Thinking Of A Sawmill - Wood-Mizer

YuccaFlatsRanch · #1 03/08/12, 11:25 AM

Got a Wood-Mizer catalog in the mail today and it is interesting. Would dearly love to be able to cut my own red and white oak trees into quartersawn lumber as well as cutting any nicer mesquite logs that I come by. The oak trees are dying from Oak Wilt and are a steady source of wood. Pecan logs are a possibility too as well as larger Mountain Juniper logs. Question is - would the least expensive mill ($3300.00) which can cut up to 19" wide logs be sufficient or should I get a wheel mounted mill which can cut up to 23" logs for 2x to 3x as much (depending on hydraulics)?? Or maybe it's just best to have them sawn for me.

#2 03/08/12, 12:33 PM

I have 72+ acres most of which is woodland & I have been hashing over buying one of the smaller mills for several months . I would be sawing only for myself . Might sell a few boards but definitely don't want to start a business . That being said I believe there are better choices ( more mill for the money ) than Woodmizer in the small mills . Check out the EZ Boardwalk jr. & Woodland Mills small mills . Those are the two I would seriously consider if buying new . Just my personal opinion .

Ramblin Wreck · #3 03/08/12, 01:33 PM

My brother has done really well with his Woodmizer mill, and he does saw for the public. His mill is stationary (by choice), so folks bring the logs to him. His does have hydraulics, which really takes a lot of back spraining work out of the task. Unless you have a lot of gravity working in your favor, you'll likely need some type of tractor to off load the logs.

Sawmill Jim · #4 03/08/12, 03:05 PM

Lot of used mills out there those Co's make it look so easy some folks think they will run their self .

Guy had a Meadows circle mill on the Forestry Forum a while back on the cheep . With any mill the learning curve can be tough .Check out Sawmill Exchange lots of mills have shut down .

Also need sharpening and setter if a band saw plus at least 50 blades one blade may saw 1000bf before dull . Also a debarker is a great idea and with that 23'' log you need a hyd. log turner unless you are stout as a mule .

If a circle mill a good grinder with a diamond wheel i sold mine used for $425.00 new over a thousand as i ran carbide bits .Here the Amish run hand set mills .If you were closer my hand set mill i would part with for two grand as i am cutting it up for scrap iron anyway . Good bits are $4.00 each mine took 40 .

At 3,300.00 would be a push it threw mill lot of cheep exercise and some of the frames are light weight and a 23'' slab just 8' long oak is heavy . Find someone near you and volunteer a days work .

Beware once you get hooked there is no stopping place . first a mill then i got a truck , 4x4 lift, TJ log skidder , knuckle boom , a bigger knuckle boom

re saw , unscrambles forklift log deck sawdust blower ect

Then now i quit

PD-Riverman · #5 03/08/12, 03:08 PM

I have a LT40HD, bought it used several years ago. Have cut alot of lumber with it but mainly for myself. I have cut about $2500 for other people. I have a some what bad back---meaning if I do not do something to aggrivate it---you would never know I had a bad back. I can use my sawmill all day and not throw my back out because it has Hydraulics. If I have to roll a log to the sawmill and it gets caught and I force it with a cant hook---I will throw my back out-----So I put a winch on the mill, rolling the log to the mill is a piece of cake. I ended up buying a tractor with a front end loader which is a GREAT BIG help with the sawmill.
My Advise. If you want to cut a log ever once and a while and you got a Good Back or some good help----a man or a front end loader then you will probably be happy with one of the smaller/cheaper mills. Running a non-hyd sawmill all day yourself without help will Make You Sleep good that night. If you are going to cut a fair amount of lumber get a sawmill with Hydraulics even if you have to buy a used one----you will be glad you did in the long run. Also if you are going to saw alot try to find a good used/new saw blade sharpner and setter, having that Saves alot of shipping and down time if you run out of saw blades. Good Luck!

YuccaFlatsRanch · #6 03/08/12, 05:41 PM

I have both a bobcat and a tractor with a front end loader. I have a 1 ton dump truck to carry what I want and it offloads quickly. I just get access to some nice trees every once in a while and would love to be able to turn the tree into quartersawn lumber. This part of Texas has thousands and thousands of oaks that are dying of Oak Wilt. That added to the occasional old pecan tree that gets blown down as well as an occasional cypress that meets its maker could keep me in prime furniture lumber. Right now I have a 10-12 foot Escarpement Black Cherry log sitting out side my barn. Its about 18 inches in diameter. Sure would like to see the wood from it.

**Ross** · #7 03/08/12, 05:48 PM

The debate between owning vs hiring it out is valid and the hire it done crowd's advice is going to save you money I wouldn't doubt that for a second. On the other hand if you can afford it why not own it and cut on your schedule and for your own satisfaction? My only problem seems to be with time. I would love a mill but seriously I already over book my time!!

