Frequently Asked Questions About Portable Sawmilling

A lot of people tend to ask the same questions so I think it's a good idea to answer the most common ones here. Hopefully, this will shed some light on the in's and out's of sawmilling with a bandmill.

• What is custom on-site sawing?

  My sawmill is a specialized portable log milling bandsaw which means with little or no site preparation I can bring the sawmill to you and custom saw the logs from where they lie. It uses on board hydraulics to manipulate the logs and produces high quality rough-sawn lumber to your specifications. You are not limited to lumber store availability – we will cut any sizes you want.

• How do you saw logs to lumber?

  We use a Woodmizer LT40 Super Hydraulic portable bandmill, which is an accurate and effective way to custom cut lumber, slabs, posts, beams and mantles, just to name a few. Woodmizer makes, in many sawyers' opinions, the best portable milling equipment available and their thin-kerf technology assures maximum yield from your raw logs. Woodmizer's attention to detail allows us to do the same, producing high quality finished product for you.

• How big a log can you saw?

  We can saw logs up to a diameter of 36 inches and a length of 21 feet. The head rig's throat will cut anything up to 24" across; larger than that requires several “pruning” cuts to begin with, until the large end and small end of the log are approximately equal and it will fit through the head of the bandsaw. If you have very large diameter logs, you may have to quarter them with a chain saw before placing them on the mill for further cutting.

• Will you cut a tree down in my yard for the lumber?

  No, but I can refer you to a reputable, licensed and insured falling contractor. I work with several and they are accustomed to the way I need the log pile stacked and staged prior to sawing. The trees need to be felled, de-limbed, cut to log length and staged in a level and accessible area for me to set up the portable sawmill. The ideal area is 20' x 50' with the center near level. If I need to level an area for the mill additional fees will be incurred.

• Do I need to provide a helper?

  Milling, especially when dealing with larger dimensional lumber, is usually a two man job. I always assume that you will be providing at least one helper to off-load lumber and help move logs, chainsaw when required, and whatever else is needed. However, I can provide that helper for a reasonable fee if notified in advance.

• What equipment does a helper need?

  Milling can be hazardous and it may be wet and muddy, so dress accordingly. You need to be prepared with proper personal protective equipment. Ear and eye protection are essential, as are good gloves and footwear, and if weather dictates, you may want rain gear. Earplugs or muffs can be used, according to your preference, along with good safety glasses. For gloves, I prefer the type that has a rubberized palm with a breathable back. Steel toed boots are a good idea too, but at minimum you need good non-slip footwear.

• Where do you get the logs to saw?

  Storm felled trees, lot clearing, forest thinning, and privately owned wood lots are just a few avenues which lead to the reclaimed trees we saw. I encourage everyone to call us prior to burning any logs. The wood will be salvaged and put to much better use as custom sawn lumber. We can even clean up the branches with our tractor's chipper attachment, returning that material to the land to help keep it fertile.

• Do you "share cut"?

  Share cutting basically means that either you do not need all the lumber from the logs being cut or you do not want to pay for the milling. So the sawyer will cut the logs and take a portion of the lumber to pay the salaries and expenses incurred throughout the job. This is not always cost effective for me as the expenses do add up quickly and the lumber will need to be transported, dried and stored before resale. Therefore I do not accept share cutting arrangements at this time.

• How much can I expect to pay?

  We charge by the board foot for custom milling, usually between $0.35 to $0.50 per board foot. Tractor services are available for $65 per hour. We also charge a small transport and setup fee for local jobs, and mileage and per diems may apply to long distance jobs. Taxes if applicable, are extra. We're always willing to negotiate rates and terms and encourage you to have an on-site visit in advance to help estimate costs, as well as to help you plan site preparation and answer any questions you may have. If you prefer to estimate costs and yields yourself, please feel free to use our online calculator to assist you.

• What is a board foot?

  A board foot is simply a cubic volume of wood, measuring the equivalent of 12 inches square by 1 inch thick (144 in³). So for example, a 10 foot long 2x6 contains 10 board feet of volume (2” x 6” x 12” = 144 in³ or1 bdft).

