Timbery Sawmills

Timbery Portable Sawmill Shaping the Future for Small Woodlots

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 13:50:22 GMT

Lee Peterman and Shirley Jolliff co-own 80 acres of mixed woodlands in Linn County near Scio, Oregon. Members of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association, the two are managing their land in what might be seen as a paradigm breaking fashion by today’s standards. Someday, the two may be viewed as pioneers in innovation, helping to create a model for the new forest and forest products industry in the coming decades. From the use of solar power for home and forestry operations including the first of its kind solar powered Timbery portable sawmill to planning for a future of change in the nation’s forested regions, Lee and Shirley demonstrate the forward looking attitude likely to be necessary as small woodlands are managed to meet community desires and needs for decades to come.

Bogwood, Lee and Shirley’s farm, is an 80-acre rectangular former woodlot comprised of five different forest types. “The Northwest corner consists of about eight acres of predominantly Ponderosa pine, with mixed hardwoods like Big leaf Maple, Oregon Ash and a few Oregon White Oak with the nine-acre Northeast corner being predominantly Douglas-fir with some scattered hardwoods,” shared Lee. “A twenty-two acre boggy zone contains scattered stands of conifers interspersed with plentiful Oregon Ash and many Oregon White Oak. A two acre tall trees section escaped harvest in the late ‘90s so trees in that stand are about 65 years old and are 90 to 120 feet tall. The South Forty is predominantly Doug-fir with quite a bit of Big leaf Maple.” On purchasing Bogwood, Lee says with a grin, “We inherited 20 years of benign neglect.” Short on knowledge about forests, the couple had three important assets to bring to the table including an innovative outlook based in proactive environmentalism, a enthusiasm for learning, and a dedication to restoring the health of their forest.

As president of the Linn County Small Woodlands Association Lee said, “I never thought I'd be the incoming President for the Linn County Small Woodlands Association. I never thought I'd be a tree-guy in Linn County either, but people rarely make big changes until events force them to and life has a way of presenting one with opportunities that cannot be ignored. Bogwood, the 80 acre property I am lucky enough to be co-owner of, has been the very embodiment of the big change in my life and the purchase of it has most certainly been the point at which my learning curve about White-Oak and Wet-Prairie restoration and all-things forest went from zero to stratospheric.”

Going from “zero to stratospheric” involves a lot of time and effort. Over time the couple has tapped many sources. “Oregon State University Extension forester Brad Withrow-Robinson and the Master Woodlands Managers in the Linn County chapter of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association generously provided a tremendous wealth of knowledge,” said Lee. “Shirley and I have also done a great deal of reading on our own, both online and using good ‘ol fashioned books, pamphlets, and handouts from lectures and presentations we’ve attended.”

An early, successful, and easily replicable innovation Lee and Shirley believe may be an important approach to managing small farms and woodlands in the future was to go 100% electric. “When we purchased the property, it seemed a crime to subject it to additional abuse,” said Lee. “We decided to use no heavy equipment unless absolutely necessary, and we’ve not needed it yet. Shirley researched and had a 7 kilowatt solar PV system installed in 2015, it has enabled us to power all the tools and our home. The equipment we did purchase allows us to work without fumes and without further environmental degradation. A UTV powered by electricity is used to pull logs, a 40 volt lithium ion powered chainsaw, an electric powered chipper and shredder handle cutting and residue management, and most recently, a Timbery M100 5 horsepower electric sawmill has been added to allow for the processing of logs into lumber and other wood products.” Small logs are muscled out of the woods using a log arch. “It works great and is easy on the soil,” said Lee. A foundational concept behind the couple’s approach is the idea that, “The light touch on the land is the right way for us to do the work, even if it is not necessarily the fastest or easiest way to do things. We, as small landowners and operators, can take our time to do things the way we want. At least in our case, not looking for the quick profit is liberating.”

Making extensive use of the non-log forest resource is a second innovation likely to play a big part in the future for the owners of smaller forests and woodlands. “We have no plans to harvest in the traditional sense of timber production,” said Lee. “We tell folks we're on a 120 year rotation, starting in five years. But we do intend on thinning and cutting wildlife corridors though various stands and to release oaks where we find them. One viable commercial product from our land are broom handles which we cut, trim, and sell so the fellow in Eugene at BroomMagic can produce the final product. Last year Shirley and I cut and bundled over 2,600 sticks and delivered them to Eugene to be dried in a commercial kiln. We’re also looking at cutting forest greens for local florists, as well as possibly seeding for mushroom stock. We have massive quantities of Ponderosa pinecones and needles for Native American ceremonies and with the Timbery sawmill, I'll be milling for lumber used to build bird, bat, and owl nest boxes. We might possibly procure a still and distill essential oils from the various conifers and I've sold suppressed Doug-fir trees as lodge/tipi poles to mountain man re-enactors. I’ve also made more than a few dollars selling walking sticks from de-spiked invasive English hawthorn.” The big guys in the forest industry, Lee points out, tend to focus on production logging of a small number of species. That means a wide open, and sometimes quite lucrative, marketplace is available to open-minded and inventive owners of non-industrial forests.

