Saw Your Own Lumber, Shingles

Saw Your Own Lumber, Shingles WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Saws 5-4-24 You'll like the price tag on the new one-man portable sawmill introduced by Dan Hudon, Sr., Barneveld, N.Y. Called the Ross Bandmill, it sells for $4,450, "That's a lot less than conventional saw mills," says Hudon, "making it possible for farmers and owners of smaller woodlots to justify owning a portable sawmill that does everything the high priced units do. This sawmill will handle logs up to 16 ft., 9 in. with its standard 20 ft. beam, or up to 60 ft. logs by simply building on optional extension beams in 20, 24, 30 or 42 ft. sections. One man using this outfit can saw his own lumber, shingles, clap-boards, or whatever ù even pieces as short as 1 ft," says Hudon. He's national distributor of the Ross Bandsaw which is manufactured by W. K. Ross, West Hampstead, New Hampshire. A Ross Bansaw with one 1-in. wide blade, and two or three teeth per inch, does the sawing. The blade operates horizontally and is powered by a 5 hp Honda engine. "It will operate all day on only two gallons of gasoline," says Hudon. He notes some Bandmills are being used to shape boards for building boats by raising one end of the log to taper the cut lengthwise, then turning the log slightly each cut to remove bark and outer sapwood. The Bandmill can saw logs up to 17 1/2 in. in dia. However, with a lumber-sawing attachment on a chain saw, you can make a few cuts on the outside of much bigger logs and cut them down to where this saw will cut them easily. "You simply quarter real big logs with the chain saw, then load each section onto the Bandmill for final sawing," explains Hudon. The sawmill can be moved on a pickup, straight truck, or even a boat trailer, and is simple to set up and operate. The main beam is sloped 1/2 in. in 10 ft. and the saw rolls downhill as it cuts. When each cut is finished, the slab or board is removed, the power-cutting unit rolled back by hand, the band lowered, and another cut made. Capacity in board feet sawed per day will vary, depending on type of wood, length of logs, moisture content, labor available, thickness and width of lumber being sawed, and other factors. "About 1,000 board feet per day would be a good average," says Hudon. The Ross Bandmill comes with one blade on the saw, and 10 extra blades. Blade changing takes only two minutes. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dan Hudon Sales, Woodcutters Headquarters, R. 12, Barneveld, N.Y. 13304 (ph 315 896-2217).

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