# Portable Sawmill Business



## Post_Oakie

Operating a portable sawmill has been an ideal business for me. I got my start in milling when I built our home in southwest Missouri over 30 years ago, and have been milling--sometimes full time, sometimes part-time-- for the last 12 years. The mill itself cost less than 1/3 the price of a new pickup truck, and has been a good source of income. It has also been a great way to meet neighbors, since there is always a need for trailer decking, barn siding, fencing, and other wood products. Though I have access to a lot of timber, most of what I mill is provided by my customers, urban lumber (salvaged from trees removed from yards), or salvaged dead & blown-down trees. The portable aspect gives me the option to mill at my place or at a customer's location. Usually I cut for cash, but have bartered for some of the lumber, garden produce, wild honey, and a log splitter. It is a lot of work, and sometimes I'm out in the rain or snow to finish up an order on time, but I love it! I'm using a Norwood MX34 sawmill, and it is very well designed for the work I do.


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## clovis

That is incredible!!!

I love your story, and I love what you are doing!!!!

I am told that one local sawyer gets many of his leads from the city's street department, and also works with several of the tree trimming companies to get trees/logs that they are removing.

How do you market yourself and network to get those trees?


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## clovis

Also, one of the local guys appears to have a decent business selling firewood from his scraps...when he gets them. 

I think most of his sales are to people who are just having a fire for the evening, not people heating with wood.

Do you get much scrap/firewood?


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## bassmaster17327

A portable sawmill is not as expensive as I thought it would be, I guess you still need some equipment to move the log and get it onto the mill


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## Wendy

My dad started out with a portable sawmill in 1988. 2 of my brothers went into business with him years later. They now have stationary mills, but are swamped with work & employ about 6 others beside themselves. Dad has retired, but still helps off & on. They also sell the sawdust & the slabs. Lots of hard work, but a very good business to get into. Good for you!


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## standles

Not sure what is in your area but when my dad and I ran a similar setup (Woodmizer LT50) we made good money talking to the big production mills.

Seems they regularly got premium logs and would truck a load to us and have us mill them on the handsaw. Our setup wasted a lot less wood that their production rigs (much smaller kerf size). Even their bandsaw wasted a lot of wood in the kerf. We could also cut more expensive cuts (quatersawn) that would have cost them in setup.

Just an idea for extra scratch if it is available.

Steven


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## Phil V.

You would like a friend of mine that used to have a sawmill. He helped his dad run one with a steam engine when he was a kid and continued on with his own operation with his brother. They ran the mill 40 plus years and doing custom work for people as well as other types of mill work.


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## LoonyK

I was debating whether to get a portable sawmill and getting some lumber out of my woods, or/and maybe selling some of the trees on the stump if there is value.


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## Fire-Man

LoonyK said:


> I was debating whether to get a portable sawmill and getting some lumber out of my woods, or/and maybe selling some of the trees on the stump if there is value.


I bought a used Wood-Mizer and a blade sharpener to cut some lumber for some buildings I wanted to build with plans to re-sell it when I got through. Problem is Its been 9 years and I never seem to get finished with it. 

If you were just wanting to get some lumber cut for a project and that would be it---it might be better to just hire a sawmill for a day or two. A sawmill has up keep and its not easy work even with Hydraulics------really tough with out the HYD's. You will need a way to move the logs to the mill etc. You will have to get blades and get the blades sharpened.

I did cut some lumber for a while for other people after I bought the Mill, and made some money but I had to many other things going so I quit cutting for others.


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## TnAndy

LoonyK said:


> I was debating whether to get a portable sawmill and getting some lumber out of my woods, or/and maybe selling some of the trees on the stump if there is value.


IF you have enough timber, and IF you have a use for it, a small bandmill is a great source of cheap lumber. I have 75ac, and bought a Woodmizer LT40 in 1991, and I'm convinced it has paid for itself many times over.

You go to the store and buy a 2x4x8, for example....say it cost $2.50. You have to go work a job and EARN $3.00 to $3.50 to have $2.50 to buy that 2x4...and then pay sales tax on it most places. SO, the 2x4 you saw, and use on your own project is REALLY worth about 25-40% more than the store price by the time you factor in the taxes you did not have to pay !

Now, that may not sound like much.....but I built 3 rental houses, ( and I could put hardwood moldings in them for a nickle/foot ! ), all kinds of barns and sheds around my place, and so on. It DOES add up !

Mine does not have hydraulics, and honestly, I don't think they do all that much unless you saw large logs a lot.....then the hydraulic turner would be handy. I stick pretty much to 18" diameter logs and under, and really have no need for the hydraulic features. Not only will you pay a lot more for those features, but you have way more maintenance issues because of them.

