Steve Kesti, the owner of Backwoods Lumber on the Upper Peninsula, recalls that he was interested in woodworking as a child. "Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to build a cabin in the woods," Steve said. As he was growing up, woodworking continued to play a role in his life. His father was a carpenter. After taking a carpentry course in high school, Steve followed in his father's footsteps and became a carpenter.

"I have been working hard until I finally work and build houses for other people," Steve said. In addition to his construction expertise, Steve also made time for another volunteer firefighting job.

After buying a property in Upper Peninsula, Steve realized that he had an excellent opportunity to realize his childhood dream. "I looked around all the trees and decided that I would build that hut and realize that dream," Steve said.

At the time, Steve had only one chainsaw factory and shared the hut built throughout the summer. Nevertheless, the construction of the cabin was successful. "People will look at it and say,'Oh, you should build these things for a living,'" Steve said. At that time, Steve realized that he could start a business, build cabins, and make other people's dreams come true. However, he needs to upgrade his chain saw factory to increase output, output and milling efficiency. Because of his long-term interest in Wood-Mizer, Steve decided to buy a Wood-Mizer LT40 hydraulic portable sawmill to start his business.

The cabin business represented a career shift that was well suited to Steve's motivations at the time. Steve said: "I can work here in my backyard, and people can come to collect materials and talk." "When they see children, they like to buy things, and they will give it to the little guy with family." In addition to the cabin business, Shi Tiff began to expand its business to cedar products, adding a Wood-Mizer MP260 planer/forming machine to his business to be able to manufacture finished planed boards and shaped boards. MP260 can plan and shape boards on all four sides at the same time for making floors, panels, decorations, etc. Steve relies on his MP260 to make tongue and groove boards and other finished products instead of rough sawn timber. In his first year of grinding cedar, he chopped off what he thought was enough to survive the winter, but his inventory only lasted until January. In the second year, he cut it twice, but the batch only lasted until October. "It sells very quickly, and I can make it run through a planer," Steve said.

Steve has been able to enjoy the versatility provided by his portable sawmill. In addition to cabins and cedar products, Steve is also able to get involved in various woodworking projects. He has achieved success in building saunas and related products, including benches, chairs, and mats, all of which use wood from sawmills. However, this is not just business. Steve can also enjoy various personal projects in his sawmill, including chicken coops, siding for new buildings, and sheds on his property. In the densely forested areas of the Upper Peninsula, Steve's portable sawmill has endless possibilities. In order to keep the sawmill running as much as possible, Steve carefully checked the sawmill blades he deserved and bought the Wood-Mizer BMS250 band saw blade sharpener. "I run Wood-Mizer blades. I can only have about 30 blades on hand, because they are blunt, so I sharpen the knife every night after sawing," Steve said. "Having my own sharpening equipment is really helpful. I just customize them according to my needs." Using the BMS250 band saw blade sharpener, Steve made his operation as smooth as possible.

Another benefit Steve discovered after purchasing his portable sawmill was to become a member of the Wood-Mizer Pro Sawyer network. The Pro Sawyer network connects customers to local sawmills that may be able to meet their sawing needs. Because he is located in the Upper Peninsula, Steve was initially skeptical. "Here, I don't think it will work for me," Steve said. "But I was surprised that someone contacted me. When people think of portable sawmills, they think of Wood-Mizer."

Steve shared his favorite aspect of the LT40 hydraulic portable sawmill, and he said portability is very convenient for him. Hydraulic log handling is also popular with his customers. "You can roll logs directly onto the log lift," Steve said. "Put them directly onto the machine. Customers really like this."

With the ability to grow Backwoods timber directly in his backyard and the satisfaction of completing personal projects around the property, the lifelong carpenter is satisfied with his investment in portable sawmills and other woodworking equipment. "If someone asked me if I would recommend Wood-Mizer, I would say absolutely," Steve said.

"It's great. It's fun to cut in, and it's really good for me."

To learn more about Steve and Backwoods Lumber, watch "Sawing Wood for Huts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan | Wood-Mizer USA" on YouTube.

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Author: Ryan Moore, Contributing Author