• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • r ransom
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Devaka Cooray
  • Leigh Tate
  • paul wheaton
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • M Ljin
  • thomas rubino
  • Megan Palmer

How long to mill enough lumber for a cabin?

 
Posts: 43
4
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I'm wondering if anyone has numbers on man hours taken to mill lumber for a small cabin.

I don't have any plans drawn up yet, but I do know I have aspen, birch, and pine to work with. Some oak but that would be for flooring i guess.

Im thinking to do a combination of timber frame and stick built. Maybe some cob or a cordwood room. Not sure what method is quickest! We only have experience with stick built.

I'm hoping to build a cabin for a family of 4, around 1000 sq ft. I have a greenhouse i could use for a kiln to quickly dry the wood. Then build within the same year....so I dont have to live in a camper any longer.
 
pollinator
Posts: 5914
Location: Bendigo , Australia
536
plumbing earthworks bee building homestead greening the desert
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I cannot help with milling, but I am sure there will be a resource somewhere for you.
I am wondering what foundations you have in mind?
Where are you planning to build?
 
steward
Posts: 18356
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4658
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
The answer is probably  ... it depends.

This guy says that even the fastest sawmills are prevented from actually processing fast:

 
master steward
Posts: 8212
Location: southern Illinois, USA
3145
goat cat dog chicken composting toilet food preservation pig solar wood heat homestead composting
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It strikes me there are many variables that makes an accurate prediction difficult at best: the type of mill, hp of the motor/ engine, blade, type of wood, how many people involved, size of cabin, time of year ….The list seems endless.
 
Posts: 837
Location: Sierra Nevada foothills, 350 m, USDA 8b, sunset zone 7
186
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
When I use my 13 HP mill it takes approximatelly:

-10 minutes to pick a fi 300 mm, 2 m long log with the tractor, transport it, load on the mill and secure; longer/heavier logs will take more time

-one 2 m long pass takes around 80-90 s at a speed 2.5 cm/s

-positioning the mill head for the next cut, thanks to the inprecise mechanism, takes up to one minute; it may take less if you don't care about having uniform thickness for all planks/beams

-the log has to be rotated, so the edge of the planks will be square; one rotation and re-securing may take up to 5 minutes; if log became substantialy lighter, it will take 2 minutes

So to slice this log into 2x6 and 2x8 or only four 2x8 planks it would take 7 cuts. Entire operation would take me at least 25 minutes. Please take into consideration that I mill very heavy/sappy green eucalyptus or still heavy and hard when pre-dried. On the other hand people usually mill larger logs so the weight will be equally high.
Cutting longer lumber will be more efficient, but at the same time more sensitive to perfect levelling of mill's bed. Longer lumber will be also more difficult to keep it straight when drying.
Please mind that if you want to produce quality quarter sawn stock, it will take more cuts and more material.

Summing up: if I added 30 minutes for adding fuel, water, short rest from noise and dust, I could produce 29 m2 (310 sq ft) of 2x8 lumber within 8 hours if everything goes smooth - but frequently it doesn't.
If someone is using softwoods, has more powerful mill, uses front loader not a fork lift attachment, it would be more.
 
John C Daley
pollinator
Posts: 5914
Location: Bendigo , Australia
536
plumbing earthworks bee building homestead greening the desert
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Christobal, you answer is fantastic.
Thanks
 
pizza for tiny ad? tiny ad? Did you order a pizza?
Learn Permaculture through a little hard work
https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic