Do You Want to Open a Sawmill Business? See How a Mom and Pop are Ranked #1

#1 Ranked Sawmill and Lumber business - In January and July 2022, Hobby Hardwood was ranked the best high quality lumber business in the state of Alabama. We beat the Rockler, Woodcraft and all the other big lumber retail companies and we are just a Mom and Pop operation.
Welcome to Hobby Hardwood Alabama - a real, professional sawmill lumber production business, ranked by a national website as producing the highest quality wood in Alabama, of about 45 different species. We are not a video company, but we are a real lumber company, and want to show others some of our money making and business sawmill techniques. This video is another example of sawmilling for our business, Hobby Hardwood, Alabama. We show how we mill logs, dry them and other things on our outdoor farm. We use our amazing fleet of hardware and tools, such as our custom New Holland Tractor, Wood-Mizer LT-70 sawmill, as well as our Cantek planers, Baker edgers, and SLR machines in action, operation, milling and while sawing logs to lumber. The Woodmizer LT Super 70 sawmill is the the biggest, fasted and most automatic bandsaw mill Woodmizer makes, with joystick control and Diesel engine. Very few sawmills are this fast, including Baker, Morgan, Harbor Freight, Cooks, Northern, Timber King, Norwood, Woodland, chainsaw mill, and Hudson. It’s not an Amish Sawmill, but the fastest and most modern band mill Wood-Mizer makes, and produces the best lumber wood for wood working projects and our lumber business. We also showcase our Nyle Kilns and air drying lumber techniques. Lots of tips and tricks to make sawing and drying easier for beginners and professional woodworkers to keep our sawmill turning trees and logs into gold instead of firewood. My buddy, Nathan Elliot, of Out of the Woods Sawmill, OTW, convinced me I needed to start filming our operation, so here goes. Someday I want to have as many followers as other sawmill videos on KZbin, like Nathan and Outdoors With the Morgans. We show how to make money with your sawmill, and pass on our how-to tips and tricks for better sawmilling. Watch us use our sawmill, chainsaw mill, band saw, and bandsaw.
#WoodYoda,#sawmill, #planer, #woodworking,#lumberkiln, #HobbyHardwood
Joe Maine [phone] makes my bands for me, using WM Turbo Silvertip stock, 0.055" x 1.5". He is in Georgia but can ship anywhere. The best I have used.
Go check us out on our other pages!
Mail Address: 237 Shady Trail, New Market, Al, 35761
Email for Business Inquires: [e-mail]
OUR WEBSITE: www.hobbyhardwoodalabama.com
PRODUCTS WE USE: www.hobbyhardwoodalabama.com/st
FACEBOOK: / hobbyhardwoodalabama

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Hey folks, after seeing a bunch of our videos, what would you like to see more of? And please don't for get to like and subscribe!

[@oldtruckguy2563]

how about a video on sawdust removal and disposal

[@lloydpowell1056]

Of all sawmill videos I think I like this one best. I am 81+ years old and just got anew HM130Max with lots of goodies and can hardly wait to get it assembled and dig into my oak and juniper logs.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, there is nothing better that making sawdust with a shiny new sawmill! It's like Christmas! Thanks for watching and good luck!

[@KPVFarmer]

Thank you Mr Powell, I hope you have been thoroughly enjoying sawing for over a year now. You are proof that you’re never too old to start new endeavors.

[@OregonOldTimer]

This is the most enjoyable video I've seen on any channel lately.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I really appreciate that! I will keep trying to make them worth watching! I'm not a "real" video guy, I just film what we do.

[@KPVFarmer]

Thanks for taking the time and letting us see how a premium hardwood producer masters their day! Very enjoyable!!! 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@billwaldron9565]

Love what y’all are doing please keep up the videos I love hanging out with you lol my lt 70 will be here in a few more months I’ve been waiting a year on my new sawmill

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Oh boy you are going to have some fun! Make sure you get a belt tension tool and a blade guide alignment tool. Both are critical. Thanks for watching!

