Across the globe the use of mobile sawmills has exploded for various reasons: they provide profitable diversification, and they permit the establishment of semi-industrial timber processing at dramatically reduced costs. In the UK mills are in use ‘across the board’, by cabinet makers, farmers, large estates, mobile contractors and even large volume production sawmills. Increasingly the forestry contracting fraternity are utilising the technology to find more profitable outlets for round timber. For those who are thinking of joining them, in this article we take a look at the alternatives available. Wood-Mizer Wood-Mizer have sold 35,000 mills worldwide, and these are increasingly being deployed in full production environments. In eastern European countries in particular it is common to find mills running three shifts on a seven day week. All Wood-Mizer mills employ the Wood-Mizer narrow bandsaw system, which is widely used by other makes of sawmill and which delivers high levels of accuracy, fine sawn finish, and yield. The product range starts with the entry level LT15, which at just under £4,000 offers an affordable introduction to sawmilling. The range extends through the first mobile model, LT20 with an 800mm log diameter x 6.1m log length capacity at £9,500, to the largest LT70 which is essentially a mobile high-production mill with 950mm x 8.4m log capacity at around £29,000. Wood-Mizer sawmills are becoming widely used in this work, where the simple operation, accuracy, productivity and low running costs are imperative. And when owners need to upgrade to a more productive machine in the Wood-Mizer range they are finding the high trade-in value of their used mills really helpful. James Andrews claims that with eighteen years of UK experience in timber conversion, Wood-Mizer machines are suitable for every level of production required. He says his team can provide business start-up advice to ensure an easier entry to the world of value-added timber. Wood-Mizer 01342 850999 Bamse and SMG In addition to the Swedish built Bamse range of sawmills and profilers Cumbria based Lakes Lumber Equipment are to introduce a low cost Canadian manufactured portable bandmill and a portable board edger to their range of products. The SMG Champion narrow kerf bandmills are built by a small company in Quebec. The base model has a 13hp Honda engine, hydraulic blade tensioning, 6.4m (21’) bed length giving a effective cutting capacity of 5.2m (17’) and a maximum cutting diameter of just over 800mm (32”). Various options are available: 7.3m (24’) bed length, 1.2m (4’) bed extensions, electric start petrol engines up to 25hp, electric motor power up to 11kW (15hp) for those who wish to keep the mill static, grinders and setters for bandsaw maintenance, loading ramps and also a trailer option. It is hoped that the base model bandsaw will be priced around £4,000. The edger will normally work alongside a sawmill and is capable of finishing slabs up to 635mm The British designed and made Autotrek. 24 Wood-Mizer LT40HD. (25”) wide and producing boards of between 50mm (2”) and 400mm (16”) in width with its TCT sawblades and 13hp Honda engine. Electric versions are also available. Edging boards in this manner greatly increases the productivity of the sawmill as it essentially only has to concentrate on through and through cutting of the sawlog into slabs, which greatly reduces the number of times the log needs to be turned. The popular Bamse range of sawmills will continue to be available. They have a heavy duty, stainless steel box section track and a galvanised steel frame, which has cutting increments of 1mm. The base model with a 6m (20’) track can handle log weights up to 1200Kg which approximately equates to a log dimension of 5.6m (18’) by 700mm (27”). Models are available up to 9m (30’) long if desired. The 6mm kerf saw chain can be powered by either chainsaw, 4-stroke petrol engine, or 415v electric motor and is available with both manual and auto feed systems. Adding the Bamserouter system to the sawmill unit means that dimensioned timber can be cut from the sawlog and then a profile can be added to it for a given market/application as a single process. Two different profiles up to 200mm (8”) in width can be accommodated at once in the router unit which typically allows profiled sections for the building of log cabins, summerhouses, sheds, decking etc. to be easily produced. This facility opens up higher value markets, whilst still having the facility to produce the normal ‘square stuff’. The Bamserouter is also available as a free standing unit which can work alongside conventional sawmills. Lakes Lumber 01931 716726 Lucas There are over 200 Lucas Mills in the UK, with 6300 mills sold worldwide www.forestmachinejournal.com into over 75 countries. The saw frame assembles around the timber very quickly, no tools required, and is adjusted easily to suit both timber and site location. The model 613 has a 6” cut, is powered by a 13hp Honda petrol engine, and is very light to move around. Model 618 is powered by an 18hp Briggs and Stratton engine. The most popular is the 827 model with an 8” cut, powered by a 27hp Kohler electric start petrol engine. Latest developments allow the mill head to rotate in situ to produce a 16” wide cut. All models have an electric sharpener supplied as standard and are available with a slabbing attachment for through and through cutting and weatherboard cutting device. Lucas Mills offer estates and contractors the ability to maximise the use of their timbers onsite without the need to move the timber and therefore save on costs. Also from Fuelwood is the Laimet which is a circular sawmill, operating in static or mobile mode, able to cut soft and hardwood into a range of sizes. Blade cost are very low as the same blade can be sharpened hundreds of times. Three models are available. The 100 is of lighter construction than the 120 or 130, with a maximum blade size of 1000mm. The 120 is proving to be the best seller. An optional Topsaw upper blade unit makes it possible to saw up to 800mm diameter logs. Fuelwood (Warwick) 01926 484673 Alaskan The Alaskan sawmill from Emak Ltd can be used with an Efco 171, 181 or 199 professional chainsaw, fitted with a specialist ripping chain. Mounted onto the chainsaw bar, the Alaskan is easily