Wildly newby questions!!

[Mad Professor]

Yes, mainly looking at a Bandsaw mill, wouldn't even consider a chainsaw mill..

My logosol sawmill produces lumber as true and smooth as a bandsaw mill

 

[A.O.]

My logosol sawmill produces lumber as true and smooth as a bandsaw mill

And that could be, but still not what I'm looking for..

 

[Franny K]

I consider a store bought 2x4 to be 1 5/8 by 3 5/8. by the time you get to a 2x12 they are 1 5/8 by 11 1/4 or so. I do not saw your species and the shrinkage is supposed to differ if it is flat sawn or cut in a radial section by the literature. Lately I have gone to 1 3/4 by 3 3/4, the 3 5/8 was shrinking to below 3 1/2.

There is deflection in the part of the log not removed with the last board. This increases the more cuts one makes on one side without flipping over. Often folks rotate 1/4 turn at a time, that is a choice you will have to make. This by itself will make some variation in some of your boards. Assuming you do not make a skim cut rather often. One can place the boards back on the sawmill and trim a bunch of them straight on one side then flip and do the other to be pretty close to perfect in the 3 5/8 dimension. There are belt drive attachments that could be used under the band blade to fix the other direction but otherwise probably would have to just live with what you get. One probably would have to take the better more uniform ones for plates if all the studs are to be cut the same.

 

[bayard]

the least you will spend is 3500$ to your door.thats for a hobby mill.

 

[paco_06]

Best bet is finding a sawmill near you or portable mill to come to you. Next is buying a used 10-15 year old hydraulic mill, skip the manual mills all together. It's a lot of work just stacking lumber, so turning by hand is a nightmare. You'll get the best lumber out of the logs that are hard to turn by hand. You can always sell some to help pay for the mill. You can make good money selling for half the price of a box store.

Pine logs make better lumber after they've set a couple months, no need in painting the ends of pine, that's a hardwood thing. Air stack the lumber as neatly as possible, you'll end up with straighter boards that way. Although I've always had great luck with using lumber straight off the mill. No need in a 2x being any thicker than 1 1/2" thick, you'll have to buy longer nails if so. Think of it this way there's the same amount of lumber in a store sized 2x6 as there is in a full 2x4.

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[Ax-man]

First I would like to say good luck and happy milling to the O.P.

I don't know if this helps or not but I think I read somewhere that the big lumber mills cut the lumber at a full 2x4 and then it goes in the kiln where it shrinks down to approx. 1/1/2" x 3/1/2 ". Anyone who has built anything knows that not all 2"x4" are created equal. If they plane fresh dried lumber that is news to me. I won't buy box store lumber . We have a small family owned construction company that still has a lumber yard that sells better stuff than the box stores . All or most of their boards and studs have a blue coating on the ends that I am assuming this is some type of sealant like Anchor Seal to prevent checking. Not 100% on this.

Sounds like an ambitious project going on here . I kind of envy the O.P and would like to have a small band mill also but I would try to find someone who has been down this road to see what the pro's and con's are to having a mill verses buying the lumber. The manufactures don't show the downside to owning a mill which I am sure there are some like dulling blades , uneven dimensions from cutting hard or soft spots in a tree, parts wearing out, a lot of manual labor, turning logs and stacking boards and drying wood which is why I keep talking myself out of one.

Again , good luck on your project.

 

[A.O.]

First I would like to say good luck and happy milling to the O.P.

I don't know if this helps or not but I think I read somewhere that the big lumber mills cut the lumber at a full 2x4 and then it goes in the kiln where it shrinks down to approx. 1/1/2" x 3/1/2 ". Anyone who has built anything knows that not all 2"x4" are created equal. If they plane fresh dried lumber that is news to me. I won't buy box store lumber . We have a small family owned construction company that still has a lumber yard that sells better stuff than the box stores . All or most of their boards and studs have a blue coating on the ends that I am assuming this is some type of sealant like Anchor Seal to prevent checking. Not 100% on this.

Sounds like an ambitious project going on here . I kind of envy the O.P and would like to have a small band mill also but I would try to find someone who has been down this road to see what the pro's and con's are to having a mill verses buying the lumber. The manufactures don't show the downside to owning a mill which I am sure there are some like dulling blades , uneven dimensions from cutting hard or soft spots in a tree, parts wearing out, a lot of manual labor, turning logs and stacking boards and drying wood which is why I keep talking myself out of one.

Again , good luck on your project.

OP here. Thanks with the good luck...

I agree with hearing big mills cut it to 2x4 and it shrinks to size. We have a little lumber yard here in town, not a giant selection but their lumber is always better than those box stores, I get my materials there when I can. And this will be more of a past time than an ambitious project... I hope!!
I have an almost unlimited stand of trees, some extra time on my hands, some equipment to move stuff around, and been in construction most of my life so I have a little background with all this so I'm hoping for the best.

Where in NE Illinois are you, I grew up in Geneva, about 35 miles west of Chicago.

