# Portable sawmills providing service...



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 29, 2016)

No, not me, I was just curious about this and I'm rather thinking out loud. I did see the forum for services offered and saw a few folks who offer portable milling services in their own home areas. I was curious if it's common for those with portable mills to offer on-sight milling and to settle for a percentage of the milled lumber. 

I'm a budding woodworking hobbyist. I honestly don't have much time for it, but presume when I retire that I may start carving duck decoys, building turkey calls and flintlock rifles and even possibly building some furniture with a greater regularity. I have a nice woodlot filled with assorted northern hardwoods, but I've never made a habit of taking trees off. I frequently look at this tree or that tree and think that I'd like to set some lumber back from them, but I don't have the equipment to be hauling a lot of logs and most of the local sawmills aren't too excited about doing such small jobs, not to mention that I don't really want to invest a lot of money given my limited time and abilities.

For instance, I have a large ash that I know I should take before the borers get it. I have a few large and nice looking hickory logs as well as red and white oak, soft and hard maple, cherry, basswood, beech, birch, white pine, hemlock, etc. etc.. I'm hopeful that I may one day find a decent curly maple (I did find one dead, but it was mostly too far gone to salvage much). Anyway, just curious if guys with portable mills are often interested in providing services for a percentage of the take, what that percentage might be and if any of them are local to me (north central Pennsylvania).


----------



## David Van Asperen (Aug 30, 2016)

I would be interested in milling on the percentage for certain. Percentage would probably depend on such things as: how many logs to be milled at one time, how much of the labor of loading etc needed to b done by me , the type of wood and how badly I wanted ( needed ) it. I just started this milling addition and I do not own a woodlot so I mill urban logs and have a love for all types of lumber. Hope you find someone local that will work with you -----or I need to plan an extended vacation to Pa.
Dave


----------



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 30, 2016)

Come on out Dave. We'd pick through the forest and have some fun. Thanks for the response, it's what I was hoping for. I can't imagine why someone wouldn't be interested in working on a percentage basis if they had the time, but I've never done any sawmill work and I know that each individual has their own ideas about such things.


----------



## Dennis Ford (Aug 30, 2016)

I would be surprised if you find someone willing to fall and buck a few trees, move the logs to a clearing, saw them up and share the wood. If you have the logs stacked up ready to cut, that is a whole different story.

Reactions: Agree 3


----------



## Schroedc (Aug 30, 2016)

I'm not close enough to you but I do some milling for a percentage around here and for me, Rule 1- Logs ready to go and the owner has to help load the mill and pull and stack lumber. 

I'll also usually charge something for blades. The biggest issues with milling just for a cut, Do I need/want the lumber? Will the lumber compensate should something go drastically wrong on the mill? (If I have to buy a motor I'm out a bunch of cash ) 

You're probably going to be looking for a guy like Dave or Myself that has the mill as a hobby more than as a money maker.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 30, 2016)

Great info Schroedc. I hope when and if the time comes that I can find someone like you around here. Personally, not only would I help load logs, stack lumber, etc. but I think I'd really enjoy doing it. I'd much rather have my own mill, but other than a portable chainsaw mill, it's probably not going to happen anytime soon. Assuming that the lumber was good hardwood (I'd likely be doing hickory, cherry, red or white oak, hard or soft maple or maybe some basswood) and assuming it was decent straight logs in the 15-20" range, what sort of percentage do you suppose you'd be looking for on most jobs (and obviously I can't and won't hold you to it since you're not coming here to work for me anyway)?


----------



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 30, 2016)

Dennis, on my end I'd likely be interested in doing it as you suggest, where I cut, drag and relocate the logs and the sawyer only has to move his mill in, load the logs onto the mill (I'd help) and cut them up (then I'd help stack).

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Ralph Muhs (Aug 30, 2016)

I would do it. Someone else's logs. 50/50. 50 percent of the cost: fuel, blades, chain saw chains, 50 percent of the labor. But it would have to be close by. Oh and the kind and quality of the logs would be critical.


----------



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 30, 2016)

Thanks Ralph, that's what I'd be looking for.


----------



## woodtickgreg (Aug 30, 2016)

I chain saw mill and I have done jobs for people for a cut. I am always looking for wood (except pine). If the person that has the log will help me mill it by pulling the boards off and help stacking it then I usually do it for half the lumber. You provide the log, I mill it, we split it. Like Dennis said, wood type is important. I have felled tree's for people too, the cool thing about a chainsaw mill is you don't have to move the log, you can mill it where it lays. But you better be in shape to run a chainsaw mill, it is very physically demanding, trust me when I say that by the end of a milling day you are whupped.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------



## David Van Asperen (Aug 30, 2016)

@Bill Ragosta I would love to kick about in the woods I find that sort of outing is the most fun and relaxing activity. I love to see different part of the great land and the woods that are in these different areas are so vastly different from state to state. Milling is a fun and addictive hobby for me, started with a chain saw mill and found that it was quite demanding on this old man's body , but it was so rewarding that I just had to find a way to be able to mill. That is when the band saw mill happened. A life long dream come true.
Hope you find someone that is willing to work with you on this deal. If I ever get out that way I for sure would like to shoot the bull and kick about in those woods of yours.Dave

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Bill Ragosta (Aug 31, 2016)

I'll be here Dave. I agree with you. I find myself in the woods for any number of reasons. It seems that the older I get, the more inclined I am to go hunting on the farm, but I end up just wandering around looking at trees and thinking about the lumber that they might provide or their history.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## justallan (Aug 31, 2016)

I have folks that bring the logs to me to saw and they help load and offbear. I'm good with cash, trades or working on a percentage, generally halves. When I work on a percentage you pick a log, I pick a log, you pick a log, etc. If it is only a couple logs I do the same with the boards sawn, it's the only way to get a square deal.
For me to travel to saw logs it would have to be better than 50/50 or some darned nice trees and I would have to want them pretty bad at that. Also it would require a full days work, the customer having everything prepped and staged already and me showing up a day or so beforehand to make darned sure everything is how I want it and ready to go. That pre-visit from me would help both parties involved greatly and would definitely help your outcome and any chance of seeing me again.
I've had people wanting enough wood to side a shed out of three 16" diameter logs 6' long. I've had people bring "prepped" logs with fencing wire and other junk sticking out of them. I've had someone with one 16" log and he wanted three 4" slabs and wanted to give me the rest for my pay.
My point is to be as clear as you possibly can and to write a contract stating what each of you are responsible for. If you do that you both can have a great day and end up with some nice wood.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Great Post 3 | Informative 2


----------

