Thread: how much is milled Blue gum, Iron bark

Originally Posted by ziggybarnes

Hi, i'm trying to start up milling my own timber. I have access to free wood from work, and have a place to store it. I can get all different sorts of gums, blue gum, Iron bark, tallowood, pepermint, she oak, pine and a whole load more. I'm just not sure how much it is worth and how long I need to store it before I can sell it and even where to sell it.
I'm looking at buying a Woodford rail mill does anyone know anything about these? If there any good and if they will do what I will need it to do?
Thanks Adam

I have never heard of a woodford and cannot find it on the web, do you mean a Westford?

Hi sorry yes it is westford. Are you familiar with these mills? I'm looking at a second hand one do you have any idea how much one of these would be worth?

Originally Posted by ziggybarnes

Hi sorry yes it is westford. Are you familiar with these mills? I'm looking at a second hand one do you have any idea how much one of these would be worth?

I have used the westford alaskan (mills that hold chainsaws at both ends) and I have 3 of them plus my own rail mill. Mine are all home made since I like making tools and I have the means to make them better than any commercially available mills. Nevertheless the Westford is a decent sturdy mill. I don't know what the rails mills costs. Personally I think this all the westford stuff is way over priced for a couple of bits of cast alloy and some SHS.

If you think you can make money out of chainsaw (CS) milling, good luck to you. This is a very slow way of milling.

Cutting is only part of the operation. Not many people will buy green timber so it will need to be dried and seasoned and stored. This all takes a lot more effort than you think. By all means give it a go but let me suggest you start with the softest timber possible and learn how to really sharpen a chainsaw.

If you want more chainsaw (CS) mill specific detail you might want to look at this forum. I post there under the same username and you will see a CS milling 101 sticky which has a heap of info. The Chainsaw sharpening forum on the same website has heaps of sharpening info.

As BobL said, chainsaw milling is not the most efficient way to cut timber. It is slow back braking work. handy for an every now and again situation, but to swing on one all day is less than pleasant. If you are thinking of selling wholesale, you will have trouble with a chainsawn finish. The trade require fine sawn which means a circular saw or band saw. Scantling sizes can be sold green but larger and furniture timber is usually sold dry. Price very much depends on what it is. A general wholesale rate of $1000/m3 would be a starting point. Durable species would be worth more, as would furniture grade and dried timber would be over double that.
To produce dried material you would be looking at a year per inch thickness.

My advice would be, chainsaw milling isnt comercially viable

Hi thanks for your advice guys, sounds like its not realy worth getting a chainsaw mill. I'd like to buy a lucas mill but dont want to spend the money on it before I know if I can sell the wood first. Would it be worth getting a chainsaw mill just to start off? I'm only going to be doing it on the side to start i'll still be working full time as a tree lopper.

Originally Posted by ziggybarnes

. . . . . Would it be worth getting a chainsaw mill just to start off? I'm only going to be doing it on the side to start i'll still be working full time as a tree lopper.

If you are tree lopper then having a CS mill makes sense because after you bring the tree down you can then occasionally offer to mill a client's log into slabs and just charge an hourly rate. That way you can make some money on weekends etc and you don't have to go into the whole timber trading business which is a real PITA; moving, storing, drying, checking etc.

Ziggy, I'd be inclined to 'stockpile' big and or good logs you come across while tree lopping, then once a month get a fella in to do a cpl days cutting for you, spend time with them and 'listen' lots - after 2-3 visits you'll have the basics of it and a whack of 'good timber' to help fund a mill purchase. Also this will let you dip ya toe in without having to eat a whole cow in one sitting, so to speak

Hi Ziggy, Al makes a good suggestion there (as have others) I have a 3120 Husky on a Westford mill and it is hard work, but for me I only get the occasional log and the CS suits this, you can make it easier with how you set yourself up with extra gear and knowhow, chain sharpening for ripping for e.g. BobL has a pic on this forum where the saw is cutting and he's sitting having a beer while watching it , most of us have posted threads and pics of what we are doing with hows and whys, there's heaps of info out there.....

Pete

I currently mill for a couple of tree lopers in the northern suburbs of Sydney. Depending which area you are in, we could help you out. Al's idea of stockpiling is a good one. We are on 80 acres if you dont have room, but it does mean the logs have to go to Bilpin.

I think quite simply a chainsaw mill is not commercially viable even for a sideline business. It is too slow, too hardwork, too ineffecient and relatively speaking too expensive.

So why do they exist?

For most chainsaw millers it is a hobby and an interest and I am led to believe a bit of fun: Perhaps in the same way a triatholon is a bit of fun. Well not really fun: More of a challenge.

People that already have a large chainsaw are the millers that most naturally fall into this passtime. It can be very satisfying cutting your own timber for a specific project. It can be equally as much fun doing the same for a best mate or impressing the love of your life with a wonderful slab of timber that will become a coffee table, but for all others you will ask yourself why you are doing it.

I would head down the path Sigidi has suggested. The first problem of milling is sourcing reliable material. Not all logs are millable. If they are all 400mm diameter you are wasting your time for example. The second problem, as I think you have recognised, is selling your timber.

You need a product and a market and then enough finance to make that all happen.

As I and others have pointed out in the past, it is often the handling of the timber that becomes the issue. Manual handling is slow, back-breaking and inefficient. Also consider what happens if you hurt your back on the weekend trying to move a log that is too big? Will that affect your ability to perform your normal job?

Most millers have to look at mechanical assistence for any halfway serious operation.

Regards
Paul

Thanks for the great advice guys

A CS Mill doesn't sound like it's much of a good idea. I think i'll try and find someone to mill some up for me to start and see how I go from there.

Cheers

"Roy Underhill tells the story that, after the development of steam-powered sawing machines, the saw pits were unnecessary, and therefore were cut up and sold as post-holes."

You could always ...

Originally Posted by pmcgee

"Roy Underhill tells the story that, after the development of steam-powered sawing machines, the saw pits were unnecessary, and therefore were cut up and sold as post-holes."

You could always ...

Trouble is that is a two man operation. You want to be the "top dog," not the "under dog."

Regards
Paul