How many saws do you have?? ;-)

 

[paco_06]

Pine doesn't shrink that much. Pine 2x4 will only shrink 1/32" to 1/16" in most cases. 2x fine dimensions have changed over the years, if you ask me, it's from big mills trying to make more money actually I think it went from true 2" to 1-3/4" simply from mills going from sawing the dimensions to being lazy and cheap and just moving the head two inches. Most circle mills have a 1/4" kerf, so moving 2" at a time left it 1-3/4. Then years later drying and planing became the normal with the fast growth timber. Really the only way to get a decent board out of fast growth stuff. You'd be amazed at how much better a slow growth, tight grain pine board is. Really no need to dry and plane, especially if cut when the sap is down. Any how, bigger the board the more it shrinks, that's why starting at a 2x8 the store dimensions go from 1/2" loss to a 3/4" loss.

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[Ax-man]

Merry Christmas

I live in a small town called Morris which is about 75 miles southwest from the loop or downtown Chicago. We are not that far from Joliet, about 20,25 miles.

As far as saws I still have about 40, mostly all Sthil's from 015's up to 088 with all the numbers in between except for an 090. I had more 10 years ago . I am a retired tree guy which is why I have so many.

Being a retired tree guy I have seen too much good wood becoming firewood which is why I have wanted a small band mill. I just never took the plunge because their was always other equipment that was more important to have and use other than a band sawmill. The only milling I have done is with chainsaws and a Granberg chainsaw mill attachment.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to milling but have done enough to know that it is a whole different ball game than say cutting trees down or making firewood to sell. I always thought I could make some extra money selling good specialty hardwood lumber, craft wood ect,ect that you can't find in a regular lumber yard, but it just never happened. The eye opener for me was the drying process that I was totally ignorant about. After doing some small scale milling I can see why it is so important to properly dry milled wood .

One thing I noticed about your project is that at least your trees are straight and pretty much uniform with easy access and not overly big which is a positive thing to me. I have no idea how yellow pine compares to other evergreens like White pine, Red pine , or Austrian pine, Spruce and the different types of Fir trees. I think yo will do OK.

 

[A.O.]

Merry Christmas

I live in a small town called Morris which is about 75 miles southwest from the loop or downtown Chicago. We are not that far from Joliet, about 20,25 miles.

As far as saws I still have about 40, mostly all Sthil's from 015's up to 088 with all the numbers in between except for an 090. I had more 10 years ago . I am a retired tree guy which is why I have so many.

Being a retired tree guy I have seen too much good wood becoming firewood which is why I have wanted a small band mill. I just never took the plunge because their was always other equipment that was more important to have and use other than a band sawmill. The only milling I have done is with chainsaws and a Granberg chainsaw mill attachment.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to milling but have done enough to know that it is a whole different ball game than say cutting trees down or making firewood to sell. I always thought I could make some extra money selling good specialty hardwood lumber, craft wood ect,ect that you can't find in a regular lumber yard, but it just never happened. The eye opener for me was the drying process that I was totally ignorant about. After doing some small scale milling I can see why it is so important to properly dry milled wood .

One thing I noticed about your project is that at least your trees are straight and pretty much uniform with easy access and not overly big which is a positive thing to me. I have no idea how yellow pine compares to other evergreens like White pine, Red pine , or Austrian pine, Spruce and the different types of Fir trees. I think yo will do OK.

I know where that is, We used to go out that way when we went fishing out in Braidwood many moons ago..

And I only asked about you saws, 'cause your signature said not to! ;-)

Most of my adult life I've been cutting trees for firewood for personal use, way too much work for me to do it for sale! ;-) So I have a whopping 3 saws right now, a little Echo 301 tophandle, a Stihl 029, and a Stihl MS362 for bigger stuff. And yes my trees were grown purposely for saw timber, had a lumber company come in a couple years ago and cut out a couple clearings, one about 7 acres for foodplots and hunting, and another one about half an acre for my shooting range. So yes my trees are straight and void of branches except at the top, and they line these fields so they are VERY easy to get to.
And I too have wanted a sawmill for years, and always something else needed more, or not enough straight trees, or not enough money... something always held me back. I'm hoping now all the stars are aligned and I have enough strength left that maybe this time it'll work.

 

[cantoo]

Just buy a Woodland Mills 130 and start sawing. You can always sell it for a couple of dollars loss later if you don't like it or want to upgrade. You'll figure out the rest as you go along. Use your 1st lumber for practice on the out buildings and by the time you have them done you will be good enough for better items. You likely won't be making much furniture with that pine anyway. Cut a bunch of that pine down and saw it up for siding or fencing, don't have to be real accurate for that but it will get you some practice and a few bucks in your pocket. Cut up some 6x6's for posts for pole barns and sell them. Again more practice and a few more bucks. Make a few fireplace mantles and again you will get some practice and the cracks from drying will give them some character. And you'll see how quickly it cracks too.
And don't ask me how many saws I have, my wife sometimes looks on here and she don't need to know.