The Alaskan Sawmill! DIY Your own Lumber!

[Watch Ryder]

I got a nice treat from a neighbor a few weeks back, the opportunity to use his Alaskan Sawmill!

It's more than just the chainsaw conversion, but a proper carriage-driven petrol-engine thing with a great hooping sawblade! :

Here's how the machine is used:

Turning these logs:



Into beams like this!



I had a roof to build and got stuck in. This is how the roof turned out with the beam mounted into place.



Beams, beautiful beams!



I worked out each beam costs me roughly $3 or so (plus my time to work the mill), compared to about $40-50 each for the price of the beams, plus transporting only about a handful each trip all the way from a big city many miles away. The Sawmill was much closer and saved much time and energy.

DIY techniques for sawmilling are very much an art, not a science. In the video I try to explain things as I learned and was taught by the master saw miller but it's best to learn by experience as you rip them boards and beam!

[W.Lynn]

Beautiful cuts WR.

[redman2006]

Tell us a little more if you would. What are you building? How long are the logs curing before sawing? Issues with warp and twist?


Thanks!

[tk]

I like the band mills they have become more common around here over the last 15 years even with the Amish . Older blade mills are expensive to operate and maintain. Cutting into hardware ( nails rocks exc ) with a 24 inch saw blade will cost you 200 to 800 bucks compared to $25 dollar band blade. And most band mills are simple to tare down and move and set back up compared to a blade mill witch is made to be set up and stay there for years. I have experience with both and a band mill can do just as good of job providing you let the saw cut and don't force the mill by trying to go to fast. The only set back I had was with logs that had a bigger diameter than the band mill carriage (26 inches ) so they had to be slabed with the chain saw to fit.
Good video WR and a good project. I always enjoy looking at building projects with logs and rough cut lumber. There is always something to learn by watching others . TK