New Hampshire rough sawn mills

Not sure if this is the right location for this inquiry. Admins please move if incorrect, thanks

looking for a few rough sawn mill locations close to the Conway area. I’m looking for Douglas Fir and Hemlock.
White Mountain lumber in Berlin has some of what I’m looking for but the ride is kinda long.
Thanks

 

I used Tamworth Lumber around 10 years ago for rough pine and was very pleased with their products. Their website is still up but not sure if they are still in business (their last FB post was in 2020):

Tamworth Lumber
Tamworth Lumber | Facebook

Another option is East Branch Timberworks in Intervale (I have not dealt with them personally however I have heard very positive reviews of their work):

Home - East Branch Timberworks
East Branch Timberworks | Facebook

You could also peruse the UNH New Hampshire Directory of Sawmills & Lumber Wholesalers. It doesn't appear to be kept up to date (for example the Kearsarge Peg Company burned down in 2016) but it's a good place to start:

New Hampshire Directory of Sawmills & Lumber Wholesalers | Extension (unh.edu)

 

Hey just a thought I am not in your area but Woodmizer's site lists their pro sawyer network, there might be someone on it near you. There are some mills south of you - Oleksak Lumber in Westfield 413-568-7590 Ma; Green Meadow Lumber in Westfield 413-568-0056. Good luck JB

 

Good questions, I actually should have been more specific when I posted.
The Doug Fir will be dressed, it’s for interior finish. The Hemlock will remain rough with true measurements. The remaining beam parts for the Hemlock can be sawn either way. This will be mostly be for exterior covered porch parts.

 

Thank you, great sources!

 

Very much appreciated, ty

 

Just north of freyburg there's a mill. Maybe 6-8 miles north of the fairgrounds. Lovel Lumber?

 

While you're in Tamworth, check out Windy Ridge Corp. Nice bunch of forestry stuff. No big iron but husky dealer with hand tools, rigging, tire chains, 3pt winches...

 

That's a great place. Picked up my smaller capstan winch from them (and they matched the internet price!).

 

EODMSgt,
Speaking of a capstan winch, I’m close to pulling the trigger on a Honda powered Simpson trying to decide whether I want the smaller one for lugging it around by hand or the bigger one for the extra power.
Care to venture your opinion?


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A couple variables depending on what you want to use it for. I have the Portable Winch brand PCW5000 and PCW3000 capstan winches. I purchased the 5000 for timber use and the 3000 later on for retrieving wild game after pulling a moose permit (unsuccessful hunt but that's another story). The 5000 is obviously more powerful, however the way the motor is designed, if the unit tilts (which happens a lot out in the woods during a one-person operation), the motor will shut off due to the oiling system. This can lead to a bit of a learning curve and a lot of cuss words in the middle of the woods. The smaller system is great because it can be mounted on a backpack and does not have the tilt shut off feature, but it has a smaller pulling capability. What size timber would you be pulling with the winch? And if you do get one, I would strongly recommend either getting a skidding cone or making your own as they make a world of difference.

For my purposes, I am usually content with the smaller model. It can handle most 8' logs (I don't usually get dead and down over 16" diameter) when using a skidder cone and I can successfully get the timber to the road. Honestly though, I have found that more often than not, the capstan winches stay at home, and I just buck the logs into sections I can drag to the road by hand (I'm usually in thick timber with no straight-line pulls so constantly rerigging the capstan winch becomes very laborious). Perhaps it is too many years using electric vehicle-mounted winches that spoiled me, but for a one-man operation, capstan winches can be a PITA. I do keep them around for occasional use though.

You also have to consider how much gear you are willing to bring with you when using a capstan winch. In addition to your chainsaw, PPE, fuel, bar oil, wedges, peavy, etc., now you need the winch, rope, fuel (capstans use a lot of fuel), additional rigging equipment, etc., so plan ahead. The pic below was equipment brought just to bring one beech around 60' up a steep slope. (I would not have gone after the tree without the capstan so it was worth it however it's an endeavor to bring that much gear into an area you can't get a vehicle close to).

 

EODMSgt
You can't eat your winch, but the moose would have been just a memory by now.
Any reason to buy a tool right

 

True, but mounting the winch over the mantle just doesn't have the same effect!

100% correct! There was ZERO hesitation when I purchased the capstan for moose season.

 

Sorry to the Original poster for the thread HiJack.

The intent is working alone. from a tractor with carry box and grapple. I wouldn't ever be carrying it far hiking.
Pulling from my 10 acres. the lower end is swampy and the tractor will get and make a mess every time I get down in there for blowdowns. 8 foot long logs average with a diameter less than 18" but most around 8" like yours. Also use for building stuff like setting beams and rafters up onto my shop addition in the spring. Some firewood hoarding to help me pull free stuff from people up in my truck from their yard or roadside.
Getting to suck to load big stuff by hand. (I know I know, pull up my panties...)

I ran a truck mounted capstan a lot in my past life as a Cell tower builder and some in the wind turbine business I am in now when I started. I like the Capstan approach and using a rope rather than chain/cable.
I also kinda want another toy. I have a HF 2500lb on a receiver hitch mount but its slow cycle time is a PITA for longer pulls.
Somewhere I read about using a traffic cone for a makeshift skidding cone.