What bandsaw mill if at all?

[Forest2Furniture]

Most of my milling is done on site in the middle of woodlands with limited access or back gardens again with limited access.

 

Would I be better off with a bandsaw mill or should I just stick to the alaskan, milling with the alaskan has got easier since I fitted a winch but as I've been slagged off for not using a bandsaw mill I thought I'd ask.

[agg221]

Realistically, if you need to get in to tight spots or up foot (or barrow) only tracks then you want everything as small and light as possible. The trailed bandsaws are only really applicable if you can drive them up to the log, or move the log to them.

 

Have you seen the milling pictures/videos thread in the past couple of days? Burrell has posted some pictures of the tree we milled on Saturday - 4ft across and at times one of us had to stand on the collapsed fence to squash it down enough for clearance on the mill - I even ended up milling through the berberis at one end of the upper section there was so little space. I don't think this could be done with anything other than an Alaskan (nothing against other chainsaw mills - just a bit less portable).

 

I do run a chainsaw driven bandsaw mill, which is excellent - there is a brief video of it on the same thread. The up side is that it gives the speed and narrow kerf of the bandsaw with the portability of the Alaskan. The down side is that the throat is only 14" so you do have to break down larger logs first (not too tricky) and that it can sometimes be temperamental like all band mills. The other down side is that they are only available in the US.

 

Alec

[Rob D]

Lots of bandsaw mill owners slag off chainsaw mills! Not all I might add - but a fair few....

 

 

I have a bandsaw now and they are excellent.... but if you can't load it and you can't get the mill to the wood - how much use is it then?

 

 

If you have something to load timber onto a bandsaw then hands down they are fast, accurate and produce little waste.

 

 

[agrimog]

it comes down to horses for courses, if you can site the bandsaw mill easilly, get the timber on to it without any hassle, and move the milled wood away , then a bandsaw wins hands down, but when theres no vehicle acsess , the timber is to big, or just plain pain in the but site, then you need a chainsaw mill

[Charles Hey Arborist]

Realistically, if you need to get in to tight spots or up foot (or barrow) only tracks then you want everything as small and light as possible. The trailed bandsaws are only really applicable if you can drive them up to the log, or move the log to them.

 

Have you seen the milling pictures/videos thread in the past couple of days? Burrell has posted some pictures of the tree we milled on Saturday - 4ft across and at times one of us had to stand on the collapsed fence to squash it down enough for clearance on the mill - I even ended up milling through the berberis at one end of the upper section there was so little space. I don't think this could be done with anything other than an Alaskan (nothing against other chainsaw mills - just a bit less portable).

 

I do run a chainsaw driven bandsaw mill, which is excellent - there is a brief video of it on the same thread. The up side is that it gives the speed and narrow kerf of the bandsaw with the portability of the Alaskan. The down side is that the throat is only 14" so you do have to break down larger logs first (not too tricky) and that it can sometimes be temperamental like all band mills. The other down side is that they are only available in the US.

 

Alec

 

I thought your little chainsaw driven one was great

[agg221]

If you have something to load timber onto a bandsaw then hands down they are fast, accurate and produce little waste.

 

I've generally reckoned that a chainsaw produced a more even thickness board as milled than a bandsaw - less tendency for the bar to wander up and down than the band. This includes some reasonable size mills - bands up to about 3". It's the speed/kerf where they really win.

 

I reckon there are three factors which influence the preference for bandsaw/chainsaw (aside from the logistics of access, transport and handling), namely diameter, product thickness and value add.

 

Diameter is the most dependent on mill, but I think there is a transition point somewhere around 2' above which the kit for moving and rolling logs gets more heavy duty and the wider boards mean the total loss in sawdust is less significant. Ultimately there comes a point where there are no options other than a chainsaw mill.

 

Product thickness is a ratio of sawdust to wood. Whilst a bandsaw is always going to be more efficient, I reckon I can live with the chainsaw kerf on 2" and above.

 

Value add is about onward processing, and hence ratio of time spent producing timber to time spent using it. If you are selling timber as boards, you need to be very efficient in processing. If you are adding a lot of value (ie creating things out of it) then your overall profit on time is less impacted by slower milling.

 

So, if you are mostly milling 1' dia softwood into floorboards then you need to whip it through at tremendous speed, whereas if you mostly sell thick slab type furniture with a lot of design detail/carving then the impact of milling by chainsaw will be negligible.

 

Alec

Edited November 27, 2013 by agg221

[agg221]

I thought your little chainsaw driven one was great

 

Yes - it was in a good mood that day

[Forest2Furniture]

Thanks for your advice guys, it's one of the main reason I like this forum.

 

I've been milling oak trunks at an sssi site today no vehicular access, loaded the kit onto a wheelbarrow and off I went. Took some photos at the end of the day and there's no marks on the woodland floor to say anyone has been in, the sawdust will rot down.

 

Think I'll stick to my chainsaw mill.

[Big Beech]

Thanks for your advice guys, it's one of the main reason I like this forum.

 

I've been milling oak trunks at an sssi site today no vehicular access, loaded the kit onto a wheelbarrow and off I went. Took some photos at the end of the day and there's no marks on the woodland floor to say anyone has been in, the sawdust will rot down.

 

Think I'll stick to my chainsaw mill.

 

Photos or it didnt happen:biggrin:

[Forest2Furniture]

The Oak was felled to make room of an ancient to grow, in addition English Heritage says there isn't enough dead wood, so they're are felling good Oak trees!