# newbie question



## golfer09 (Feb 3, 2016)

is there a good resource/book/videos for learning the basics of a sawmill and logging? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine just purchased 50 acres. He knows that I work with wood and said that if I wanted to take any damaged trees or trees that have fallen but still in good condition , I can have them. I just dont know how long I should wait to do any thing with the logs and all that. Total newbie question, I know. I know this isn't something thats easy but I think it would be good to give that wood another shot than wasting a way in on the ground.


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## JR Custom Calls (Feb 3, 2016)

@Kevin @gvwp @sprucegum


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## Kevin (Feb 3, 2016)

Here's a few links to start you off. 

This first link is a good loggin to lumber 101 and has more useful links at the end of the short article. 
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Processing_Trees_to_Lumber.html

Not so much about logging ans milling but you need to understand this end of it too IMO:
http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/econ/timberprices/answers.html

When I bought my Norwood mill in 2004 they included a sawmilling handbook that I found was excellent for the newbie. I can't ut my hands on it right now and can't remember the name of it but maybe it will come to me or someone else might remember the name. 

Kinda busy under the hood right now best I can do.


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## golfer09 (Feb 3, 2016)

thank you very much


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## sprucegum (Feb 4, 2016)

I would think your best bet would be to make a connection with someone local that has a mill and perhaps a tractor to bring the logs out of the woods with. If you find someone experienced he will know which trees are worth the trouble, perhaps if the wood is valuable enough it could be done on shares. On average run of the mill logs the landowner will receive something close to 1/3 of the value of the logs, but since you are just salvaging logs I would put the value much lower. I would think if you could end up with 15=20% of the lumber it would be a fair deal. If you are like most of us a couple hundred board feet will last quite a while. Fifty acers of woodland would justify owning a tractor and a small mill but I think you would be better off to start by using a LEM (local experienced man). Another one for the list.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## woodtickgreg (Feb 4, 2016)

Are you going to do this for yourself and your personal use or for selling the wood for profit?


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## golfer09 (Feb 4, 2016)

I would not be selling the lumber. I would use the lumber for making furniture. Well when I say furniture I mean table tops, bar tops, butcher block counters, chairs, benches. Or anything anyone wants


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## woodtickgreg (Feb 4, 2016)

golfer09 said:


> I would not be selling the lumber. I would use the lumber for making furniture. Well when I say furniture I mean table tops, bar tops, butcher block counters, chairs, benches. Or anything anyone wants


The reason that I asked is have you ever considered a grandberg alaskan chainsaw mill? Much cheaper to get into than buying a fullsize sawmill and highly portable. You can carry it to the log rather than have to move the log. And with the right powerhead you can saw very wide boards 2' to 3' wide or more at any thickness you want. It is very physically demanding work running a chain saw mill but also fun and very rewarding. I just thought I would mention it versus having to move logs that weigh thousands of pounds. And you could do it on your schedule and not someone elses. just another option to think about. I have a thread here called milling duckwood and there is a lot of pics in the thread showing the mill at work. @davduckman2010 and I milled a bunch of wood at his place, he saw what it could do too! Here's a couple links if your interested.
http://woodbarter.com/threads/milling-duckwood-day-1.8851/
http://woodbarter.com/threads/milling-daves-duckwood-spalted-giant.9360/

Reactions: Like 1


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## golfer09 (Feb 4, 2016)

thanks for the input, ill look into it and more. I appreciate it.


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## MarksCaribbeanWoodworks (Feb 4, 2016)

golfer09 said:


> is there a good resource/book/videos for learning the basics of a sawmill and logging? The reason I ask is that a friend of mine just purchased 50 acres. He knows that I work with wood and said that if I wanted to take any damaged trees or trees that have fallen but still in good condition , I can have them. I just dont know how long I should wait to do any thing with the logs and all that. Total newbie question, I know. I know this isn't something thats easy but I think it would be good to give that wood another shot than wasting a way in on the ground.



I am with WoodtickGreg on this one. The Alaskan mill from Granberg is reasonable money. I paid a lil over 200 for 36 inch mill which is more than enough for my needs in making cabinets, furniture etc. The other investment - if u don't own one - is a good chainsaw.

By good I mean very good. Do not skimp on the chainsaw part. ( needs repeating) Do not buy a cheap shitty chainsaw. You will spend more time pulling starter cord than cutting log. So go the very best you can get. For my money I stay with Husquavarna or Stihl - period. Just my opinion here and I know many will disagree but when you milling logs meson anything but a husquavarna or a Stihl is just "[email protected] special from your local hardware store.

Also Depending on wood you are going to cut will determine want you get as far as chainsaw. Harder the wood the meaner the saw.

Just as example I cut very hard mahogany so I have a Stihl ms461 with just shy 80cc engine and 36 inch blade on down. If I was cutting after wood I would recommend something smaller like a Sthil 362 or something comparable from husquavarna. Another factor with choosing a a saw and saw mill is the width of log u going to be cutting most of time. But if you can buy big saw because you can always put on smaller bar and still us 36 inch mill.

Using local fella is also a great idea, but if you are going to do this milling stuff more than one weekend then buy the gear.

Even with my set up I still use local guy for big rumps of tree because local guy has portable 60" band saw mill and I use local guy when I want to quarter saw something but this is because I just haven't gotten around to buying the extra adapter equipment for me set up. Plus local guy is cool woodchuck to hang out with

Most importantly when you work wth big lumber in the wood with a portable chainsaw mill. Please take a friend, take your time, think and plan each log and cut. This will not only avoid frustration later when you go to use the wood but will get you back home with you beautiful new timber all safe and sound

Reactions: Great Post 1


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## golfer09 (Feb 16, 2016)

thanks for the info


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## justallan (Feb 17, 2016)

I'd say take a real good look at how much wood you can use in any period of time, how much room you have to sticker/stack wood while it dries and how much time you want to put into sawing your own trees versus just working with a finished product.

Reactions: Agree 2


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