You WILL have just about have a tractor with front loader, or Bobcat, or something along that line to move logs, load them on the mill ( build yourself a deck, load with tractor, them just roll the logs into the mill ), move slabs away, move lumber away, skid your logs out of the woods, and so on....

Normally, I keep my mill set up in a shed, and take my logs to the mill.....but being portable, if I have a bunch of logs in one area, it's easy to haul the mill to the logs, and simply do the cutting there.

For example, southern pine beetle came thru here about 15 years ago, and we had loads of really nice white pine dying. So I cut them down.

(By the way...that 35x75 shop building in the background is from lumber off my place, including the lap siding )











Then I moved the mill up to the logging area, and that pile yielded a whole bunch of lumber. That stack beside the mill took a day and a half to saw. There are 120--2x8x14'....Figure a 'storebought' piece is about about 14 bucks with tax in TN, and I'd have to earn 18-20 bucks to buy a stick, then 120 x $18 means that pile is worth $2160 in money I DIDN'T spend for floor joists for a rental house. Figure another day + half, for logging, and that's 3 days of my time to gross 2160...or 720 day. I figure it cost me 5 cents/bd/ft to saw for gas, maintenance, etc....there are bit over 2200bdft in the pile. 5 cents x 2200=$111. $2160 - 111 = $683/day for my labor.

Not bad, huh ?











Also, you can do neat things like LONG beams.....without bed extensions ! Even though my mill says 21' is the limit, you can 'sneak up' on stuff up to 30' by sawing, cutting the slab off with a chainsaw, backing the head up, then moving the log forward and cut again.












Here's the shed I normally keep the mill in.....cut the timber down where the mill is, leveled the site, and built the shed out of dead green stuff.











16x64' lumber shed under construction.


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## fishhead

In states like MI that require "graded" lumber is it possible to hire a free lance grader to grade and stamp your lumber?


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## TnAndy

Not an issue in my State as long as I build out of a city.

IF it were, I'd go to an office supply place and have myself a stamp made. 

Also, there are several States that have native species law that says as long as the lumber came out of trees from that State, and the sawyer believes the lumber to be of #2 or better grade, the sawyer can furnish a letter to that effect, and the building code authorities in that State must accept it the same as graded lumber.

IF your State has no such law, it might be time to work on your State representative for one.


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## LoonyK

Thanks for the info. I think I may have a forester go through and see what type of value or any veneer quality. I am wanting to have ponds built, and a lot of the timber is in areas that would be flooded. I think at some point I will be buying one of those, I have a lot of things like cabin and sheds I would want to have built. 

Would be nice to harvest trees that die every year and utilize the lumber, too. I am just in the beginning stage and thought process of this, don't want to act too fast with anything since takes long time for the trees to get where they are now.


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## logbuilder

TnAndy said:


> Not an issue in my State as long as I build out of a city.
> 
> IF it were, I'd go to an office supply place and have myself a stamp made.
> 
> Also, there are several States that have native species law that says as long as the lumber came out of trees from that State, and the sawyer believes the lumber to be of #2 or better grade, the sawyer can furnish a letter to that effect, and the building code authorities in that State must accept it the same as graded lumber.
> 
> IF your State has no such law, it might be time to work on your State representative for one.



Found this link and thought you might be interested. It is not definitive but does offer some info.

http://web.utk.edu/~mtaylo29/pages/graded lumber and building codel.html


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## TnAndy

Wow.....sounds like a promo written for the lumber industry.

*Because the safety and lasting value of your house depends on structural integrity of the framing, a system of lumber grading has been devised to ensure that the wood pieces that are used in building construction are up to the task.*

Making it seem like you can't saw a piece of lumber on your own that would equal "professional" sawn stuff. ( I'd stack up my framing lumber against that crap they sell in the big box stores any day )....some of those professional lumber graders are clearly BLIND.

THEN, on toward the bottom the article, he states:

*It is true that you can cut construction lumber that is a full 2&#8221; thick by 4&#8221; wide on a portable sawmill (as compared with the actual 1 Â½&#8221; by 3 Â½&#8221; dimensions of factory-produced &#8220;2X4&#8221. However, this is not necessarily an advantage. Construction practices and accessories have been developed around the dimensions of factory-produced lumber. So, while a bigger piece of lumber may be stronger, the smaller, standard dimensions of factory-produced lumber are strong enough for normal building practices.

*Well, heck...which is it ? My lumber won't grade, or it's too strong ?

For a barn or shed or something along those lines, I don't do anything to the lumber except grade out obvious defect pcs with weakness like large knots, and pieces that are too warped to use.

