When I came across this “portable” sawmill on eBay, I couldn’t help but pass it on — for a couple of reasons. First, my Father adored these and always wanted one, mainly because it’d allow him to purchase “rare” woods in tree form and cut it down for his own use. (Honestly, I think he just loved the idea of having control of the entire “making” process — from tree to furniture.)
Second, when I was driving through Mississippi after Katrina, I couldn’t help but think that if you had one of these, you’d have all the lumber you needed for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t there be something kind of right about building a new home with lumber made from the downed trees?
Finally, it’s just really cool. Most of the “portable” sawmills I’ve seen run $10k or higher, so the $2,600 “Buy It Now” price doesn’t seem that outlandish.
The details: It’s an 18″ sawmill “from Hud-son Forest Equipment.” It comes fully assembled and carries a “warranty.” Features include:
- a 6-1/2 HP Briggs & Stratton OHV engine
- a centrifugal clutch
- a “standard double hard wood-mizer” band blade
- two “log dogs”
- and a “durable powder coat finish”
There’s more information on the listing, of course.
Portable Sawmill [eBay]
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3 Responses to eBay: Make Your Own Lumber
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I care for such... } – May 18, 8:10 PM{ I have built several systems that do everything listed above and more.... Currently we use my system for critical resin applications and general spray painting... } – May 18, 1:00 PM
{ I just found one of these very old Nelson sprinklers. The rear wheels do not move they seemed to be locked. I have not found... } – May 18, 8:17 AM
{ I've been looking all over for a 10-inch steel sanding dic plate. Where can I buy one, without the "blade balancing" tool? } – May 17, 12:55 PM
Your Katrina idea is a solid one. I wonder if anyone attempted anything like this?
I also hate seeing wasted urban trees. Unfortunately, setting up a harvesting operation is not trivial, and it takes a while before you see any useable wood. A good resource for anyone interested is the book Harvesting Urban Timber: http://www.harvestingurbantimber.com/
I know a guy in Akron, Ohio that used a lot of the timber he cleared for his house to build cabinets for his kitchen. Another fella in Lodi, Ohio that I know used cleared trees from his farm to build his barn addition. He had a large (16 feet long) portable mill that could be towed as a trailer and mill just about any tree in the state. Portable mills are very popular around here. People use their own fallen trees all the time, especially closer to the Amish communities. I think a little 18″ mill like this would have more limitations than anything. 18″ is a pretty good tree but I know from experience that diameter of a tree can be decieving.