Want to buy a sawmill - Talk me out of it!

[2LaneCruzer]

I have a couple of big projects coming up, 2 shed builds and a sizable addition on our house plus a few other projects I would like to do down the line. My wife wants a lot of wood accent in our house addition and I want to add a "timber frame" covered deck off the back once we are done with the addition. I am VERY tempted to pull the trigger on a sawmill to mill a lot of this lumber myself. I am leaning towards a Woodland Mill HM126 at about $4200 shipped with a bed extension. Seems like it could pay for itself in short order.

Yes I understand a manual mill is not fast and it is LOTS of work. But I have the space, I have the trees, I have a tractor, I have the money, I am only 49 and in good shape. Honestly, the only thing I DON'T have is tons of free time. But the way I look at it is if I set this mill up well I can go over there and saw a log or 3 per week, blow off some steam and have some nice lumber for my projects.

I have wanted a mill for a long time. I have a friend with a nice Woodmizer hydraulic mill about a mile down the road from me but we can never seem to make time to mill my wood, so I have pretty much given up on that. Which is why I want my own mill so I can just do it for myself.

The way I look at it is if I do not use it enough or I run out of projects to use it on I sell it for a small loss, but still come out ahead in the long run. This is something I have always wanted to try seems like now might be the time.

It'll keep you busy the rest of your life, if you enjoy it.
There is a sawmill in Guthrie, that was owned by an older gentleman (now owned by his grandson), where I have bought a lot of wood. He was retired, but really enjoyed the sawmill. He said it cost him a new Lincoln...to appease his wife...but it was worth it.

He got a lot of his wood by going halves with customers who had the trees.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm not sure why someone would need to plane lumber for an outbuilding. I've built several right off the mill, including my deer blind,

It's basically post and beam, with board and batten siding, I find the windows along the road cheeep or free.

It's worked out perfectly...

SR

 

[D&D]

I don't plan on using it for residential construction.

But that is the TBN spirit!! You made me doubt myself, for a second!

Guess I read it wrong.

I have a couple of big projects coming up, 2 shed builds and a sizable addition on our house plus a few other projects I would like to do down the line. My wife wants a lot of wood accent in our house addition and I want to add a "timber frame" covered deck off the back once we are done with the addition. I am VERY tempted to pull the trigger on a sawmill to mill a lot of this lumber myself

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Guess I read it wrong.

I am not sure how you read it. But I do not plan on using this for structural framing lumber for my addition. Trim wood, accent wood, faux beams, shutters, maybe some tongue and groove ceiling wood. More than likely I will buy the wood for the majority of the backyard shed build as well.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I'm not sure why someone would need to plane lumber for an outbuilding. I've built several right off the mill, including my deer blind,

It's basically post and beam, with board and batten siding, I find the windows along the road cheeep or free.

It's worked out perfectly...

SR

That is perfection!!

 

[plowhog]

Trim wood, accent wood, faux beams, shutters, maybe some tongue and groove ceiling wood. More than likely I will buy the wood for the majority of the backyard shed build as well.

There is a lot of commentary here focused on "practical" applications or choices about a sawmill. Of course.

But my greatest satisfaction with owning a sawmill is not really connected to the realm of "practical." It is instead the satisfaction of harvesting trees that would otherwise be wasted into something of value. And secondary satisfaction from building things from a log that came from my property. (So far, small projects like porch planters, etc but larger projects such as a kiln are coming.)

Visitors to my home have positively commented on my custom made cedar porch planters. When I tell them it came from a log on my property, many of them are amazed.

 

[ponytug]

@HawkinsHollow You might look up construction techniques for using green lumber. Many moons ago, I read a book on how to do it so that has the wood dries, the construction keeps the boards square and yet allows for the shrinkage. Board and batten, like @Sawyer Rob's blind above is one way.

It might speed/slimpify some of the construction for your outbuildings.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jonsstihl]

I just bought a hm130max to mill some lumber for a gazebo type cover for our spa. You got it right though it is the time that is hard to find. between assembling the mill and milling lumber I missed the weather window for actually building the structure. But I am the type of person that will enjoy being able to tell people that I made everything on that structure except the tin roof and the screws that hold it together.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That is perfection!!

Thanks... It's 6' by 8' so two people can sit in it comfortably, or even use it for a small cabin and sleep in it. It's a heck of a lot better than the tents I use to stay in, hunting out in the Alaskan bush for weeks!

I used PT post in the ground, then milled dead white pines into post to build the frame,

Then covering it with board & batten siding. The roof is some good quality shingles that were given to me, that were left over from a shingling job.

That was in 2015, and since, I've shot 10 bucks and nearly as many does from that blind.

SR

 

[2manyrocks]

Traditional board and batten is specifically for using green sawmill type lumber because the gaps between the boards that increase due to shrinkage are covered by the battens. Plus, it does not have to be perfect in dimension. Fine Homebuilding magazine has details on the nailing patterns to use for installation and to allow for shrinkage.