Adam,

Interesting that you bring this up now. My wife, son and I have been researching for a few weeks now and have come to much the same conclusion that you have. The band mills caught our attention first - we thought the circular mills seemed a bit wimpy - but after going on location with owners of each, we're pretty much into the Peterson. Spent Saturday a.m. watching the Peterson breeze through some pine. The only trouble was running out of gas in the middle of a cut, and allowing the center post to drop a bit (didn't tighten it into place). It goes through the wood a lot faster than the band mills do. My impression is that if you use one for your log home, everyone around will start wanting you to do "just a little" cutting for them. You could have a good little side (or primary) business going without much effort.

Mike D

I may have inserted a little confusion in my last post.
So how can I build a mill for $1,500 wth a $2,300 engine?
With the help of this group! Someone referenced Craig's
list. I found the new, never run engine for $754. Thanks
to all for the reference!

Should have also mentioned that if you are cutting cabinet,
furniture, or instrument grade then you would want to use
a bandsaw mill. If the wood is cheap or free, then a saw
with a wider kerf will work just fine.
-Rick

Hi Adam,

I was able to get almost everything at salvage. This is a portable
mill, and I am working off photographs from the Procut website.
I did find a much better way to do this. I've looked around. So
far the best chainsaw mill I have come across is from Procut.
You can do what I did and save several hundred dollars and in the
place of that money spend a couple hundred hours of labor. Or...
just buy the plans from Procut. The plans are pretty cheap, and
one customer actually built a procut mill from scratch in about 18 1/2
hours. Of course, your mileage may vary. The thought of a high
horse power, quiet four stroke with pulleys to increase the chain speed
is much more appealing to me than a screaming chainsaw. My
option has increased my costs by about $900. I could have built the
mill with salvage parts, license, and title for about $600.

I do have the plans for a bandsaw mill and if there were no plans
for that nice Procut mill, then the bandsaw mill is the way I would go.
The bandsaw mill plans are for sale for $25, but I would really
advise buying the plans from Procut.

Also, want to publicly say thanks to Grafikfeat for the help with
my avatar. This is our engagement photo. We just had or 23rd
anniversary. No new photo of me. Time and gravity have given
me a face for radio. =:-O

-Rick

I own and operate a lucas mill. the question is dependent on what size lumber you want from your mill.The mill I use has a 6 inch capability. it is possible to mill larger lumber but it requires more work. the lucas mill cuts the width with one pass and the edge cut on the returning pass. The peterson mill is capable of cutting the width using both passes witch enables you to cut twice the blade size, thus a six inch blade can cut 12 inches. I have a few friends who own band mills and the only advantage I can see is if you are interested in cutting slabs. as far as loading is concerned. using the lucas mill it is easier to bring your lumber to bring you logs to the mill, if you have many to mill. My mill is set up permanently I use bunk logs or beam to load logs they lay under the mill so i can role the logs under the mill, it is easy. I put a wedge stop in the center so I dont have to center or level each log. If you live in the northwest there are logging shows fairly often and most of the mill builders bring their mills to demonstate, a great opportunity to see them at work and witness there drawbacks. www.baileys-online.com is a dealer for lucas mills and would be able to tell you where one of these shows is located. I am sure they are back east also. If you attend one of these shows you can compare peterson and lucas. they are very similar the difference being under the cutting head the lucas has some metal opposite the cutting side of the blade. I know of at least one person who removed these on his lucas mill so he could opperate the same as a peterson. cutting the width of the board using both passes to cut. This is not recomended by the manufacturer but can be done. I love my lucas. the other thought is unless you want to go in the lumber buisness most owners of these mills will cut your lumber for half or if they know what dimentions you want they can cut it and sell :?: it to you, as thats what they do with thier half of someone elses order. i paid $6,000 for my mill used. unless your like me and love turning trees to lumber i would recomend a trip to your local saw shop and loggers supply and find out who already owns one in your area. There is no free lumber only lees exspensive. GOOD LUCK FRIEND!

Sound advice. Gotta love the LHBANA. I guess I'll be doing more research. The hard part about being patient for me right now is the trees are just waiting. I've got three people that have said I can come cut their trees when I'm ready. Around here alot of people have big pines in their backyards and they get tired of picking up pinecones and straw. Most of the time they pay someone to come and cut them in to pieces and haul them off! They do the same thing around construction developments, come in with bulldozers, pushem' over, cut them up and haul to the dump. Also, our property is in an area that is prime commercial timber country. I watch the log trucks roll by all day long no lie, and every time I see one I wish I had a mill.

