“My wife, Amy, and I have a farm in Nebraska, 105 acres. Through the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program, we put some in grassland and maintain it for wildlife and to control erosion.
We also have a high concentration of trees; a lot of walnut, elm, ash, and more. In keeping with our conservation plan, I’ve started sustainable harvesting; selectively culling the trees that have died or blown down. Conserving and utilizing this resource on my property is very rewarding.
150 year-old walnut trees
Some of these trees are huge, over 150 years old. Some are over 100” in circumference and and 70’ or 80’ tall. There’s an ash tree 130” around. Cottonwood that’s 250” in circumference — over 6’ diameter! And elm that’s just monstrous. I sawed up a walnut tree that had been on the ground over 20 years. I turned it into beautiful 2 x 10’s.
I’d always wanted a sawmill
Years ago, I had someone mill some of my walnut into lumber and I wanted to get a sawmill of my own. As a farmer, I’m very hands-on with mechanical things, fabrication, and all kinds of jobs around the farm. I’d always wanted a sawmill and the time was finally right.
Now, I’m cutting a lot of my own walnut. Most of what I’m sawing and milling is for ourselves. We’re building a home in about 3,000 square feet of our Morton steel building that’s almost 8,000 square feet. The whole idea is to have everything under one roof – home, equipment, workshop, and more.
Commercial lumber prices soaring
With lumber prices soaring these days, my mill will absolutely pay for itself. All this will evolve into a business, too. I’ll call my business ‘Legacy Walnut.’ I’ll be setting up a website soon. I’ve sold some walnut slabs and I’ll be making custom tables and doing more high-end woodworking. I don’t think I’ll be doing custom sawing for others, though — I have plenty of sawing to do for ourselves!
Why TimberKing?
I looked at all the mills out there. I compared all their features and benefits and chose TimberKing. When I really compared mills, I liked TimberKing’s full hydraulics, 4-post head, and the big cutting width. All that really drew me to TimberKing. Also, we live relatively close to the TimberKing factory in Kansas City. I picked up my mill at the factory and towed it home on the highway. It tows fantastic.
Why a high-end model?
I chose this TimberKing model for several reasons. It’s one of their higher-end mills and comes with full hydraulics. You don’t get that in smaller mills. Mine has hydraulic toe boards, backstops, chain log turners, and more. That chain turners are a real game changer when it comes to turning big logs.
(Editor’s note: The TimberKing 2000 has been upgraded to the new 2020 model.)
I like the toe boards that level the log. I like the overall durability and the big cutting throat. And the new setworks are absolutely, hands-down, simple and quick.
One other fantastic optional feature I got is remote start at the rear end. On a stock gas-engine TimberKing like mine, you set the choke, throttle, and start the motor where it sits up well in front of the operator’s position. With remote starting at the rear, every single control is right at the operator’s position.
Mill’s features work in unison
All these features work in unison and you can saw lumber into any dimension, whatever you can imagine — slabs, 2 x 10’s, 2 x 6’s 2 x 4’s, whatever. There’s a learning curve to sawing but there are lots of resources like forestry forums and blogs where you can learn about all kinds of sawing techniques. TimberKing’s own blog posts have given me lots of ideas.
The huge trees I’m sawing push the limits of my mill and I may upgrade some day; maybe to TimberKing’s 2220. I’ve discussed this with TimberKing’s president.
Besides my TimberKing, I’ve also got a Woodmaster 4000. It’s a remarkable 4-head molder/planer that planes and molds all four sides of your workpiece in one pass. I can turn what I saw into all kinds of finished lumber, trim, crown molding, and much more.
Do your homework and don’t cut corners
If anyone reading my story is thinking of getting a sawmill, my advice is to do your homework. Figure out what you want to accomplish and what you want to saw. You’ll be investing a good amount so get what you want. Don’t cut corners on a purchase like this. Do as much reading and research as you can.
I have only good things to say about TimberKing — the mill and the company. When you call, they pick up the phone. If you have a problem, they assist you. You can talk to TimberKing’s president, Will Johnson. I’ve been really satisfied with the response I get from TimberKing’s crew — Jason, Matt, John, and the others. They’re there to assist you with help and answers.”
— Mark Eurich, TimberKing 2000 Owner, Eagle NE
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