This is the sawmill that was donated to the ministry, and I drove up from FL with this summer. Got it set up and running, got sixty six 8' 2x4's out of one 17' log, and twenty seven 1" planks out of 3 smaller 8' logs. Got everything stickered down, have some friends from Georgia going to come up and trim out the church this winter, and go on my trapline with me. How do y'all service your mills, and is there anything special you do to store them for winter?

A 76 year young man from Glenallen flew out and helped me get it set up.

I always wanted to have one of them saws, very cool!

This the Harbor Freight sawmill. It's a pretty good one so far. Since there are no Harbor Freight stores in Alaska, I purchased a bunch of spare parts in the Lower 48, including a new engine, and put them on the barge in Nenana for the 600 or so mile river trip down the Tanana and Yukon Rivers to our village.

Looks great. We only have a couple trees, so no help on the sawmill. Good luck on the church.

Bought an old duplex, one of the few pieces of private land legal for the church to own in the village. The pictures are of the progress on the church side, from when we first moved in, to what it is today.

The 1 inch planks I milled will be used for trimming the church walls, doors, and windows.

I got one just like it. Only had it since last Jan. I like the motor, starts every time no problem. My worst problem was where the post just above the throttle that holds the hoist, it would not clamp tight enough to keep from sliding down when applying weight with the lift. I stopped that by drilling a hole in the top of the collar and pipe and put a bolt through it. Also when getting down to sawing the bottom of the log those little square metal stakes do not saw very well, lol. So I cut up some scrap stakes from wood and use those and just saw them off, just need to slow down as you saw them off or they get up in the blade compartment and make a terrible racket. Its my intention to maybe put the throttle on the other side and push thru from the left side, of course then your in the saw dust but maybe one could rig something to catch or suck up the saw dust so its not blowing all over the operator. That way one would be on the left side to watch those stakes. Or have a helper just to watch those stakes for you. I have mine on a frame of 2x8 channel with a set of wheels that I set under the back end ( after jacking up)and a ball hitch under the front end so I can move with the tractor and then just sit it on the ground wherever I want it.

Also I have 20 ft of angle to extend the track by 10 ft. I always want bigger. Also been thinking about how to make a couple of simpler clamps to push the log over against those small stakes I hate so much.

For a cheap saw it works but is labor intensive, And its green just like the Poulan saws I use, lol. That should get some added input, lol.

What you going to call you operation. My is Thick and Thin Lumber Company, lol. Have fun and be careful!

Yep, the motor works good for me too. I also learned the hard way on my second cut to lower the square tubing down. Haven't forgotten since.

The forestry forum has a good section on mills. I don't think there is anything specific to the HF mill, but it may be able to help with some of your questions regarding maintenance

Wood Mizer has a dealer in Anchorage, Alaska.

I'm assuming your church is not Catholic. Interested in how your building a congregation in a majority Catholic area. My ex is from Emo and most everyone there was Catholic. Appears your doing alright. Lots of good outdoor activities in the KSM area.

Nicely done young man

We were invited to come and start a church by about twenty people who were not Catholic, then flew out and went door to door informing people that we were coming out, most were receptive to the idea of having a resident preacher, as most villages do not have one. We invite anyone to come, as the Bible says, Whosoever will, let him come drink of the water of life freely. We usually have about 20 come, but have had up to 59. We've lived here for three years now, was an itinerant pastor in 5 other villages over a 4 year period before coming here, filling the pulpit for pastors who had to be gone for health and other reasons. If it were about numbers, I would be pastoring a church of about 300 in the Lower 48, but the Lord said no, I want you in Saint Mary's. We are certainly happy here, God is good. I have an amazing wife, who is very adaptable. She is amazing in what she does in the ministry out here with the women and children.

We are able to go out on the Yukon and get logs to mill that are from upstream of here, where large white spruce grow on the banks of the river. They are ripped off in the spring thaw by ice, and you can go out and get them out of the river in the spring, or off of the banks below the high water mark after the water level goes down. Many times they are limbed and barked by the ice. We get fire wood this way as well.

That's Awesome!

Had a Wood Mizer years ago, did a lot of sawing. Back then the problem was keeping blades sharp.

Dont know anything of the harbor freight mills, but if its like other mills i have owned , get extra bearings and belts for the wheels . Make sure you get extra blade guides also.Keep this stuff on hand and you can saw for quit a while.

I cut a lot of drift wood over the years. I quit because of the silt in the log made it more work to sharpen the saw than getting the wood.

Looks like you've done a lot of work !!I'd just spray the entire rig with WD40 and tarp it for the winter. You might need to re-level it next year

Outstanding!
I have looked into getting a small mill but not sure I can justify getting. I know a guy that has one and will be getting some plank from him soon. It would be a blast milling wood.