Alright enough about me, just wanted to say thanks again and if anyone else has anything to add to this thread pleeeease do, it could help me or someone else make a decision.

AdamSC Member since 4/04

It seems to me that you would want a bandmill with a 12" circular cutter in the vertical position. Maybe two 12" circular cutters spaced at 10" apart.

When cutting the rafters from the logs do you have to let the milled wood shrink before you use it. This is if your not seasoning the logs before you cut the lumber from it. Is that important?

hi adam,
i am a new member here on the forums.
here is a really good link to check out on portable sawmills.
http://www.portasaw.com/Links.htm

i have been leaning towards the procut plans for a while now. if you build your own mill, you have complete control over the options you choose to add and any modifications you wish to make. you can make it as simple, or as complicated as you like. (all the bells and whistles).

circular, band and chainsaw mills all have their pro's and con's of course. bands are expensive. one nail in a log and your changing blades. also, i am told they tend to wander a bit with the narrow width blades. the wider blades are more stable. (and more expensive)
circular saws can get expensive too with professional sharpening and carbide denture replacements. they require a bit more H.P. too, especially with any pitch that starts to build up.

chainsaws are loud and obnoxiouse kerf hogs. however, hit a nail and your back in buisness a short while later. a battery operated sharpener makes quick work of that. bulk chain on rolls is reasonable too. a cheap tool is available so you can make up a few chains to keep on hand while out in the woods for convienience as well. there are also many configuatins of chain for diffrent applications. it dont get much easier than changing a chain for whatever reason. for portability and affordability, there is no equal.
if you have not done so already, take a look at the logosol mill from sweden. it is a chainsaw mill, but they also offer the power head in single phase and 3-phase electric if the gas powerplants voice is an issue. if i choose to not build my own, this is the one i'll own.
hope this helps a bit.

Intransit

(build it yourself, imagination and options are in your control) 8)

Just got back in town. Spent close to two weeks working on the new
place. The neighbor has a Lucas Mill temporarily set-up on his property.
After having used a Lucas, and now taking a close look at his mill I can
only say I'm pleased with having bought the plans for the Procut. Just
not sold on the Lucas, and the price is way up there. I do like the
larger WoodMizers, but the cost is astronomical, and the bandsaw mills
also have their drawbacks. Of course, they do make different types
of mills since people have their preferences. Best to try before you
buy.
-Rick

OH NO! Saw mill fever! and I thought I was cured. Thanks alot Rick!
Sparky

Yeah, I did it....

And I just went through the ten step SA (sawmillers anonymous) program.
Worse yet, my mill is at a friends house. He's going to drop a few trees and
then we'll be right back in our addiction...sawing all day, sleeping hard at
night and loving every minute of it!

-Rick

With all the research I did before buying a mill, I'd never heard of a Lucas.

If I was in the business of sawmilling, I'd look at one.

However, for my purpose, the Logosol M7 is still the way to go. (IMHO).

I was going to build a procut, and if you're handy, then it's a great option. But if your skill with metal and welding is like mine (terrible) and you don't have the time to lean, then I highly recomend the Logosol. My father-in-law, who has worked in sawmills for the last 30 years and has operated a bunch of really big band mills, loves it to.

In terms of small scale lumber production, Logosol v.s Small band mill (if you compare all factors), there's no comparison. Logosol runs right over all of them.

Oh, and if you've got BIIIIG logs (think 60" plus), Logosol can cut 'em all.

One small mill owner's 2 cents.

Jason.

It works great.

As I said, if I was about production (as in the business of sawmilling) I certainly would look hard at different options. Though I saw video of a mill operation in Russia, (or somewhere) that had 16 Logosol M7's. 8 worked in the field, 8 were stationary at a fixed site. They did some crazy high production, with start up $$$ far below what a large bandmill would cost, plus a lot greater flexibility. Also, if they had a mill down for repairs, then they only lost 16th production capacity, not 100%.

A bunch of guys on the Logosol forums have their rigs jacked up for maximum performance (using all kinds of tricks to get more speed out of them) and they acheive some crazy cutting rates.

