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is the portable saw mill a smart start?

Checkmaterr

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2025
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9
I have some logs I'd like to plank, but I've never used a sawmill before. I've seen portable sawmills that work with a chainsaw, but I'm unsure if they're any good, like are they any worth it for a beginner, or should I look into other options? would appreciate any advice
 
Portable sawmills can be a great start, especially the chainsaw ones if you're on a budget. They're simple to use but don't expect them to slice through logs like butter. Have you thought about how much planking you'll be doing? A bandsaw mill could save you some sweat and tears if it's a lot!
 
I have some logs I'd like to plank, but I've never used a sawmill before. I've seen portable sawmills that work with a chainsaw, but I'm unsure if they're any good, like are they any worth it for a beginner, or should I look into other options? would appreciate any advice
yes, you can use it to mill logs into lumbers. it's decent for beginners
 
I bought a chainsaw mill to start with. Unless you want to spend a lot of time on first setup and are willing to accept very rough sawn lumber then a chainsaw mill will do fine. There's a lot of drawbacks to using one. Once you start to need accuracy in the cuts and being able to saw dead parallel to the grain, you will abandon the chain saw mill and get a bandsaw mill. I have a Woodland 130 Max. I built my own extended rails and a trailer for it. I can now mill 30" wide, down to 1/4" thick by just over 16' long. That's not happening with a chainsaw mill.
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I have some logs I'd like to plank, but I've never used a sawmill before. I've seen portable sawmills that work with a chainsaw, but I'm unsure if they're any good, like are they any worth it for a beginner, or should I look into other options? would appreciate any advice
Wiiii you can do it. I think aside from figuring out a sawmill, you also need courage especially since you're dealing with new sht. I've had some people literally scream when I let them try my equipment.

@Redmt you got some things pretty good right there.
 
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