My NORWOOD BANDSAW MILL

​INTRODUCTION
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If someone is serious about building quality furniture,
it's necessary to have access to a good supply of specialty lumber for projects.
There is no better way to do that than by owning your own bandsaw mill. 

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​OVERVIEW OF THE MILL

Here’s a picture of my Norwood Lumbermate 2000 bandsaw mill:

​This is a pile of lumber that became my solar dry kiln:

​As I’ve said in other posts, I only became aware of portable bandsaw mills after visiting a friend of mine who owned one after I moved up into the country in north Louisiana. I was intrigued by it, and knew I had to have one in order to make myself an endless supply of lumber for all the projects I’ve always wanted to build. Owning a personal bandsaw, and being able to cut any tree that has been sourced locally opens endless possibilities for the woodworker.

Just be sure to read ALL THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS that come with your mill. Try to get the original manual from the previous owner if at all possible. I did, and it's been a life saver for me. One of the top things I keep in mind is I never let anyone stand on the front of the mill while I'm pushing from the rear down the track. Anything can fly off and cause an injury. And NEVER allow anyone to be near the sawdust exhaust area. When a blade breaks on my mill, it flies out that thing!
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A random walnut cant on the mill. It's the best local wood that I've used for furniture:

​By first owning the sawmill, a woodworker can then cut stock to build a dry kiln. I did just that, and the solar dry kiln construction is documented on another post. This is the best combination for a serious furniture maker that I could imagine. It has opened up endless possibilities of using locally sourced logs that might otherwise go to waste. The majority of the logs I’ve used (and it’s into the hundreds that I’ve milled in the last few years) were given to me.

My solar dry kiln with a load of walnut for my brother's new house.
 He used it for his cabinets and his stair treads:​

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​Finding a used bandsaw mill is not too difficult. Many folks want to upgrade to sawmills with more bells and whistles, and will gladly part with their old model. As I said, I found the same model my buddy had in the next state, and we went and picked the thing up. I got it for about half of what it was when new. That’s my point. Look around and be patient. You’ll eventually find one you can use.

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Cutting some 8" wide beveled lap siding:

​THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BUYING A MILL

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​One thing about owning a mill though is that folks will get wind of your mill, and want you to saw up logs for them. If you want to do that, knock yourself out. Most sawyers get 50% of the logs, and this might serve you well. But for me, I just use what is given to me. I just don’t really have lots of extra time to saw for others. But on the other hand, I have done it for family (for FREE!!) Isn’t that a requirement somewhere?

My Nephew built a camp house down the road from me. Over a two month period, he and I cut a ton of Southern Yellow Pine for all the framing. Here he is unloading some of it:

​And here's the camp being framed:

Many folks think that it is always necessary to buy items that are new. I’ve never been in that group. If I find something that will do the job that I need done, and the thing works, I can usually deal with things that can go wrong or wear out. This enabled me to get going on something while others would be held back bogged down in expenses. I try to pay as I go.

I learned in school NOT to buy tools you don't need. There is always a temptation to buy something on sale that will always sit on the shelf taking up valuable space. Getting started, especially in woodworking, is a field that allows for the purchase of used tools. Most were built heavy duty in the past, and still have a lifetime of use as you come across them.

                            Here's some eastern red cedar we cut for his front porch columns:

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Finding a used bandsaw mill is not too difficult. Many folks want to upgrade to sawmills with more bells and whistles, and will gladly part with their old model. As I said, I found the same model my buddy had in the next state, and we went and picked the thing up. I got it for about half of what it was when new. I've used it for probably fifteen years now. That’s my point. Look around and be patient. You’ll eventually find one you can use.

​HAULING LOGS

Sometimes in life, you get get lucky. A fellow will out of the blue offer to bring logs to you. It's rare, but does happen. If they do, at least have a way to pull them off his trailer. I use my old Ford 9n tractor to do that and move logs around my place. You can use a pick-em-up truck with a chain attached to yank them around too. Hey....All you guys with loaders…stop laughing. We all ain’t in the business!

My 1943 Ford 9n tractor. Still works great!

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​Anyway, having a heavy duty tandom trailer is a wonderful addition for any woodworker. If you already own one, great! Just don’t use a light duty trailer to haul logs. It is dangerous. It will fish-tail and get out of control. I have an old trailer my Daddy had built 45 years ago. I rebuilt the thing by having the frame re-welded where it was needed, and put new floor boards on it. I used pine in the beginning, but within the last year, I replaced it with white oak which should last many years to come.

