“I was born in Texas and worked commercial construction all my life. I decided to work for myself and running a sawmill business seemed like a good choice. I could work from home and start a niche business right here. It’s working out very well.
I have family in New Mexico who has an older model TimberKing sawmill. They’ve run it for 30 years and that mill always piqued my interest. The opportunity came for me to get a mill and work for myself and I went for the TimberKing 1400. It paid for itself within the first year I owned it.
This is full-time work for me. I saw all day, every day. I work by myself as a one-man operation. It’s really easy, actually. It takes a little time to set it up for what I want to saw but that’s easy. My 1400 has basic hydraulics – forward, back, up, and down.
Prettiest wood in Texas
My customers are mostly individuals and some contractors. About 70% of what I saw is dimensional lumber and the rest is slabs. I saw a lot of wood for mantles.
I air-dry my lumber. The air’s so dry here, I don’t need a dry kiln. 90% of what I saw is eastern red cedar. It’s the prettiest wood in Texas, in my opinion. It’s native around here and I have logs trucked in from East Texas. The remainder of what I saw is mesquite. I make some furniture and lot of 1” material for outbuildings and sheds
I do inlay work, too. I get turquoise from the Kingman mine in Arizona and incorporate it in some of my custom-inlay tables. It adds a lot of character and value to what I make.
Couldn’t find a used TimberKing
I looked at all the mills out there for two years before I pulled the trigger. It seemed to me like TimberKing was the best built mill with its 4-post head. It’s a solid product and stays true and level. That’s what sold me on TimberKing. I tried to find a used TimberKing but just couldn’t find one. I took it as a good sign that folks who buy them, keep them.
I had a budget so price was important. TimberKing costs a little more than other mills but I got more. I don’t know how it could get any better. I got the 1400 but I wish I’d bumped up to the 1600 to get full hydraulics. And in hindsight, I could have used a TimberKing 2200.
Square, true, straight, and level
I love this mill. I haven’t had one single problem from the day I got it. I go through it once a week to keep things tight and true. I don’t have to second-guess it; it cuts straight and true. It’s level and square, everything stays where it needs to be, and I don’t have to do any maintenance or adjustments. I couldn’t be happier.
Owning this mill’s like owning your own ATM machine. If you want to work at it, you can make good money. For me, it’s a full-time job and the money’s great!”
— Brian McClain, Bull Basin Woodworks, TimberKing 1400 owner, Lipan TX
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