Chainsaw mills can produce some lovely straight boards and beams. But they can be rather expensive and labor intensive. So, the question is, are chainsaw mills worth it?
In short, chainsaw mills are not worth it for four reasons. The physcial labor, the cost of the mill and equipment, the time needed to produce the lumber, and the waste produced by the chainsaw.
In this post, we’ll dig into the reasons why chainsaw mills aren’t worth it. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get going.
Why Chainsaw Mills Aren’t Worth it
Like we stated in the intro, chainsaw mills aren’t worth it for four reasons: labor, cost, time, and waste.
We’ll go into each reason one by one to better explain what we mean.
Labor
Chainsaw mills are exhausting to use. That’s pretty much what this whole section is about.
In order to get the smoothest cut, you have to slowly pull the chainsaw through the timber. This can wear you down very quickly and isn’t very good for your back.
Depending on what you’re trying to cut, beams or boards, you will have to make at least four cuts for a beam and more cuts for boards. And that’s just for a single log.
Before you even begin the cuts, you also have to set up our guide beams or frame so you can cut a straight line.
In between cuts, you also have to manually flip the log in order to cut every side.
Just thinking about all the work that goes into a single log makes me tired.
Cost
You can buy chainsaw mills that are relatively inexpensive. However, that doesn’t count the other gear that you need to effectively mill lumber. Let’s go down the list.
First, you need a mill, these can range anywhere from $25-$2,000 depending on size and quality.
Second, you need a chainsaw that can handle a longer bar. You need the longer bar to be able to cut all the way through a log. If you don’t already have a chainsaw that you can use, this can be an expensive investment.
Third, for the best results, you need a ripping chain. These can range from $20-$50 for a single chain. You can use a regular cutting chain but you won’t have as nice of a cut.
Last but not least, make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment. This includes but is not limited to: chaps, ear protection, eye protection, and gloves. If you use chainsaws already you probably have most of these things.
By the time you buy all the equipment you need, it probably would have been cheaper to buy boards from a local sawmill. Plus, you’re supporting a local business.
Time
We’ve eluded a little to this already. Milling your own lumber with a chainsaw takes a long time.
To cut a standard 8×8 beam that’s 12 feet long would take at least three hours from start to finish.
This is without taking any breaks and only one cut on each side.
Once you finish cutting the beam to size, you also have to plane down the sides to smooth out the kerf marks left by the chain. It could take another couple of hours to plane down every side.
If you combine the time and labor necesarry to complete this, you’ll be standing, holding, and pushing a chainsaw for several hours for one completed beam. As you can imagine, this is a lot of work and is exhausting.
Additionally, if you want to cut several boards instead of a single beam, that can triple or quadruple the amount of time needed to finish.
Waste
Using a chainsaw mill as opposed to a band sawmill creates much more waste in the form of sawdust.
This comes down to one factor: kerf, also known as blade width.
A chainsaw chain has about 1/4″ kerf. Which means you’re losing 1/4″ of wood to sawdust every time you make a cut.
In contrast, a lumber mill that uses a bandsaw only has a kerf of about 1/16 of an inch. That’s a quarter of the waste created by a chainsaw blade.
To put this in perspective, if you want to cut an 8×8 beam into 1-inch boards, for every four boards you cut, you lose an entire 1-inch board to sawdust. So, in an 8×8 beam, you’d only get (at the very best) six 1-inch boards out of it.
Alternatives to Chainsaw Mills
I know I’ve been pretty critical of chainsaw mills up to this point, but there is one reason why a chainsaw mill could be worth it.
There is also an alternative to a chainsaw mill that could be worth the investment depending on your plans for your mill.
Why a Chainsaw Mill Might be Worth it
There is really only one way a chainsaw mill could be worth all the time and effort they require; milling beams.
If you have a specific project in mind and you need beams for it, it might be worth it to mill your own beams.
Keep in mind, it’s still a lot of work and still has a certain amount of cost, but milling beams are the best cost-effective thing to use a chainsaw mill for.
However, if you’re looking into milling your own lumber and selling it for a profit, the next alternative we’re going to talk about is a good option for you.
Sawmill (Bandsaw Blade)
A saw mill that uses a bandasw blade is much more effecient and much easier to use.
It creates less waste as well as cleaner cuts into the log. You don’t have to hold and push the blade manually and, depending on the type of sawmill, some even flip the log for you.
Also, as we mentioned earlier, a band saw blade produces about a quarter of the sawdust waste as a chainsaw mill.
However, the downside to these sawmills is they are much more expensive than a chainsaw mill. I’m talking $2,000 or more.
But, if you sell some lumber, you could probably earn back your investment in a year depending on how much you mill.
If you’re wanting to start milling your own lumber for a big project or to start selling lumber to other interested parties, then investing in this kind of sawmill might be worth it to you.
Wrap-Up
We covered a lot in this post so let’s do a quick recap.
Chainsaw mills aren’t worth the physical and time demands required to mill the logs.
Chainsaw mills also cost a pretty penny and can produce a lot of waste in the form of sawdust.
However, if you want to mill your own beams for a project, a chainsaw mill could be worth the time and effort. It would also give you bragging rights to say you made all the beams yourself.
If you’re wanting to mill a lot of lumber or are interested in selling lumber for a profit, then investing in a sawmill that uses a band saw would be a good investment.
And that’s all there is to say about that. Now go do something awesome!