For me though, the big thing is quality. As long as I do my part in maintaining the mill (read: sharpening the chain) I can cut perfect lumber, everytime. I see terrible lumber at lumber yards sawn on bandmills. What a waste of trees. I never get wavy lumber.

I usually pressure wash my logs before I cut them, especially spring cut logs, when the mud is bad. Keeps the chain sharp a lot longer.

As for waste (band vs chainsaw), well I really have very little. Yes my kerf is bigger, but I ususally do a few things that most band mill operators can't and match production over a period of time.

1. Since I am after quality, I take the time to get the most out of my log. My slabs are as thin as possible to minimize waste.
2. If I am after a specific dimension, I can cut it almost exactly the size I want (taking into account the shrinkage factor of the species I'm cutting at the time. The cut is so smooth and the lumber so true, I only have to touch it with a planer for a finished product (dress @ 1/32 for each side). For matching dimesional building lumber, I don't even bother, just size 1/16 over (for spruce) and by the time it dries, it's exact. I don't need to saw a 2x4 and plane 1/2" off.
3. Any sawdust I use for the farm. Any slab I burn for firewood. I can almost use 100% of everything.

It sure beats buying lumber.

That's an interesting idea Rod. I've thought about using a 20hp vertical shaft kohler for the powerplant on the procut sawmill. I have a 268xp Husky that I could use- I only plan to shave off a 2" wide strip off the logs to use as beams and I'm sure the husky would do that. I plan to build a full 40' mill, so I can cut beams as long as I'll need, and be able to do contract full length beams for others later. That bar you speak of might be a good idea for the husky(268) though.

Rod, instead of a golf cart motor, find an old Honda CR250 dirt bike motor, they already have a tranny, and they can put up some big horsepower, and they are super easy to rebuild, (if you get a two stroke)

Did you get your mill finished?I have been trying for sometime to try and figure out how to use a vertical gas engine as you did for your procut mill.Is there a chance to get some drawings of how you did that and a short description how you powered a chainsaw chain with a vertical gas engine.Thanks for the reply in advance.

We made some 8x 12 x 25 foot long on our 20 foot Lucas mill, by milling most of it then sliding the log. Not the fastest but it go the job done.

You must like pain.

But don't let that discourage you. ;-)

The code people (sic) might have a problem with them...

maybe...

I have an adze and tried to hew the side of a log flat but am not too good at it. I'd rather use a mill. It can be done though I personally would need a lot of practice first.

They stole the motor?!?!?!

What was the original connection between engine and saw?

Honestly Rod I can't remmember.
My brothers FIL bought it 3 yrs ago for $13000, had it a month and someone came in through the back of the property and took the engine. They would have taken the whole D@#% thing if it had wheels. Pretty sure it was the nieghbor but can't prove it, but that was the only access.

Tanderson, I am armed for one, (one on each side..) sorry..he he, really I carry a Sig Saur 45, and went out of my way to lets my nieghbors know I don't have time for BS. I never let anyone know my schedule , except family if I go out alone. and I never keep a routine. I think storage/frieght containers would be a good deterant, but locks are mostly to keep out honest folk.

I'm all for Texas allowing gunfire towards theft of personal property. Crime is reduced when a thief is thinking twice that there's a good chance he could get his butt shot off if he made an attempt. Respect other's property, and no one has anything to fear.

Anywho, I'm sure a tractor could be modded to work the saw. Either via the PTO and a custom driveshaft, or by the old flat-belt method if you have an older tractor. Necessity is the Mother of invention. ;-)

(tip of the day- Engrave, emboss, stamp, or otherwise permanently mark your equipment with a serial number or your name in a hidden location, and record those numbers. At least then, if it was the neighbor who has your stuff, you can prove to the police it's yours)

I have hand hewn components for log buildings when a mill was not handy. While the concept is "pioneering" and radiates self-sufficiency, I think I could have gone to MacDonald's and worked half the hours I put in with an adz and a chainsaw to pay to have the logs just milled. It depends on your location also and like anything else the value of your time or opportunity cost.
There is something cool in saying " I hand-hewed them timbers myself, however without a mill particular attention must be paid to keeping the timbers straight and even,,,, not an easy task.

never store the mouthwash by the windex,

Mikey class of 1987