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Sawmill - Paying for Itself

Started by heloWelo, June 30, 2015, 09:14:42 PM

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heloWelo

Hi All

This is my first post here, so undoubtedly I'll be asking questions that have been answered in some form before.

At the moment I'm weighing up the pros and cons of buying a sawmill for personal use e.g. Slabs for furniture, posts for fencing. I have roughly 25 wooded acres, on the Sunshine Coast in Australia with a variety of trees including, Gums, Black butts, pine and others I'm not sure what. Some of the trees have been down for a couple of years, with some pretty large diameter logs, so I'd like to get a mill to cut as big a slab as possible.

What I was wondering is whether I could help pay for the sawmill by e.g. selling slabs and finished timber. Youtube videos make it look pretty easy(!) - is this the reality?

Is it tough to find customers? Is it realistic to think it might pay for itself and perhaps make a little extra?

I have plenty of space to setup a fixed mill but was wondering about getting a portable mill.

I like the look of the Timber King, Wood-Mizer and Norwood mills but I have yet to get prices on the options and was wondering if anybody had done this exercise before and published the results?

Loads of questions I know but would appreciate getting a head start in my investigations.

Thanks

shakebone

Hi and welcome ! You will get a lot of satisfaction and you can sell the wood you don't need which is win win ! People buy slabs here all the time for firewood but don't bring much ! Good luck and enjoy
Lt40 super desiel , LT 35 hyd , New Holland ls 180 , Case 75xt ,
So many logs so little time.

mason44

Ive yet to have any of my machines send me a check in the mail, but if you ad in a little hard work and some marketing anything is possible. There is certainly a market for wood, it just depends on how hard you want to work to get there.

WV Sawmiller

HW,

    Welcome to the FF. Suggest you add more details to help readers know more about you which may help answer some questions. There is tons of info here available to you and folks are real helpful to assist with most any questions.

   Have you ever used a mill before? I had not when I got mine in January this year. They are not rocket science to use but you do need to be okay with basic maintenance. There are good videos here and available from the mill makers to help teach you how but working with an experienced miller, especially one with kind of mill you are interested in, would be a big help.

   How are you set up for support equipment? (Tractor/Skid steer with forks and bucket to move slabs and sawdust and such. Truck, trailers, etc.) I highly recommend you seriously consider including hydraulics on whatever mill you select. They are a huge help loading and turning logs especially if working alone. Ability to turn the log with touch of a lever makes you less reluctant to hold off flipping a log more to relieve stress and such as you should. Sure helps with your production.

    I'd sure check the specs to see if the bandsaws will cut the slabs you want especially if trees are over 36" and slabs to be of a couple of feet. May need to look at a CSM or such. My mill cuts 32" diameter log and 23" wide board/slab. Lots of bigger mills but specs not that much different on most I have seen. Everyone I see on the FF recommends more horsepower and it helps.

   What is the market like there? Check to see how many other mills in the area offer same or similar services to what you are proposing to do. I have lots here but most are stationary so I chase the mobile milling market. I don't want to sell lumber ( I do a little off some I am thinning) but prefer to cut customer logs on their sites. Can you compete with the others in the area and big box stores, if any around? (Don't try to undercut everyone else's prices - concentrate on providing quality and service others can't or don't provide).

   Read everything you can find on the mills you are interested in. Watch the videos. Go see them in operation. Good luck.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WDH

Yes, you can do that and pay for the mill.  The length of time will depend on how much you spend initially.  If you can cut and dry special or unusual stuff that people cannot buy at the lumber store, that will bring you customers.  Hard to compete with the Big Producers making everyday commodity products like framing lumber.  They are so efficient at it that you cannot compete on the same playing field.  You need your own niche for stuff nobody else has. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Ianab

Large Aussie hardwoods? Look at a Swing blade mill and slabber. Lucas / Peterson / Turbosaw. You can handle some decent sized logs with minimal support equipment, and be easily portable to do custom sawing for others. Because your investment and overheads are low (mill and some tools basically) you don't HAVE to make $x per month to pay the bank and can run a nice little part time business.   

Then, yes there are ways to make some $$. Like the others suggest, niche markets, like the table slabs you are thinking about. Garden furniture? Premium woodworking wood? Marketing this sort of stuff is a whole other ball game from making it, but there is a market for it, especially when you go the "locally sourced and hand made" angle.

