thinning: logs to the mill - or bring in a portable ??

[KMorrisD]

norm at pdx.wantweb.net wrote

>My question is this: Rather than occasionally send a truck load to the mill,
>is it economically feasible to have our local portable mill guy (bandsaw
>type) cut up the logs right here and then sell the lumber via retail (perhaps
>thru the thrifty ads)? The port. mill guy says he will produce considerably
>more board feet than I will receive from the scaling process. And he can help
>sell it.  ??

I seem to be getting more and more requests for this type of information from
landowners.  I tend to tell them about what Joe said.  But I wonder if that's
good advice for retired people or semi-unemployed people.  

Have any foresters or landowners out there actually done business plans for
this type of operation--with costs and returns compared to competitive bid
sales?  Or do you have data from actual experience?

Karl Davies