The ultimate power tool...a sawmill

[Harry Thornton]

I was interested in a portable sawmill as a means of generating revenue on a part time basis. It seemed like a good idea on the surface because developers here in Atlanta have to do something with trees they cut down. I figured the tree guys would rather give it away than pay a dump fee. I asked around and got very little support for the idea. First, I learned that pine lumber can't be used in residential construction unless it is milled because it is not graded. Secondly, and more surprising to me, most of the hardwood would not be of adaquate quality to be used for furniture. I wonder how true the latter is. Anybody know?

[George Bledsoe]

Can't speak to the pine issue but I think the part about the hardwood is probably not true. Well at least it isn't true in my area, but I have never been to Atlanta so I am just guessing! I do know that when a tree is skillfully logged out with a tool as delicate as a DOZER it does tend to beat the snot out of them but I have gotten dozed trees that were quite usable. I look at the tree by a case by case basis.

All Wood id good but free wood is better :D

[lou sansone]

harry


poke around at woodweb.com in the sawing and drying forum.. you be able to get a good perspective on the viability of your business venture.

regards
lou

[Ian Abraham]

Hi Harry

Re the lumber quailty
What they are meaning is that even with good logs only a percentage of the wood will be sawn as 'FAS', there will be a big pile of 2nds and common stuff too. The ratios depend on the quality of the logs, and often urban logs are lower grade as they have grown in a more open location, not a managed forest. Of course you can make good furniture from low grade boards, it just takes a bit more cutting around defects. But you cant sell the low grade stuff for anything like the money the better grades bring. You still need to find markets for the low grade stuff.

The need for grading structural timber will vary from city to city, check exactly what the local rules are with your local building inspectors.

I run my own mill as a hobby, it's great fun and I've even sold a bit of wood. If you can find a small 2nd hand manual mill to learn on, build up a stash of drying timber and get some contacts you wont be out a big amount of cash. If you can see it working step up to a bigger mill. If it's not, you can still sell the mill and have a ten year supply of wood for your own use.:)
There is a lot to learn about logging, sawing, drying etc but it's a great hobby :D

ian

[Mike Holbrook]

I have been doing a little research on sawyers in the Atlanta area. I am very green but hear is what I think I have learned. I am in Alpharetta, North Metro Atlanta.

I think there is plenty of good wood around here. To sell the pine it would need to be kiln dried and graded which means you would need much more equipment and the ability to grade yourself or hire someone to grade. I tried to sell a large quantity of very good hardwood when we cleared about 1300 ft of road, a location for our home and some fields. No one would buy the hardwood as it was. I understand it is hard to sell logs and make money. Furniture manufacturers in North Carolina etc. will buy it but how are you going to get it there? Guys who can haul logs will take it for free or for a small fee and haul it to sell it. The haulers are use to getting it for free though and unless you know what grade the wood is, particularly whether or not you have large veneer quality logs, you don't even know what you have to sell.

Many sawyers take hardwood that they get cheap, for free, or are paid to haul off and mill it into rough lumber. The rough lumber can be air dried or kiln dried and sold for much more than logs. Woodworkers, like the people here, are use to taking un-dimensioned wood and turning it into a final product. They actually need that type lumber.

As I understand it, the problem breaks down into a marketing issue. If you are willing to develop local markets for the kind of wood you can produce you may be able to sell it at a good price. If you do not want to do that you can advertise your services as a sawyer and saw wood for other people. As mentioned above the woodweb forums cover this topic much more extensively than here.

[Scott Banbury]

Mike,

Take a look at my website at www.scottbanbury.com (http://www.scottbanbury.com)

If you want details as to how urban sawing works out, call me (the #'s on the site).