US Department of Agriculture Forest Service Engineer Neal Bennett adjusts logs at a portable sawmill in the Greenbrier Ranger area of ​​Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Photo courtesy of Flickr/Monongahela National Forest

Modern homesteaders are enjoying a simpler, richer, and more fulfilling life. Their lives are inspired by the fruits of their hard work.

Understandably, deciding to use your own ground wood to build a house or shelter is a common goal of many homesteaders and has always existed. Those who live on wooded lands or have authorized log inventories may experience the real happiness and satisfaction that this very rewarding effort can bring.

From a monetary point of view alone, rewards may not necessarily reflect this. In fact, depending on the scope and scale of the project, harvesting and processing wood from one's own wood can easily become a very complicated process. You may ask how could this happen? Well, the felling, milling, drying and storage of various woods of specific trees can bring a hard experience. This experience can quickly become more expensive and inconvenient than buying standard frame timber from a standard commercial retailer in the first place.

So, if processing wood yourself may cost more time, money, and labor, why do you do this?

There are many good reasons for this. One of them stems from the self-satisfaction of pure, hard but meaningful work, which stems from the self-sufficient heart and soul. If you want the opportunity to experience the deep satisfaction of using your own ground wood for construction, then a well-maintained sawmill will help you in the process.

This article is not intended to represent an exhaustive approach or complete authority on the subject. It is designed to provide basic maintenance skills for portable sawmills for small operations (such as homestead operations). Assuming that all safety guidelines are always followed, let's start from where many woodworking dreams are realized: on the blade!

Photo of sawn plank courtesy of Pexels/cleyderduque

The result of a high-quality sawmill starts and ends with sharp blades.

Sawmill blades can provide the best results when properly sharpened. Housewives may use sharpening services or high-quality sharpening equipment to sharpen and fix sawmill blades.

The sharp blades provide operators with better wood production. Sharp blades provide higher precision, accuracy, fuel and time efficiency.

Blade break-in period. After installing a new saw blade, allow a break-in period. To do this, perform a few test cuts at a moderate speed. You should also limit the amount of skimming cuts made using only one side of the fixed tooth operation.

Blade tension. To obtain the best blade performance, the blade tension must be checked regularly. Proper blade tension allows higher blade speed performance. It is also a good idea to check hydraulic tension, springs and airbags.

Belt tension. After installing the new drive belt, take care to maintain proper belt tension. The new belt tends to slack. Tighter tension can better transfer horsepower and RPM to the sawmill's blades.

Impeller belt. The impeller belt must be in good condition to achieve optimal performance, because worn belts can cause blade tracking problems. Exchanging the drive side and the idling side can extend the belt life.

Blade guide. Check the blade guide alignment to prevent any cutting irregularities. The guide rails should be aligned straight, not tilted up and down, and the rollers should be clean, firm and free to rotate. If the roller is worn smooth or tapered, the roller should be replaced. The blade should have complete freedom of movement, rather than leaning on the roller flange or rear rail.

The blade is clean. Cleaning can reduce harmful wear debris on the blade teeth. It is a good idea to use a debarker on the log before cutting. Small rocks, dirt, and general debris contained in the bark can wear the blade prematurely. Debris can wear the blade and reduce blade life and cutting performance. 

The blade is lubricated. The lubricated blade improves blade cutting performance by keeping the blade smooth and clean between sharpening services. Lubrication also helps stabilize the chain pitch by reducing buildup and extending the overall life of the blade.

Feed rate. Pay attention to the feed rate. A slower speed will shorten the service life of the band saw blade. Feed as fast as possible without lag or reduced cutting accuracy.

A very portable sawmill-photo of chainsaw from Pexels/karolinagrabowska

Learn more about the different types of wood and the specific wood you are cutting. For example, the characteristics of hardwoods and softwoods or older, drier woods are more difficult to cut than younger, damp woods, and appropriate cutting techniques and feed rates should be used. 

The above points will help provide a good operating experience in a portable sawmill, while also protecting or preserving its related components.

This concludes Part 1 of the basic portable sawmill maintenance.

Next: We will study engine and battery maintenance and some other aspects that will help your sawmill to keep running smoothly in the next few years.

Monica White is a freelance writer, member of the Georgia Air National Guard, and avid runner and cyclist who loves the outdoors and all DIY activities. She divides her time between properties in Tampa and central Florida, where she is planting a self-sufficient homestead. Connect with Monica on her outdoor lifestyle blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Read all of her Mother Earth news posts here.

All MOTHER EARTH NEWS community bloggers agree to abide by our blog guidelines and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts.

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