[@JeroenB-jz2kc]

Watched it for the second time☺️. Keep the ‘day in the Mill/shop coming’!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Will do!!

[@ozarkscarguy540]

I love seeing how much lumber the two of you produce. I work for a company with 1 full time sawyer (me,) 2 full time table and project builders, 2 owners, a manager, and 3 part time employees and I don't think we produce or sell what you do.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for the compliment, a Mom and Pop operation like ours has to produce or all we can do is look at ourselves to blame. We can't sell it ion we don't have it. The outfit that used to plane our wood finally yelled "Uncle" this year, because we swamped them, every week, for years. The owner once asked us how many employees we had and I asked if our dog, Chip, counted. We've had a few employees over the years, but we've run out of daughters and their boyfriends have since become husbands and make their own way. We had an oil rig roughneck who would brag about how he could hang with us, and he lasted six weeks and said working for us was the toughest job he'd ever had. So we just do what we do, Martha, me and Chip and just plug along. Good machines make a huge difference.

[@TheZambie1]

I'm sure you are very proud of what you've accomplished! Amazing

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thank you so much!

[@melissamilton5126]

Best cup I’ve ever gotten you!!!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yes it is. For those of you out there, this is my Daughter Melissa who gave me the coffee cup shown in the video. Thanks, honey!

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

Most "Day-In-The-Life" videos are incredibly boring; this one was very enjoyable. I watched front to back. Thank you. Dave

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks! Chip helps keep things interesting.

[@TheZambie1]

Love it! Chip is identical to my Merc in every way.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks!

[@paulmace7910]

You get the most awesome logs!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

We try, it isn’t easy.

[@skywatcherca]

Thanks for this video: Wonderful! My dad has passed, but he LOVED lumber/logging. He owned 3 large building centers (retail) and had 1 wholesale yard, with a myriad of machinery. He would have been in heaven if he had seen your fine establishment. Thanks again for this video.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for sharing! That is a really nice thing to say, I really appreciate it.

[@jerrodsimmons8356]

That’s a nice Cantek planer. We have a Cantek shaper & double head sander at the shop I work at. They seem to be nice machines.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, Cantek does seems to build some fairly reliable machines. I have not had any trouble with mine, and a friend has one similar and other than some peeling paint in one spot, his machine has also worked flawlessly.

[@southernadirondackoutdoors]

Enjoyable video, especially the Chip parts...just kidding! That basswood must be heavy, noticed the front tires on the New Holland squishing some.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I saw that too! Basswood is very light when it’s dry but surprisingly heavy when green on the log because it’s very porous and is like a sponge filled with water. Thanks for watching!

[@dynamiteoffroad9995]

just bought a little mill gowing to try and find a market all the big mills around just went out of business so ill have a farm store and sawmill up here in west virginia bought my mill out right hope to get a big one if it works out

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

It will, just keep watching my videos.

[@jeffery19677]

18 gauge veterinary needle is the best for removing splinters.. I keep one in the medicine cabinet just for that. Time to start building your permanent sawmill-owned pallets with 4x4 runners. You won't have to beat on them and they will last longer. There are ALWAYS pieces of "junk wood" that you can use for runners..

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

You are 100% correct, I use vet needles also that we have left over from our cattle operation. I keep wanting to do a video of it but figure it will gross people out.

[@maciejzauga9904]

It looks like a dream to me, a piece of heaven on Earth. And this ready-to-sell wood ❤

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thank You!

[@matthewhaaland4004]

Great work you two!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Glad you liked it!

[@keithfullmer1058]

Thank you.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

You're welcome!

[@kitb9948]

Another great video. Thanks to you and Martha for putting out this content. It's a big help to aspiring sawyers.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, I just hope it doesn't turn folks off when they see how much goes into it! However, if I can help folks and maybe make it easier or answer a few questions, it's worthwhile for is. Thanks for watching.

[@TedAlexander24]

Another great video. Always in awe with your equipment. Several months ago I asked for a few tips on drying pecan. Wanted to thank you because I got a high yield of beautiful lumber.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

That's great, I'm glad I could help.

