Your Guide To Lumber Saw Mills

There are various types of lumber saw mills available depending on the consumer's needs. How do you decide which is for you? Determining if you are looking at a saw mill as a hobby, or attempting to make living at sawing must be considered as the first step.

Saw Mill Production

Saw mills are, of course, the machinery which has been around for more than a century. They move logs to an area where they are turned into lumber, and then back out on the other end of the mill. Cost of lumber saw mills vary from a few hundred dollars up to 35,000 dollars. Saw mill outputs vary depending on type and number of saws in the operation. Production can vary from a few hundred dollars per year to saw mills which can bring in up to $500,000 annually with a 5 man operation.

Business Plan

It is important to have a business plan if commercial success is your goal. It is wise to visit local mills to see various types of operations first hand. This will allow a person contemplating a saw mill to see how equipment being considered for an operation works in an actual production setting.

Price Difference

Buying a used mill is an option when starting out. Cost can be considerably lower; it will allow the user to decide the extent they will use a mill and if an upgrade is necessary or feasible if increased profitability is the goal. Costs will vary by location. Expect a substantial price difference between a saw mill in, say, Oklahoma, than one in New York.

Saw Mill Specs

Let's take a look at the specs and capabilities of the various saw mills to help you decide which one might be right for you.

Chainsaw Mills

  • Cost: Less than $500
  • Production: Chainsaw mill is capable of milling 200 to 400 board feet each day.

ADVANTAGES:

  • Portability and cost, this saw mill can be brought to the wood source.
  • Good if cutting a few logs annually.
  • Generally available at online auction sites.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Be prepared to eat sawdust, not a clean operation
  • Not a profitable sawing operation.

Bandsaw Mills

  • Cost: Range from $2,500 up to $35,000
  • Production: Band mill is capable of milling 800 to 2,000 board feet each day

ADVANTAGES:

  • Relatively a safe saw mill to operate.
  • Turning a log on this saw mill is relatively easy.
  • Greater lumber production per log.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Horizontal saw mill.
  • Every board or slab will have to be pulled from the top of the log.
  • Labor intensive, operator must continually remove wood from the saw mill.
  • Saw dust hides wood grade.
  • Won't cut hardwoods very well, like hickory and oak.
  • Blade cost run between 12 and 15 dollars per board foot.

Swing Saw Mills

  • Cost: New units cost from 10 to 15 thousand dollars
  • Production: Swing Mills are capable of producing 1,500 to 3,000 board feet each day.

ADVANTAGES:

  • A swing mill typically offers a slabbing unit. That’s essentially a chain saw bar which cuts slabs.
  • Capable of edging your lumber prior to making a final cut.
  • Cost of a blade is low.
  • Sharpening can usually be done right on the mill.
  • The mill, if need be, can be placed over the top of a log.
  • Wood can be cut where it lays.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • More saw dust and less lumber
  • You cannot easily turn logs
  • The size of beams and boards which can be sawn is limited.

This is not a complete list of lumber saw mills available, but should help in determining the saw mill best suited for the job at hand.