For a house, I do the above, PLUS I'll take the stud material to my shop, joint one edge, and straight line rip the other, so I end up with a 2" x 3 1/2" stud that is perfectly straight, and 25% thicker than storebought. It now fits all standard doors, windows, etc, and only reduces the insulation cavity slightly.

AND since I can produce the lumber SO CHEAP, I always use 2x6's on the outside walls for more insulation.

*Finally, most factory-produced lumber available in Tennessee (often southern pine) has been kiln dried. This reduces the weight of the lumber and helps to reduce the risk of mold and rot. *

What he DOESN'T mention ( or maybe know ) is the REASON stuff is kiln dried is MONEY. They don't want lumber sitting around in inventory (time is money). So they put it in a kiln, and often dry it way too fast, causing the cells to collapse and "case harden" the lumber...causing warped lumber that is harder to work with. Kiln drying CAN be fine, but often it's rushed, because, time IS money.

What ANYBODY can do that mills their own is simply stack it on dry stick, cover it and wait 6mo-1year for it to air dry naturally to THE EXACT SAME MOISTURE CONTENT that kiln drying construction grade lumber does.....something in the 15-20% MC range.

SO, we taxpayers are paying this university know-it-all to tell us:

*...using your own wood for framing lumber may not be &#8220;worth it&#8221; in the long run.*


Instead of appreciating that small millers can not only compete with the big boys, but actually produce a superior product at a lower cost, and KEEP THE MONEY AT HOME rather than send it off to some corporate giant some place else.

Overall, I found the article to be a large pile of crap.


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## logbuilder

TnAndy said:


> Wow.....sounds like a promo written for the lumber industry.
> 
> Overall, I found the article to be a large pile of crap.


I agree with you. I just presented it so you would know that some in TN see it that way.

I build with logs so I am sympathetic to your position.

When I built my last log house, the building permit department said they had no idea how to evaluate it. I had to pay an engineer to certify the plans. He had to show the log span details along with what type of wood I was using to prove that the logs I was using would handle the load. Cost me about $1,000 for him.


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## fishhead

My home is built with locally sawn lumber. It ranges from 1 1/2" to 2 1/4" by 3 1/2" to 4+". The studs are randomly spaced and sometimes don't even go all the way up to the stud. It makes for a lot of frustration when doing anything.

There is something to be said for building codes and inspections although when I buy the property I want to build on I will look for a place with neither.


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## dan_s28

This thread has motivated me to buy a small sawmill this year. I'd like to start out part time and was wondering if anyone that has a small mill like the ones listed and is in south Georgia or North FL? I'd be willing to help out on the weekend to learn a bit about the operation. Free labor!



Thanks,
Dan

sehl.dan AT g m a i l dot com


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## Fire-Man

dan_s28 said:


> This thread has motivated me to buy a small sawmill this year. I'd like to start out part time and was wondering if anyone that has a small mill like the ones listed and is in south Georgia or North FL? I'd be willing to help out on the weekend to learn a bit about the operation. Free labor!
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Dan
> 
> sehl.dan AT g m a i l dot com


This is a good Idea, if the person that you help---really knows how to cut logs into lumber and Will share this info with you. 

Owning a sawmill and cutting logs into boards is fun, until after these boards dry for a few months----even with weight on them--when you uncover the stack you find a good portion of them are so crooked, cup, bowed etc that they are not usable-----this is very discouraging. I was ready to sell my mill after cutting some lumber for myself and a few other people. It was bowing right off the mill.

Long story shorten----I Had a Nice Mill----I just Did Not Know how to saw a Log into Good Lumber. (I mainly saw yellow pine very little experience with hardwoods---sawed a few 1000 feet or poplar) Once I figured out "How" to do this----Then I really began to enjoy sawing Logs into about 95+% usuable lumber.


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## DaleK

Try forestryforum.com. It can be a good business depending on your area.... the market got saturated here years ago and now you can see a lot of portable mills sitting out rusting that haven't moved in years.


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## joebill

I built a LOT of sawmills out of junk over the years and milled a lot of lumber, sold a lot of it, built a lot of furniture out of mesquite I had milled, sold sawmills I had built, finally wrote a book about building sawmills and bandsaws and still sell the book a couple of times a week on average a decade later. Sawmills have been very good to me. If I was not so old and busted up, I'd still be running one today....Joe


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## TnAndy

Fire-Man said:


> It was bowing right off the mill.
> 
> I mainly saw yellow pine very little experience with hardwoods---sawed a few 1000 feet or poplar...



Poplar is *bad* about bowing right ON the mill. Especially small poplar logs. 