Perhaps the most important impact Lee, Shirley, and their fellow small woodlands owners are likely to have on the future is in working their forests today to be adaptable to change. “Adaptability,” Lee says, is a key to the resilience and health of the forest of the future. Reporting to his Association membership on recent think tank presentations Lee wrote, “The clear and often-repeated theme from nearly all speakers was greater diversity in riparian areas and forested land as mono-cultures like Ash forests and even-aged Doug-fir plantations will be doomed either through infestation or the warming climate.”

“There is unambiguous evidence that climate change is causing both plant and animal species to relocate northerly,” said Lee. “Species of trees from northern California and southern Oregon are poised to fill niches soon to be vacated by Willamette Valley natives as they die off here.” Lee also reported the Emerald Ash Borer is moving west and is projected to devastate Ash throughout the region. “What we're doing at Bogwood by thinning and restoring stands is helping to keep our trees healthy and to regain some balance in the local eco-system,” said Lee. “By creating a haven for a diverse population of flora and fauna, we're helping, even in a small way.”

Lee points to his recent purchase of an electric Timbery portable sawmill as an example that “Going green is easy.” While having no intention of logging commercially he says, “We knew we'd have to do something with the culled / thinned trees we're removing for forest health. Most are too small for a commercial mill to take. I have dozens of projects I'd like to accomplish. By having the sawmill set up as it is, I can fell / thin trees as necessary for forest health and fire resistance and then I can use the milled lumber immediately for projects.” Change often drives opportunity. At Bogwood, Lee and Shirley are successfully demonstrating some aspects of change likely to come as the owners of small woodlands manage their forests in the coming decades.

90-Year-Old Cabinet Shop in Washington State Adds Timbery Portable Sawmill

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 12:56:47 GMT

On the surface, Erichsen Cabinet Shop is a 90+ year old family-owned and operated custom woodworking operation located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington. The shop is managed by brothers Butch and Booner Erichsen who proclaim pride in product, service, and customer satisfaction have served the company well since its founding in 1928. Butch and Booner have each worked in the building constructed by their grandfather for more than 40 years and live only a few dozen yards from the shop. All that alone is enough to make the Erichsen’s business one of those great American success stories we all love to hear about.

Dig a bit deeper and the truth is revealed that Butch and Booner color outside the lines when it comes to the challenges that would typically confine a third-generation business managed by a couple of brothers with a combined 85 years of cabinet making experience. Coloring outside the lines for the Erichsen brothers certainly includes a considerable respect for what their grandfather and father created and passed on to them. However, Butch and Booner are forward looking individuals more interested and excited about the future rather than the past.

Today, with the assistance of Butch’s son, Gideon, the Erichsens are taking their business into a new generation focused on creativity and environmental awareness enabled by the exciting opportunities a new Timbery M100 portable sawmill provides the trio. Self-labeled as a cabinet shop, the business produces a variety of wood products beyond the cabinet work. “Besides cabinets we do fireplace mantles, desks, tables, all kinds of bookcases, office furniture and the occasional custom designed couch, various frames, and now and then, a banquette,” Booner says. “Carpenters also come to the shop when there is a missing piece of molding that doesn’t exist anymore. Give us enough time and we can reproduce that molding.”

A visit to the Erichsen’s shop showcases lots of cabinets and other pieces of furniture in various stages, plus works of art created by the brothers are proudly displayed throughout the facility. Look up and you’ll find a fantastically intricate wall mural combining sharp angles, random design elements, curves, and optical illusions that the Erichsens managed to draw together into a singular work of art. Look down to the workbench to see woven wood squares that turns out to be an optical illusion created by combining dozens of small blocks of wood on a jig Booner created. Or check out the mounted slab of spalted maple finished and hung on the wall for the pure pleasure of looking at one of nature’s masterpieces. Even the OSHA mandated belt cover on the sander driven by the original line shaft purchased second hand by Theodore Erichsen in 1926 has been made to be visually attractive.