manoeuvrable around the tree trunk, allowing you to work around it, rather than having to constantly reposition a hefty weight. Consequently, as it needs just a little more space than the tree Forest Machine Journal 8/04 itself, it can be used in difficult or close environments. Also available are an oiler kit, helper handle and saw chain grinder/sharpener. There are five sizes of Alaskan sawmill ranging from 24” to 56”, weighing from just 7.7 kg. The popular 36” mill is priced £170 plus VAT. The Alaskan Mini Mill is ideal for use in conjunction with the larger mill. It is ideal for edging, special angles and cutting building logs. Simple to use, slabbing rail brackets are required to make the first cut, plus the rails (many use simple lengths of spare wood). These are then removed to saw the remainder of the log any width, from as little as 1”. Emak UK 01543 687660. Lumbermate The Lumbermate 2000 portable bandsaw mill takes just 20 minutes to set up by raising the log-bed with a braking winch and removing the quick release axle to lower and level up the bed. Operated by one man, this mill can handle logs up to 31” in diameter and saw boards up to 24” wide. The low sawmill bed enables one person to load timber up to 13’ safely. Extensions enable 40’ logs to be handled. Hand-feeding the saw-head allows the operator to easily judge the best speed for cutting through knots and dense heartwood. The strong steel frame is made from rigid 60 x 200mm twin debossed steel rails, which are galvanised for life-time rustproofing. Cutting depth is easily adjusted, and because the sawhead is moved manually, the feed rate can be quickly varied for hard or knotty wood. The sawmill sits on the ground to give an easy working position and less fatigue. A trailer package is also available. Charterhouse Richmond 01428 661222 Jonsered Jonsered’s SM 2196 bandsaw mill is equipped with a 13hp four-stroke engine from Honda. The sawmill is based on a new concept whereby the bandsaw is started and stopped with a combined clutch and brake. The operator works from the righthand side allowing the shavings to be discarded to the left. The bandsaw can handle logs up to 70 cm in diameter. This sawmill can be supplied complete with a fullyautomatic grinding machine for the bandsaw blades. Jonsered 01453 822382 Pezzolato The Pezzolato Timber Queen HD models available are fully hydraulic narrow blade bandsaws. They are available in both mobile and static Forest Machine Journal 8/04 versions and can be equipped with an electric motor or a diesel engine. They can cut trees up to 80 to 90 cm in diameter and 6m in length. Medium diameter logs can be managed with no problems. Options include saw blade sharpening machine, disk debarker, board edger and complete range of larger machines for wide bandsaw blades to cut up to the largest log diameters. SL Sawmill Machinery 01389 751154 Autotrek and Peterson The Autotrek is a British designed and built, heavy duty ‘Wide Band’ sawmill with a cutting capacity of 1.3m x 6.5m, ideal for contractors and professional foresters. Features include: a 67hp diesel engine, ‘Wide Bandsaw’ technology with 101mm wide blades with optional stellite tips (remain sharper in abrasive timbers) to allow all timbers (including greenheart) to be cut accurately and efficiently up to 1000mm wide. (Narrow blades are less suitable for sawing large diameter hardwoods and cannot be stellite tipped.) The mill can be set up in less than 10 minutes, and is fitted with heavy duty adjustable log-decks, digital measuring including kerf allowance and absolute height from log bed. All log handling (up to 4 tonnes) is done by hydraulic operation controlled from one position, and sawhead travel speed is also controlled by operator. The Autotrek can be supplied either as a static or mobile version equipped with twin braked axles with Land Rover wheels and tyres. The Peterson Sawmills are the original ‘swing saws’ suitable for tree surgeons, estates and ‘green oak’ fabricators etc. They claim the following features and advantages over other swing saws: single ended sizing for more accurate and faster sizing, easy double cutting without turning round the mill (up to 20” Serra Sawmills received a medal for their innovations at the KWF Show. wide), refined blade/tip technology for faster and easier cutting, easily extended tracks for longer lengths, stainless steel and aluminium components – virtually rust free, easy swing’ blade change over and horizontal sizing wheel. They have Honda engines and a diesel option, upgradeable cut sizes and motor options and outputs from 4-8 cubic metres sawn per day. Loglogic 01884 243699 Serra The Serra range of sawmills are available through Marshall Agricultural Engineering. The band saw head of the Bavaria SL 110/130 as well as the SPS (storage programmable control system especially programmed for mobile sawmills) have recently been awarded the KWF-Innovation Medal. The SL-series has been operating with the variable saw head Bavaria SL130 model, for logs up to 130cm in diameter, since January 2003 and was joined by the Bavaria SL 110 (for logs up to 110cm diameter) in November 2003. The large space (50cm) above the saw band enables the user to saw logs with extremely large diameters. The clamping system is also cost effective as you can saw smaller diameter logs with shorter saw bands which are lower priced. The cut has close tolerances as the guideways of the band saw are very close together. Feed speed is electronically controlled, and if it becomes too great, the system brakes in order not to decrease the engine speed of the saw motor, so preventing the saw band from oscillating. The SPS also handles the positioning, prevents the saw band from sawing into metal, stores sawed log volume and saws fully automatically on demand. Serra also presented additional new developments at the KWF Show: a laser which indicates the first cutting point on the log, a second pre-cutter which prevents the band saw blade from damage through stones and sand and lastly a new basic frame for the SL 130 with more ground clearance, increased rigidity and many re-engineered details. Marshall Agricultural Engineering 01892 770788 (Left) The Bamse saw enables profiles to be cut, for instance for log cabins. (Right) Lucas Mill at work on a big log. www.forestmachinejournal.com 25