Learn what you need to know about portable hybrid sawmill for your homestead.
Portable Hybrid Sawmills
Not every portable sawmill readily fits into one category or another. Hybrid sawmills combine parts and functions of several categories. There are two of particular note:
Logosol’s M7 Swedish Mill: The chainmill that thinks it’s a bandmill. At first glance, the Swedish Mill looks like a bandmill. It uses an adjustable log bed, power-head rail, logdogs (clamps that hold the logs in place) and an overhead support arm, like all bandmills. But the power head is a chainsaw.
Not any chainsaw will work with it, however. Logosol recommends the Husqvarna 395XP, which generates 7.1 horsepower. Along with the heavy-duty power head, a special bar and low-profile chain produce a 1/4-inch kerf, about the same as a band saw. The final finish is said to be equal to a band blade as well. Bars are available in 16-,20- and 25-inch cutting lengths.
Better Built’s Ripsaw: The bandmill that thinks it’s a chainmill. Imagine lifting the entire power head and blade support off a bandmill, then building a cutting guide around a log (as you would with a chainmill), and hand-feeding the band saw into the log. In a nutshell, that’s the RipSaw.
The Ripsaw comes in two versions. One has its engine. The other is a conversion kit that lets you turn your chainsaw into a bandmill in about 10 minutes. According to the manufacturer, you can use the chainsaw to fell trees, then install the conversion kit and turn those trees into finished lumber.
Read more about selecting a portable sawmill for the homestead: Choosing the Right Portable Sawmill.