Erichsen Cabinet Shop is tucked into a neighborhood almost as old as the shop itself. As Booner says, “The shop is heated with firewood and nothing else. Everyone in the neighborhood knows we burn wood every day in the winter so, when a tree is cut down they call the shop. We pick up free firewood and the neighbors save a hand off fee.” While burning wood kept the shop cozy and warm, neither Booner, Butch, nor Gideon were happy to see beautiful wood going into the stove rather than being milled into usable lumber or other products. Things came to a head when Booner recounts, “An arborist found the shop’s back forty a convenient place to store logs with the promise of milling them with his chainsaw mill but, he fell short on his promises. A neighbor was going to cut down a Deadore cedar and asked Butch how he wanted it cut. Butch told him to cut it into logs eight to ten feet long then send the logs off to a local sawmill. It took forever to get it back but, with the help of a hundred year old six by six post Butch used for legs, that tree is now his dining room table.”

The final determining factor came when a friend of Booner’s decided to cut down three Sequoia trees. “I didn’t want to see the logs trashed with a chainsaw mill or go to waste as firewood so I looked around for a real sawmill,” Booner says. “We decided on a Timbery M100 as the best fit for us.” Booner points to one small problem with that decision with a bit of a grin. Since the sawmill arrived, the lumber, slab, post, and just plain interesting piece of sawn wood pile has grown and the firewood pile has shrunk dramatically. “This was the first year we didn’t have enough firewood to make it through the winter,” Booner laughed.

Butch, Booner, and Gideon have always sought new ways to get more out of every scrap of wood coming into their place of business and the Timbery sawmill has helped them achieve that. “The sawmill allows us to craft pieces of art, reading the logs and determining lines before a log gets cut, just like an artisan would with a block of marble,” says Gideon Erichsen, fourth generation craftsman at Erichsen Cabinet Shop. “The other part is that the wood becomes usable, which makes everyone happy, as before, without this tool, all the wood was usually wasted or just firewood. Recycling is key to me, and if you can repurpose or reuse a material to its absolute potential that's what makes me happy. That's what makes this sawmill worth it to me.”

2017 Paul Bunyan Portable Sawmill Shootout | Timbery

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:24:13 GMT

The Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-Out® featuring Timbery M280 Sawmill

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

Model: Timbery M280
Sawyer: Chad Sanders
Tailman: Jake Welker
Log scale: 386
Actual production: 381
Production: 641 BF / hour
Production underrun: 1%
Miscuts: 13
Options Used: Timbery E100 edger, log ramps
Mill engine: 23-hp Vanguard
Cutting capacity: 25" x 13' 11"

Even before the last sawmill was pulled out of the Shoot-Out area Timbery brought its model M280 to the Shoot-Out this year. This mill has a log capacity of 28-inch diameter and 13 feet 11 inches in length, so it had no problem with the 15-inch and 16-inch yellow poplar logs provided at the Shoot-Out. With Timbery project manager Chad Sanders at the controls of the mill and service technician Jake Welker assisting in loading and turning logs, offbearing, and running the edger, the team had a nearly perfect run this year. According to Chad, this manual sawmill is identical to the 285 they had demonstrated in the past, except that it does not include the trailer package.

Even though this mill is less portable and takes more setup time, it sits lower to the ground, allowed the team to roll the logs onto the deck with cant hooks instead of the hand-cranked winch, saving precious time. “Winching up from the ground in 2015 was a real time killer,” Jake explained. “But having the logs decked up and rolling them onto the mill was extremely time efficient. It was only about a 6-inch lift, and it made loading the logs real easy. The only downside was that there was a little more lifting when it came to offbearing.”

Another change from the previous Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-Out was the introduction of Timbery’s edger . Although edgers are not commonly used with manual band saws, Chad noted that an increasing number of sawyers are using them to improve yield and productivity. “If you have a two-man operation, the mill is continually running. It also helps with production because each board is edged individually,” Chad noted. This certainly proved true for this year’s Shoot-Out. “It beats handling the boards twice and edging them on the sawmill,” Jake agreed. “It is self-feeding so you just get it started, go around to the other side and catch the board as it comes off.” How well did these changes work? Comparing the Timbery results from the 2015 Shoot-Out , lowering the mill and adding the edger increased production from 423 to 641 BF/hr.—over a 50% increase.

Jake noted that the edger slows down on 2-inch thick cuts. To use it to its best advantage, Chad cut all 1-inch-thick boards until he had a 10-inch-wide cant, then cut 2-inch-thick boards that could go straight to the lumber pile. That way, Jake only had 1-inch-thick boards to edge. “We had that planned out ahead of time,” Jake said. “I was having a hard enough time keeping up with Chad, the way he was cutting.”