[@LogHewer]

Really enjoyed it, brother. You can't beat sawing pretty logs for a living, and all that goes along with it. Thanks for sharing.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks! It is is fun to cut into a nice log and eventually turn it into lumber. Then it's fun to hear the customer say "Wow, that's an incredible piece of wood."

[@chrisshumaker1659]

Great Video!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thank you!

[@Miserycreeksawmill]

Looks like a great day! So jealous, fantastic job fantastic video ! Thanks for the video

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the compliments and watching!

[@thekiltedsawyer]

Amen to that stacking lumber, & dropping everything for log's. When I saw that , I am a follower of your channel for sure buddy! 🧡👍💪💪

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks 👍. At least you know our channel is "real" and we are a real sawmill.

[@TIMber1962]

you are a blessed man!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I think that every day! I never know what tomorrow brings but every day we get through is a good one.

[@alanblasczyk1779]

Real nice video. It is great to see an honest American self made couple making a good living. Nice homestead too my friend !

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks 👍. We appreciate it! We put a lot of work into it.

[@joewnav]

Fantastic video love it thanks for sharing it with us.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for watching!

[@jaywolfe6147]

Congratulations on number one, this is a class act guys, top notch!!!!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, the frost time we were ranked no 1, we thought out was a fluke, and I didn't want to keep checking back. Then, we won it again and I could take a breath of relief. We never applied for it, but it sure was nice to have a repeat. Thanks for watching!

[@gregbaj]

Great work 👏you two

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thank you and thanks for watching.

[@will6258]

Some topics for videos (I’m sure you already have some of them) Videos going over the different equipment you use and why you chose it over the alternatives. I would watch a whole series of videos of you going over proper maintenance of different things and just generally how you operate so efficiently. Going over your most asked questions, the challenges of owning and operating a sawmill, things you would have done differently if you were starting over, how have the events of the last few years effected your industry. This is pretty broad but I would find it interesting to see a video detailing some differences between sawmills across the country. What is unique about milling in northern Alabama. Is it easier to acquire a variety of different species of hardwood when compared to other places? Would be really interesting to see a collaborative video with another creator (or yourself) where we get to see you milling the wood and then ultimately what is made from it. Big fan of the channel and am happy to see you putting out more content.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

All good suggestions, thanks. I have been thinking about the collaborative thing with a professional woodworker buddy of mine, but just haven't got around to it. However, if you want to see some of the amazing stuff made form our wood, here is link to our webpage "Bragging Board." www.hobbyhardwoodalabama.com/braggin-board.html

[@erickdanielsson6710]

The Judges are knowledgeable! Congratulations!!! Time for me to pick up some wood .

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thank you and hope to see you soon!

[@robintaylor-mockingeemill8223]

Its a really nice retail shop you have built

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, it's taken a few years, but it has come a long from when we we just had Grizzly table saw and and LT-15. Thanks for watching!

[@K31swiss]

I remember the first time I came up there you were selling boards out of the barn.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yeah, all we had was red oak, poplar and a little cherry. Things have grown a little since then. Thanks for watching!

[@deilybuom]

I'm curious as to what you use for chip and dust collection on machines. Maybe a video of the saw dust and how you dispose

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Here is a 3 episode series on the installation. kzbin.info/aero/PLKWLwjnwxvVqwlkDTzDaIOhT0Nneu9j9q

[@matthewcleveland577]

Awesome video. Hopefully my setup will get as nice as yours one day, I'm definitely working on it. I just can't decide if I want to be a woodwork business or sawmill so I'm doing both currently, probably always will to some extent. After we get the kids out the doors, the first the I do every morning is saw a log or few, depending on what orders I've got and when the kiln needs to be loaded again. It's always nice the wake up and dust. Now if I can just get my wife to quit her job and help lol. And good equipment does help, never understood people that won't invest in good equipment, to make time more efficient. Again, thanks for the video. Ps. Probably about time to get those fans out again. Atleast it is down here in sw ga.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks. Each market s different, but I make as much money with the planer as the sawmill. However, I just like running the mill. It's fun. Depending on the marker, there is a lot of money in secondary processing and getting the boards to a "ready to use" state.