It's hard, dusty and often hot work, and there is a bit of a learning curve. But it's not rocket science. If your aim initially is to pay for the mill, you should be able to do that.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

heloWelo

Thanks to everyone for all those answers - it has given me more to think about.

In answer to whether it's my first mill - it will be. I have a 50 Hp tractor with a 4-1 bucket for some of the work. Wondering what attachment I might need if any. I see that some people use forks.

If I go the bandsaw route, I would definitely want hydraulics. I've just had a look at the Slabbers from Lucas Mill. Their models look like they could cope with the slabs I think I could get. Although I guess the finish wouldn't be as good. I see they have attachments for finishing - like the planer and sander. I wonder if a dedicated planer/drum sander would be better.

I take the points about finding a niche. I wouldn't be after the Bunnings (Home Depot) crowd.

Ianab

Finish from the chain slabbers is pretty good, probably as good as a bad saw. Either way it's "rough sawn" and is going to need planing, especially if it twists or warps a bit while it's drying.  The planing and sanding attachments are just a way of machining large boards. Turns you mill into a 20 hp router bridge and power sander.

This is the sort of results you would expect.

The wood is NZ rimu that the local agent was slabbing up as a demo at Feildays. Slabs were selling for ~$700, EACH, off the saw. OK, most woods aren't as valuable as that, but table slabs (or whole tables) generally sell well.

The swing blade mill quickly converts between the slabber and a dimension mill. With one of those and your tractor you would be pretty much set up. Any log you can't move easily, you just pick up the mill and take it to the log.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

JustinW_NZ

Welcome along!

Since your in Aus as Ian points out, Lucus is pretty common.

Chainsaw slabing isn't a quick operation and I disagree with Ian on the finish part, a good chainsaw operator will get a pretty good finish but a well set bandsaw will achieve a near perfect finish.
I would say also look at how many large trees you have on your property as well, if you can only find a handful of butt logs big enough to warrant slabing perhaps just find someone with the attachment instead of investing good money in one and got those logs done that way.

You have a woodmizer agent (or two) in Oz, however, the bandmills are great and good recovery on tension filled Euc's BUT you really want something larger to make it productive and useful. (bit of a learning curve too)
So I would suggest one of the swing mills unless your getting really serious and spend the dosh go to a diesel powered 'mizer.

Cheers
Justin
Gear I run;
Woodmizer LT40 Super, Treefarmer C4D, 10ton wheel loader.

Ianab

Either way, it's going to be "rough sawn" and is likely to move a bit as it dries. Doesn't really matter how smooth the surface is if you have to machine 5 or 10 mm off to get it flat again. Being able to plane table sized slabs with the mill is a added bonus. Hard to get those flat with conventional woodworking machines, but the mill will machine them down to the level where you can finish with a hand sander.

Hard to beat a Lucas / slabber / planer combo as a do-all machine for the price. Lucas arguably has the lead because they are built locally to the OP.

A hydraulic bandmill is going to set him back a LOT more, and puts him in the position where he HAS to make a profit with it. A Swing blade you can pick up for the price of a used car, call it a hobby, minimal support equipment needed, and if you can make some $$, great. They can certainly cut a decent amount of accurate wood in a day, if you have the right logs and some helpers.

Even if you aren't selling stuff, you get wood to build stuff with.  I don't have a slabber, but use the saw 2/3 of the log and flip it over to cut some decent wide slabs. Then with the regular dimensioned boards and some basic home workshop tools you can make stuff like this.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,83726.0.html
Price a solid timber loft bed and desk in the shops, if you can find one. ;)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

longtime lurker

One of the great problems with trees is you can only kill them once... Then you need to wait fourty years for the next one to grow.

25 acres isn't a lot of eucalypt country. You need to figure out what your resource is first... What kind of volumes of what kind of stems, and what type of quality is in them.

Then my advice would be to get some contract milling done. Get a reputable guy in with a Lucas or similar, pay him to chop a few trees up. Help and learn at the same time. Then find a band miller and pay a bit more to learn a bit more. Forget the fixed mill unless you've got 25,000 acres. Contract milling will run you at somewhere between $200-250 a cube, spend 2500 and you'll have a pile of timber to use or sell and have some idea where to go from there.

