Many people who think about their own business associate their own sawmill with a small candle factory, the ownership of which in pre-revolutionary times was considered an extremely reliable, although moderately profitable, business. Actually, that’s why you can often read posts on forums on the topic: “there is a desire to start your own sawmill.” Entrepreneurs cite seemingly iron-clad arguments in favor of this idea. Firstly, Russia is a forest country, so there should be no problems with raw materials. Secondly, lumber is a traditional building material, which means that, logically, everything is in order with demand. Thirdly, a ready-made and very detailed business plan for a sawmill - a kind of “road map” - can be found without problems.
However, stubborn statistics show that more than 70% of newly opened sawmills go bankrupt. Let's try to understand what needs to be done to be among the other 30% of the lucky ones.
1. State of the industry and business features 2. What is the finished product of the sawmill 3. What size should the workshop be? 4. How to open a sawmill from scratch? 5. How much money is needed to open a sawmill 6. Personnel 7. Rent 8. Equipment 9. Marketing and advertising 10. How much can you earn from your own sawmill 11. Conclusion
State of the industry and business features
Recently, timber processing has been on the rise: 3% and 5.7% growth for 2016 and 2022, respectively. This is largely due to the start of trading on the electronic exchange in St. Petersburg, which made it possible to eliminate the factor of intermediation and protectionism. The accompanying pellet production is developing especially strongly.
As for sawn timber specifically - the products of sawmills - the production of sawn wood appears to be stagnating. After a fall of 12% between 2011 and 2015, there was a so-called rebound of 4.8%.
“In fact, the sawmill business is experiencing market transformations, where there is a demand for deeper processing. Today, instead of boards, we need to make doors and frames, instead of logs, we need to make log houses,” comments timber processing expert Mikhail Yagodov. According to him, the cost of lumber on the market sharply reduces and even reduces the profitability of the sawmill.
But what’s interesting: in Russia, almost 90% of sawn timber is coniferous, while the output of sawn hardwood is unacceptably small and does not meet market needs. But here, too, the niche is quickly filling with powerful players. In general, an entrepreneur who dreams of owning a sawmill needs to be prepared for “suffocating” competition with leaders, in particular with JSC Lesozavod 25, with enterprises of the Segezha Group, and so on.
“They have their own forests, the best equipment, and excellent logistics,” explains bankrupt businessman Vasily Hanza, explaining the peculiarities of the sawmill business.
Design selection
The design of a circular sawmill is being developed for specific needs. Productivity, log width, even cut along the entire length of the workpiece require certain technical solutions in the assembled equipment. When feeding manually, the plane wave of the resulting board increases. The size of the saw blade and the limits of its displacement relative to the stop pad will determine the maximum size of the wood for sawing.
Main nodes
The components of the future machine must first be correctly positioned on the drawing. The device of any homemade disk sawmill includes:
- frame. Unites all components into a functional whole. At the same time, the distance between parts must allow for safe DIY work, maintenance, cooling, and waste disposal. The main qualities are stability, rigidity;
- engine. The electric three-phase version is selected according to power and number of revolutions. Operating voltage 380 V. If there is no connection to the network, install a gasoline engine with a step-up gearbox;
- cutting unit. Placed horizontally, vertically. Consists of one disk or two (corner). A single saw can be fixed in one specified position or rotated 90° to eliminate reverse idling (cutting an angle);
- supply line. A simple homemade product is limited to a fixed table with manual feed. This type is used for small DIY work with small workpieces. A massive log is fed under the knife on a carriage;
- Remote Control. Performs on/off operations, available control switches (revolutions, feed, indication). It is carried out to a place on the frame that is convenient for work and control of the process.
Two disks
The design of a circular sawmill with two simultaneously operating cutting tools allows the processing productivity to be increased. They are located at right angles to each other. Such homemade devices are more difficult to manufacture.
Each disk is equipped with its own motor and drive. The rotation frequency is selected to be the same.
Types of cuts
The horizontal movement of the angular pairs of the disk with the drive mechanism occurs on a movable carriage. Guides are placed under it. To adjust the relative position of circular saws with your own hands, each pair is equipped with adjustment devices.
What is the finished product of a sawmill?
The main consumers of sawmill products are builders of all kinds, from cobblers to the largest construction trusts. They dictate the demand for the following lumber:
- dry or damp board;
- bars for cladding;
- beam;
- trolley;
- molding;
- cut rafter log;
- rounded log.
In addition, transport and logistics companies provide demand for pallets, and energy companies and cable manufacturers are actively ordering reels.
Inspection of mechanism parts
It is very important to inspect the important parts of the machine before starting work. Pay attention to the rollers to see if they have any deep defects. They appear if the rollers do not rotate during operation. You also need to ensure the cleanliness of the part, as large accumulations of dust can lead to vibration.
When replacing rollers, pay attention to the seats. If they are broken, then the roller itself needs to be replaced. But if the fastening of the axle and stud is normal, but there is play, then the entire body needs to be replaced.
Studs and nuts play an important role. If they are broken, they need to be replaced with new parts. Only high-quality tools are used for adjustment, so the parts will last much longer. And then one acquaintance used such keys that it was embarrassing to go to the toilet with them
