Well ... Still getting the hang out of this forum and learning where everything is at so hopefully I'm in the right area. Next spring/ summer time frame we will be moving to Montana and building our home. I already know that I will be needing mill, of some kind. I will be completely honest, I don't know much about any sawmill other than the obvious. I do know that I'll use a small engine for a power source, to mount somewhere or somehow. OR I can use the PTO from our tractor( which I'm waiting on a deal I can't pass up) I know that can limit the how and what I'm able to do. I've also recently seen "sawmill " attachements for the 3 point hitch accessories. I figure I'll only be milling lumber for my property and not as business. So I if she runs slow,well so be it, but I'll keep her sharp. Any and all advice with plans or ideas or even mistakes not to make will greatly be appreciated. Countrybiggen
Well I know a little about sawmills as we have every kind they have I think: a 1900 rotary, a Thomas Bandsaw, a chainsaw mill, and even a shingle saw mill. After a little thought, I might consider building (or having it built for you), the Procut Sawmill if you are on a budget, and have decent sized trees. The Procut is unique in that you buy the plans ($120) and then make the saw mill from them. We did this and semi-liked the result. I say semi-liked because it is slow, but we had an underpowered chainsaw powering it too and I think pairing up the biggest chainsaw they make, with a ripping chain would improve things dramatically. (We used a 76 cc saw which was way too slow). That actually is my only gripe with it, what I really like is that it cuts a 24 foot log which is really handy for sills and rafters! It also produces a nice product because with a stiff blade...unlike a bandsaw that can cause wavy boards in knotted wood...it cuts flat and straight. It would do really well for a homebuilder making his own log or timber frame home because it does beams really well for this reason. I do say bigger sized wood because with a chainsaw mill you are taking a 3/8 kerf where as with a bandsaw you are only taking a 1/8 kerf. In other words, you lose 3 boards into sawdust for every 9 boards you make with a chainsaw mill where as with a bandsaw you are only losing one board for the same amount of boards produced (roughly). Cost wise for a workable mill you cannot beat it. It costs around $1100 to build the sawmill and another $1400 or so for a new chainsaw required to power it, but that is a total cost of $2500. Our bandsaw mill; a cheap knock-off that manages to get the job done, but barely...and is only capable of cutting a 16 foot log; was $4500. Even then that is rather misleading because the Procut Saw Mill is a sawmill AND chainsaw so the two can be separated for more versatility where as a bandsaw mill can only saw lumber. I still have my Procut and may retrofit it and I have some ideas that might make it operate faster. Mine will always operate close to the grid and my farm so portability is not something I am concerned with. I am considered repowering it with hydraulics or electricity to make production faster though. Another idea is to use its amazing track system and retrofit a Harbor Freight bandsaw onto it. One thing to keep in mind though is that I have big trees and plenty of them so a few boards being turned into sawdust is not a concern to me. If you have smaller trees though, and must glean every board possible from them, then maybe the extra money spent on a bandsaw sawmill would be best. I hope all this makes sense, if not ask away and I will try to clarify, or others will jump in and help out. Here is the link to Procut: Portable Sawmills, Sawmill Plans by Procut Portable Sawmills
By the way; since 1-1/2 x 6 square tubing comes in 24 foot lengths, if you want you can make the track with four lengths of that tubing so you can easily saw 48 foot lumber.
WOW So much to think about and now consider. Portability is not an issue for my situation. As long as I can get the mill into a semi trailer that we will be using to move everything. If I was going to have to make a Mill I was considering retrofitting a rip saw style mill. My power source will be either a small engine (big cc ) huge fan of the Honda side shaft 100cc engines. Or some other style of small engine. If this isn't possible then I'll use the power of the tractor. The roller idea is great thanks for that
Lots of brands of bandsaw mills out there and occasionally they show up on craiglsit. Usually don't last but a day or two. They sure are versatile.
Yes that is very true, I'm using the C Smart app and I can search any Craigslist area for what I want.
So I've come across sawmill set up that I actually like. In all honesty,for what I'll be doing right away it'll be perfect for what I need to do. It'll be a stationary Frick mill. Countrybiggen
I use to watch a YouTube video blog by Wrangler Star. He was working on homesteading, and used a real basic Alaskan Sawmill. Here is a link to the homepage, Granberg International |. It's a real basic setup. However; it might be worth the investment until you determine exactly how much you want to spend and how often it will get used.
Frick mill - think you are going to be needing the tractor power for those , 100cc would be woefully under powered. a Good cabinet saw will start with 3hp electric (about 4.5 hp in a dino motor) and go up from there and thats only a 10" blade - 12" -14"mostly use the 5hp electric ( 7.8hp dino) Torque is the factor not so much the horse power. In a circular mill depth of cut is less than 1/2 of the blades dia. depending on the mounting arbor and collars and of course supporting structure. So a 36" dia blade might get you to a 12" depth/width of cut-single pass. With that in mind you can see where the bandsaw has an advantage in the slabbing or very large beams. Circular mills have the advantage in dimensional lumber.
Rotary mills also require a lot of horsepower and can cup too. A lot of people don't know this, but unless you have plenty of horsepower, when you get bogged down in a log from being big or full of knots, the decreased RPM can cause the saw blade to "dish". It is one of those things that is hard to describe, but basically a sawblade is designed to be dished inward until it come up to full RPM, then you can literally watch the saw blade straighten right out. Too low of a speed and you start getting thick and thin lumber. It happens with bandsaws too, but not nearly as much. Saw blades also make a lot of sawdust. For me (with sheep) I can use the bedding so its no big deal.
