I just bought a little sawmill.

[lumberjack_jeff]

It was built about 15 years ago based on a woodmizer. It can saw 30" dia logs x 18' long into lumber. This most recent winter there was a huge amount of windfall. The guys with the little portable mills stay quite busy.

I brought it home today and milled my first log (a really gnarly sitka spruce about 9' long). Worked great.

Anyone else have any experience with these?

(FWIW: I picked my username 14 years ago primarily based on my affinity for Monty Python and Michael Palin. I don't think it influenced my choice of hobbies.)

[rwheeler31]

1. Good luck use it well.

[endless october]

2. might not have influenced

maybe just reflected your interest.

are you heating with a woodstove?

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Yes, I am.

And that did influence the decision. I can't stand sawing big-ish trees into firewood. By "big" I mean 10" dia and larger. I'd rather get a couple of boards and use the waste slabs as firewood. Besides, the slabs dry faster.

One of the next projects will be a solar dry kiln. http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Solar_Kiln_Designs_1.html

[endless october]

12. congratulations.

a lot of times i wish i was using a woodstove for heat. those times come most often when i'm opening a $250 natural gas heating bill after my house was 67 all month.

[givemebackmycountry]

3. Congratulations!

And now on the count of three, in honor of your new sawmill Mr. Lumberjack Jeff!

And a ONE
And a TWO
And a THREE...

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I work all day.

Chorus:
He's a lumberjack and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down trees, I eat my lunch
I go to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays I go shopping and have buttered scones for tea

Mounties:
He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch
He goes to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays he goes shopping and has buttered scones for tea.

Chorus:
He's a lumberjack and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down trees, I skip and jump
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women's clothing and hang around in bars.

Mounties:
He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on women's clothing and hangs around in bars?!

Chorus:
He's a lumberjack and he's OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day.

I cut down trees, I wear high heels
Suspenders and a bra.
I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Papa!!

Mounties:
I cut down trees, I wear high heels?!
Suspenders...and a bra?!...

Just the Lumberjack:
I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Papa!!

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. I'll have to forgo the womens clothing. Not safety apparel.

:hi:

[Schema Thing]

4. you're ok!

[Jackpine Radical]

5. We used to own an ancient circle-saw sawmill (made before WW I)

& my dad & uncles sawed many thousands of board feet of white, Norway & jackpine on it. I spent many hours working around that mill, piling lumber, etc. & the smell of fresh-sawn pine takes me back to my childhood instantly. Wow, what a memory trip.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. They make some really nice circle-mills these days

They operate a bit differently, with the log stationary and the blade able to rotate 90°. Lucas and Peterson make some good ones. Out of my price range, though.

[Jackpine Radical]

11. That old mill of ours was originally powered by a Case steam tractor,

or so I'm told. In my era, they used a stationary gas engine from a Cat 20 and eventually a 3-cylinder Shepard diesel they scrounged somewhere. As I write this, I can still hear the whine of that saw biting into a log.

[Old and In the Way]

6. Bandsaw type?

I had a friend a few years back that used a portable mill to cut his framing lumber and rough board/planking. It worked real slick and saved a bundle on lumber costs. Smart way to go and I think you can make some good bucks with some creative marketing...and some hard work.

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. Yup.

the carriage is powered up-down and back-forth with 12v electric motors. The boardhandling is still a chore but I can use the exercise. :)