Using a Sawmill at the Farm
Recycling felled trees into valuable, usable lumber is always a big priority here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Over the years, I've planted thousands and thousands of trees. Unfortunately, I've also lost many trees - they've fallen during storms, or had to be cut down because of damage or disease. But, I always save the logs and have them milled into usable boards. Recently, I called on Mauricio Guevara, a skilled lumberer, master woodworker, and restorer for help. Mauricio owns New England Antique Lumber Inc., in nearby Mount Kisco, and shares my passion for recycling and repurposing as many natural resources as possible. Recently, he brought his portable sawmill to the farm, set it up on a field near my pile of logs, and started making beautiful floor boards and planks that will be used for future projects.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Here are just some of the logs I saved for milling. Whenever a tree falls or is cut down, I save it in a pile designated for either the sawmill or the tub grinder depending on its appearance and condition. Those earmarked for milling are then limbed, or stripped of branches.
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- Mauricio came by to mark the trees – those with an “x” can be milled here at the farm with his portable machine. Those marked with an asterix sign are too big and need to be transported to a larger sawmill.
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- Mauricio’s company is a family-owned and operated business specializing in salvaging reclaimed timbers, and creating custom wood pieces. He has a wonderful showroom where he displays a number of tables, chairs, counters and other restored antique items.
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- Here is Mauricio’s portable sawmill with one of the smaller logs already positioned on the bed for cutting.
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- The log is placed on one side of the sawmill. Mauricio and his team adjust the log until they are satisfied with its position and then secure it within the machine’s loading clamps. Most mills are designed to hold logs at least eight feet long, so shorter logs can be a bit more challenging.
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- After a cut is complete, the log is turned and run through the cutter again.
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- Each log that is cut is carefully inspected and sorted by species, size and end use. The logs must be very straight – not curved, and must not show any signs of rotting. Rotting logs will fall apart when milled.
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- The sawmill is controlled on one end of the machine. The powered head controls make sawing fast, accurate and nearly effortless. Mauricio watches the movement of the bandsaw very carefully to be sure everything works properly.
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- Here is a bigger log being repositioned, so another side could be sliced.
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- Here, one can see how precise the cut is along the entire length of the log.
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- The saw works its way down the log. After each cut, the machine is stopped so the cut board can be removed.
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- In minutes, the log has three flat sides.
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- The machine was very accurate. Each of these cuts is measured exactly to the desired thickness.
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- This is the control panel, where all the cuts are entered and directed.
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- A lot of sawdust is generated during the process – thankfully, it was not a windy day.
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- Here is a pile of beautiful milled boards. All these cut pieces are level and perfectly measured. I am so glad to be able to use all this wood – there is no need to waste any of it.
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- I had all different species of wood milled into what is called dimensional lumber – black walnut, white oak, ash, spruce, cedar and others – all milled into planks or square boards.
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- Pieces cut with the natural bark still intact are “live edged.”
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- Wooden spacers are placed in between each board to help them dry more quickly and to prevent any mildew from developing.
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- The boards range in size from six feet to 16 feet long. Square pieces were also milled and vary in length from five feet to 12 feet.
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- In total, Mauricio milled more than 40 logs into more than 200 boards. All of these pieces will be used for various building projects – I can’t wait. Mauricio and I operated the sawmill last week during episode 2 of the second season of “Martha Knows Best” – did you catch it? My show airs again tonight at 8pm ET on HGTV – be sure to tune in.
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