Sawmill School - Making Your First Cut on Your Sawmill

Expert-sawyer Dave Boyt is going to show you how to make short work of a burly log — turning it into 78 board-feet of smooth, straight, valuable lumber in under 30 minutes.

If you're just new to sawmilling, this video is a great tutorial to give you more knowledge, and more confidence, as you start on your sawmilling journey.

Once you see how easy and rewarding this is, you’re pretty much going to be done with big box stores and their wobbly, twisty, splintered lumber.

We always value hearing from you. Please call us if you have any questions, OK?

[MrCrashsystem]

I'm Italian, I don't have a saw, I'm not a carpenter or anything like that but I would watch this gentleman cut wood forever. people like these don't know what fatigue is and are harder than wood and iron. great video

[wchitstands]

i could listen to this man talk about anything. He has that old timer great speaking ability that reminds me of some good men ive known through the years growing up.

[martinsbackacres]

I'm 70 years old and got a saw mill 2 years ago. I love using it. It's very rewarding to make something useful out of a tree someone wanted to get rid of. I get a lot of trees free from the tree service companies near me. One thing I do after I put the log on the sawmill with the forks is I then park my tractor with forks facing the mill just a few feet away from the mill on the side I unload the cut boards. That way I can just lift one end of the board over to the forks then the other and not have to carry the boards or bend over. I put the good boards on the fork towards the tractor and the one I need to edge cut in front of them. I slide the bark slabs off to the ground on the side the sawdust it shooting out. When finished I just drive the tractor to the drying area to unload. I then come back with the tractor and use the forks to pick up the slabs and move them to where they will be chipped up or used for firewood. This method saves my back, minimizes the work, and allows me to handle boards 2" thick or more and up to 16' long. I hope this helps someone enjoy milling as much as I do.

[RJvidmoto]

You may have posted this 6 years ago, but it is still one of the best first time sawmill owner videos! Great job to the person that did this!

[rossinnz]

The tip about the last 3 cuts, I thankyou.

[avoidtheherd]

One of the most articulate presenters on YT. A pleasure to listen to.

[john-cxnt]

A sawyer's quote to live by: "There are two kinds of people in this world. People who have cut into their log stops, and those who will do it again." Perfect. Thank you, Dave.

[David-fvzg]

I like that this was not an advertisement for Norwood. The information here, can serve all new sawyers well, no matter what mill they are using.

[johnkoriko]

Old is gold you are at the right time to teach us your the best teacher ever found be blessed

[putics]

Love your videos.Just bought my first sawmill, finally set it up, done the first cut.A lot to learn though .your videos are really helpful. Keep ‘em coming we’ll keep ‘em watching!😊
God bless ya ! Cheers from Hungary.

[bobhoward]

My friends watching this old school gentleman work makes me realize how nice hydraulic log handling is. An invaluable asset while milling.

[ericlawrel]

Some folks are real good at giving thorough EZ to understand instructions..Thanks

[ojtheviking]

Slightly off topic, but guys like this guy always remind me of my grandfather. They just have this calm, easy way about them.

[karlbogrand]

Dave you are a national treasure! You were the first I watched before I bought a mill and I still come back 2 years later to remind myself how to do it. Thank you so much! And yes I cut my log stops haha.

[kirbo]

Your videos are incredibly helpful. No super tech terms just plain English anyone can understand.

[SawmillJourneys]

Great tutorial! The step-by-step guide on making the first cut is super helpful for beginners. Clear instructions and tips make it easy to understand and get started confidently. Thanks for the insight!

[delvictor]

Always listen to old guys with all their fingers. Great video!

[cacher]

I just bought a sawmill that hasn't got here yet. Been using a chainsaw mill and now it's going to the bone pile. We have our own trees that we've been using or giving away, no more. I'm retired and need a nice hobby to keep me going. Thanks for showing me one way of using our new sawmill and great advice. Great video my man.

[hoppycoleman]

i learn something every time i watch this show thanks

[paulchapeski]

Thanks for the video! It’s nice to see someone with an old-school attitude not being cocky, it’s good to be humble eh 🤘❤️