Phil builds extraordinary structures with his TimberKing Sawmill
Phil and Gayle Alley have created a truly remarkable homestead — Hosta Alley — 150 acres of deeply shaded old growth hardwoods, extensive hardscaping, and many gardens overflowing with more than a thousand varieties of hostas. And throughout the Alleys’ outstanding landscape are many unique, finely-crafted post-and-beam garden structures, each one designed and hand-built by Phil. Here’s Phil’s story….
“I purchased my TimberKing 1220 sawmill around 1999. That mill and my Kubota tractor revolutionized my life. My home, my barn, my shop, 1/3 mile of Osage orange walkways, and several garden buildings have all been touched by that mill. I live on 150 acres of old growth hardwood. The blessings of that opportunity and your mill have been foundational in my place.
I designed all my buildings and used my TimberKing to saw materials to build them, in whole or in part. For example, I built the structure we call ‘The Overlook’ entirely of wood I sawed on my mill.
We have hickory, ash, walnut, Osage orange, and more. Osage orange wood’s the densest you’ll find. Hard, tough, and very rot-resistant. I mill them all and we burn the cutoff slabs to heat our home
Even as a child, I knew I wanted to live in a log cabin in the woods. As a young adult, I purchased this property. It took every penny I had and 10 years to pay it off. Early on, Gayle and I planted a few hostas. One thing led to another and today we have over 1,000 varieties.
I deeply love and revere the woods and I love to build. I started milling lumber here with an Alaskan chainsaw mill and a neighbor’s old circle mill. Along the way, I acquired my Kubota tractor, a trailer, and my TimberKing 1220 sawmill. That meant I could cut my own trees and mill them into all kinds of lumber I use to build structures within our hosta gardens. I don’t cut any healthy, living trees, though. On 150 acres, there are always dying or dead trees to harvest. Some are very remote and hard to get to but I move them to my mill with my Kubota tractor.
I didn’t know anything about sawing…
When I bought the 1220 mill about 25 years ago, it was $5,000. I thought it would be a good machine, and it is. It’s held up very well. In fact, it works as well as when I got it. The Kohler engine is great — it has never failed to start. I didn’t know anything at all about sawing when I got set up to start and the TimberKing company was very nice and helpful showing me how to get going. I got a lot of bandsaw blades and had TimberKing resharpen them.
All the sawing I do is for myself. I’ve sawn a few things for friends but I don’t saw as a business and I’ve never made a penny with my mill. In fact, if you want to make money sawing, bigger TimberKings would be better. I’d call the 1220 a hobby mill but it’s fine for me and I love it.
Phil’s relentless drive to build
I’m not in a hurry. I’m almost 80 and I’ve walked in these woods for 42 years. I’m always awestruck with the natural beauty. I find myself saying, ‘This is beautiful.’ Then I get a vision of how a building here or there would make it even better. When I get onto a thought like that, I can’t let it go. I just want to build it. I have relentless drive to build it and I want to be proud of the work I do. So my vision becomes a reality and in my own modest way, I’m leaving a legacy in my short time on earth. All this work is tremendously rewarding!”
— Phil Alley, Hosta Alley, TimberKing 1220 Owner, Pleasant Hill MO
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