[@joshmonroe2562]

It sounds like you may have fed the planer a little too fast once or twice?!? Just found y'all!! Hoping to come see y'all's in the morning.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Not on these little pieces of shorts and walnut 8/4. I played the video back to check, the planer is designed to take off more than 1/4” per side per pass, both top and bottom on the same pass, so 1/2” of wood removed per pass, 25 inches wide, at twice this feed rate. So in this video, you are probably hearing the staggered top and bottom head engaging and disengaging at different times on the board. In a video im about to release, we planed 5/16” off the bottom and 1/4” off the top on a pallet of 24 inch or so wide live edge slabs and it did grunt on those. The boards in this video weren’t enough to warm it up, the planer is a beast.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

You should have 100,000 subs....

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I wish I did. This KZbin thing is the worst paying job I've ever done, I make more money off one board than I get per month doing KZbin. I try to make real videos of real sawing techniques, but it seems people wearing Spandex bending over a sawmill gets more views and subs. I don't look good in Spandex so that isn't going to happen here. Just real sawing, real techniques, real world.

[@BissellMapleFarm]

@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama keep doing what you are doing. I appreciate you! You make a difference in my life and day! That has infinite value, my friend!

[@brojack17]

Loving the videos lately. Great variety of topics covered. I need to make a trip back out there soon. Martha, I don't think you're doing retirement right.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, I never know what to film, it used to be all sawmilling, but we do so much other stuff, I figured I'd let people see what we do during our "spare" time. Martha works me into the ground sometimes, she doesn't sit around much.

[@brojack17]

@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama There’s plenty of sawing videos. They can get repetitive. I like the day in the life as well as the tweaks to your machinery. Keep it up.

[@taftamick54]

I want Chip's job at the sawmill...😅

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Yeah, he's got it made. He's the star of the show, and he knows it.

[@roncrismon6245]

Great content! Geat Mentor! I hope to build my shop to your level. Where did you come up with your lumber racking. I would like to store lumber horizontal but havent found anything effective and reasonably priced. Thanks.

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks, we get it from Grainger. It isn't cheap, but it's one of the few rack systems that doesn't have diagonals on the ends so we can load the wood from the ends.

[@kittredgesw]

Great video Robert. I notice you had a Hitachi chop saw in the planer room. What happened to the Makita?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

A piece of wood cracked and exploded and shards ripped through the blade guard and top shell of the saw. Punched holes right through it, like a blown piston on an engine. Quite the fun. It was a good saw, but the repair bill would have been significant. So I gave it away and we switched to the Hitachi. It's been good so far. In reality, we consider them disposable, as we wear them out every year or two anyway. The bearings get sloppy, the motors cook, or the blade bralke, breaks. We've looked at more commercial models, but they don't have the safety features of sliding chop saws, and with chop saws, it's all about safety.

[@thomlop]

Love the lumber you produce! By the way, why do you use a generator?

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Good question. We need high voltage 3 phase power and we can't get that from our county power grid. They said it would take a million bucks from us to start. So we use the generator, which produces 480V, 3 phase power.

[@mattncvideo2844]

On your previous video you mentioned a commercial license or maybe DOT numbers for the truck and trailer. Do you need that for hauling logs back like you were showing? I’m considering getting a 3/4 ton and a 14k trailer for moving logs and equipment