Ozarks Tom · #8 03/08/12, 07:13 PM

Finally! A thread I know something about.

I had a Woodmizer LT40HD, bought used, and cut mesquite commercially for 2 years just north of Dallas. We manufactured custom wood flooring, and sold some 4/4 lumber to local distributors. Loved the machine. Very little down time due to repairs, and once a person gets used to it they can put out a lot of very nice looking lumber quickly.

Mesquite has some drawbacks as opposed to oak. The major two are the length of the straight trunks (meaning lots of handling), and that mesquite naturally grows with a star split up the middle (meaning low yield & lots of handling).

Compared to an oak log that would give you 120 bf, the same mequite log will give you about 40 bf. Of course, mesquite will bring in 5-6 times the bf price as plain sawn oak, so the extra work is worth it.

I used to buy mesquite logs out of your area for $.025 per pound. A truckload would cost about $1,000.

Mequite is over twice as hard as oak, due to it's slow growth, but be wary of buying logs with long trunks. They generally come from lowlands and creek bottoms, and aren't nearly as dense.

I don't know if Texas still has it, but they used to have a program call "Mequite Eradication", where they would pay ranchers so much per acre to cut the trees, and poison the stump. Ranchers were making money from two sides, the State, and people like me who bought the logs. What a deal!

Wendy · #9 03/09/12, 09:23 AM

Buy one, it will keep 2 of my brothers & a nephew in a job.

They build them. My dad & 2 of my brothers have a sawmill business. Dad started out really small & it just grew. They have 2 woodmizer mills & do $500,000 plus in sales every year. Think big! You could turn it into a nice business for yourself. Saw your own & do custom sawing. They sell the sawdust & sell the slabs for mulch & firwood.

#10 03/09/12, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wendy

Buy one, it will keep 2 of my brothers & a nephew in a job.

They build them. My dad & 2 of my brothers have a sawmill business. Dad started out really small & it just grew. They have 2 woodmizer mills & do $500,000 plus in sales every year. Think big! You could turn it into a nice business for yourself. Saw your own & do custom sawing. They sell the sawdust & sell the slabs for mulch & firwood.

Do they work for Woodmizer building mills or do they build another brand ? If another brand which one ?

Wendy · #11 03/09/12, 12:18 PM

They work for Woodmizer. One brother has been there since about 1983 or 1984. I am not sure what mills they have, but they are the bigger ones with all the bells & whistles.

dirtman · #12 03/09/12, 01:31 PM

I always thought it would be pretty easy to build a band saw mill out of an old motorcycle. Haven't gotten around to it yet, so I bought a chainsaw mill from northern tool and cut my cedars into as big of squares as I can, usually about 12 to 16 inches square. I paint the ends with blacktop sealer and stack them until I either build a mill or put together enough to haul them out to be cut into boards.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #13 03/09/12, 05:09 PM

Why do you paint the ends with sealer?? Do you not want them to dry from the ends or to prevent cracking or ????

PD-Riverman · #14 03/09/12, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

Do you not want them to dry from the ends or to prevent cracking or ????

The ends will dry faster than the rest which will cause them to crack etc. By sealing them---it will slow down the end drying and cracking which will give you better lumber, timbers etc.

texican · #15 03/09/12, 11:25 PM

I spent 15 years hauling wood to a local that had a hydraulic lt-40... he up and retired, so I started looking at getting one... I went with an LT 15 so I could get an 18hp diesel engine. Got extensions so I can cut out to 31.5'.

Wish I'd had the money for hydraulics... it is work moving and turning the logs. Looking at adding some 12vdc winches to do the log turning... If I wasn't allergic to debt I'd'a went with a minimum of the LT35, or probably the LT40. As it is, I can use the front end loader to turn the big logs.

Look at used prices of mills that are ~20 years old... still bringing, what? 3/4 of their original price? Buy a used one, use it, take care of it properly, and sell, and not lose any money.

Oh, a week after I started using my woodmizer, the 78 yr old gent that'd retired, bought another one, and got back into business! That ol coot can do it all day long... three or four hours and I'm one tired wore out puppy.

Ozarks Tom · #16 03/10/12, 06:17 AM

Before I bought my Woodmizer I wanted to see what yield you could get from mesquite, so I contracted with a guy in east Texas to cut up a truckload for me. I didn't know it at the time, but this guy only had one arm. Missing his right arm at the shoulder! He ran that entire operation by himself.

When I went down to check the progress I was amazed. I remember asking him, since his saw was within 50 yards of his house, if he could hear his wife when she called. His answer? "Well, I could before I changed mufflers".