My Norwood Bandsaw Mill
Written by on January 19, 2017
INTRODUCTION
If someone is serious about building quality furniture, it is necessary to have access to a good supply of specialty lumber for projects. There is no better way to do that than by owning your own portable bandsaw mill.
Here’s a picture of my Norwood Lumbermate 2000 bandsaw mill:
As I’ve said in other posts, I only became aware of portable bandsaw mills after visiting a friend of mine who owned one after I moved up into the country in north Louisiana. I was intrigued by it, and knew I had to have one in order to make myself an endless supply of lumber for all the projects I’ve always wanted to build. Owning a personal bandsaw, and being able to cut any tree that has been sourced locally opens endless possibilities for the woodworker.
By first owning the sawmill, a woodworker can then cut stock to build a dry kiln. I did just that, and the solar dry kiln construction is documented on another post. This is the best combination for a serious furniture maker that I could imagine. It has opened up endless possibilities of using locally felled logs that might otherwise go to waste. The majority of the logs I’ve used (and it’s into the hundreds that I’ve milled in the last few years) were given to me.
One thing about owning a mill though is that folks will get wind of your mill, and want you to saw up logs for them. If you want to do that, knock yourself out. Most sawyers get 50% of the logs, and this might serve you well. But for me, I just use what is given to me. I just don’t really have lots of extra time to saw for others. But on the other hand, I have done it for family (for FREE!!) Isn’t that a requirement somewhere?
One other point I want to make here. Many think that it is always necessary to buy items that are new. I’ve never been in that group. If I find something that will do the job that I need done, and the thing works, I can usually deal with things that can go wrong or wear out. This enabled me to get going on something while others would be held back bogged down in expenses. I try to pay as I go. I learned in school NOT to buy tools that you do not need. There is always a temptation to buy something on sale that will always sit on the shelf taking up valuable space. Getting going in woodworking especially is a field that allows for the purchase of used tools. Most have been built heavy duty in the past, and still have a lifetime of use in them as you come across them.
Finding a used bandsaw mill is not too difficult. Many folks want to upgrade to sawmills with more bells and whistles, and will gladly part with their old model. As I said, I found the same model my buddy had in the next state, and we went and picked the thing up. I got it for about half of what it was when new. That’s my point. Look around and be patient. You’ll eventually find one you can use.