• How many board feet will my logs yield?

  You can calculate your finished product yield fairly accurately using our online calculator! Just input the diameter of the small end of the log and its length, and the calculator will do the math for you. We suggest you base your estimates on the International scale. You can also refer to our Log Volume Table, provided in a printable PDF format. You will need the free Adobe PDF Reader to view it.

• Is it the same price for all lumber dimensions?

  The answer to this is, “nearly”. Although we usually charge by the board foot, obviously milling 1x6 boards is going to require many more cuts than milling 12x12 beams due to the higher number of pieces from a given log. On the other hand, milling of large custom beams requires more precision and careful selection, therefore more time per finished piece. Usually it's a good assumption that smaller lumber dimensions will take slightly more time.

• How do I know how many logs I need to mill?

  Try our online calculators - we have one that calculates log volume, and another that tells you how many board feet are in a certain type and amount of dimensional lumber. Between them, you can get a reasonably accurate estimate of how many board feet you will need and how many logs it will take to get that.

• Are there any additional costs or charges?

  While we do make every effort to give you as accurate an estimate as possible, there may be some slight variations in actual production. Rest assured you will only be charged for finished product milled. Having said that, on rare occasions there may be an additional charge if your logs contain sand (as in driftwood), nails, or other foreign objects that prematurely dull or break our blades. You can minimize this by taking care handling your logs and by doing a thorough inspection before the mill arrives, looking for any embedded foreign objects. If, for example, your logs come from the kids' old tree house, it may not be wise to mill them due to the likelihood of nails, wires and cables being embedded deep inside. If you absolutely must have a slab milled from that old piece of driftwood, we will do it for you, but be prepared to pay a small sharpening fee.

• What kind of site preparation needs to be done?

  What needs to happen prior to me showing up with the mill is the logs MUST be stacked at a clear and level area where I can set up the mill adjacent and operate it in a safe and efficient manner. This is imperative for both production and safety. If I have to move the logs additional fees will be incurred. Whenever possible, try to have your logs sorted according to species before stacking, and keep them up out of the dirt so we don't have to spend a lot of time cleaning. You should use "bunks" which are smaller logs laid on the ground perpendicular to the log stack. Stacking your mill logs on the bunks keeps them clean and allows us to easily roll the logs to the sawmill's hydraulic loader.

• What if I can't move the logs myself?

  Luckily for you, I have a very capable Kubota tractor with log moving equipment. I can skid the logs out of the bush, level a work area, build bunks, and stack the logs on the bunks ready for milling. Prior arrangements must be made for this service, as the tractor and implements require a larger truck to transport everything to your site, but your back will sure appreciate it!

• How big a stack of logs can I have?

  As big as we can safely handle. This is variable, and may depend on the availability of heavy equipment for log handling, or whether you have contracted our tractor in addition to the sawmill. In some cases it may be preferable to have more than one stack but due to the extra time involved there will be a small setup charge for breaking down, moving, and resetting the sawmill in the new location.

• How long do I have to wait for my logs to get cut?

  This depends on a few variables. Weather, job size, present workload, are you bringing the logs to me or am I bringing the mill to you. These and other variables do come into play so care must be taken when scheduling. If you have a small job and can bring your logs to me on a trailer, you can leave the trailer and I will stack the lumber on it as I'm cutting. I'll call you when I'm finished. Please keep in mind the requirement for a timber mark if transporting raw logs off your property.

• Waste is something we always strive to minimize. Fortunately, Woodmizer sawmills have a very thin blade kerf, so sawdust is minimal compared to circular or chain saws and such, which have far thicker blades. There will be a pile of sawdust but it can be raked into the surrounding grass, composted, or used in your garden beds. The slabs can be bucked up and burned as firewood with little or no splitting required. For larger slab piles, I can refer you to a company that has a large capacity chipper/shredder – this is far more environmentally friendly than slash burning. If you are contemplating burning, please make sure you talk to the appropriate authorities to get any required burning permits before you start.

• How much lumber can you saw in a day?