Some hints that help:

1. Let the logs lay a while after logging.

2. Turn the log often on the mill. Take one board, then roll....get it down to a large cant.....like 6-8" wide and as tall as you can. Then plain saw starting from the BOTTOM....and do NOT remove the boards. Run the band head down the cant taking off a bottom board, then the next one, then the next....use the weight of the whole stack to hold the cant as straight as possible. I've even STOOD on the cant in front of the saw as it works down the bed ( not OSHA approved, I tell ya ....ahahahaa) to weight it down.


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## Jolly

One of my friends has found a very small sawmill friendly niche...The big (and I'm talking BIG) mill in town checks all of their logs before milling. If a log pings the metal detector, they throw it to the side.

My friend gets these orphans for free. With the help of a good wand, a large Stihl chainsaw and some patience, he's able to salvage most of those logs for his bandmill.

Yes, it can be aggravating, but when you're getting your logs for nothing, it works out pretty good.


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## Ison_homestead

I've been looking into buying a portable bandsaw mill my self to use to help brig in some extra income plus build our home with when dealing with people about cutting and removing logs or if they want the boards how do you charge for that?
I don't know of any person around my area that does this other than big company's. Thanks.


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## fishhead

Can a metal detector find nails and other metal things that would wreck a blade?


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## Fire-Man

fishhead said:


> Can a metal detector find nails and other metal things that would wreck a blade?


Yes a good metal detector is a Must, if you are cutting "hedge row" trees or utility poles. I used the one I bought from Radio Shack----a $300 detector for Treasure Hunting. Works Good and has Saved Sooooooooo many Blades/dulled blades. Have found alot of Lost items around the Farm with it and I used it a few times to find some money/valuables.


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## fishhead

Does it detect lead bullets or don't they matter?


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## TnAndy

Lead is soft....doesn't matter. Does make a nice shiny spot in the lumber though !


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## just_sawing

I am on my third Sawmill. The first one is probably running fine but I let the mill pay for bigger and faster mills. 
I presently have an LT70 which is as fast and big as I expect to ever need. 
The biggest thing that the mill ever did is when I was working that safe job with benefits. My associates laughed at me and told me how stupid I was to work a full time job then work another on a sawmill. In 1994 Nissan started putting asset tags on the equipment. We discovered that our job wasn't so secure. I went home and talked it over with my wife. We had four kids and a large mortgage. I turned the mill on full time for honest and discovered that I could make a living sawing. Nissan was bought by Renault and all was good but their was a big change Management had a different view of me since they now knew that I could walk and they over night quite giving me a lot of the typical grief. 
One of the other changes during this time was the same people that laughed at me now said "Well you don't count because you have a business" Their wave runners weren't so good when they looked at not having a job.


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## Post_Oakie

Just Sawing, you're exactly right. I used to work second shift as a die press setter/operator, and went to milling full time. A fellow worker said he wished he could afford a sawmill. He drove a 10-cylinder Ford pickup 20 miles to work every day (I drove a Geo Metro).

I get a lot of urban lumber & found all kinds of metal in them, but for the price (mostly free, if I pick up the logs) worth it. It takes time to build up a customer base, but I have people drive over 1,000 miles to buy lumber from me because they can't find what they need anywhere else. Stay out of debt, keep your expenses low, and listen to your customers, and you can build a good business. I had a hydraulic mill, but scaled back to a Norwood HD36 manual mill because it was more portable, cheaper to run, and more reliable.


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## Deeplines

Fun Thread to read. Thanks to all that posted in it.


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## reubenT

My great grandfather owned a portable steam powered mill around 1900, Pulled it around with the steam engine sawing for farmers in NW Indiana. My twin uncles (his grandsons) had one in the 60's in Michigan. (not steam powered though) I had an LT 30 woodmizer for 25 years. '89 until we sold it last year raising money to start a trucking business. Did many hundreds of thousands of ft on it. Now I've assembled an old belsaw mill with flat belt pulleys, put it on steel beams and made it portable, it's almost ready to go. I plan on getting a bandsaw head for it eventually, maybe a woodmizer 70 head. And I plan on powering it with steam eventually, but a diesel tractor will do for awhile. With 127 acres available to cut from and at least 20 to clear off completely, there's plenty of wood waiting on me to build with and sell. I've sawed a lot and ran into a lot of metal too. Trees from yards almost always have nails, don't like them. Ran into a mule shoe in the middle of one tree, hung on a branch when the tree was a sapling. I may have met the fella who hung it there, since I did meet a man who said he'd plowed those hillsides with a mule.


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## City Bound

good info. 

Thank you all for great posts.

I dream of getting a mill someday and someday I believe I will. Even if the mill is not used for a self owned business it is still an excellent homesteading tool and worth the investment New lumber is so expensive and scrounging and reusing old wood takes so much time. A small mill and a stock pile of home cut wood is liberating both financially and creatively.


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