Prepare for milling

How are your logs?

Logs should be clean
Limbs should be cut flush to the trunk
Logs need to be free of nails or foreign objects
Cut out crooks, forks, excessive sweep, rot and other defects

Mill Site Access

I will need room to pull in with a pick up truck towing my mill and get turned around. Let me know if there may be steep dirt roads or low hanging tree branches.
Leave ample room to work: my portable sawmill occupies 24′ X 10
A fairly level spot to work in, although some slope can be good for rolling logs down
into mill.
Water should be available at the mill site. I use about 10 gallons an hour for keeping the blade clean and cool

Lumber Stacking

Stacking and drying is an important part of the milling project. If you will be leaving
the lumber at the mill site prepare an area close to the mill for long term storage and
drying. If you will need to move the lumber having a truck or trailer on hand will save
time and effort.

Tailings

There will be tailings or “Lizard Backs” with bark that can be cut into firewood or
can be used for rustic style construction including benches, fencing and log cabin
style construction. There will also be sawdust that can be spread out or bagged.

Helping

One or two helpers makes the biggest contribution to productivity. I can do all the work myself. However when assessing your project and estimating the cost in most cases I will need help stacking and keeping the mill site clean and organized. It is all hard work and if you are willing to help let me know. Otherwise I can provide a helper.