![]() ![]() The estimate 7 years ago was around $5000/mo. With diesel at $1.75, we are looking into the local utility for rates. Weekly fuel consumption is about 400 gals. ![]() The major disadvantage to used equipment is that you are behind current technology. But, you have to make sure that repair costs don't eat you up. Your upfront costs are a lot lower, and it is quicker to pay off. Good, used equipment is the practical way to go. You need the payback to pay for the depreciation. A 2 year payback is pretty much an industry standard. If it doesn't, then it becomes an expense, not an asset. The payback is important from the standpoint that a piece of equipment must pay for itself. The mill works great, but the support equipment is questionable. What do they know? They sell equipment, they don't use it. We listened to equipment salesmen to help out with the mill layout. When we put in our mill, we made one big mistake. What are you going to do with the sawdust? How are you going to handle it - blow it, drag it, or shovel it? Are you going to use a chipper? Are you using a debarker? Paybacks come from lower production costs through increased efficiency and by value added products to the waste.Īre you putting in kilns to accompany your planing mill? What do you do with your shavings? 1/2 of your logs will be in waste, no matter what type of system you use. Where will the savings come from to get your payback?Īnother concept is that you don't want to handle your waste any more than necessary. 10,000 logs isn't a whole lot of production to begin with. It can effectively double your production at a lower cost than adding a new mill with support equipment. A secondary breakdown acts like another headrig. That's why I would question your need for a secondary cant breakdown. The next concept you need is that every piece of equipment must have a maximum of a 2 year payback. If you are using a power unit, it may alter the way things are arranged. Your options are basically a power unit like a diesel, your own generated electricity or electricity from the local electric company. Basically the same with some variations.įirst thing you want to figure out is what type of power source are you going to be using. Our mill is a little different, since we cut ties and some other heavy stuff we run off the end of the green chain. Jeff's first mill layout is pretty much what I've seen in the typical hardwood mill. You need surge areas for logs and lumber. The headrig should never have to wait for logs or wait for lumber to be removed to keep on cutting. The headrig is where the bottleneck should be in any mill. But, you can't start with a ton of equipment and expect to make ends meet. You should have a stable source of logs and a fairly stable lumber market. You can start with a basic concept and move on from there. Your mill layout will depend on how many sorts you are doing, what size of lumber you are cutting, your power source, amount of labor input, etc. If I recall, you figure that you'll have 10,000 logs/yr that range from 6-16", primarily in 8, 10 & 12'. There are too many variables in order to put the pieces together. I'd like to tell you there is a simple way to layout a mill, but I can't. ![]()
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