cody_lathrop Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 What would you do if you had; 300 acres of timber shop that could be renevated to anything you want (40'50' your own sawmill I'm curious to know what other would do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bywc Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 hope i dont wake up from the wonderful dream anytime soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cody_lathrop Posted July 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 no, really. I mean I am sitting here on all of this and dont know how to even get started with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 Do you want to be a sawyer? What kind of lumber do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 What would you do if you had; 300 acres of timber shop that could be renevated to anything you want (40'50' your own sawmill I'm curious to know what other would do. Oh the problems some people have :-) First, congratulations! Second, don't worry about getting it "right" the first time. Every shop will go through growing pains. Plan as much as you can with the knowledge that it probably will change in the future. Third, I would keep most of your lumber outside if you can. Only bring in what is ready to be worked and what you will need on your project. I wish I could get my lumber out of my shop. It's taking up too much room. Fourth, I would build an enclosed area for finishing. Fifth, (man this is getting to be a long list) get as much natural light as possible. If I don't have to turn on the lights, I don't. This might help some. I put up a site when I built my shop. The site hasn't been updated in a while, but at least it will give you some ideas, as well as some reference materials that might help. http://www.theworkshopproject.com/index.php Good luck! Jonathan ===================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davestanton Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 I would go to a few stores and have a look at what they have to offer regarding machinery. I would physically visit a few workshops in the area. I would visit a couple of schools that teach woodwork and ask questions whilst in there and actually looking at and touching the machines, getting a feel for the space they have as well as layout. Regarding the 300 acres of land with trees on it....I would leave it alone until I was very sure about some kind of business plan that I could put into action. If you want to try out some stuff and have a few dollars, you could hire a mobile saw mill and with the help of someone who has done it before, learn what and how, where and when in regards to felling, milling and air stacking. The main thing is not to rush it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 pick a projectfigure out how you want to build that projectfigure out what tools you need to build the projectAsk here for advice on buying those tools (maybe there's a more general tool that would be better in the long run) buy the tools, build the projectrepeatConsider taking some classes. There are different styles of woodworking, "neanderthal" and "normite" being the biggest and most obvious distinction. See if you can try out tools before making purchasing decisions; classes can be a good way to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 The guys above have given great answers. The one thing I would suggest, which is similar to what Dave in Oz said, is I wouldn't mess with the timber until you know and are sure exactly what you want to do with it. It's a tough resource to replace. For example if its all black walnut, you could make a mint just selling the lumber. If it's all scrawny pine trees, you may need to do some clearing to grow bigger ones. Wait to mess with that until you are extremely confident you are doing the right thing. .. then wait a little longer to stew on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobbe Arnesson Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 ...and then wait a few more years so the milled lumber can dry. It takes about a year per thickness inch of the boards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bywc Posted July 21, 2011 Report Share Posted July 21, 2011 its kind of impossible to answer to be honest what I would do would probably be completely different from what the next wood worker would do, I mean sure I could say build a 50'x50' building but if you only end up using a 4'x 5' corner of it with a scroll saw and a bench making fret work then its kinda pointless if we suggest you make a 50' x 50' shop fill it with 10k+ worth of tools and then only build bandsaw boxes or birdhouses then its pointless as you could have done it with a couple of hundred bucks investment and a 10x10 shop or even smaller. First you need to decide what you are going to be building then figure out what tools your going to need and how much space you need to use those tools then figure out how much lumber you actually want to store, do you want a sawmill only area? do you want a finishing area? do you need places to store the items you make before you sell like cabinet making will consume a shop reallllyyyy quick storing the cabinets while your making an entire set then maybe we could better help with a little more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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