Sawmill

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I have quite a lot of acreage I want to clear and use the trees for lumber. A lot of the trees will go to firewood but many to lumber.  Sooo I tell the wife I think I will build first a firewood processor and then a sawmill.  The firewood processor she thinks is a good idea.  At the small sawmill statement she looked a little funny at me and bluntly told me that would be like a man with two cows building his own slaughter house!  SO now I have to find out what it costs to have my trees hauled to the sawmill and made into lumber.  I hope it is real expensive.
Reply:Both are serious undertakings, and unless you are a good design engineer, I'd buy one.  You can get them at a fairly resonable price now.  I build them and run them myself...In fact I am heading out to cut some oak floor boards for low boy right now.  But unless you KNOW a lot about sawmills, you could end up building a death trap, because there are a lot of nasty little safety issues that you have to deal with.  Even the best sawmill guys need some safety protection.  The firewood processors are not easy either. The best ones are quite expensive, with a lot of hydraulics involved.  If you are talking about a wood splitter, then sure. But when you build a processor, you are talking about live decks, chains, hydraulics, hydraulic  motors, belts, engines and a whole lot more, including a nice sum of steel and special heat treated metal.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Either one is no problem for me to build.  I wasn't asking about the feasibility of building either one. Just making a comment about my wife's reaction.  I will build a firewood processor not just a splitter.  It will be of course hydraulic powered by a 80 hp diesel engine.  I want a real work horse not a toy.  I live in the Black Forest of Germany and firewood is a way of life here.  When I get done it will be called the Black Desert thats sort of what happened when I lived in the Sahara Forest!
Reply:Originally Posted by burnandreturna man with two cows building his own slaughter house!
Reply:Some women just have no understanding of men. They simply don't realise that just because your won't use your gadget but once or twice, or maybe never, the FUN part is building it, not using it.
Reply:Do a favor and post pics when you get started on the mill.  I have been thinking a lot about that myself.  Lots of great hardwood trees here, but not a local mill within two hours that I know of.  Lots of good hardwood blow-downs and lot clearing leftovers, left rotting on the ground, getting cut up for firewood, or hauled to the landfill.   Sure would love to fill my woodshop storage with a ton of it and leave it to cure a few years.  I have been wanting one that would handle up to a 30-36" log up to 16' length.  Saw one recently for sale here locally for $2200.  At that price it would be cheaper for me to buy.  Don't recall the brand name.By the way.  I would recommend you leave a few trees this time.  That Sarah forest really took a hit after you left.  Climate change, you know.TonyMiller Maxtron 300Miller Spoolmatic 3Victor Journeyman II"Twern't my ignorance done me in, but what I knowed that wasn't so."  Uncle Tom's Cabin
Reply:There is a thread on here of someone that built a nice one.  Looks like he really knew what he was doing.  If you do a search for sawmill you should be able to find it.
Reply:As to the mills there are lots of them around me. Big and small portable ones.  It is the building of it that really interests me.  Firewood processors are not so popular in my region.  But in the Scandanavian countries they are very popular. My hydraulic saw will turn at 10,000 rpms.  I will use a harvester 3/4 inch chain. The ram for the splitter will be 6" bore and easily split over three foot lengths into upto 12 pieces in one cycle.  As I said I will build this thing right.  Actually I am more interested in the firewood processor than the mill.   The mill is actually a very simple machine to build relatively speaking.
Reply:Originally Posted by ponch37300There is a thread on here of someone that built a nice one.  Looks like he really knew what he was doing.  If you do a search for sawmill you should be able to find it.
Reply:Originally Posted by burnandreturnAs to the mills there are lots of them around me. Big and small portable ones.  It is the building of it that really interests me.  Firewood processors are not so popular in my region.  But in the Scandanavian countries they are very popular. My hydraulic saw will turn at 10,000 rpms.  I will use a harvester 3/4 inch chain. The ram for the splitter will be 6" bore and easily split over three foot lengths into upto 12 pieces in one cycle.  As I said I will build this thing right.  Actually I am more interested in the firewood processor than the mill.   The mill is actually a very simple machine to build relatively speaking.
Reply:Lugweld you should check your facts.  Many of the firewood processors have much larger engines than 30 hp.   Of course I am talking about the firewood processor at 10rpm.  I might run the saw somewhat slower in order to preserve chain and bar a little longer.  I have a Volvo F11 - 19 hydraulic motor for the saw.  These are the same motors used on tree harvesters.  I like to build things.  The type of firewood processor that I will build if I were to buy one new would be in the range of 75,000 dollars.  I can build it for much less than that.  I have already calculated what it will cost me to build.