Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Understanding Your Portable Sawmill Business

There are several things that determine whether a portable sawmill business is successful or not.  One of those things is the sawmill itself, which a lot of people don't think about.  They just think they can buy the sawmill and use it forever with only the occasional blade change.

The real truth is that a portable sawmill is not unlike a car in the sense that both need routine maintenance in order to run properly.  If certain parts of the sawmill aren't level, for instance, the saw blade itself won't be level and it will slip out of the cuts, causing lumber to be cut improperly and blades to break.  That means a lot of wasted time.

Another of the things that will make or break a portable sawmill business is the type of blade that is used.  Some blades break after only 2 or 3 hours.  That leads to a lot of time and money wasted on blade replacement.  Also, some blades simply don't move as quickly as others.

Therefore, maximum portable sawmill efficiency requires that you perform regular maintenance on your machinery and that you find the best possible blade.  Cook's 2” Super Sharp blades are rapidly developing a reputation for being some of the best blades in the business.  They are thin, yet strong and resilient.  They can also cut at high speeds.

Do you want to learn more about your portable sawmill business and how to increase your profits?  If so, go to www.cookssaw.com for more information.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

What To Consider When Buying A Portable Sawmill

If you're planning on buying a portable sawmill, there are certain things that you should look for.  Many sawyers are in the business because their families have been doing it for years.  Scott Irvin is one such example.  His dad was in the sawmilling business back in the 1990's.  So, when Scott followed suit, he already knew what to expect and what he wanted, at least to a degree.

For example, Scott Irvin knew that he wanted efficient, heavy duty and fully portable sawmills.  He also knew that he wanted the portable sawmills to be band saws, unlike the old circle saws that his father had used.  That's why he got himself a pair of Cook's Saw portable sawmills with thin kerf blades.

Scott also knew that he wanted his business to be versatile.  So, he needed portable sawmills that could cut almost any type of lumber in almost any way imaginable.  That's why he got two slightly different Cook's portable sawmills and why he looked for features like drag back and chain-type log turners.

Those are all things that Scott had some knowledge of.  He knew what seemed to work and what didn't because he had watched his dad for years.  However, what Scott didn't necessarily know is that customer support was also a vital part of buying a portable sawmill.  However, Scott was lucky because he bought his sawmills from Cook's Saw.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Comparing Portable Sawmills

If you are a sawyer already or you are interested in getting into the lumber business, you need to learn about portable sawmill designs and how to compare them.  After all, a portable sawmill can really help your business to expand quickly.

Until fairly recently, it was widely accepted that circular sawmills were the best choices.  They tended to be faster than bandsaws.  In recent years, however, technological advancements have created some very fast and accurate bandsaw mills.  In fact, Cook's Saw has been a leader in the portable bandsaw industry for several years.

When you are choosing a portable bandsaw mill for your business, there are a few things to think about.  For example, you need to look at the size of the bed.  Think about the logs that you will be cutting.  Make sure that they will comfortably fit on that portable sawmill bed.

Also, don't assume that size is the only thing that matters.  Weight and durability are also factors.  You need to make sure that the portable sawmill can comfortably support the weight of the logs.

Power is also a consideration.  Larger portable sawmills tend to have more speed and more power.  That makes them perfect if you are interested in cutting the most lumber in the shortest amount of time possible.  Larger portable sawmills also tend to have more convenient features to make the sawing process easier, such as hydraulic log lifters.

Is portability more a factor for you than production?  If so, you may be more interested in a small portable sawmill that you can take anywhere.  In any case, just visit www.cookssaw.com for options.  You'll find that they supply portable sawmills to meet almost any lumber cutting needs.

Friday, April 6, 2012

How To Expand Your Portable Sawmill Business


If you bought a manual portable sawmill a while ago, you might be about ready to expand to a bigger model.  If so, you may want to look for a larger portable sawmill to help you expand your business.

Most larger portable sawmills run on hydraulic power.  That means that they aren't as complicated to use.  In fact, many of them feature very easy controls and some even come with hydraulic log lifters.  Nevertheless, they can take more manpower to operate, since they are bigger.  So, if you plan to expand your lumber business, you may also want to hire more people.

One of the advantages of a larger portable sawmill, aside from the hydraulic power, is that it can handle larger logs.  There are a couple reasons for that.  The first reason is that a larger portable sawmill is going to have a larger and more sturdy bed.  The second reason is that the hydraulic power will allow larger laws to move through the sawmill more quickly and efficiently.  That means that you will be able to cut more lumber per hour.

