LT40 Sawmill enabled Paul Simms to build his dream home and save $100,000

• LT40 Hydraulic

• DoubleHard Blades

• Project Dimensions: 76’X22’, 3,650 sq ft

• 100% of lumber cut on the mill: 55,000+ BF

• Estimated savings on lumber: $100,000+

• Wood species used: white pine, white oak, hickory

• Connect Online: onespecialchristmas.com

“After spending a lot of time in our woods and looking over our forest inventory, I saw that we had numerous trees that needed to be cut. I had just recently retired as a pilot, so this was way out of my line of expertise. I became involved with a local group of horse loggers and ended up with my own team of Suffolk Punch draft horses. With a whole lot of help, I managed to learn a little about horse logging and good forestry management. I also expanded my research on sawmills and wisely ended up purchasing a new Wood-Mizer.

“We have been blessed with great neighbors and friends that helped with our home project. Our goal was to use all the lumber possible from our own property. Folks are amazed that everything came within a couple of hundred yards from the site and that the timber was logged with the help of horses. The longest installed logs are 42’ to 46’ that required two teams of horses in tandem to bring them out of the woods. We milled the heart of the tree and then used a broad axe to hand hewn finish all of the logs. Most of the sawn white pine logs averaged 18” in height installed. Most of the side material, over 10,000 bf, was sawn into 2” x 6”s and then milled locally into T & G for the ceiling. I loved the flexibility of the mill. We were able to saw everything from the house logs, post & beams, flooring, T & G ceiling, doors, cabinets, trim work and even all of the cedar pickets with our Wood-Mizer.

“We have been blessed with three children since we started our home. With the help of the mill, I’m now finishing the basement which will add two more bedrooms and a family play room for them.

“This became a very rewarding project since I was building our home from trees that I know my Grandfather and father had planted decades earlier.

“Our children are the sixth generation to the farm that my great-great grandfather settled on in 1891. We are recognized on the Virginia Century Farm list, which gives credit to families that have over one hundred years of continuous operation and ownership. We are also an American Tree Farm that meets the certification standards for Sustainable Forest Management with over 400 acres in management.”

See more photos of Paul’s home at www.woodmizer.com/pb

Woodworker relies on flexibility and dependability of his LT40 manual sawmill

From the detailed hunting mural carved into the fireplace mantel to the floor-to-ceiling wall boards, almost all the wood used to create this 400 square foot gunroom was cut on a LT40 sawmill.

Hank Carroll was approached by a friend to create this beautiful gunroom project, using all antique southern heart pine…one of the most popular and attractive hard woods used in interior projects. Hank says, “The owner would stop in and comment on the wood and how it was coming together several times during the process to tell us how he liked it.” Hank had a crew of workers operating the LT40 sawmill to help build the award winning gunroom. His sawmill made it, “Nice to be able to cut any size we needed” says Hank. “There were a lot of different parts that had to be made, sized and put together. The crown molding was cut from one beam for the best grain match with no scarfing needed.” The ceiling was tongue and grooved boards, and the columns were single ceiling-to-floor boards. In addition, exquisite 18 foot long boards make up the floor.

One of the most stunning highlights in the room is the eye-catching fireplace mantle. Made from a wide piece of pine, the hand-carved hunting scene design makes it the most attention grabbing feature in theroom. Savings thousands of dollars and working eight months to complete this project, Hank comments,

“Sometimes when I work on something so long, it is hard to see the end result.” But after all was said and done and the finish coatings were complete, Hank says, “It was a great feeling of accomplishment.”

The Timber Framer tool for sawing reclaimed lumber and long beams: The LT15 sawmill

When an organic farm needed a structure to serve as an office and equipment barn, David Watters had no problem making that happen. The client saw old round barns around Indiana and wanted one of his own, so David pushed timber framing to its limits by including two round barns in the design. “I tell people that if it has anything to do with timber, we’ll try it at least once.”

Keeping in line with the organic nature of the farm, the building also includes several green elements, including a full geothermal heating system, structural insulated panels, and a wind generator. It’s truly a one of a kind building.

David’s LT15 and 33’ bed length have proved invaluable in his business, he now can cut 24’ white oak beams himself. He also uses his LT15 to resaw reclaimed wood that other mills won’t touch. For this project, he was able to cut the antique timber down to the sizes he needed and used 95% of the reclaimed lumber in the construction.

Watch a video about David and The Beamery on www.woodmizer.com.

Editor’s note: The preceding was a paid advertorial by Wood-Mizer.

See more than 100 ALL NEW dreams come true at www.woodmizer.com/pb