Larry’s ingenuity in adding a starter
motor to raise the blade is wonderful. He spent some time thinking and came
up with a good solution to a need he had. Now he can saw more lumber easier.
Upon his suggestion we are now offering an option that will allow new sawmill
owners to raise their mill head with the push of a button. Of course we have
been offering extensions and a winch to load and turn your logs.
But as with
Larry we are always glad to have customers who will think and if they desire,
spend their time to make something fit their need even better. We love to
see people succeed and it is great to be able to make a living helping others
succeed. We are all in this together. You will not only save money, but we
believe you will make much more money with our machines than what we made
selling it to you. With that said, here's Larry's story ~ Stephen
Larry writes ~
I purchased my portable Accu-Trac MP-32 sawmill in June of 2002, and have had great success
with it. I purchased my portable sawmill primarily to be an extension of my existing construction
business.
Over the years, I have seen many good logs wasted or cut into firewood that I could have made use of by being able to cut my own lumber. I now have
to purchase very little lumber for my construction business, as I am able
to produce not only what I use, but also additional lumber which I sell to
other customers.
I have enjoyed the added good fortune of not having to purchase
logs. Not only do I harvest what once would have been wasted in the process
of clearing for new construction, I also have logs given to me on an almost
daily basis. Other contractors and property owners share my desire to see
good wood put to good use.
My portable sawmill has now become as much a source of income for me as construction once
was, and is gradually becoming my primary business. My sawmill being portable serves as excellent advertisement for me, as I frequently have people run
me down to ask if I can come to their place to saw for them. I am becoming
increasingly able to profit in this way every time I take my sawmill out somewhere.
In addition to producing most of the lumber that I need, I have sawn on site
for numerous customers’ projects. I have sawn complete home packages,
timbers and lumber for barns and metal buildings, timbers for a bridge and
some I’m not sure what it was being used for!
I recently sawed timbers
and lumber for a pole barn out of old power line poles. I also saw lots of
custom orders for local woodcrafters, and for my wife, who builds furniture and home storage and decorating items. We can now produce the wood she needs
for her business, totally eliminating the need for her to purchase any. She
has been thrilled that the free advertisement I mentioned my sawmill generating
for me has resulted in my being given numerous cedar, walnut and even a couple
of cherry lots of trees, thus saving her the expense of having to purchase
those more expensive and hard to find types.
I am very happy that I chose the Accu-Trac MP-32 Sawmill. I have talked to several owners
of other makes of sawmills, and am convinced that my Accu-Trac cuts more accurately and reliably than any of theirs, even the hydraulic ones.
My mill is a 32-inch
manual sawmill, but I have added several features to simplify and speed up my
operation. I added a flywheel and Toyota started to automate raising the head
of the saw, and an electric wench to the undercarriage that I use to pull
the logs up the ramps to the mill.
I also added an extra squaring arm in order
to be able to cut as short as 3’ material, and constructed a 10’ extension that slides into the back of the rails to enable me to cut longer
than 16’ stock. I am now able to cut a full 26’ log, which is
important to my business because log homes and pole barns are very popular
here in East Tennessee. I am now the only portable sawmill in this area, that
I am aware of, that can supply long one-piece beams for these structures.
Even with my extension, I can still have my mill fully set up and operable
in 30 minutes.
We all know that the old adage “time is money” is never more true
than for the independent businessman, especially if he “is” the
business, which is true in my case. So it is of the utmost importance for
me, as I assume it is for any of you that desire to produce a profit with
your sawmill, to make the most money that I can with the least amount of time
and effort on my part. The modifications that I have made to my sawmill are a
direct result of this pursuit.
But I have learned that the best way to earn
the most money for my investment of time and energy is ultimately to charge
the customer enough to be able to take my time. My desire is not to be able
to produce large quantities of lumber in the shortest amount of time, as some
sawmill operators strive to do. But to provide good quality, accurately sized
lumber, which will meet the needs of my customers, the best way that I have
found to achieve this is by keeping a good sharp blade on the saw, which insures
true and accurate cuts, and to charge a fair price.
My customers deserve what
they pay for, and charging a fair, yet adequate amount insures that I can
take the time necessary to meet my quality standards. Producing satisfied
customers has been doubly rewarding in that the best advertisement for my
business has always been word of mouth referrals, which only come from satisfied
customers.
A satisfied customer is what you can call me too. As you probably have decided
by now, I am very pleased with my decision to purchase an Accu-Trac MP-32 sawmill.
I have achieved all I intended to accomplish when I purchased it, and more.
Yet, as with any success story, there are always challenges and obstacles
to be overcome along the way.
The biggest challenge that I have encountered
has been what to do with the logs that I receive that aren’t fit for
lumber, and all the slabs and odd sized log ends that sawing the lumber produces.
The most inexpensive way that I have chosen to dispose of them is to cut them
up and sell them for firewood. I have even found that I can use my sawmill to
split the firewood, thus eliminating the need for a splitter. So in the end,
even overcoming the obstacles has provided another use for my sawmill, and source
of income for me. Yet another reason that I am a successful and happy Accu-Trac
owner!
Larry Lindsey
New Market, TN