Along with a stack of timber for your money you'll get a bit of experience and know if you want to mill yourself, and what your logs are.  There's plenty of good looking trees that won't make a sawlog and believe me... Milling ain't quite as easy as it looks in the tube movies, it's mostly hot and hard work. Find out if you like it, and find out if you've got the resource to do it, before you start spending serious money on gear.










The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, heloWelo.
~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!

Ianab

Quote from: longtime lurker on July 01, 2015, 07:15:53 AM
One of the great problems with trees is you can only kill them once... Then you need to wait fourty years for the next one to grow.

25 acres isn't a lot of eucalypt country. You need to figure out what your resource is first... What kind of volumes of what kind of stems, and what type of quality is in them.

Then my advice would be to get some contract milling done. Get a reputable guy in with a Lucas or similar, pay him to chop a few trees up. Help and learn at the same time. Then find a band miller and pay a bit more to learn a bit more. Forget the fixed mill unless you've got 25,000 acres. Contract milling will run you at somewhere between $200-250 a cube, spend 2500 and you'll have a pile of timber to use or sell and have some idea where to go from there.

Along with a stack of timber for your money you'll get a bit of experience and know if you want to mill yourself, and what your logs are.  There's plenty of good looking trees that won't make a sawlog and believe me... Milling ain't quite as easy as it looks in the tube movies, it's mostly hot and hard work. Find out if you like it, and find out if you've got the resource to do it, before you start spending serious money on gear.

Yeah, that's a good idea too. Get a few logs staged, and pay someone to come in for a day or 2 and deal to them. Worst case is you end up deciding it's not for you, but you have a decent stack of timber for your investment. You get to go though the whole process, see how it all works, and decide if you want to jump in the deep end with your own mill.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

longtime lurker

Quote from: heloWelo on July 01, 2015, 02:28:24 AM
Thanks to everyone for all those answers - it has given me more to think about.

In answer to whether it's my first mill - it will be. I have a 50 Hp tractor with a 4-1 bucket for some of the work. Wondering what attachment I might need if any. I see that some people use forks.

If I go the bandsaw route, I would definitely want hydraulics. I've just had a look at the Slabbers from Lucas Mill. Their models look like they could cope with the slabs I think I could get. Although I guess the finish wouldn't be as good. I see they have attachments for finishing - like the planer and sander. I wonder if a dedicated planer/drum sander would be better.

I take the points about finding a niche. I wouldn't be after the Bunnings (Home Depot) crowd.

A 900mm/36" diameter eucalypt that's 4.5m/ 15' long will weigh about 4 metric ton. You won't be tossing them about with a 50 hp tractor. And I'd be checking that the hydraulics on a bandmill can handle that sort of weight too. But your tractor will handle slabs off that log, at 2" thick they'll only weigh a quarter ton or so each. Forks will make your life a lot easier.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Magicman

Hello heloWelo, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
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

Chuck White

I believe that Wood-Mizer has a 30-Day money-back guarantee.

That's good to have just in case milling isn't what you thought it was and you want out!
~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!

mesquite buckeye

Welcome. ;D

The only red flag I see in your original post is the you tube videos make it look easy. :snowball: :snowball: :snowball:

Not easy. Big. Heavy. Dirty.

You have to keep your equipment in running order. Things will find a way to break, wear out or get out of line.

That said, for wood lovers there is nothing as satisfying as seeing the next board or slab coming off a fresh cut log. Just like opening a Christmas present for me. ;D 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) :snowball:
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

Den-Den

I don't think it is hard to make enough money with a mill to pay for the mill UNLESS you also have to pay yourself.  If you borrowed the money to buy a mill; had to feed yourself and pay for the mill, that would be a big problem.  Averaged out over a few years, it could be done but some days would be sawdust for lunch.
You may think that you can or may think you can't; either way, you are right.

JustinW_NZ

Quote from: Ianab on July 01, 2015, 07:08:58 AM
Either way, it's going to be "rough sawn" and is likely to move a bit as it dries. Doesn't really matter how smooth the surface is if you have to machine 5 or 10 mm off to get it flat again. Being able to plane table sized slabs with the mill is a added bonus. Hard to get those flat with conventional woodworking machines, but the mill will machine them down to the level where you can finish with a hand sander.