Chad and Jake put a lot of planning into the Shootout, starting out with preparing the logs. “Last Shoot-Out, we had to stop and change a blade because of all the mud in the logs, but this year, we cleaned them up pretty carefully, especially where we were going to be cutting,” he explained. “The mill was fine-tuned and ready to go and we knew ahead of time exactly what we were going to cut and where the drops were going to be.”

To work together more smoothly, the Timbery team used wireless headsets that allowed Chad and Jake to communicate with each other. Chad noted that this was especially helpful, since Jake was so busy running the edger. “It helped to communicate without yelling over the equipment,” Chad said. “For example, when he was at the edger and I needed help turning a log, I could call him over. If he was too busy, it helped me know ahead of time that I would need to turn the log or pull a board off.”

“I think overall it was a good performance,” Chad concluded. “This year was really smooth. There was quite a bit of interest in both the sawmill and the edger . It’s always fun to get the mill out there and let people see what it can do. When we do a Shoot-Out, I try to run the mill the way the customer would, and keep everything simple.”

2015 Paul Bunyan Portable Sawmill Shootout | Timbery

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 19:27:48 GMT

The Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-Out® featuring Timbery M285 Sawmill

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" x 17' 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.”

2013 Paul Bunyan Portable Sawmill Shootout | Timbery

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 18:53:53 GMT

The Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-Out® featuring Timbery M285 Sawmill

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

Model: Timbery M285
Sawyer: Chad Sanders
Tailman: Mark Thompson
Production: 427 BF / hour
Scale Underrun: -2%
Options Used: Log loader, log rest post

It is always great to see new equipment at the Shoot-Out. This year, Timbery made its debut with the M285 , their newest product. The manual band saw is powered by a 25-hp Subaru gas engine.

The version demonstrated at the Shoot-Out can handle logs up to 28 inches in diameter by 17 feet 2 inches long. Sawyer Chad Sanders has worked with Timbery for the past two years. "Timbery was originally manufactured in Canada, but that was recently moved to Indianapolis, Indiana," he explained. "Our machine design focuses on simplicity and ease of maintenance," he added.

Normally working in sales, Chad's experience in sawing was pretty much limited to demonstrations at shows. His tailman, Mark Thompson, is from South Africa and made the trip specifically to see a North American show. According to Chad, Mark was amazed at the size of the equipment and all of the hydraulics. He pointed out that it is very different from South Africa where muscle power often still dominates. With only a week to practice together for the Shoot-Out, the team managed to work smoothly. According to Chad, there were no surprises. "The mill worked beautifully. Everything ran the way it was supposed to run," he recalled. As far as the milling, Chad says that he just milled the log into a cant, and then maintained the cutting pattern to cut 2-inch-thick boards.

The team was able to cut their 365 board feet of lumber in 51 minutes, 13 seconds, for a rate of 427 board-feet per hour. Their cutting efficiency was at just 2% under the log scale. They would have exceeded the log scale if two of their boards had not been rejected-one for excessive wane, and the other for being just shy of the 1-inch minimum thickness. That's a very respectable yield and cutting time for any manual band saw mill. While Timbery only had one mill in the Shoot-Out, their line of sawmills includes an M280 that is similar to the M285 but without a trailer, and the newly released M100 which is a simple, compact personal mill. In fact, Timbery chose to use the Paul Bunyan Show and the additional draw of The Great Portable Sawmill Shoot-Out® to launch the M100 and show it for the first time ever at their booth.

Timbery Introduces M120 Entry-Level Portable Sawmill

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 12:19:17 GMT

Timbery introduces the M120 portable sawmill designed as an entry-level mill that fits the needs of hobby sawyers, woodworkers, and small woodlot owners. The M120 joins the Timbery range of portable sawmill equipment that is utilized by homesteads, farms, and specialty wood shops around the world.

Featuring a new, stronger mast and sawhead design, the M120 portable sawmill comes standard with 26” max log diameter, 22” max width of cut, 12’ 5” log length capacity, 4 quick-set log rests, and 1 quick-set cam action log clamp. The cutting length can be extended to any length by adding 5’ bed extensions. The M120 sawhead is easily pushed down the bed rails with a sturdy push bar and has a manual head crank to accurately set the blade height. All adjustments to the sawhead are conveniently controlled from the operator’s location.

