There are numerous portable band sawmills in the market for you to pick from. They're possibly the most popular kind in a mobile sawmill. The band-sawmill is composed of ahead of the saw with two wheels. They feature an elastic steel band blade that moves around the wheels of the band. The frame has tracks that guide the saw head into the log. The operator or the sawyer will push the saw head through the wood to make cuts.
Production Capabilities
The Band Sawmill can produce anywhere from 100 board feet an hour for manual models to more than 600 board feet an hour in fully-equipped hydraulic models. If you’re a weekend warrior who only wishes to chop only a handful of logs at a time, a tiny hand-held mill with 10 HP may be the right option for you. If you’re looking for an increased production mill then one of the automated hydraulic mills could be the best option. The most effective place to start is to figure out your production requirements and choose the mill that is able to keep up with your demands.
Saw Kerf
The blades with a thin band in these mills allow less waste to go to the sawdust heap and more boards to be placed in your stack of lumber. This will result in more profit to your profit margin. Another advantage of this blade is that you make a smooth cut across any surface on your wood. Band sawmill owners often create lumber for their houses. The wood from the band mill is nearly as smooth as lumber that you can purchase from the lumber yard.
Another benefit is the fact that blades that are used for these mills are extremely affordable. The majority of blades cost about $25 per. This allows you to gamble cutting logs that could contain metal. The worst thing you could do is damage a low-quality blade. Most of the time, the blade is resharpened at under $10.
The drawback of these is that the small blade is also extremely flexible and susceptible to diving. Anyone who has worked in an abandoned sawmill for long enough has encountered this issue in sawmills with the band. It happens when you’re halfway through the cut, and you get hit by a knot or maybe even a little dirt, which makes the blade dull, and your blade starts to move. The result is uneven boards, or worse an unusable or broken blade.
Cutting Capacities
This is where the band sawmill excels. It is dependent on the manufacturer and model you select, you can find one that can cut a log of 40 inches in diameter or even larger. The production of wide boards is a task they excel in. Small mills can cut a 20-inch wide piece of wood as well. Some of the larger mills can cut 36″ wide board.
Prices and Resale Value
Prices for portable band sawmills are very wide, with manufacturers offering models that are suitable for all budgets. Smaller manual mills start with a price of $3,000, and then increase to about $10,000, based on the dimension that the machine is. Mid-sized sawmills can cost between $6,000 to around $20,000. It’s all about the kind of model and maker you’re buying. In addition, the massive fully-automated hydraulic machines will be a financial drain at the staggering amount of $40,000 or even.
Do not let the cost intimidate you, however. A band sawmill that is portable will keep its value for a long time when you properly maintain it. You could expect to earn anything from 70% to 90% of the original value when you sell your old mill. In some instances used mills have sold at the same cost or more than new.
Portability
How portable is a band sawmill portable? It can be used everywhere a car towing a trailer will go. If the woodlot you own is easily accessible via two tracks or a road, you should be able to get your sawmill right to the log. Make sure that you have enough wood on the woodlot that you can justify the time spent in transporting your sawmill to the job location.
