Like any self-respecting, self-sufficient Mainer, I have always wanted a sawmill (and a tractor, 40 acres, a big truck, a big barn, etc.). We all have different priorities when collecting these items. For me, the sawmill was the first piece of the puzzle.
I can build anything, but I don’t have money for the lumber, especially with the current prices. I didn’t want just some little $3-5,000 bandsaw that is more frustrating to deal with than it is worth. Blades, lifting logs, turning logs and I don’t have a tractor to help. I tried to see if anyone was renting their mills out. I’ve got land and logs so I could produce a whole bunch of lumber on the cheap if I could rent a mill, but no one was doing this.
When I came across the Turbosawmill, I got intrigued. I thought, “When I finally have enough, I’ll get a good bandsaw”. Turbosawmill gave me a new perspective. Simple, low maintenance, no log lifting or turning, made to be productive milling dimensional lumber, and still has attachments for milling BIG slabs. (Slabs are cool, but dimensional lumber builds everything else). This also got me thinking that a mill rental could work as a way to pay for the financing of the mill when I don’t have the time to work the mill myself. No hydraulics, no log lifting, super quick and easy to sharpen or put new teeth on.
That’s it, I pulled the trigger and bought a manual Turbosawmill and got to work learning it well enough to train my renters on it. That was two years ago now and I continue to chug along. When I have more availability in summer, I do a lot of mobile milling for hire. Going to customers’ locations and milling their logs into lumber for them. In the fall and spring when I don’t have the time to run the mill as much, I rent it out more. I’ve found that I can train someone on the mill, to be comfortable and productive, in about 60-90 minutes. A rental is a great option for someone who is homesteading and looking to produce enough lumber for a barn or a woodworker wanting to build up a stock of lumber.
Milling for hire is better for small jobs or someone who just is not comfortable with the idea of operating such a piece of equipment. Some of my favorite small jobs have been slabbing big front yard trees that have come down in storms. Often these trees are loved by the families that have them. Getting to turn them into lumber that can be made into something that will last more generations brings a smile to my face. My favorite renter is probably the gentleman who milled enough pine from his property to board and batten the exterior of his new home as well as put down pine flooring.
My next piece of the puzzle is getting a forestry tractor, a nice 60hp deal with a grapple loader, and a logging winch. Not that I needed hydraulics to work with the Turbosawmill, but it will be nice. This will also allow me to have a great rental setup, especially for new homesteaders. Renting the tractor to forward logs and then the sawmill to turn them into lumber. Being able to help others make their homestead dreams come true will bring me such joy. When they don’t have the tens of thousands of dollars needed for equipment or not wanting to go into debt to get it, this is an option for them. Plus, it helps make my homestead dreams come true so I can afford the debt to get this equipment.