M120 Portable Sawmill Specifications

Power

9 HP (7 kW) Gas
14 HP (10.4 kW) Gas
5 HP (4 kW) Electric

Cutting Capacity

26” (660 mm) max log diameter
22" (550 mm) max width of cut
12' 5" (3.8 m) log length or unlimited with 5' (1.52 m) extensions

Introductory Price

Starting at $3,995 USD

“With Timbery, you don’t have to overspend to get quality sawmilling equipment for your wood business or hobby,” said Chad Sanders, Timbery Manager. “The M120 is our newest entry-level portable sawmill that is affordable, durable, and easy to operate.”

The Timbery M120 sawmill is now available to order worldwide. Visit www.timbery.com for more information and to contact a local representative.

About Timbery Portable Sawmills

Combining more than 30 years of experience in building industrial and portable sawmills, Timbery offers a variety of affordable personal sawmills, board edgers, band resaws, sawmill blades, and blade maintenance equipment to fit any budget. Built in the USA, Timbery’s mission is to provide quality, easy to operate and maintain products without breaking the bank. Giving you more and charging you less is why affordable sawing starts with Timbery. Call 877.340.5634 or visit www.timbery.com to begin your sawing adventure.

Timbery Sawmills Introduces West Coast Dealer in Oregon | Timbery

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 14:22:25 GMT

Timbery introduces Heicor Enterprises, LLC in Monmouth, Oregon as Timbery West - an authorized dealer of Timbery Portable Sawmills. Timbery offers a range of personal sawmills geared specifically for homesteads, farms, small woodlots, tree farms, as well as cabinet, custom woodworking, and specialty lumber shops.

“We’ve been looking for a partner on the West Coast who has the industry knowledge, focus, desire and ability to best represent our line in sales and service,” said Chad Sanders, Timbery Product Manager. “Because of their vast experience, we’re confident that Timbery West is exactly what we were looking for and we look forward toward a long continuing relationship.”

Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Timbery manufactures its portable sawmill equipment in the USA. Timbery has been building band sawmills since 2010, with mills spread broadly across North America and in several countries around the world. Timbery also supplies board edgers, resaws, sawmill accessories, bandsaw blades and blade sharpening equipment.

Glen Heiner, Vice President of Heicor Enterprises, LLC, stated, “We are excited to represent Timbery. The quality of these products fit well into the markets we will serve with Timbery West, which is small to medium-scale, value added wood businesses and private individuals. The mills compliment the kilns and secondary processing equipment also offered by Heicor. And the Timbery bandsaw blades and sharpening equipment will be a great choice for anyone that uses thin-kerf bandsaws.”

With business operations in Monmouth, Oregon, Heicor Enterprises was founded in 2016 by Glen Heiner and Kevin Corder. Both Corder and Heiner have extensive experience in thin-kerf band sawmills with Heiner having experience as a sawmill operator as owner of Portland Specialty Lumber, a millwork firm in Portland, Oregon. For more information contact Timbery West at 971-271-8070, or by email at info@heicor.com.

About Timbery Portable Sawmills
Combining more than 30 years of experience in building industrial and portable sawmills, Timbery offers a variety of affordable sawmills, edger, resaws, bandsaw blades, and blade maintenance equipment to fit any budget. Built in the USA, Timbery’s mission is to provide quality, easy to operate and maintain products without breaking the bank. Giving you more and charging you less is why affordable sawing starts with Timbery. Call 877.340.5634 or visit www.timbery.com to begin your sawing adventure.

How To Use Quick Set Log Clamp on the M100 / M280 / M285 Portable Sawmills | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:52 GMT

Chad Sanders covers how to use the new quick set log clamp on the Timbery M100, M280, and M285 portable sawmills.

How To Set Ceramic Blade Guides for the M100 / M280 / M285 Portable Sawmills | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:47 GMT

Chad Sanders walks through how to properly set the ceramic blade guides on the Timbery M100, M280, and M285 portable sawmills.

How To Set Blade Tension on the M280 & M285 Portable Sawmills | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:46 GMT

Chad Sanders covers how to properly set the blade tension on the Timbery M280 and M285 portable sawmills.

How To Set Blade Tension on the M100 Portable Sawmill | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:43 GMT

Chad Sanders covers how to correctly set your blade tension on the Timbery M100 portable sawmill.

How To Set The Blade Height on M100 / M280 / M285 Portable Sawmills | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:41 GMT

Chad Sanders covers the basic head operations of a Timbery portable sawmill including setting the scale and the easy adjust crank head up/down.

How To Adjust Blade Tracking on M100 / M280 / M285 Portable Sawmills | Timbery

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 19:22:39 GMT

Chad Sanders covers how to adjust the blade tracking on Timbery M285, M280, and M100 sawmills.

