Frequently Asked Questions

How much will it cost / Is it worth it / How long will it take?

The short answer is it depends on many variables. You can save a significant amount of money having your logs sawn, but you have to be mindful of a few factors.

The main things to consider when deciding whether to saw your logs are quality, quantity, size, species, location, and labor.

• The quality of your logs effects lumber yields more than any other factor. If you have nice straight saw logs you are going to get the maximum high quality lumber out of that log. If you have log the are crooked with knots all over you may be surprised how little lumber you get out of that log. Also keep in mind that lumber that is sawn out of crooked logs has a good chance of drying crooked. Remember no sawer can make good lumber out of bad logs. Sometimes the best use for a log is firewood. One thing to note on log quality is that there are some specialty markets/uses for traditionally "bad" logs that do have high value, but those typically require certain species and vision to make them worthwhile.
• The quantity of logs you have will help you determine if it makes sense to consider having a mobile sawer come in. Generally if you have only one or two logs it's not going to make a lot of sense to get your logs sawn up when you consider the transportation fees and minimum charges. What you could consider if this applies to you would be to ask some of your neighbors if they have some logs they would be interested in sawing and hopefully you could get enough logs together to make the trip worthwhile.
• The size of the logs affects the saw rate more than just about any other factor. Small logs take just as long to square up as bigger log but don't yield the same. Huge logs take more handling to get them down to a manageable size and require a significantly slower feed rate to maintain quality cuts. Generally on a portable band mill the sweet spot is between 12" - 26" diameter on the small end of the log. The other size factor to consider is the type of boards you want, customers don't always consider that sawing 1" thick boards takes longer than 2" simply because it's going to take twice as many cuts. Length can also play a factor in saw rate, longer logs (up to about 16") will generally provide a higher saw rate simply because the handling time for a short log and a long log are about the same, but even with the slightly longer saw times the longer logs make up for it with the additional board ft. There is a tradeoff with length however, generally the longer logs will yield slightly less than shorter logs simply because taper and/or sweep increases waist.
• The species of the wood you want to saw will also have a big impact on the value of the end product. Hardwoods like black walnut or oak will have significantly more value than a pine. It's best to have a specific use in mind and know what species you have and what it's good for. You probably don't want to frame up a garage with oak boards or use pine to build and heirloom bedroom set. If you don't know what the wood you have is good for, google it or just ask.
• The location will also help determine if it's worth getting a sawyer. Generally a sawyer will charge by the mile to and from your location so the further away you are the higher the bottom dollar. Again you can help offset these fixed costs by having more logs to saw, either your own or pooling together with friends/neighbors.
• The labor you provide with play a significant role in overall production rate. Most sawyers in the midwest will charge by the hour, so the more help you provide the faster the job will go. It's good for your bottom line to keep the sawyer at the controls of the mill instead of loading and off-loading.

We can work with you to provide an estimate on how long it will take but this will only be a rough estimate. Usually if you send a picture of your log pile we can get a pretty good idea how long it will take given enough help. For current rates see the price sheet.

How big of logs can we saw?

The published log capacity for a Woodmizer LT40 Super Hydraulic Wide is 36" in diameter and 21' long with a max cut width of 34". In practice however in takes significantly longer to saw logs that are near the max capacity because of handling, log prep, and log alignment challenges. Also worth noting, even though the max saw length that can be cut in one pass is 21', much longer logs can be sawn by using techniques that involve repositioning the logs in the middle of the cut. Again this takes substantially longer but may be worth it if you are looking make say long beams for a timber frame or similar project.