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

[Don Staples]

Mike Hagen wrote:
> 
> This is a common qestion in my neck of the woods too. I've come up
> with a few rules of thumb.  If the potential mill operator is
> primarily a sawyer, not a logger or farmer or whatever, the project
> has a chance.  If there's a specialty market for his particular
> product, he's got a chance.  If he's running old second hand equipment
> and only works when he feels like it, nope.  If he is producing a bulk
> product; dimension lumber, firewood, grape stakes, etc, he'd better
> have a BIG source of cheap raw material, other wise, nope.  The people
> I know who've made it have found innovative markets: fine door stock,
> interior portions of high tech kayack paddles and art wood.
> By the way, there's been talk of a solar dry kiln developed in
> Missouri that I think would have a lot of bearing on what a portable
> mill owner could do.  Water is weight!
> 
> KMorrisD wrote:
> >
> > 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

WoodMizer has a solar kiln they have been selling in kit form for years,
not a complicated design and could be manufactured just about anywhere,
the futher south, the quicker the drying time.
++
-- 
Don Staples
UIN 4653335

Web Offerings:  http://www.livingston.net/dstaples/