Sawmill

I know this seems like a stretch that someone might have one of these, but recently another member asked if anyone had the user manual for a low production PTO generator from the 1980’s. I happened to have the very same gen and the nonexistent manual for it.  Somehow fate has found a mechanism to concentrate the world population of people with exactly the same interests and it is this forum. 

Absolutely-assuming you have decent tree species to work with.  Since you have total control on the dimensions you can make anything you want.  I ran all the beams and a lot of the trim material (doug fir) for my place through my mill-the only reason I bought it.  You still have rough cut lumber and have to allow for shrinkage when drying.  We ended up just belt sanding most of the 4x stuff but ran the smaller sections through a Makita planner.

I also cut the trapezoidal sections of LVL for the kitchen counter back splash underlay on it and even a large tapered block of green ash for an anvil mount.  Those weird cuts take a little more time to set up but way less time than building them up from multiple pieces.

I have a Norwood Lumbermate 2000.  It's like the old jeeps - do I need it - no - but I do it because I love it. There's just something about turning a raw log into lumber and then a finished product.  With 24 ' of track I can mill a 20' log.  I usually leave the last 4' section off.  I've only ever used 20' and done 16' logs. The cant on the mill in the photos is 24" x 24" x 16'.  It's powered by a 20HP twin cylinder Honda.  It's manual - meaning I have to push the carriage along but I actually like that because I can "feel" what it's doing.  I have the trailering kit which makes it easy to haul back into the woods and I've added log levelers.  Yes, you can build a whole building as the pics show.  I have also milled live edge table tops and can even make almost a veneer cut.  I make 1/4" thick x 8" wide x 10' long basswood pieces that my son uses as spines in the surfboards he builds.  You can't buy that at the lumber store!

We decided to build a pavilion on a friends property.  All the trees were cut from there and I milled all of the lumber on site.   The center bent is a king post type and the ends are queens post type.  The are no metal fasteners - all done with mortise and tenon joints and secured with hardwood dowel pins.

I know you will have fun with your new sawmill.  Enjoy!!

-Barry

 

 

 

 

i have taken this course and recommend it to anyone interested in timber frame building.

Also, I like your handle.  The pavillion we built is our meeting place for the knot tyers club I'm in.  We are the Earl Hensel Chapter of the International Guild of Knot Tyers (IGKT) out of Birmingham, England. Most of us are retired Scoutmasters.  Anyway, most people probably don't know what a bight is! 

yeas, most do not know what a bight is. i have been around ropes all my life beginning with boating back in the 60's. kinda, sorta make my living at it now teaching work at height safety and rope access.

it has a double meaning as a combination of my wifes last name and mine.