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Your state would give you specific guidance but in a nutshell any vehicle or combination of vehicles moving anything where money is involved is considered commercial and requires either a DOT or CDL according to state or Federal Regs, the FMSCA, if you are empty and GVWR stickered (on the truck door jamb and trailer tongue added together) and 10,001 lbs crossing state lines or 26001 lbs at any time in any state or weighed, whichever is higher. So with a 14K trailer, whatever truck you buy can’t be stickered on the door for more than 12,000 lbs GVWR. Many 3/4 ton trucks have GVWR of more than that, so would be illegal. You can get what’s called a “derate option” for many trucks that will drop the truck GVWR to 10,000 lbs to legally cross state lines under 10,001 pounds and that would get your total GVWR with a 14K trailer to 24,000 lbs, which puts you under the 26,001 lbs CDL threshold but not DOT if crossing state lines. Unfortunately it’s a trade off because as you get the derate options your towing capacity drops also. I got my first ticket towing an empty gooseneck trailer behind a 3/4 ton pickup and although I was under 26,000 lbs (truck door sticker was 10,000 lbs and trailer was stickerd at 15,800) I did not need a CDL, but since I was from Alabama and crossed state lines to Tennessee, and was over 10,000 lbs, they gave me a police escort back to the station and lit me up with many thousands of dollars of tickets and penalties.

[@OutoftheWoods0623]

#woodyoda

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks! I wish I had a lightsaber. Does anyone else wonder how well it work as a sawmill blade? Wouldn't that be cool?

[@brenchuckswood3826]

Feels like you just video taped my daily grind not yours.. lol Nice job!

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I think there are a lot of out there, I'm just one of the few who wastes time filming it, which only stretches it out even longer. Thanks for watching and keep bringing it out!

[@dapymp17]

What size generator do you have? If it burns 14 gallons per hour, it seems like a major ongoing expense for the mill

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

It's a 480V 3 Phase generator with a Chevy 8 cylinder at 85kW burst with 60kW steady power. It supports the planer, and we have phase converters off county power for the smaller equipment. We use enough electricity that the county said they would cost share installation of 3 phase power to use if we started at a million bucks downpayment, which is why we got the generator. Yes, sawmill operations of this size burn energy money and lots of it. We have deliveries of propane tanks for the forklift, tanker deliveries of liquid propane for the generator, tanker deliveries of diesel for the sawmill, the excavator, the track loader, the tractor, even the lawn mower. Lots of fuel, lots of money. Then oils, filters and lubricants for the equipment, generally $1,000 of maintenance on some of the equipment every 200 hours. The generator is getting $750 dollars of annual preventative maintenance by our local Generac dealer just this week. Brutal money and very painful. Good thing this is just a hobby.

[@TheOldManAndTheSaw]

I see that you have a PJ trailer; what are your thoughts on it? I have a tilt bed PJ and it is a piece of JUNK! It's 6 years old and people guess it's age at 20-30 years because of the rust. Back to your video to watch the rest. Dave

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

I've had very good service for them, actually has the best structure of any brand I've owned. I just recycled through them this year and sold 3 of them, one 12 years old, one 9 years old and the last 7 years old with almost 250,000 miles on it, 4 sets of tires. I go across scales with my log loads and I'm always at max payload, generally pushing the 26,000 lbs CDL limit. I have heard of others having rust problems (mostly up north) with their PJ and they were having quality control issues where PJ wasn't properly prepping and cleaning their steel (degreasing and descaling) prior to powder coat and it wasn't bonding to the metal. Basically rusting under the powder coat. A real mess. I have heard they have changed their prep process and have switched primers. We don't use salt on our roads down south here, and I've never had any issues at all with their coating or anything else. I have a trucking business to support our sawmill, and we use our mini fleet of PJ's hard, and they have to pass DOT inspections every year. Thanks for watching!

[@falfas55bgas]

Your wood store is quite impressive. Your work ethic is quite impressive. Martha and Chip are quite impressive. Your operation is quite impressive. Brad_bb

[@HobbyHardwoodAlabama]

Thanks for the compliments, I couldn't do it without everyone pitching in, including Chip! He's always at the door first thing in the morning, telling me to hurry up and get to work. Of course, he immediately gets in the Polaris and sleeps the morning out. I appreciate you watching!

[@falfas55bgas]

@@HobbyHardwoodAlabama Did you ever do an interview type video? I would ask when did you get into milling and this business? How did you get into it? Were you expecting it to become your business? Was Martha into it early on? What did you and Martha do before this? Are you from the area you're in? I'm sure I could think of more questions, just a start.