Chainsaw mill vs bandsaw

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bb07

Native
Feb 21, 2010
1,322
1
Rupert's Land
Considering the cost of a good quality chainsaw with enough power for milling, along with the cost of a mill, these small bandsaws are not that costly. While certainly not inexpensive I think it would be very useful, providing one has suitable access to logs.
Something else to covet:) I know I could make very good use of it though!
http://www.woodlandmills.ca/
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,979
929
Devon
Thanks for the link, looks like there is a European distributer as well (although the price goes up from $3,000 to $5,000 for some reason). It's something I'm considering in my long term plans, either a chainsaw mill or bandsaw but the price over in the UK of bandsaw mills always seems a bit steep.
 

ledders666

Full Member
Jun 6, 2010
110
7
bath
I have a chainsaw mill, it does the trick for an occasional log but its a hidious job if you do it for a couple of days. if your serious about it to, chainsaw mills have a lot more wastage due to the thickness of the cut, and are generally not a tidy a finish meaning more will be plained off.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
Chainsaw mills are wide kerf, vibration white finger things.

Ok for occasional cuts in the woods but I wouldn't want to use one for too long.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,979
929
Devon
I was chatting to a forester the other day while he was planking a nice ash tree with a chainsaw mill. He said he often can get away with sanding the planks before turning them into furniture, so no extra plaining (he was using a fine ripping chain). Yes the finished items may be rather rustic but for many things that wouldn't be an issue.

They have there other benefits as well, light and easy to carry into a wood. The obvious one is the price, about £250 vs £2,000 if you already have a saw.

I'm wondering if I could get away with a mixture of the two. Chainsaw mill into large slabs and then saw up using a workshop bandsaw.
 

Paulm

Full Member
May 27, 2008
1,089
183
Hants
That's what I do, chainsaw mill large logs that are too big to put through the bandsaw initially, and once at a size I can handle then they can be resawn as wanted on the bandsaw.

Cheers, Paul
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
That makes total sense to me. I don't think you can equate to the cost of a chainsaw with the cost of the bandsaw. If you have a bandsaw you are still going to have to buy the chainsaw - unless the trees fell themselves. So having a chainsaw is a must for both systems. At that point, it is a question of a couple of hundred vs several thousand. I do accept also though that past a certain frequency of use, the bandsaw would win.
 

Big Si

Full Member
Dec 27, 2005
404
52
58
nottinghamshire
TBH A chain saw mill to start with then an old industrial table saw with a three phaze inverter. You can pick up fairly big table saws if you keep your eyes open.

Si
 

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