Strawberry Farmer uses M100 Portable Sawmill to Maintain Greenhouses | Timbery

Mon, 21 May 2018 15:44:06 GMT

By Gilnei Andreazza

I bought a Timbery bandsaw and started to saw wood to make my greenhouses because it is cheaper to saw the wood than buying it already processed. I have built 24 greenhouses. It is more or less 50 cubic meters (21,000 board feet) of wood to make all them.

I am Gilnei Andreazza. I'm a strawberry farmer from Caxias, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. My strawberries go to São Paulo, Rio, Zaffari and to Manaus.

When I took out a loan to make the greenhouses, the price of the wood would have been 39 thousand Reais ($10,700 USD) And I bought the bandsaw for 15 thousand Reais ($4,100 USD). And the wood, I bought for 5 thousand Reais ($1,400 USD), so it was advantageous to buy it and keep the bandsaw. I'm also using it all the time now, every day. I've sawed more or less 30 cubic meters (12,000 board foot) of wood in the last month.

I'm going to saw more to make more greenhouses. I'm going to make boxes out of pine wood, and I'm going to fill it with soil. I'm going to plant here and I'll use the wood boxes.

Since I got the Timbery sawmill, I cut the wood the way I want, and at the time I want. When I bought wood from the other sawmill, they didn’t use to have any wood available when I needed it. They would rarely have wood available and it would take three months to come. When the time to plant came around, the wood wasn't available.

With the sawmill, I do as I want now with the wood whenever I need it.

North Carolina Hobby Farmer Plans Retirement with a Portable Sawmill | Timbery

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 17:59:28 GMT

As retirement nears for Edward “Dee” Farmer, the Clayton, North Carolina law enforcement officer and hobby farmer plans to continue serving his community by turning logs into valuable lumber. “I am seeing trees in my neighborhood being cut and carried away to landfills or cut into firewood and I began to think I could take wasted trees and turn them into something more useful,” said Dee. “That is when I started researching for my sawmill.”

During his childhood, Dee developed lifelong interests in horticulture and forestry that he plans to continue pursuing in his retirement years. “Growing up on my grandmother’s farm in Western North Carolina as a young child I would visit and watch a sawmill that was set up on her farm,” shared Dee. “A family friend owned and ran the sawmill. He used a horse to drag selected logs to the mill. I would sit on a nearby tree stump and watch the cart go back and forth turning logs into lumber. I guess this is where the seed was sown.”

Dee recently purchased a Timbery M100 sawmill in order to learn how to turn logs into lumber. As part of his learning process, Dee says he is utilizing his Timbery to mill boards for his own use in building a permanent 10’ x 30’ shelter for the mill. Dee and his wife also live on a 2 ½ acre hobby farm with Pygmy and Myotonic goats along with four full chicken coops. “I also find myself using a lot of milled and air dried lumber for our hobby farm, using the lumber for new goat stalls, food shelving, and board and batten chicken coops,” said Dee. “After completing the mill shelter, I plan to build a small shed near the mill for convenient peavey, cant hook, blades, and other tool storage. I plan to use all lumber milled on site for this project.”

Dee intends to eventually purchase a larger, towable sawmill for retirement income, but a friend convinced Dee of the value of learning a new skill from the ground up. “I’m a few years away from retirement, and wanted to start early with a manual mill to learn the wood hands on and direct before going to a larger mill,” said Dee. “My initial plan when purchasing the M100 was similar to my machinist friend’s path. I planned to work with a manual mill, close to the log and lumber, to learn and become efficient using a portable mill. Now I plan to continue to use my M100 for my personal use and mill for friends and neighbors to gain additional knowledge and experience.”

Dee’s advice to others considering a sawmill includes thinking about your goals and purpose for a sawmill while speaking with as many companies as possible. More tips include seeing what’s available for service along with how and whom you contact for assistance, parts, accessories or advice. “I researched portable mills for over a year before I decided on the Timbery,” explained Dee. “I met with sales representatives at trade shows, open houses, and public demonstrations. I met Chad Sanders [manager] with Timbery while he was attending an agriculture equipment show in Raleigh. He demonstrated the Timbery products for me and was very friendly and shared his knowledge and practicality of the mill. I also met my local Timbery dealer, Joseph Whitley and his staff, that only added to the benefits of the purchase. The combination of my intended milling purposes, price, and a local sales and service center is why I chose the Timbery M100. As we say down south, Joseph and his staff was the gravy on the biscuit.”

