2015 Paul Bunyan Portable Sawmill Shootout | Timbery

The preceding article was edited in length and republished with permission from Independent Sawmill & Woodlot Magazine.

Model: Timbery M285
Sawyer: Chad Sanders
Tailman: Jake Welker
Production: 506 BF / hour
Production Underrun: 1.03
Miscuts: 13 BF
Options Used: Winch and ramps
Mill engine: 25-hp gas
Cutting capacity: 28" x17' 2"

After a successful introduction at the 2013 Shoot-Out, Timbery returned with their M285 sawmill. This is the largest sawmill available from the Indianapolis-based manufacturer. Sawyer Chad Sanders normally works as product manager, and tailman Jake Welker is in customer service. According to Chad, Jake “runs the mill a little here in the shop, tunes up mills for customers. He’s pretty hands-on with the mills.” Although neither Chad nor Jake spend much time making sawdust, they managed to team up for a great sawmilling demonstration. “I think it went really well,” said Chad. “We had a good chance to show people what the mill could do. Being a manual mill, you don't have a lot of log handling options, but it is a great mill if you're willing to do more work."

While Chad operated the mill, Jake stacked slabs and lumber and turned the logs as required. The general cutting pattern was to cut each log into a 10-inch-wide cant, then mill 1-inch- or 2-inch-thick boards. As a result, most of the lumber was 1 x 10 or 2 x 10. When all the logs had been milled, Chad and Jake put boards with bark or wane back on the mill for edging.

Chad noted that he was a lot more focused this year and less nervous about sawing in front of a crowd. This made a big difference in the performance. The 25-hp Subaru engine managed to chew through the four logs at an average rate of 506 board feet (BF) per hour for more than an 18% increase over the previous Shoot-Out. With only one miscut board and a 3% production overrun, they gave an impressive demonstration. Perhaps the threatening clouds motivated Chad and Jake to work a bit faster this year. The rain began just as they were pulling the last board off the sawmill.

To show off the sawmill’s versatility, Chad and Jake winched logs from the ground onto the sawmill with the optional log-loading package, consisting of a hand-cranked winch and pair of steel ramps. The cable runs over the top of the log and back to the winch in a system known as a “parbuckle.” Reeling in the cable rolls the log up the steel ramps with a minimum of effort. This system allowed them to load the mill without support equipment—a very useful feature when sawing in remote areas.

According to Chad, the Timbery M285 has several features that make it user-friendly. For example, a single lever controls the throttle, clutch, and water lube. The electric-start, 25-hp motor demonstrated at the Shoot-Out is the most powerful option available, and the cam-operated clamps secured the logs quickly.

The team slabbed 1-inch boards off the log down to 5 inches above the center, rotated the log 180 degrees, and repeated the process, producing a two-sided cant 10 inches wide. They then set the cant on edge and proceeded to mill 10-inch-wide boards. While this left more boards that needed edging on both sides, it worked well for the team.

The team also gave an impromptu demonstration on how to change a sawmill blade. “We didn’t get the mud off the boards as well as we should have,” recalled Chad. “By the time we got to the third log, the blade was so dull that we decided to call a time-out to replace it.” The mill has a quick-release cam blade tensioner that allowed them to make a quick change, and the mill was back in operation in just a few minutes.

“The M285 appeals to a mix of people, some sawing for income and some as a hobby,” Chad explained. Major markets for the Timbery are a mix between small woodlot owners and farmers with timber on their property. “There are also some users who do production, like timber-frame homes. The heavy-duty frame supports the trailer axles to make it easy to take the mill to the logs, making it a good mill for portable operations.”