# New (to me) Portable Sawmill



## High_Water

I inherited a sawmill from my uncle, it sat for a few years but was never used beyond the demo when he bought it. I've cut some pine, pecan, and red oak with some success, but in my opinion the coolest I've cut so far is a piece of driftwood (species unknown). Here are some pictures, and I'll attempt a cell phone video.


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## High_Water

Sorry forgot to hit upload.


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## High_Water

Pecan.





































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## 3192

That is some INCREDIBLE wood! You have yourself a gold mine there. Please keep the pics coming. 


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## RB II

Lots of unique and awesome wood there. Good luck with it in the future. Sure looks like you have figured out the sawmill.


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## snapperlicious

Pretty cool piece of driftwood! I want a mill bad.


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## Its Catchy

I've always wanted a mill but just cant justify the cost. I have to admit that is some cool looking wood. Especially the driftwood...


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## High_Water

Thanks guys. I'll definitely post more pictures as they come. I've got a pretty significant stash of pine 4x6 that my uncle is going to use for exposed beams in a house he is building, I also have a couple of black walnut logs, more red oak than I know what to do with, and one log that is supposedly white oak but I'm a little suspicious its only red.


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## Hooked

Very cool indeed. I'm with Catchy -- always drool over sawmills. lol


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## WildThings

Hooked said:


> Very cool indeed. I'm with Catchy -- always drool over sawmills. lol


Yep same here!! Great looking stuff!


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## kodman1

Do you have any mesquite slabs? I'm wanting to build a 7' mesquite table.


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## SetDaHook

Man, I am so jealous!! That's some beautiful wood for future tables, benches, or whatever. I make live edge furniture, fireplace mantels, etc. for customers, and it's hard to find a mill that is reasonable and has the stuff I want.

If you ever want to sell some slabs, let me know!


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## cubera

How about a pic of the mill itself.


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## High_Water

cubera said:


> How about a pic of the mill itself.


Here it is.























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## BayouBonsaiMan

Very sweet piece of machinery! Thanks for posting!


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## jm423

Are you going to put in any provision for drying other than stickering and let nature take her course? As above here you have a potential gold mine on your hands (but keep hands out of it!!)


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## High_Water

jm423 said:


> Are you going to put in any provision for drying other than stickering and let nature take her course? As above here you have a potential gold mine on your hands (but keep hands out of it!!)


 Right now I have most of my wood stacked in a shipping container that I'm using as a makeshift kiln with a dehumidifier and fans set up. Its not ideal but it works fairly well and the stuff I have cut seems to be drying well with not much checking. My plan is to one day build solar kiln in a better location similar to the Virginia Tech kiln (https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/420/420-030/420-030_pdf.pdf)


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## High_Water

*Mesquite and Mystery*

First pic is mesquite, other pics are a mystery. They both came from the same stack of logs out of the Austin area and I was told most of it was mesquite but there could be some cedar or cypress mixed in, bud I didn't think those beetle larvae would affect cedar or cypress like that and it looks too light to be cedar or mesquite. Maybe the fungus that caused the spalting makes the wood lighter in color as well, not sure. Any ideas?


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## SetDaHook

I've had some mesquite with spalting that looked just like that last pic. What kind of moisture content are you getting using your shipping container set up?


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## High_Water

SetDaHook said:


> I've had some mesquite with spalting that looked just like that last pic. What kind of moisture content are you getting using your shipping container set up?


So far I've gotten readings in the mid teens for the pine, and high teens in the oak.


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## Swampus

Really Cool set up!
Great slabs!
Let us know how it is going!

swamp


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## High_Water

Just cut these up this weekend.


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## WildThings

Those are some awesome cookies!!


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## High_Water

More from this weekend - black walnut. Just not enough time to do everything I want, I can't even remember the last time I went fishing!


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## Swampus

Nice slabs!!
How long more or less does it take to rip one board length after you set up?
Nice work.


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## High_Water

Swampus said:


> Nice slabs!!
> How long more or less does it take to rip one board length after you set up?
> Nice work.


The actual cut doesn't take long, bigger saws will supposedly run 40 ft/min, I've run mine through soft pine at 20 ft/min, and even slower for hard stuff like oak or walnut. I didn't actually time it but if I had to guess I would say just under 1 minute for the walnut pictured, they are 7' lengths.


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## Swampus

I want some of that stuff!!
Bet it is way cool ripping those big ol' toothpicks!
Good Job!


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## High_Water

Swampus said:


> I want some of that stuff!!
> Bet it is way cool ripping those big ol' toothpicks!
> Good Job!


It's the coolest, its all I want to do, I don't even know if I wanna mess with making stuff out of them. Almost all of what I post is for sale, If you or anybody is really interested just shoot me a PM.


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## High_Water

Silver leaf maple. Interestingly the root ball was roughly the shape of Texas.


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## High_Water

Mystery log, I've been told it might be elm. Cut into 2x12s, the live edge was too rotten to leave attached.


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## High_Water

Another mystery log, I'm pretty sure its a red oak. I have a lot more of this wood, but I cut up a 4' section to see how bad the bugs had got to it and termites were pretty bad. I managed to scrape a few 2x4s out but I'll probably leave the rest in the woods.


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## WildThings

nice wood


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## Meadowlark

Beautiful wood. Like others, I always wanted to make my own lumber but never got around to it.


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## High_Water

*Update*

First pic - fresh milled (not the same piece as the rest but from the same log)
Second - after a year of air drying and then pressure washing
Third - after being run through a planer
Fourth - what normal pecan looks like - all the black coloration on the others is from a type of fungus that I purposely let grow to produce that effect, called spalting. Some people like it some don't, I happen to like it.


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## Swampus

High Water--Still watching ur fine work! 
I will buy some soon as I have some extra $--still have ur #

Also gave ur name out over on DF for someone looking to cut up some lumber on their place.

swamp


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## High_Water

Swampus said:


> High Water--Still watching ur fine work!
> I will buy some soon as I have some extra $--still have ur #
> 
> Also gave ur name out over on DF for someone looking to cut up some lumber on their place.
> 
> swamp


Sounds good, if it would ever stop raining I could cut up the stack of cedars I've got sitting in the yard. And I've got an uncle planning to cut down a cypress that I'm looking forward to as well.


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## jtburf

High_Water said:


> First pic - fresh milled (not the same piece as the rest but from the same log)
> Second - after a year of air drying and then pressure washing
> Third - after being run through a planer
> Fourth - what normal pecan looks like - all the black coloration on the others is from a type of fungus that I purposely let grow to produce that effect, called spalting. Some people like it some don't, I happen to like it.


Take caution when working the Spalded wood, it is a fungus that can get in your lunch so wear a mask.

Looks great!!

John


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## High_Water

Finally got things back up and running since the hurricanes. So many trees down after the storms people were pretty happy to let me come haul them off.

Bradford Pear















Hackberry (notoriously hard to deal with so we'll see)








Some dimensional red oak, and I've got stacks of oak, cedar, and pecan waiting.


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