The American manufacturer of portable sawmills, Wood-Mizer, has shown how a complete sawmill could be built around their bandsaw LT70 HD Wide. With the bandsaw as the heart of the system, other functions could be added that increases productivity and makes the job easier.

It´s all about log feeders, conveyors and an edger that are placed around the LT70 and that make the job more efficient, more like a “real” sawmill.

A complete Wood-Mizer sawmill. Built around the LT70 HD bandsaw. Photo: Woodmizer.com

A new video (see below) shows the whole system and its different parts mounted on a plain asphalt floor. The film is thorough and long but gives a good picture of how to build a small industry around a originally portable sawmill.

The base of the system is Woodmizer’s heavy duty bandsaw LT70 Wide. Photo: Woodmizer.com

The base is Wood-Mizer’s large bandsaw LT70 Wide in the heavy-duty version. Instead of the original mobile saw bed this one is mounted on the industrial bed VM4000 that is reinforced and very stable.

Instead of the original mobile saw bed, the industrial bed VM4000 is used I this case. Photo: Woodmizer.com

The mill is controlled from a separate control panel and all functions are hydraulically or electrical: Log feed, saw speed, conveyors, etc. The control panel could advantageously be placed on an elevated platform for a good view. Preferably in line with the log feed through the mill.

The control panel is placed on an elevated platform for the best view. Photo: Woodmizer.com

Processed boards and slabs are automatically fed away from the saw head as it goes back to its start position. A conveyor takes over and feeds the board/slab to a sorting table, Green Chain. The Green Chain separates the material, as for an example boards in one direction (toward the edger) and slabs in the other. The edger in this case is a EG300 Multirip.

A short conveyor brings the boards from the bandsaw to the sorting table. Photo: Woodmizer.com

A simpel sorting table devices two assortments to the left or to the right, e.g. slash in one direction and boards for edging or stacking in the other. Photo: Woodmizer.com

The EG300 Multirip edger, handles lumber up to 60 mm thickness and 550 mm width. Two saw blades (one moveable) come as standard with the EG300. But if you wish to split the lumber, up to three additional saw blades can be mounted in the edger.

The edger increases the production of the bandsaw as you otherwise must do also the edging with the bandsaw. With the edger in the setup, the bandsaw can focus on processing logs.

The edger EG300 Multirip could be used with the original two saw blades (of which one is moveable), or up to five blades if you wish to split the boards. Photo: Woodmizer.com

It seems that you must choose between flexibility and productivity. Last year we visited the owner of a portable Wood-Mizer LT70. His idea was to bring the mill to the wood, to help forest owners to process their logs in their own yard. An idea that suited this sawmill owner at the time. The flexibility in this case includes the fact that the portable mill easily could be made stationary if the situation should change.

The investment for an industrial lineup like described here above (and in the film below) is approx. 110 000 EURO (in Sweden). That is not much for a “whole sawmill”, but of course that is related to what you manage to produce. One benefit with such a lineup is that you don´t have to buy it all at once. You can start with the bandsaw and then extend your mill when you, the time, and the wallet allow it.

Here is a film from Wood-Mizer, a live streaming that was made to show the industrial lineup described in this article. The film is over one hour long. The processing starts after about 46 minutes in the film.

I started my first own chainsaw in 1978. After that I have been working as logger, both with chainsaw and harvesters/forwarders, export salesman, marketing manager and project manager for the Elmia forestry shows. Along the way I also graduated as forester. I joined the Forestry.com team as a freelance editor in January 2020.

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