“My first experience sawing was on a non-hydraulic, all manual sawmill. One thing I learned was how hard it is to turn a log without the right equipment. I hurt my back with that mill. So I moved up to my fully-hydraulic TimberKing sawmill.
I had been advised to start with an entry level sawmill but I wish I’d gotten better advice. Here’s what I tell others: if you’re going to get into sawing, it’s worth getting a hydraulic mill. You will definitely appreciate the ease, speed, safety, and efficiency hydraulics you gain with hydro log loader, log turner, dogs, and stops.
Doing-it-yourself runs in Ben’s family
I grew up in a do-it-yourself family. My dad was an engineer and contractor. Both my grandfathers were farmers. One was a woodworker. It was a great experience growing up around tools, farming, livestock, woodworking, and learning lots of hands-on skills.
From childhood through college I learned how to frame and build houses and it’s all stayed with me. I got into metalworking and built 25 or 30 barbecue grill mobile trailers. But I wanted to get back to my main love, woodworking.
I wanted to cut my own lumber the way I wanted it — materials and odd dimensions you can’t get at a lumberyard. I got into it with two buddies after a tornado hit my place and took down a lot of big hardwood trees. We salvaged them, collected a lot of saw logs, and bought a sawmill; Amish-made and non-hydraulic.
Ben’s philosophy: go big or go home
A lot of guys start with a small mill, love it, then trade up. My philosophy with equipment is ‘go big or go home.’ And in today’s market, you almost can’t lose money. You can probably sell it for what you paid. Of course, you’ve got to figure out what you’ll use a mill for before you buy. But if you intend to grow, it’s worth all the extra features.
I learned about TimberKing from Tom O’Bryant, a TimberKing owner who does shows and demos with his mill at his place. He has a TimberKing 2000 with hydraulics. That’s what I bought, too, mostly after seeing Tom’s in action. (Editor’s note: read Tom Bryant’s story here.)
I jumped into sawing full force. I’d made the investment in my sawmill to remodel our home and I started by sawing out hardwood flooring. I had oak trees the tornado had taken down and I didn’t want them to go to waste. That’s the heart of my TimberKing story — I got started because of the storm and not wanting to waste the trees. I’m passionate about salvaging wood that would otherwise be wasted.
Many sawyers shy away from sawing logs that might have metal in them but I’ve had good luck. Yes, I’ve hit some metal; even some bullets. But I like knowing these awesome trees that might have ended up in the dump are getting put to good use.
Unbelievable quality of the finished surface
I’ve turned oak logs into quarter-sawn flooring up to 14’ long and 6” wide. I saw the lumber on my TimberKing and turn it into tongue-and-groove flooring with back relief on my 721 Woodmaster Planer . It’s got a helical planing head that creates unbelievable surface quality.
I finally got all the flooring installed and finished. It looks truly amazing. From there, I started making farmhouse tables and benches. I’m still sawing with my two buddies and we’re looking into supplying local woodworkers with specialty-cut hardwoods. We’ve done some custom sawing for local contractors who’ve come back for more stair treads and other materials.
Ben’s unique selling point
There are builders developing big plots of land near here. A huge part of their selling point is building homes using lumber I’ve sawn from trees on the property. That’s a niche market just perfect for a sawing operation my size. My business name is Maple Lane Mill.
I’m getting the word out and selling through Facebook Marketplace and on Instagram@maplelanemill I know I’ll have more demand than I can keep up with. I built a dehumidification kiln so I’m turning out kiln-dried lumber that’s a lot more valuable than green lumber. That’s value-added.
I work a full-time job as CEO of a credit union. Right now, sawing is a part-time job for me but I want to grow this business by adding some helpers. They’ll saw and I’ll manage the business. Meanwhile, my friend Jerry and I really hit it hard on evenings and weekends. Weekdays, I work a desk job but weekends and evenings, sawing with my TimberKing is a tremendous outlet. I love TimberKing. The product is phenomenal and really built to last. Service is great, getting parts is easy, and the guys give good, friendly advice!”
— Ben Johnson, TimberKing 2000 Owner, Tennessee
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