Making the Most of Sawmills
Compare sawmills for your lumber mill business
Forest industry workers occasionally need to cut and clear timber due to natural disaster, disease or development. Businesses and developers may also harvest timber. Foresters have the option of cutting rough logs and hauling them to a lumber mill. However, portable sawmills can also assist with cutting timber on site. Operators can use portable sawmills in areas where transporting timber has logistical problems, such as accessibility.Making the most of sawmills requires evaluating several different models performing different functions. Some types of sawmills cut oversized timber, others mill large beams for log cabin construction and some businesses look for portable sawmills for sale to cut specialty woods for furniture or landscaping.
Several manufacturers make sawmill equipment of different types, capacities and strengths. Sawmill prices vary greatly depending on the size and strength of the machine. Most manufacturers also carry sawmill parts and sawmill blades. You should evaluate each of the different types of sawmills and decide which will perform best for your business.
1. Consider using band sawmills for your special timber cutting needs.
2. Decide whether a circular sawmill might provide the best choice.
3. Look at chainsaw sawmill options.
Determine if a circular sawmill meet your needs
Circular sawmills come in portable and transportable models. A portable model requires only a few hours to set up, depending on size. Transportable models require heavy duty towing vehicles and a half day or more to set up.
Try: Woodsman Sawmill Company makes an advanced circular sawmill. This sawmill comes permanently mounted to a trailer. The Woodsman cuts logs up to 36 inches in diameter and up to 24 feet long. Mighty Mite Sawmills makes a circular sawmill that can produce 10,000 board feet of lumber in an eight hour shift. The Mighty Mite can cut hardwoods and timber up to 18 feet long or longer with optional extensions.
Decide whether a small chainsaw sawmill might work for you
For smaller jobs, a chainsaw sawmill works in remote locations and for smaller jobs. A chainsaw sawmill costs less but requires more manual labor to use. They do not produce large quantities for the labor involved.
Try: Granberg International manufactures chainsaw sawmills. The mill attaches to a chainsaw and operates with the use of a ripping chain. These devices lend themselves to smaller woodworking projects. Logosol produces several one man portable chainsaw sawmills. One person can transport the sawmill, set it up and cut boards, beams and thin sheets.
Look at band sawmills for cutting lumber
Band sawmills have approximately 3/32-inch kerf (loss of wood to sawdust on each cut), a small amount compared to circular sawmills. However, a band sawmill produces less timber in the same period of time as a circular sawmill. Band sawmills have four models: manual, power fed, hydraulic and high production.
Try: Baker Products sells band sawmills powered by 20 horsepower gasoline engines. These portable sawmills cut logs 30 inches in diameter and 20 feet long. Turner Mills makes hydraulic band sawmills in both trailer and ground models. The sawmill's design allows the operator to perform all tasks from the same side of the sawmill. The sawdust spits out on the opposite side of the operator.
- Consider minimizing waste products when using your sawmill. You can make particleboard or wood pellets for pellet stoves. You can use bark for landscaping. Wood chips can feed pulp mills, who recycle the chips into paneling and other products.
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