SAW MILL IMFORMATION
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Flat area is needed for set up and levelling of the sawmill, flat as possible.
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Dry ground is best for the work site.
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Mill is approximately 15 ft long and 7.5 feet wide. Truck is around 9feet wide.
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Space is needed for off bearing of waste and lumber stacking.
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A sawmill is designed to work off of organized log piles, Stacked logs in the 6-12 foot range are ideal. Longer logs can be cut with an extension.
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Stack logs in one area if possible, mill moving and set up slows down production
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Log moving service is available upon request as a separate service.
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Logs should be lifted or skidded, Dirt and sand covered logs destroy blades.
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Logs should be set up bark to bark with the trunk end facing the back end of the truck and trailer.
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Logs should be stacked on the passanger side of the truck and trailer, but loading is reversible.
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Help from small or large equipment is great for moving wood, logs or waste.
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Limbs and knots should be cut back as close to the log as possible.
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Knowledge of any metal or objects in the tree will help keep production moving. Charges will be applied for damaged blades.
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Help from the home owner is always appreciated and keeps things running smoothly. Heavy slabs and beams are nearly impossible to unload alone. Extra labour can be provided upon request.
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Freshly cut green wood must be stacked and stickered for drying. Having stickers ready, extra hands on deck and space for wood to dry saves on time and energy of restacking wood after milling.
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The max. size log that my mill can handle is 30" diameter and 12' long or 3000lbs. Logs are normally cut under 12' depending on customer preference.
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Small logs of walnut and cherry can be jigged to the front of the mill, please give a heads up on small logs so that I can come properly equipped.
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When the milling job is complete you will have your requested lumber, trimmings, slabs, saw dust and wood to be broken down into fire wood size chunks.
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Stickers for spacing of drying wood can be provided to you. Stickers must be dry or they will leave a stain on the final product. Most customers need a lot of stickers, please give me a heads up if you need them.
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Wood should be stacked to dry for approximately a year per inch of thickness depending on species. Your wood pile should be kept out of the sun and shielded from the rain to best of your ability.
Conventional or American stacking is great for traditional lumber because the sky is the limited and space is saved. Always start with blocks on the bottom to keep your wood off the ground. Overhangs and pole-barns are great sun and rain shelter. Weighting the pile helps to transfer load and keeps boards from warping.
Keeping blocking lined up as best possible minimizes wrapping and helps to transfer load. Sheet steel makes an excellent roof. Wrapping the stack in landscape cloth helps to keep the UV off the wood and prevent "case-harding" or sun dried outer layer.
This method is fairly simple and works well with live edge lumber. Simply stack the log the way it came apart. The outer cuts make an excellent water shed. Always keep drying lumber out of the sun. This stack was soon to be covered with landscape cloth. No Tarps!
Are used to space the wood for drying. They must be dry and no more than 24 inches apart.
Nothing is worse for the band-saw blades than rolling/dragging logs in gravel. The weight of the log and bark combine to trap rocks very well. Each stone hit is a destroyed blade. The small sand size rocks dull the blades fast.
Most metal is found at breast height in a tree. This is a plant hanger.
Nails can be put into a tree long ago. Black stains in the wood is a good indicator of metal.
Most metal is found at breast height in a tree. This is a plant hanger.
A burned Honey Locust Log reveals Many threaded rods and a broken bandsaw blade.