Thread: what is the cheapest entry level sawmill?

actually, the wombat mill looks pretty interesting. and aussie made.

anyone here have some experience with this mill? any idea of the cost of one pre made?

cheers.

I agree the skillmill looked okay, what happened to them. A Chainsaw mill is adequate if you are only going to mill the occasional log and you are fit. They can be built easily and cheap. Have you seen any 2nd hand 6inch Lucas mills about they do come up occasionly.

g'day johnny. thanks for the reply.

i recon 2nd hand 6" lucas mills would be rare as rocking horse turds...but if someone has one, id be interested to hear from them..

its a pity some clever little chinaman hasnt copied a lucas or peterson design. i recon they would do it, if they realised there is a market for it. and they would probably do it for a third of the price.

anyway....at this point the wombat mill looks ok. im probably just scratching the surface though..

seems the chinese do make them...

i emailed for a price..

China Swing Blade Sawmill, Portable Sawmills manufacturer

here is one from SA. russcat portable sawmills. ive also sent them an email.

Russcat Portable Sawmills - Powered by GongChang.com

The Wombat Sawmill would do the job.

Unfortunately owing to health reasons I am currently unable to build them.

Though you could build one yourself from the comprehensive plans.

Originally Posted by campbell

anyway....at this point the wombat mill looks ok. im probably just scratching the surface though..

Just a reminder that a wombat mill is still a CS mill and will be as slow as any other CS mill.
I've been chasing detailed pictures of that Russcat mill for some time but haven't been able to find one - I wonder - do they really exist?

Also have you factored in lifting equipment. Trying to cut lots of 6m lengths of anything really requires a forklift or tractor.

Originally Posted by BobL

Just a reminder that a wombat mill is still a CS mill and will be as slow as any other CS mill.
I've been chasing detailed pictures of that Russcat mill for some time but haven't been able to find one - I wonder - do they really exist?

Also have you factored in lifting equipment. Trying to cut lots of 6m lengths of anything really requires a forklift or tractor.

the russcat may be a scam. i dont know.

id work my way up to sawing such long logs. i imagine id set the CS mill up over the log, on site..

Originally Posted by campbell

the russcat may be a scam. i dont know.

id work my way up to sawing such long logs. i imagine id set the CS mill up over the log, on site..

I'm not just talking about the logs, a 6 m long 100 x 100 of green aussie hardwood weighs a lot more than people think. 150 x 150 becomes even more problematic.

Originally Posted by BobL

I'm not just talking about the logs, a 6 m long 100 x 100 of green aussie hardwood weighs a lot more than people think. 150 x 150 becomes even more problematic.

no worries mate. i worked in 6 different sawmills on and off for 20 odd years.

i'll struggle with em!

My 6" Lucas will be for sale but not another year, keep looking, I do see them from time to time. That chineese swing mill looks interesting, it would be easy to buid end frames and rails localy. cheers

Tailing out of large sizes is an issue. A while ago I was cutting spotted gum 200 x 50 x 6m the eqivalent of your 100 x 100. I had to use rollers for tailing out and when I was stacking for air drying I used small pipe as rollers to assist in positioning before placing on the stickers.

I calculated the green timber was just over 80Kgs per plank. Frankly I am no longer interested in lugging timber that weight around by myself in 35 degree heat!

Yoy will need big diameter logs to cut timber that thick without excessive warping, cuping, bowing....I am being a bit negative here. If you have had sawmill experience, I guess you know what you are up for.

Regards
Paul

bobs been chasing DETAILED PHOTOS OF russcat mill hmmmmmmm

Originally Posted by tlbsg

bobs been chasing DETAILED PHOTOS OF russcat mill hmmmmmmm

Nah, . . . no interest. I've seen lots of fuzzy thumbnails but it could be a kitchen mixmaster for all we know.