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Sawing for fun or is it your livelihood?

Started by Wisconsintimber, April 24, 2014, 05:57:27 PM

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justallan1

I bought my mill to make a little extra money and saw for myself. In just over a year it's paid for itself and given me plenty of wood for my own projects. ;D

Allan

Cedarman

Started full time in the late 80's with ERC.  Expanded in 92 with buildings and hiring more people.  Had as many as 15 working at one time.  Down to 7 to 8 now and more work than we can handle.  I don't do much sawing.  Mostly log merchandizing, sales, marketing, loader driving, fill in as needed in mill. Many phone calls are like boxes of cracker jacks.  Never know what they will order.
It has taken on a life of its own.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

Wisconsintimber

Nice to see all the responses!

Growing up we had an old temperamental circle saw and I always enjoyed sawing and running equipment.  A few years ago I was planning on building a house so we first built a band sawmill and sawed as much of the lumber for the house as possible.  We have a pretty good stand of timber(white pine, various oaks, maple, cherry) on our property and am trying to figure our how to best manage and market it.  I recently bought a baker m-412 moulder with the hopes of making some carsiding(paneling) and flooring in the future.  Of course that requires an effective way to dry the lumber so I'm looking into building a kiln as well

sawdust joe

I started out making a profit after a few bad customers I slowed down being more selective and cuting what is in demand. But still this bad economeny High fuel costs parts cost It has been slow. I gues the best answer is mostly hobby sawing just cant shake off the sawdust.
Sawdust joe

3Dog

Wisconsintimber- I am in the Madison area.  To address your posted question...I saw for fun now, anticipating it will become at least a partial livelihood. 
I started with my mill about 10 years ago.  I intended my milling "business" to  cover the cost of owning and operating the mill, kiln, skidsteer, rent etc. until I grew a customer base large enough to supplement my pension when I retired.  Your situation may be different but, for me the path was not easy.
I was drawn to the idea of having a sawmill by a roundabout path.  I live in an area that was one of the fastest growing areas in the state in the late 90's (Dane County).  My fulltime job was working as a fire chief in a Madison suburb.  One of my duties was approving burning permits. I would see large piles of trees pushed into piles as land was cleared for development.  Burning permits were requested as a way to eliminate these piles in a low cost manner.  Now I have always been a woodworker, albeit a poor one,  looking at piles of woods grown (woods that I played in as a child years and years before) Cherry, Hickory and Oak  trees waiting to be burned as trash bothered me.

I bought a mill, skidsteer, kiln and a flatbed, rented a portion of a farm to work on and began my adventure.  Things were slow the first couple years and I continued to sponsor my hobby monthly.  After a few years of talking, asking and learning, the saw jobs pretty much covered expenses.  Again, my passion was finding ways and people interested in using urban timber. I began feeling as though my idea of building  a means of supplementing my retirement was going to work out. Unfortunately, when the economy plummeted so did my work.  The municipalities I worked with didnt have the budgets to pursue forestry interests, including the urban lumber movement that was just starting to be talked about. The housing market also became nonexistent.  I had previously worked each year for a few builders/owners who desired to use trees removed from the building site of their new home either in the form of millwork or furniture items. Again, I was sponsoring my hobby monthly and wondering just what I was thinking when I started this sawing path.

However, time changes things.  I am now about as busy as I want to be.  Now the jobs cover the bills and provide some extra that pays for some new items that will make sawing easier and more efficient.  I may even be adding an additional kiln this year.  All of these things are much appreciated since I am much closer to retirement than I was 10 years ago.

I hope I didnt ramble on too much of a tangent by providing  a "story" rather than a simple answer to your original question.  But, I think that my experience illustrates that just as important as a mill, if not more important, is the ability to have a dream, a realistic plan, a financial safety net, a strong work ethic and lots of helpful friends/family. If you have these things, you will be able to start and grow your business to whatever level fits your life best. There is a very wide spectrum between hobby and livelihood.  You will find your individual comfort zone with time and meet some of the most amazing people along the way!
2002 Woodmizer LT40DSuper Remote Accuset 2, 1952 Allis Chalmers CA, 2001 John Deere 240 skidsteer, Nyle L200, Ebac 800,  and a fulltime job.
Citywood Treecycling

Brucer

I'm like Magicman. Sawing provides a much needed supplement to my pension income. If I didn't have to shut down for 5 months of winter, I'd be able to make a living at it without the pension income.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

5quarter

Welcome Wisconsin timber. The sawmill is a component of my Cabinet shop. I keep a good stock of native lumber on hand which gets used in furniture and cabinet building. I do saw for others and bill at the same rate as my shop rate. If I had my druthers, I would not custom saw, but there are few mills in the area, and folks are so excited to find me that I can't really say no. Funny story: I have a couple guys (brothers) who moved here from Arkansas and once they found me they come around all the time to have me saw something or buy some lumber. Last month, they were back in AK and brought back a truckload of what I suspect was Sassafras, just bring it to the mill here. Growing up in AK, there were mills all over, so when the found my place, I suppose it was like a taste of home.
I also sell lumber, but try to keep that to a minimum. I make a lot more $$ on the lumber if I use it in the cabinet shop than selling by the BF.
I also saw for myself and keep a sizable stash of lumber that I just can't part with. I have been known to pull down a board, sand it, finish it and stand it up in the shop just so I can admire it.  ;)
What is this leisure time of which you speak?
Blue Harbor Refinishing

hackberry jake

Arkansas is AR. Alaska is AK. And there are a lot of mills around me. Three BIG mills within a 5min drive. Two of em I can hear on calm mornings.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

backwoods sawyer

I started off with establishing a log yard and lumber yard and taking the mill on the road as a full time job. Then the divorce shut the whole operation down and tied up in court for over half a year. The ex got the log yard and lumber yard and I got the sawmill and picked up another one in the process. I had to go 100% portable and expand the service area to cover all of the state picked up a new partner who saws and she likes to travel. We are working on setting up a new log yard and lumber yard but running into resistance from a neighbor.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

Greenhorn Sawyer

I just bought my mill last October, and I just sold my first load yesterday($60 worth hemlock 1x10's), so it's a hobby right now, and I absolutely love it, but I won't be quitting my regular job any time soon.
Hudson HFE-36 Homesteader.

Magicman

Hello Greenhorn Sawyer, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.   8)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Sixacresand

Hobby and Lumber for Self use:  I have been milling for three and half years.  I had lots of pines being killed by beetles  and hated to see the waste.  I have provided a few people with some inexpensive lumber to help them out   I am using my lumber to add on to my house and out buildings  If somebody wants logs milled at their place,  I tell them to set up a grill, invite some help and I ll bring the mill (at a reasonalbe price).
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

pencil5757

For myself but plenty ofr money on the side
"Pencil Perfect"

thecfarm

Pencil5757,what kind of mill ya got? Been sawing long?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Magicman

pencil5757, you have been a FF member much longer than I have.  How about an intro?   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

SawyerBrown

As with some others, I only do custom sawing to supplement pension income.  I probably wouldn't have to, and that's a good thing, because the work here is not steady and certainly not enough to feed a family on.  With your own timber, you're probably in a little different position.  I really got into it because I noted really nice hardwood logs going to waste as firewood because people couldn't find a local sawyer (even though there are several around) ... and as a woodworker that just HURT me!  Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

Welcome to the new folks that are chiming in!
Pete Brown, Saw It There LLC.  Wood-mizer LT35HDG25, Farmall 'M', 16' trailer.  Custom sawing only (at this time).  Long-time woodworker ... short-time sawyer!

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