  This is a good question however loaded the answer may be. There are many variables that affect the end result. Condition of logs, placement of logs, species of logs, site preparation, cut sizes. Do I have a helper (or two) to remove the slabs of wood? How many blade changes do we need? The type of mill does play a role but with our system we can maintain a higher rate of productivity in comparison to many other rigs. We have had many days of 1000 - 1500 board feet production but when cutting smaller lumber or imperfect logs the rates decrease, sometimes drastically. Having a loader on site improves our production, as does good preparation.

• Does it matter when my logs were cut?

It does. While we can still mill them, older logs will have dried out more, making them tougher to cut. And if your logs have been down for a long time they may already have cracks extending inward from the ends, reducing the amount and quality of lumber produced. Ideally you should plan on milling your logs fairly soon after they are felled. If this is just not possible, there are commercial wax-type wood sealants available that can be painted on the cut ends to reduce moisture loss and extend the storage time. I've even heard of people using RV-type roof sealants successfully and at lower cost than specialty products.

• What are the best logs to mill?

If you have a choice, try to give us straight, 16 to 24 inch diameter logs. If your logs are small, the lumber yield per log is low in comparison to the work involved getting it. Massive logs are also difficult to work with and require more handling. But if you can't be selective, we can work with most anything, even crooked logs, although sometimes it is more productive to buck those bow-shaped ones in half with a chain saw. While this does result in shorter lumber, the amount of waste due to curvature is substantially reduced and both the yield and quality will be higher.

• How should I store my finished lumber?

  If you are not using the lumber right away, you should stack it neatly with stickers (thin, dry spacing lumber) between layers and cover it with a breathable water resistant cover to keep both sunlight and rain from affecting the drying time. It's best to dry lumber in a slow, controlled fashion whenever possible.

• Do you offer a planing service or kiln drying?

  No, we do not have such equipment at this time. The Woodmizer thin-kerf technology produces a very smooth cut for rough-sawn boards, but if you require planed lumber you can often rent planers from a local supplier and run the rough sawn lumber through to produce a nice finished product.

• What can I use custom milled lumber for?

  This question has many answers. Because we can mill to any size you want, there are many possibilities from timber framed entryways to fencing, flooring and siding. Typical uses include utility buildings, sheds, timber framing, fencing, fence posts, landscape ties, bridges and walkways, signs, siding, flooring and more. Your imagination is the only limit.

• Can I build a house with my custom milled lumber?

  You certainly can. The quality of lumber produced is likely better than what you will find at the local lumber yard and it is full dimension (ie: a nominal 2x6 is actually 2x6 inches, not 1-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches). One caution though – please check regulations in your area before using custom milled lumber for structural purposes. In many areas lumber must be graded and stamped before being used for structural purposes. There are graders who will come to your site and do this for a fee, so it is possible to use higher quality custom milled lumber for home building.

• Can I sell my custom milled lumber?

  Again, yes but be aware of the grading requirements if you are selling for home building or similar purposes. Although it is the builder who is ultimately responsible for meeting this requirement, you should be aware as should your buyer, that it is a requirement.

• Will you buy my logs?

  We do not operate a woodlot and so at this time we have no interest in outright purchase of logs. We can however, mill your logs on site and you may find it easier to sell milled product than raw logs.

• Can you refer me to a log buyer?

  You can always ask us for any kind of referral and if we know someone, we will share that information. We often hear of log buyers, stump grinders, and others who offer complementary services to our own. Keep in mind that you cannot legally transport raw logs off your property without first obtaining a timber mark from the government.

• What is a timber mark and do I need one?

  Timber marks are required in British Columbia any time logs are to be transported off the property. What this means for a land owner is that before you can sell your logs to someone else or transport them to an off-site mill for milling (even if you retain ownership) you must first obtain a timber mark and mark the logs as directed. This is one of the advantages of using a portable sawmill - since the logs are turned to lumber on the site of origin, no timber mark is required.

• How do I go about getting a timber mark?

  Private timber marks can be obtained by applying to the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests District Office for your area. For more information and to obtain application form FS-361, either visit their website or contact them by telephone.