Dee says he gets important benefits other than lumber out of sawmilling. “In addition to the rewards of turning logs that could have been thrown away into useful lumber, I enjoy the physical manual labor,” said Dee. “I enjoy the time milling, releasing stress after a long day or week. I go out to the mill and as I slab away and turn a log into a cant and then lumber, I feel the stress melting away. The sawdust therapy I receive is immeasurable. Being able to open a log and see the grains hidden inside, and turn a log into useful lumber or a future weekend project is highly rewarding for me. A bonus for me is the transformation back to that time I used to sit upon that tree stump.”

Farming, Furniture Restoration, and Custom Sawmilling in Rural Canada | Timbery

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 12:08:10 GMT

Bruce McEwen of Renaissance Furniture Restoration has a variety of interests, a broad skill set, and an always inquiring mind. In Foresters Falls, Ontario, Bruce runs a hobby farm, works as a professional sheep shearer, restores treasured pieces of furniture, creates unique furniture, and operates a portable band sawmill service in the small towns and rural areas of Ontario’s famed Whitewater region. Bruce says he comes by his versatility naturally. While growing up on a dairy farm, Bruce learned from both his mom and his dad who was a skilled engineer serving in WWII. “He was super handy, just great at solving problems,” Bruce remembers. “I built many things with my dad from wagons to fences to out buildings. I learned from him that the ability to fix things is a gift. It’s a gift I have to use and I am so grateful for the chance I have to do useful and rewarding work.”

Once a cabinet maker, Bruce noticed a great demand for restoration in the rural areas surrounding Foresters Falls. “I live in an area with a lot of great people,” said Bruce. “They have a sense of history and would rather restore a piece that’s been in the family for a long time than get rid of it, which happens too often these days. I also noticed that most cabinet makers don’t like doing repairs. Very few of them are interested in restoration. I’m a little different. I find great joy in restoring old wooden objects. It’s a great fit with my skills so I decided to go into the restoration business and it’s turned out to be a good decision.” The decision has worked out so well that Bruce has a growing clientele in Ottawa, located nearly an hour and a half away from Foresters Falls where he is based.

A tool Bruce says has made all the difference for his business came through the purchase of a Timbery M285 portable band sawmill. “I had a lot of trees and some great logs from a farm I kept to have milled up someday,” he said. “I thought having my own sawmill would be a great way to make use of the lumber so I went to a woods show and did a lot of research on all the different sawmills available out there. I loved the simple design of the Timbery and the ease of use. I ended up buying the mill and now I can see it was one of the best business decisions of my life.”

Bruce says the Timbery sawmill satisfies three separate needs for his business. A small farm is always in need of lumber for fixing fences, constructing a shed, replacing old boards on a barn or for a multitude of other uses. The ability to mill the lumber on site is not only convenient but inexpensive when compared with the need to purchase finished lumber from a lumber yard. For a restoration craftsman, being able to mill specialty sizes and create lumber from tree species not readily available on the marketplace is invaluable. “If I have to buy lumber I can only buy certain sizes,” he says. “With my sawmill I can cut what I need instead of settling for what I can buy. The ability to mill up lumber for the furniture is great.”

“The farm community gives me a lot of work for the sawmill,” he continues. “I’ve cut lumber for everyday farm use, I’ve milled 24’ rafters for a barn, and 24’ logs for a log home. I really like cutting wood for the different uses people have for it.” Whether shearing sheep, milling lumber for a farmer, restoring a valued piece of furniture, or creating a future heirloom for a family, Bruce says the real key to sawmilling as a business is respect for the customer and satisfying their wants and needs. “I always try to listen to what the customer is trying to achieve,” he says. “I present ideas as we talk but it is the customer’s piece and I want to get it right. On each job I do it as if it is my own job. Restoration, for example, is not quick or easy and sometimes I have to put a lot more time into a job than I included in a quote. I will not cut corners, I will take the extra time and get the job done right. That’s something I demand of myself and it’s a great feeling when you know it’s done right and the customer is happy.”

Brothers Satisfy Woodworking Passion with Portable Sawmill | Timbery

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 20:00:10 GMT

Twin brothers Bob and Ken Snyder have been passionate about woodworking throughout their entire lives. Beginning the craft at a young age, the Snyder’s particularly enjoy the creative process in turning lumber into toys, furniture, crafts, and other products they make to sell, give away, or keep for the enjoyment of themselves and their families. With their expertise in crafting a wide variety of toys including trains, 3D puzzles, and space crafts, it is fitting that the New Jersey natives converted an outdoor playground structure to house the Timbery M100 portable band sawmill they use to mill their own lumber for their woodworking projects. Likening the playground set up to a different kind of man cave, Bob says, “It’s like an outdoors man compound, friends come over to watch us saw logs and they end up enjoying our mill as much as we do!”

