# buying a mill



## hmmvbreaker (Mar 12, 2016)

I have been tossing around the idea of buying a mill for awhile now. It would be handy for sure. My current sawyer charges $.30/bdft which I find reasonable. The problem I run into is that the time I spend milling is time I wont be logging. I realize money can be made milling your own lumber for later sale. The question then is this. Would the money saved on sawyering fees outweigh the loss of productivity in logging? Any thoughts, opinions, or experience would be most appreciated. I would hate to buy a mill just to have it end up sitting idle. Thanks.


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## justallan (Mar 13, 2016)

I bought my first mill due to a fire we had here on the ranch. I was eager as all get out and it paid for itself FAST just sawing evenings and Sundays. I got my second mill about this time last year and the loan was paid off by August. Any more I may saw for 2-3 hours a week or 2-3 days a month, depends on what's going on and what folks need. It doesn't cost anything to sit and it keeps making money.
Depending on your situation logging, I would think you'd be in a position that a mill would pay for itself rather easily. Having access to some logs and the support equipment to move logs easily would give you a HUGE advantage.
Look at it this way, how many logs do you get sawn by someone else? I'm willing to bet you it easily takes you more time to get your logs to that person and then go pick up your wood than it takes them to saw them and then you have to pay them also. Just the travel time and loading and unloading TWICE cost you enough to justify buying a mill.
The big question is what size mill you are needing? I have a manual mill and it serves me great. If I went at this full time then I'd look at something with hydraulics.
I have an EZ Boardwalk Jr. made in your neck of the woods and love it. Check them out.


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## Tclem (Mar 13, 2016)

justallan said:


> I bought my first mill due to a fire we had here on the ranch. I was eager as all get out and it paid for itself FAST just sawing evenings and Sundays. I got my second mill about this time last year and the loan was paid off by August. Any more I may saw for 2-3 hours a week or 2-3 days a month, depends on what's going on and what folks need. It doesn't cost anything to sit and it keeps making money.
> Depending on your situation logging, I would think you'd be in a position that a mill would pay for itself rather easily. Having access to some logs and the support equipment to move logs easily would give you a HUGE advantage.
> Look at it this way, how many logs do you get sawn by someone else? I'm willing to bet you it easily takes you more time to get your logs to that person and then go pick up your wood than it takes them to saw them and then you have to pay them also. Just the travel time and loading and unloading TWICE cost you enough to justify buying a mill.
> The big question is what size mill you are needing? I have a manual mill and it serves me great. If I went at this full time then I'd look at something with hydraulics.
> I have an EZ Boardwalk Jr. made in your neck of the woods and love it. Check them out.


Good now go mill some red burl and get off the internet. People need wood man. People need wood

Reactions: Funny 4


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## hmmvbreaker (Mar 13, 2016)

Thanks Allan. I have been up to Emden and looked at their mills. I really like the angled blade feature. Gotta give credit to those Amish! At a starting point of $4300 for the junior it is rather affordable. As far as logging, the logs are usually sold as soon as they hit the ground. So hauling is one way as i dont get the lumber. 
When you say the loan on your mill was paid off in under a year, I am assuming this was done with revenue the mill generated? Also, in your experience, what is a reasonable bdft/hr to figure and have you figured any kind of cost per hr/ bdft? Please keep in mind also that these questions are most likely my way of convincing myself that I am getting too old for this logging bit.


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## justallan (Mar 13, 2016)

Tclem said:


> Good now go mill some red burl and get off the internet. People need wood man. People need wood


Tony, I got the truck all loaded, some water, sealer, saws, ETC.......Guess what, two dead batteries. Some dummy named Allan left the ignition on, OOPS!
The part that gets me is they are less than 2 months old, OUCH! I'll see if they will charge and try it next week.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Tclem (Mar 13, 2016)

justallan said:


> Tony, I got the truck all loaded, some water, sealer, saws, ETC.......Guess what, two dead batteries. Some dummy named Allan left the ignition on, OOPS!
> The part that gets me is they are less than 2 months old, OUCH! I'll see if they will charge and try it next week.


You big dummy.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## justallan (Mar 13, 2016)

hmmvbreaker said:


> Thanks Allan. I have been up to Emden and looked at their mills. I really like the angled blade feature. Gotta give credit to those Amish! At a starting point of $4300 for the junior it is rather affordable. As far as logging, the logs are usually sold as soon as they hit the ground. So hauling is one way as i dont get the lumber.
> When you say the loan on your mill was paid off in under a year, I am assuming this was done with revenue the mill generated? Also, in your experience, what is a reasonable bdft/hr to figure and have you figured any kind of cost per hr/ bdft? Please keep in mind also that these questions are most likely my way of convincing myself that I am getting too old for this logging bit.



John, I took a loan for the EZ JR. and within a day had sold my first mill and put that money towards the loan, then every penny I made went right to the bank until I got the loan paid off.
Since having the new mill I haven't sawn lumber consistently enough to figure a fair price on what I make per BF or hourly. When I had the little mill that I mounted on a trailer I could saw about 500 BF a day. That was by myself and going from standing trees to lumber that I hauled home and sticker stacked. When I was sawing utility poles I could get from 800 to 1,000 BF by myself in a day, but it took the whole day to do it.
I'd research the heck out of whatever you are thinking of getting and if at all possible find a few mills in the size range that you are looking at and go check them out. You may get a chance to run one a bit. Come to the BBQ and you can run mine some, granted we're only saw burls and maybe a couple actual logs.
I've worked in the log woods, log mills and planer mills when I was younger and while this is much less physically demanding than running a chainsaw all day, it is for darned sure still some serious work and especially if you work alone and make a day of it.
Hopefully some of the guys that saw more than the little that I do will jump in and give you some pointers, but feel free to ask anything you want and I'll do my best with answers for you.


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## David Van Asperen (Mar 13, 2016)

I got the EZ Boardwalk 40. What little I have used it , it seems to work great. Now--- I never intended to do a lot of milling , but really love to make my own boards.
Many here mill tons more per month than I will in my life. There not many if any band saw mills in my area and I am getting a little too soft to use the chain saw mill
That was my justification plus I was able to find a partner that was willing to go in half and he has the support equipment that is needed
A band saw mill ( for me ) is the fulfillment of a dream that I have had since ---well let's just say a very long time. I can not put a price on the satisfaction of the milling , but the value to me is huge
Dave
PS I do not work as hard as Allan does

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 1


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## hmmvbreaker (Mar 14, 2016)

Thanks guys. I would love to have my own mill and the numbers i have run say there is at least modest money in it. Right now I average $4k/month logging. Not getting rich but it pays the bills. If running a mill poses a significant decrease, if even for a year or two, I would like to be prepared. I dont like surprises. Especially when they have big, nasty, pointy teeth.
@justallan I would love to attend the bbq, but i expect i will be working by then. Boss says harvest will be 3 full weeks early this year. If I get the chance though you bet!

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## justallan (Mar 14, 2016)

David Van Asperen said:


> PS I do not work as hard as Allan does


The difference is that you have a partner in it with you, so you probably get 3 times as much done.


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## justallan (Mar 14, 2016)

@hmmvbreaker, these mills are pretty darned easy to run and if a guy is using it right, not taking to many shortcuts on clamping and continuously paying attention, they are plenty safe.
They become unsafe when maintenance and common sense get left behind. I will say again though, try to spend a little time running one or at least watching one get run in a real life situation, not a demo by the sales rep. Then you can more easily answer you questions on footage and hours. Make a list of questions to take with you, because you'll forget what to ask when you get there.
And again, if you have any further question please free to ask.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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