My Daddy working on his trailer:

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Here's a picture after I rebuilt it. (It needs work again....looks rough today, but works great :)

​Since the restoration, I’ve had to replace the pine floor boards with white oak. I first used pine in the beginning because that’s all I had. My buddy Wayne saw my beat up trailer boards, and actually set aside some white oak for me to use for the replacement. He felt sorry for me! It’s nice to have good friends.

​Anyway, I’ve hauled hundreds of logs with the trailer, which was originally made with side guards about 6′ high to haul cattle. I’ve just used it as you see it in the photo though. It’s taken a beating from loaders dropping logs onto it. I have a good memory of around thirty years ago when I helped my Daddy par-buckle logs onto the trailer. Par-buckling logs is when a couple of heavy timbers or lumber are leaned onto one side of the trailer. The log is placed alongside the trailer parallel to the lean to boards. I did a really bad pencil sketch which shows the process:​

Par-Buckling a Log

I know it’s tough to see, but the top shows Chain #1 hooked to the sides of the trailer and looped under the log. Chain #2 is then hooked to the vehicle and run over the trailer and hooked to chain #1 in the center. The purpose for two chains is to roll the log straight onto the trailer. Go slowly pulling the log up as you get the hang of it, and KEEP ANY HELPERS OUT OF THE WAY. It can get off center and do strange things to hurt someone too close. But it worked for us.

Another way to haul logs on a small scale is with a "log arch." Do a google search, and you’ll come up with many designs. They can be pulled with something as light as a 4 wheeler. They are great for going to remote locations and hauling logs to your mill or trailer. You can pull them with anything that has enough power.

Of course the easiest way to move logs on site is with a tractor with a front loader. Logs that are not too heavy can be lifted onto a trailer or off loaded. They can also place the log on the bandsaw bed requiring no touching of the log at all.

​One other thing to note is that some mills, such as the one I have, have a winch mounted on the side opposite where the logs are loaded. I use it to pull the logs onto the mill after I cant hook them into position on the ground. I just don’t need to spend $20,000.00 for a front loader tractor to use every now and then, and my system works great for a one man show. Also, I use the winch to turn large diameter logs that I cannot turn manually with the cant hook.

​SAWING TIPS
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This is a topic that is HUGE. There are a number of ways to make cuts to achieve different lumber sizes. If you are into woodworking at all, become a member of a forum. I’ve been a member of forestryforum.com for years. It is the best one out there for folks interested in getting the most from their mill. There is a General Woodworking section where members show projects, and many describe the building process as I’ll do here in detail. You should check it out. You’ll learn a lot reading the posts.

​The neatest thing about having your own sawmill is the ability to saw exactly the board you need from any part of the log. You can do quarter sawing, which reveals rays reflecting through the wood for amazing grain patterns. You can even saw cookies, a term used to describe a cut completely through the log in a vertically supported position. These are usually a couple of inches thick. They are popular right now for wedding decorations. There are innumerable possibilities for them. You get the idea.

Now, let me briefly describe how I go about sawing on my mill. After securing the log to the bed, I’ll usually take a cut off the top, exposing roughly 4-6″ of wood. I’ll then continue slabbing off a few more at 1″ or 2″ intervals. The slabs are then thrown off the side to be trimmed later. Then I’ll flip the log 90 degrees, and do the same thing. After a few cuts, I’ll flip it one more time 90 degrees and take a few cuts. The center cant has now taken shape, and by flipping the thing once more 90 degrees, I can begin to cut the cant to whatever thicknesses and widths that I want. After that process is over, I grab the slabs laying beside the mill that are useful and stand them on the mill on edge vertically and saw one side to remove the bark and achieve a straight side. (I could leave the edges as they are if I plan on having a piece with a “live edge.” A live edge is used to describe a full width of the tree board which retains the bark and all.) Sometimes I edge only one side, which gives me a straight reference line when sawing to width later on the table saw. But most of the time, I edge both sides to the width boards that I need.
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Note the attached winch on the right center of the mill bed. It swivels around over the bed when in use.

​After, the log is completely sawn, the boards are then stacked to air dry using a stable base to elevate them off the ground, Add 1″x1″ “stickers” between each of the boards every 3 feet or so when stacking. This stacking allows air to get to all surfaces of each board in the pile. Of course, if you have a dry kiln, you could put them directly into that. Or you could air dry them first to remove the majority of the moisture they contain while green.
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You now have some good lumber that you’ve made yourself. The biggest advantage here is that you can have any width, any species, and any thickness board you need to build almost anything. Happy sawing!