Bob and Ken began working with wood more than 40 years ago, responding to the influences of their father, Richard. “Dad always said that hard work is the best thing for you,” Bob says. “We were selling light bulbs at seven [years old] and using our dad’s basement workshop to make toys to sell when we were twelve.” According to Bob, their grandfather Earle also had a formative influence on the two men’s lives. Earle was a toy maker himself so many of the toys the boys made were based on patterns their grandfather had developed and much of what the boys learned about crafting wood and designing new wood products came under Earle’s mentorship. As the two learned more they began to expand their efforts, developing their own designs and making more elaborate toys.

One of the problems the young men ran up against was the high cost of lumber, costs that seemed to steadily increase to the point where it was difficult to sell a product in order to produce a profit. A partial solution came from urban sourced trees in that homeowners would call their father to remove a tree that either needed to be taken down or had fallen down. “We’d load up in a Pontiac station wagon and head out to get the wood,” Bob remembers. “Some of the logs would be taken to a nearby sawmill and cut into lumber with the rest going into firewood. The lumber was stored in our attic until it was dry enough to use, approximately one year per one inch of thickness. I still have some of the lumber we cut back in those days waiting for just the right project.”

As the boys entered their late teens and early twenties, woodworking took a back seat as college, family, and careers suddenly came to focus in the twins lives, but Bob says the craft was never completely absent from their lives. Children’s cribs, high chairs, toys, and furniture for personal use and gifts took the place of wood projects made for sale as the twins took up their respective careers. Now at age 54, Bob and Ken have begun to build and market wood products driven by their lifelong woodworking passion and Bob’s purchase of a Timbery M100 personal sawmill. “My Timbery is the best $4,000 I ever spent,” he exclaims. “Sawmilling is like a natural therapy for me, it calms the mind but it’s exciting at the same time. The sawmill allows me to do things I couldn’t do before.”

Timbery’s M100 sawmill is an entry-level machine used by woodworkers throughout the world who want to expand their creativity and material control in their projects. With the ability to saw logs up to 26” in diameter, the Timbery sawmill allows woodworkers to cut any species of logs into any dimension and grain pattern they want for project creation. By sawing their own custom lumber instead of buying materials at a big box store, the Snyder’s have saved money on lumber costs and increased their ability to work with any type of wood they desire.

The Snyder’s Timbery sawmill also plays into Bob’s plans to turn his hobby into a viable business in the future as retirement nears. “Right now I’m in the middle between a hobby and a business,” he says. “When I retire I intend to expand the business into about a six hour per day enterprise. Without the sawmill I’m not sure I could afford to sell my work due to the cost of lumber. Economically the sawmill opens up a whole new world of opportunity.”

In addition to expanded business potential, Bob says the Timbery sawmill allows him to explore his passion for wood to a much greater extent than would be possible without the mill. “To me sawmilling is not work,” he explains. “It’s a pleasure. People will call up and tell me they have a tree for me because they don’t want to see that tree just turned into firewood and they know I’ll use it well. People want their trees to come back to life. It’s exciting to them and it’s exciting to me when everything comes together and I’m able to make something for the very person who gave me the tree.”

From a personal standpoint Bob says one of the most important things his sawmill brings to the table is, “The freedom to become the artist you want to be. When you cut your own wood you’re not limited to anything, anywhere,” he explains. “You can discover the character of the wood as you cut to preserve irregularities in the wood and then use those irregularities in a creative way. While you’re cutting you can be thinking about what you might create with the board or block you’re cutting even though it might be a year or two of drying time until you can explore that vision.”

Bob points to blue oak as an example of how his mill allows him to explore his vision for a piece of wood. “Years ago someone drove a nail into an oak tree,” he says. “Over time that nail turns the wood blue. That wood is unique to me. With my mill I can cut to preserve the character of what some other people might consider to be a flaw and then turn the wood into a truly unusual work.”

To the Snyder brothers, woodworking is a passion with an intimate connection to the wood crafting heritage passed down to them by their father and their grandfather. Ownership of a sawmill has opened up a whole new world of opportunity to explore and expand on that heritage. “People say we sound like ambassadors for sawmilling,” he says, “And that’s true. Our sawmill allows us to realize our passion and vision for the wood we love to work with and we enjoy sharing that story with people.”