And it was a 'free' (minus the Chiropractor bill.ahahahaa) log that fell out of a guy's yard that was going to the firewood pile.Īlso, we simply don't have that much large diameter timber around anymore. Took me 2 days to saw, but I got 1,000bdft of the nicest, clear, red oak lumber I ever saw. Did cut a BIG red oak once.40".had to chop some off with a chainsaw. I can cut twice the footage on smaller logs in the same time. Mine will cut 34", and I NEVER,EVER do it if I can help it.the effort required to handle logs that big, turn them on the mill, and so on, just isn't worth it to me. Everything after that is gravy ! Cut some good grade hardwoods for cabinets, doors, etc, and you could pay it off in a few days. When you consider even crappy framing lumber the big box stores sell will run 50-60 cents/bdft or more (and you can cut SO much better stuff yourself with just a little effort), all you'd need to cut is 3-4,000 bdft, maybe a week or two's work, and you've paid for the mill.
#Portable sawmill harbor freight manual#
The HF mill will probably cut in the 300-500bdft range per day, more due to everything on it being manual (blade up/down, carriage drive, etc) That ain't bad. An edger is nice, but you can edge your lumber easily on a bandmill by simply turning it up on edge and rip it.Ī small mill is one of the most valuable tools you'll have on a homestead IF you have timber, or can get somebody to bring/sell/give it to you (done all 3 also). I can cut 800-1,000bd feet in a day with it (depending on thickness).done it many times. It has paid for itself a dozen times over. I gave 15k for it in 1991 with a sharpening package. You can buy this mill, used, in the 7-9K range if you hunt a bit. I now own a Woodmizer LT40, (non-hydro) since 1991. I put an 8x10 x 36' main girder in my first barn, and built the whole barn using an Alaskan. The real advantage of them is you can saw up a log where it fell, and you can cut a beam 20-40' long if you have enough tree. The Alaskan is SLOW, noisey, slow (did I mention that ?) and a lot of work. This mill fits the niche between a chainsaw mounted Alaskan, and a larger, more automated mill like the Woodmizer type. Chinese made, I hate supporting the Chinese, but I know some parts at least for other mills are also imported? light frame (track) may need extra support structure. compared to making a home made unit, 1/2 day setup and you are sawing, compared to possibly weeks fabricating from scratch? simple made machine, should be able to be repaired without specialty parts. no part I can see that if it breaks can not be replaced with a U.S. the motor can be replaced later if needed. The bed length can be expanded later pretty easily. I can find no other mill withing $1000 of this price period! Most people can not afford to have that much tied up in a asset they may only use occasionally. That is a lot to spend for the occasional project. I guess I am just trying to be practical as far as what most people can actually afford. As far as the length, from the factory I think about 10' max, but a longer track is fairly easy to fabricate, so I do not see a big issue in expanding length as needed.
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What I am looking at with this is cedar house logs mainly. My neighbor has a nice band mill and edger, but he spent $60,000.00 on his setup.
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I have actually seen the woodmizers and they are nice mills, but not even in the ball park as far as pricing. I am having a hard time now seeing where I could get something similar any where near this price? So somebody talk me out of this? Or tell me about your experience if you have one of these or have seen one. I have run the numbers on materials and can not see where I can build one for this, even if I do all of the fabrication, which I do have the tools to do. Normal price is $2499.00, it is on sale now for $1999.00 and I have a 25% off coupon so that puts the price around $1500.00 with tax and shipping we are in the $1700.00 range it looks like. From the reviews I have read online, most are happy with the little mill and all agree it is not something you would start a business with, but is a good home use mill. I am looking at cutting mostly ERC and pine, with the occasional oak. However, this is a case of the price difference being such that I would not be buying a mill at all, at the prices I have seen for U.S. I have bought some tools through the years from Harbor Freight and they have been fine for the jobs I had. I am not big on Chinese stuff at all, BUT.