Hard to beat a Lucas / slabber / planer combo as a do-all machine for the price. Lucas arguably has the lead because they are built locally to the OP.

A hydraulic bandmill is going to set him back a LOT more, and puts him in the position where he HAS to make a profit with it. A Swing blade you can pick up for the price of a used car, call it a hobby, minimal support equipment needed, and if you can make some $$, great. They can certainly cut a decent amount of accurate wood in a day, if you have the right logs and some helpers.

Even if you aren't selling stuff, you get wood to build stuff with.  I don't have a slabber, but use the saw 2/3 of the log and flip it over to cut some decent wide slabs. Then with the regular dimensioned boards and some basic home workshop tools you can make stuff like this.
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,83726.0.html
Price a solid timber loft bed and desk in the shops, if you can find one. ;)

Agree with the lucas there.
Hey one thing with large cnc routers becoming common in joinery workshops now is we cut single piece benchtops, dry them and then get them surfaced by those guys, very good job and quick.
Doesnt matter is its a standard 615mm or bigger like an 800mm top.
Something worth checking in your area should the need arise.

Now back to the topic at hand...
Yes see how much wood you have.

Cheers
Justin
Gear I run;
Woodmizer LT40 Super, Treefarmer C4D, 10ton wheel loader.

heloWelo

Thanks everyone for the added comments and suggestions.

I have considered getting some contract milling done but it seems I'd have spent the few thousand dollars to sit on the wood for a year to 18 months before I can get a return. Meanwhile  I could have used that towards payments on the mill.

I am beginning to like the look of the Lucas swing blade - slabber - planer combo. It would probably suit my situation pretty well. The slabs I've seen for sale locally don't appear to be perfectly finished or treated.  I presume this is to let the buyer do their own thing with it?

As I don't need a salary from the setup that's a big plus but I'd certainly like it to pay for itself at some point in the not too distant future!

I have what I think is enough wood to cover a portion of the costs at least and my neighbors with bigger properties have suggested I could mill theirs too. I don't want to create a rod for my own back though so I'll have to do some calculations to see what the payoff is in the end.

drobertson

Its always best to get some initial questions answered before diving in, like "how deep is that water?"  it can be very deep, and very shallow, I believe WDH brought up the point about how much investment you put up really determines how long the pay off is.  You find a market for those slabs, and sell them, and if they are big logs  you will want to  have  the slabber for certain. 
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Ianab

If the slabs are freshly sawn they will be green. No point finishing them as they are likely to move as they dry. But sawyer probably doesn't want to sit on them for a year until he gets paid. So sell them green, let the customer handle the drying and machining.  Of course if they are dry and planed, they are worth more, but there was extra time and work gone into getting them to that state.

It doesn't have to be an all or nothing deal. Sell some "off the saw" for cash flow, and that lets you put some aside to dry and sell later. Also consider value added. Make them into a completed and finished table. Now that $100 slab is a $500 table?

This also maximises your return from a limited number of trees. Go out on the weekend and mill up a tree, and sell the wood for ~$500? Fair enough, keep doing that and the mill will soon be paid for. Or mill the wood, and spend another 5 - 6 weekends building stuff with it.  Sell the stuff for $2500. Now you have spent 2 months on your part time business, and only used one tree. Or 6 trees a year. Chances are that even with only 25 acres, the trees are growing faster than you are using them. You've only run the mill for 6 weekends over the year, but that doesn't matter.

Now that means a longer term project because you have to wait ~6 months for the first wood to dry, but it's not an all or nothing. You can still sell some product green to get some return and cover your (low) operating costs.

Now as a full time business where you need to live off it, it would be tough. But assuming you have a day job to pay the bills, it's a part time business that can work. But just to re-iterate what the guys are saying, it's a lot of work. A video makes cutting a board look easy, and in fact it generally is. Cutting up a whole tree on the other hand... Like LL points out, a decent size Euc log might weigh 4 tons. You have to move that after you have sawn it up, usually a couple of times. It's a good workout  ;) :D

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

heloWelo

Thanks Ian that makes sense. Didn't know people would buy it green.  As a matter of interest,  is it still considered green if it's been felled for 2-3 years?

