. This keeps you from having to run the mill in a more open shelter when the weather gets a little rough. Since you are retired you can sit in the house and watch the rough weather pass.
P.S. Welcome to the forum.
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Nomad

     First, Plaindriver, Welcome.  Folks here don't view many questions as needing mercy. 
     Now, you say if inside your barn isn't suitable you'd have to erect a steel canopy structure.  Why?  As suggested above, just tack a lean-to onto your barn to get you out of the worst of the weather and give you access to load logs and remove slabs/sawdust.  You'll be thankful for plenty of room inside the barn later.
     Also, don't forget that even though you think the longest logs you'd be dealing with would be 10', that has a way of changing.  How you gonna get a 16' log through there?  It can be done, but it's a lot of work that doesn't need to be done with a bit of forethought.  Tack on a lean-to.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
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bandmiller2

Welcome Plaindriver,the guys have pretty much covered it.I would buy a mill such as a wood-mizer with hydraulics.Logs are heavy,save your back, don't hamper your retirement with back problems.Popular mills are that because of good engineering and customer service. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

mikeb1079

i think the lean to idea is pretty solid.  then you can use the wing of your barn to dry all your beautiful timber!
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Leigh Family Farm

Plaindriver, add a lean-to off the left side. If you are handy, I would add two 8ft sliding doors to this wing of your barn. This way you can cut your lumber, air dry it in the left wing,and work on it in the barn. Also, you wouldn't have to move the tractor and truck to get access to the drying wood.

Don't know if you have any young relatives in the area since you just moved there, but this would be a great project for the fmaily to get in on. 
There are no problems; only solutions we haven't found yet.

Okrafarmer

I am against putting sawmills in any wooden structure, unless it is merely a pavilion-like structure built only for the sawmill. This is because sawdust is highly combustible, and if you have a fire at your mill, you only want to lose the bare minimum of investment. IE, the sawmill itself, if it is not salvageable, and the the pavilion you built over it. I would not attach it to the barn, because the barn is a big loss to take if a fire should start.

Many sawmills have burned down over the years. Be careful out there. Definitely have some open-air ventilation so you're not breathing fumes, too.
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