![]() ![]() Sometimes homeowners may wish to process and purchase lumber from yard trees that have certain sentimental value. In residential neighborhoods, homeowners are often willing to pay to have a fallen tree removed, providing income even before the trees can be milled. ![]() Many owners depend solely on salvaged trees to supply their mill. Portable sawmill owners are able to reduce waste by using trees cleared for construction or damaged by insects or storms. These are two examples of high-value products that are often unavailable in the marketplace.Ĭonservation is another major reason for the purchase of sawmills. In the Southeast, owners produce rough cut lumber from specific tree species such as oak, pine, maple, cherry, walnut, and cedar, which are often sought after by furniture makers. Some owners have found success producing odd-sized turning blanks for woodworkers. One of the most profitable uses of a portable sawmill is in the production of specialty products. A low up‐front investment coupled with the ability to maximize returns on timber make this type of harvest attractive from many perspectives. Farmers can produce lumber for their own use and sell the surplus or offer custom sawing for neighbors. Portable sawmills are a particularly attractive microenterprise for small farms, which may already have supporting equipment and easily accessible trees. However, after initially purchasing a sawmill, almost half of the owners found that they were able to earn some part-time or full-time income from their operations. Most people first invest in a portable sawmill as a hobby to complete a project, such as building a barn or outbuilding, around their home or farm. Moving lumber instead of whole logs is a major benefit of operating a portable sawmill. In this publication, we will highlight some of the findings from that survey including why people invest in portable sawmills, potential returns and costs, sources of timber, and typical sawmill products. ![]() ![]() In 2010, a survey of portable sawmill owners and operators was conducted by the Auburn University Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology and the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. For hobbyists and entrepreneurs, individual landowners and communities, they allow for the maximum return on a valuable timber product that might otherwise be lost. In addition to being profitable on a small scale, portable sawmill operators also can use trees damaged by storms or insects, making them a valuable management tool in a forest as well as in a residential neighborhood. Portable sawmills allow for the processing from smaller acreages of individual trees and timber that may not be practical economically to transport to a larger processing facility. Therefore, if small scale forest owners are able to have their timber harvested at all, they may be forced to accept lower prices for it. Small-scale forest landowners often own smaller parcels that are not economical for larger logging operations to harvest. However, there is also potential for these mills to process timber owned by small-scale private forest landowners that may otherwise go unused, providing landowners and entrepreneurs with alternative income opportunities and filling the niche that large-scale operations cannot fill.Įconomic constraints on conventional logging operations can make harvesting small tracts cost prohibitive. Portable sawmills are currently popular for the ability to process timber into lumber that can then be used for specialty wood products and other hobby uses by their owners. Modern models vary-ranging from small manual mills that cost just a few thousand dollars to fully hydraulic ones priced at more than $20,000. Today, portable sawmills are truly portable and are easily moved on trailers that can be pulled behind pickup trucks. These “one-man farmer’s sawmills” may have been either water or steam powered and could be dismantled by a small work crew and moved to the next location. First popular in the late 1800s, portable saw milling was used to bring the mill close to the timber harvest site. Portable sawmills may provide that alternative. Portable sawmills can be moved to the location where trees will be harvested, eliminating the need to transport logs. ![]()
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