It all sounds promising to me. I'm happy with the work load as I've done quite a bit of  work chopping,  lopping and limbing. I actually enjoy it as it's completely different to what I do for a living.

I know the tractor won't lift  the bigger logs but it does ok pushing and pulling.  Btw, is there a 'standard' length to cut slabs and other timber? It probably deserves a different thread but just wondering.

It really appeals to me to have the flexibility of my own mill.

JustinW_NZ

Green is often how furniture (outdoor furniture) guys will wont it, cheaper the better...

As for length, most don't want them that long as it just becomes really heavy (we cut 65mm thick) usually 3 or 4m long.

So if there's no prize for length, best to save some back effort  :D
repeat customers might be asking for a certain length, best to ask them...

That's what I find anyway.

Cheers
Justin
Gear I run;
Woodmizer LT40 Super, Treefarmer C4D, 10ton wheel loader.

Okrafarmer

Welcome to the Forum, heloWelo! I spent 4-5 months in Victoria once. . . . love Australia a good bit.

These blokes are giving you good advice--some things I would add or repeat are:

1. Sawmilling is hard work, especially if you do it at a pace fast enough to make it pay
2. Sawmilling is fun work, especially if nobody is yelling at you to hurry up
3. Sawmilling is addicting
4. In hot climates, sawmilling is more fun early in the morning or after dark
5. Lucas mills are made in Australia, and should give you smashing good service
6. Peterson mills are made in New Zealand and may or may not be slightly better, in some ways, but are a similar idea
7. Woodmizer is a good band mill, but you will find that trying to do logs over 36" diameter is almost impossible, and logs over 30" are no fun
8. If you plan on using your mill to do work for others, you can make decent money that way, perhaps even easier than selling your own wood you cut.
9. If you're not careful, you will find yourself doing a lot of sawmill work.
10. One of the most frustrating things about most any sawmill is getting everything to stay aligned.
11. Lucas and other swingmills are easier / cheaper to keep sharp than bandmills.
12. Good quality bandmills like Woodmizer are arguably safer to operate than swing mills.
13. Sunshine Coast? I hope you like working in hot weather!  ;D
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

heloWelo

Okrafarmer, thanks for the additional info and confirmation of other posts.

I like the look of the auto Peterson and TurboSaw mill options - so I can sit in the shade as it works ;)

JustinW_NZ, thanks for the clarification. I'm going to start asking around to see who wants what.


longtime lurker

Dunno about down south but up here the market is saturated with small low grade slabs. I would suggest to you that green there is little more then cost recovery in them based on the prices I see on stuff.
Bar top sizes do okay, and you want those at least 3 meters long.
Slabs start to fetch a premium when they are over  1200mm wide. Longer the better.

Here's the thing with slabs... It doesn't matter what you've got, some guy always wants one that just a bit wider, or just a bit longer, or doesn't like cracks in the face, or wants it red and you've got pink or... Learn to value add them, cut a few legs as you go, drive a few nails, etc etc... people want to take them home and slap a coat of varnish on and say "lookit my new bar" . Woodworkers on the other hand want to buy the timber for nothing then spend weeks playing with it then say " see this bar, it cost me 200 dollars to make and the guy down the road wants 2 grand for them". Different mindset.

A two dollar dinner plate sized slab with a ten dollar Chinese mechanisim is a 40 dollar clock.

If you want to turn dollars the best thing you can do is start looking at the small Sauno style kilns IMHO.

Id suggest a Lucas mill as the best bang for your buck out there today. Lot of versatility and designed to handle Australian hardwood. Best backup service of any company I've ever dealt with anywhere. Good resale if you decide you want out.
The auto Peterson is a pretty good saw, but once you step up to that price point there's other options out there you should probably look at too. Maybe you need to draw up a budget and get some equipment prices and a plan together. There's a lot of experience in this forum, and mostly we be happy to share what we know.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Okrafarmer

Quote from: heloWelo on July 02, 2015, 10:15:38 AM
Okrafarmer, thanks for the additional info and confirmation of other posts.

