That's one of the biggest questions that new sawyers
ask. Exactly how much profit can be
made. Well, first it should be made
clear that you will have certain expenses.
You'll have to replace your blades occasionally and you'll need
fuel. You may even want to hire an extra
person or two to assist you. However,
even with those expenses, owning a portable sawmill can be a very profitable
business venture.
You may have already heard a lot of grand stories about how
much money you can make as a sawyer, but here are some simple facts using the
the Accu-Trac 3651D 51hp Diesel portable sawmill as an example.
First of all, you can expect to only pay about $100 a day if you hire one helper at $12.50 per hour for 8 hours. If you want to pay more than that then you'll have to factor that in. Next, expect that you will be paying daily for gas and occasionally for new saw blades. Prices will vary based on the region and the time.
As far as profits go, assume that you and your helper cut
2,500 board feet in an 8-hour day, which is not really a lot. Also, assume that you can get $175.00 per
thousand board feet for 1" boards or $150.00 per thousand board feet for 2"
boards. That means that, in a worst case
scenario, you'd be making $375 a day and probably spending about $160 to $175
of that. So, that's a pretty decent
profit for one day.
If you'd like more information on how to make your portable
sawmill experience more efficient, please visit us online at www.cookssaw.com.