In addition to the speed increase, a hydraulic mill will also give you a wider range of cutting capabilities.  You can cut lumber that is longer or thicker than that which you may be able to cut on a smaller mill.  That added flexibility will also allow you to be less particular about which trees you cut down or which lumber you use.

So, do you want to expand your portable sawmill business by investing in a hydraulic mill?  If so, visit www.cookssaw.com.  The folks at Cook's can hook you up with the latest and greatest hydraulic mills.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Picking Your First Portable Sawmill


Picking your first portable sawmill is an exciting event.  After all, there are a lot of wonderful things that you can do with a portable sawmill, up to and including running your own full-time business as a sawyer.  However, it's not always easy to pick out the perfect sawmill.  So, here are some tips that may help.

Start by knowing what you will be cutting.  If you intend to cut lumber that comes from trees on your own property, go out and measure some of the trees.  Get an idea of how tall they are and how big around they are.  If you are dealing with relatively small trees, a small bandsaw mill will do.  If not, you may need to invest in a larger model.

Next, think about your personal goals.  Are you trying to cut lumber for a few small projects for yourself and neighbors?  Are you trying to go into business as a sawyer permanently?  If the former, you can get a small sawmill.  If the latter, you need a larger machine.

For speed, durability and longevity, you can't beat a fully hydraulic portable sawmill.  So, if you are concerned about production sawing (cutting X amount of board feet per hour) you really should get a hydraulic model.  The best are the ones that also come with a fully hydraulic log lifter.

Of course, you may need to start off with an inexpensive model at first, but you still have options.  If you want to compare prices on some of the best portable sawmills, just go to www.cookssaw.com.

Portable Sawmill Expenses


Many people get into lumber cutting with portable sawmills because it is an easy way to earn a secondary income, or even a primary one.  However, portable sawmills are not completely free, not by a long shot.  So, you should have some idea of the expenses involved before you buy one.

First, think about the initial cost of a portable sawmill.  A manual bandsaw mill might cost around $10,000 and a fully hydraulic bandsaw mill could cost several times that.  Some of them cost $30,000 or more.  That is certainly a large initial expense, but they do pay for themselves relatively quickly.

Next, you need to consider general maintenance costs.  For example, you will need to buy new blades frequently.  However, one of the great things about portable sawmill blades is that many of them can be sharpened multiple times before they need to be replaced.  The cheapest way to have your bandsaw blades sharpened is to do it yourself, but you will need to buy your own sharpener in order to do that.

Another thing to consider is repair work.  It is possible that something could go wrong and you may need to have your portable sawmill repaired at some point in time.  Luckily, many of them have warranties or guarantees of some kind.  The best way to avoid major headaches down the line is to buy your portable sawmill from a reputable dealer, such as Cook's Saw.

Are you interested in learning more about the expenses involved in starting your own portable sawmill business?  If so, visit www.cookssaw.com for informational articles, ideas and a full line of fabulous products, including portable bandsaw mills.

Benefits Of The AC36 Portable Sawmill


Del Franklin is the owner of Franklin Portable Sawmill Service.  He has been running his business for several years, but it wasn't until recently that he made one of the best moves he has ever made in his portable sawmill career.  That move was the act of purchasing an AC36 portable sawmill from Cook's Saw.

There are many reasons why Del Franklin and other sawyers are turning to the AC36 to improve their productivity.  For example, the AC36 can handle logs that are up to 10,000 lbs.  Yet, it is completely portable and you can take it straight to whatever lumber you want to cut.  Of course, Del Franklin finds, these days, that most of the lumber is brought to him, but that doesn't make his AC36 any less useful.

In fact, the Cook's Saw AC36 portable sawmill uses Cook's Super Sharp blades.  Those blades aren't just super sharp.  They're also super flat and super fast.  So, they can cut through laws like a hot knife through butter.  That has allowed Del Franklin and other AC36 owners to increase their production.  In fact, Del has more than doubled his, going from about 3,000 board feet per day to as much as 7,000 board feet per day.

The AC36 is a fully hydraulic portable sawmill.  It is the best-selling production sawmill at Cook's Saw and with good reason.  It has a rock-solid, 4-post head design and it is made to be flexible, but also tough and heavy duty.  So, would you like to invest in a great portable sawmill that can really help you build your business?  If so, click here to see all that the AC36 from Cook's Saw has to offer.