I like the look of the auto Peterson and TurboSaw mill options - so I can sit in the shade as it works ;)

I forgot to make mention of the TurboSaw--I've never seen one in person, but looking at all the info about them, I do like them. They look like a very simple, easy to use competitor for the Lucas and Peterson. The simple version is available shipped to the US ready to use, I think, for $12,500 which is a deal in anyone's book. And they have the automated one if you want to go that route, too.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Operating a 2020 Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic for Upcountry Sawmill, Dacusville, SC

Now selling Logrite tools!

Writing fiction and nonfiction! Check my website.

heloWelo

Longtime Lurker. Thanks for your feedback. I'm thinking of ways to add value. I see your point about the clock. I'll need to find a niche that I would enjoy, although I'm glad there wouldn't be as much commercial pressure to make it happen if it was operating as a meal ticket.

Btw, why the Kiln? Are you suggesting this is an added value stage, a way to generate income faster or offer it as a service?

Okrafarmer, I've been looking at the larger version of the Warrior TurboSaw. I like the auto feature and it seems to have all the features of the Lucas Mill but it is obviously a much smaller outfit with a lot less product shipped. I wonder if any forum members have used one? I called Peterson a couple of times but they haven't got back to me. If the sales department is like that, what is their support like?!

longtime lurker

Turbosaw is Jake Peterson, with Carl in the background. Both used to be with Peterson sawmills but aren't there any more.
Peterson sawmills is  now an unrelated company, if you call them about a turbosaw they arent going to be too interested.

I'd suggest a small kiln, either DH like the Sauno or even better would be a decent solar kiln, as a way to improve cash flow. Slabs - most timber come to that - pretty much double in value between being green and being dry. Air drying two inch or better thick slabs can take a couple years... or 90 days of air drying and about the same in the kiln. Drying is the most basic of value adding methods around a sawmill, and the quicker you can dry it the quicker you get a return on the $ you have invested into that piece of timber. Ignoring degrade and case hardening for a minute its simply a question of do you want to make a $10 dollar piece of timber worth $20 in 6 months, or do you want to make it a $20 piece of timber in 2 years? KD timber isnt necessarily better then air dried (and a lot of purists prefer air dried) but its a faster return on your investment. You can tie a hell of a lot of money up in timber if you only air dry, and then you reach a point where you have to sell green to cover running costs while you finish seasoning whats already cut.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

gimpy

I gotta throw in a few cents here.

I bought a used (2001) Woodmizer LT40. No hydraulics. Bought it for my own use and not to make money but to save money and have some fun. That said:

I have had 20ft pine with 18 inch tops on my mill. Actually, my 5 ft 100# wife handled the manual winch to load them on the mill. Easier than I thought. I'm about to get a couple of 30"+ pines and I will try to report on loading them manually.

I have a little residential traffic flowing by my home. As I said before, I didn't buy it to do work for others. HOWEVER (Yes I am shouting) Every time I turn around I get someone pulling over and interrupting me yo ask question and ask if I could cut some trees or book match a slab they have or cut some cants for them. It's getting to where as I get more comfortable, I am now starting to think maybe a few bucks in my pocket and a little more fun cutting might be worth considering. Sawing logs is like trying a very addictive drug. Always trying to figure out how to do more and better and thinking about larger logs.

I have asked about pricing here on the forum on how much to charge. Opinions very and hours v. bdff prices are hard to explain to a customer. So now I went as far as to get some help with a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet on lumber prices. Broke it down to the "normal" dimensions and "normal" lengths. Now I can give out a price sheet and stop stuttering on how much I would charge. They can look at my prices and go to the lumber store and see what they charge for the same (although not kiln dried) sizes.

All I can say is if you have a little traffic and are willing to cut what a customer wants, this stuff can get out of hand. Locally I have small mills advertising on Craigslist and I still get people stopping but to ask questions.

Got stopped in the local Home Depot when I went to buy some screws and was asked why I was there instead of sawing my own wood. Funny how things work out.

Don't know much about slabbing for profit but am getting the idea that if I'm willing to cut what they want, I could be a lot busier and be putting money in my pocket.


Good luck and keep control of that monkey about to climb on your back.   8)
Bartering for you lumber is also possible for things you never thought of.
Gimpy old man
Lucky to have a great wife
John Deere 210LE tractor w/Gannon Box

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