“I’m a 7-days-a-week kind of guy: busy all the time and I don’t look to slow down any time soon. I did give up motorcycle riding, though. I’ll be 69 the end of next month and I saw lumber, do some boat and RV work, and I work as part-time manager at the heating and air conditioning business I ran for 40 years. Yeah, I’m a busy, hands-on guy.
I was in the army for 10 years then ran a heating and air conditioning business. I’m married, have two adult children, and two grandsons. I’m a master electrician and master mechanic. I’ve been a public servant on the city commission, planning commission, the school board, and served eight years in the Kansas legislature. Now I’m sawing lumber for myself, for charity, and for customers.
It all started with restoring a ’41 Chevy pickup truck
My interest in sawing lumber started when I was restoring a 1941 Chevy pickup truck. Back then, the beds were made of oak, walnut, or yellow pine, all painted black. I was making that pickup into a street rod and I wanted it to pop, so I wanted a red cedar bed. I found a sawyer and took some cedar logs to him. He and I got talking; he was sawing as a retirement job and it looked like fun to me!
He said an elderly neighbor of his had a sawmill for sale. I went up and bought his 20-year old TimberKing 1600. I set it up on my son’s farm and started cutting boards. I ended up hauling it to TimberKing’s headquarters in Kansas City and two technicians and I spent a day going through it top to bottom, front to back.
Could easily become a full-time business
I’ve owned the mill two years now and have learned how to cut well. I sawed lumber to build a building to house it. I’ve cut slabs, mantles, countertops, tabletops and more for others — whatever they want. I saw three days a week, usually Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I think of this as part time work but it could easily become a real full time business. I’m starting to get more and more business and I just keep sawing!
I’ve cut for shares of the boards and for money, depending who I’m cutting for. I’ve cut walnut, cedar, pine, catalpa, Kentucky coffeetree, hedge (we call Osage orange ‘hedge’ around here). It’s so tough it’s used to make fence posts. I’ve cut utility poles into flooring for trailers; there’s no shortage of utility poles. I’ve cut cottonwood for horse barns and corrals. When it’s cured it’s very durable.
I’ve cut cedar logs into ceiling beams. I cut live-edge boards – people like the live edge look. I just cut 3’ diameter walnut logs into probably 150, 12’ long boards. Oh, and I’ve done some unique sawing for folks, like, ‘Our granddad planted these trees and we want to make a mantle out of the wood.’ I’ve done some quarter sawing, too. One thing just leads to another.
Sometimes people bring me slabs that were cut on Alaska-style sawmills. That kind of mill can’t get a slab truly flat. Or it may be cupped or out-of- square. And those chainsaw mills make a terrible amount of waste.
I probably need to upgrade to a bigger mill, maybe a TimberKing 2000 — something with more hydraulics. But I’m satisfied with the 1600 I have. It doesn’t have log lifters but I have a skid steer and other tools to help me. And I get my son, Matt, to come down and help when I need it.
A sense of accomplishment
I’ve been very impressed with this TimberKing 1600. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. My dad and I cut trees years ago but if I’d known how much fun sawing is, I’d have gotten a sawmill 20 years ago. I square off logs into cants and use the side slabs for firewood. I use the sawdust to fill in muddy spots.
I’ve been up to TimberKing several times and was surprised how friendly and helpful they are there. They’ve done a good job keeping me supplied. I order new blades and have them within 2 
or 3 days. I send them my used blades for sharpening, too, and get them back within a week. If I have a tech problem, I talk with TimberKing’s techs. I’ve been real pleased with the service. And I do like TimberKing’s 4-post head.
Room to grow
If you’re thinking of sawing, make sure you’ve got enough room to stack logs and boards, and room to grow. Understand who your market is. Be prepared to break a blade every once in a while. Anybody can do sawing with the right tools and equipment. There are lots of people doing it. Look at other guys’ setups and learn from them. Some are sawing as a business; some are sawing for one project, like building a cabin, then they sell their mill.
My plan is to focus on more sawing. I want to get storage set up for air-drying lumber. I want to build a dry-kiln but that’s not on the top of my list. I may upgrade my mill though there’s nothing wrong with the one I have. I’m very satisfied!”
— John Grange, TimberKing 1600 owner, Bird Creek Sawmill, El Dorado KS
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