Shed to House Mill

Ervin Bathke

Project Description
I purchased my Wood-mizer LT35 in September of 2020. When it arrived I knew that I had perhaps a month or two of fair weather before the rainy season started. When it starts raining in Oregon, it seems like it doesnt stop until Spring. I had been watching Wood-Mizer mill owners youtube videos for weeks prior to delivery, giving me lots of learning opportunities. So, as soon as I familiarized myself with the mill I went to work cutting the materials for my sawmill shed. During construction planning, I considered things like access for logs, removal of waste material, natural light, dust, and rain. Leaving the operator side open from ground to 5 feet up allows me to toss my edgings out for later disposal. The log entry side is 19 ft. wide and about 8 ft. high (I didnt expect to cut anything over 18 ft. but have milled a 20 ft. log with some wiggling to get it in). Both ends were left open for dust and heat control. The operator end has a short section of ground-to-roof wall for protection from wind and a shelf for fenders or other tools. If needed for rain and high winds, I will install roll down canvas tarps like curtains. So far, we havent had any need to add these. The shed is bolted together and, with some additional braces bolted in, was meant to be gently skiddable to another location on the property if needed, although with the proximity of our materials thats not likely any time soon. I constructed the shed with the mill in place, and it was finished November11, 2020. I had SOME corrugated roofing material and salvage steel for bracing, so the total cost of this sawmill shed was approximately $600.00. By sawing my own lumber and building it myself, I saved thousands of dollars and built a shed to meet my needs.

Finished Dimensions
12 ft. wide, 30 ft. long with an 8 ft. rear wall and 10 ft. front wall.

Money Saved
$1800.00 in todays money.