Justin Brenner tried a lot of sawmills before buying his TimberKing. And at the end of this long road, he says, “I love my TimberKing!” Here’s his story…
I’m busy with volunteering, working, and raising a family … but I saw whenever I can
“I grew up around farming. My dad was a full-time farmer; my grandpa was, too. Now my wife and I have a 30-acre farm. We raise goats, horses, and cattle. I’d like to farm full time but I’m busy with volunteering in the local fire department and on the advisory board for the agriculture department at the local high school. And I work full-time for the county. Plus we’re raising two kids. I coach our son’s basketball team and our daughter’s softball team. And I saw lumber with my TimberKing 1600 whenever I can!
My first sawing experience was an oak log on a friend’s mill
Sawing started for me when I sawed an oak log on a friend’s sawmill. After that, I got an Alaskan sawmill. Then I got a Logosol attachment for my chainsaw. I soon realized a real sawmill would be easier so I went in with a friend on a manual bandsaw mill.
I soon wanted a mill of my own so I looked at two kinds of bandsaw mills: the cantilever-style mill and TimberKing. Cantilever mills always bugged me; I think they’d be unstable with just one post holding the saw head. I liked TimberKing’s solid 4-Post Head. They’re built big and heavy. And TimberKing’s only a three-hour drive from me.
I pre-ordered a TimberKing 1220 around the pandemic, right at a time TimberKing was backed-up with orders. Jason at TimberKing actually suggested I look on the used market for a mill. That showed me the quality of their customer service. I was able to find a used mill — a TimberKing 1600 — out of Texas. And even though I didn’t buy from their factory, they’ve treated me like ‘one of the family.’ No issues at all.
TimberKing’s president wanted to know if I was happy
In fact, Will Johnson, TimberKing’s president, actually wanted to know if I’m getting what I need despite buying on the used market. I certainly am happy, and I’m impressed he’d ask! Though their production was backed up, my deposit saved my place in line and when I found a used mill, they refunded my money, no questions asked.
The mill’s hydraulics lift logs too heavy for my skid loader
I love this TimberKing. It’s so rugged, I know it’ll work for me for a long, long time. I don’t have to baby it; it’s a real workhorse. It’s so well built, and the welded frame is so heavy, I don’t have to worry about things bending or breaking. For example, I’ve sawn logs too heavy for my skid loader to lift. I skid the log up to the mill’s hydraulic log loaders and they lift it right up onto the mill. One was a log 10’ x 34” diameter, I estimate it was 4,000 – 5,000 lbs.
What I like best about sawing…
Opening up a log and seeing what’s inside is one of my favorite things about sawing. I mill many different kinds of wood including red cedar, black walnut, red oak, coffeetree, sycamore, mulberry, ash – basically all our area’s native trees. I especially like Osage orange. Many woods have similar-looking grain and patterning but every Osage orange log is unique. The wood is very dense with a pretty yellow color and character.
It’s easy to get free logs … if you know where to look (and aren’t too shy to ask)
I cut some of my own trees and get some from local arborists and farmers who’re happy to get rid or them. Too, there’s a local dump site where they give me logs instead of burning them.
Custom sawing – I often take payment in trade instead of cash
Some of the lumber I saw is for my own projects. I do some custom sawing, too. For example, one man brought me some black walnut he’d cut on his land and asked me to saw out a mantle for the home he was building. Another man asked me to saw out wood from his grandfather’s farm. I’m easy going so I often end up taking things in trade instead of charging money.
I’m a people-person and I like to visit with others. I’ve ended up talking for half an hour with folks who just came over to look. People enjoy watching me sawing. I’ve met interesting people who’ve become friends this way.
In the future? Woodworking projects with my kids
My sawing plan for the future is to mill whatever I can whenever I have spare time. I want to stock up for personal projects I have lined up for myself and my kids as they get a bit older. This has been quite a ride and I look forward to the future.
All in all, TimberKing makes a great sawmill. Their customer service is excellent and I’m totally happy.”
— Justin Brenner, Dirt Road Mill, TimberKing Owner, Randolph KS
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