There are other similar set ups for similar prices, a "chainsaw mill" is not much more than a jig for your chainsaw and you will get what you pay for. I use to think that I would want one, but then I realized that cutting boards to a standard size was really not as useful as it seemed. If SHTF you aren't going to be able to mill them anyway and until/unless it does the effort to mill a board with a chainsaw is not really worth the end product.
[–] KILLtheRATS ago
Chain says eat too much wood. Band saw is the way to go
Exactly, the problem though is that the setup for a portable bandsaw mill is about a hundred times more expensive than a chainsaw mill. At that point it becomes "will this actually save me any money". The answer is probably not, you would have to mill a lot of wood to make it more cost effective than buying the wood or paying someone to mill your lumber.
Either way, for the casual prepper neither is really worth it. Better to learn the old world style of woodworking, it doesn't require more than simple tools and is more forgiving of lack of experience (something we all have when we start out).
[–] robot7247 1 point -1 points 0 points (+0|-1) ago
Trying to envision any scenario where I will need to make boards vs. reclaiming them from already built structures.
[–] peacegnome [S] ago
AFAIK it is about money and quality. If you have a tree that you are taking down anyway, and a chainsaw, then you could get wood for the cost of this thing and your time; most likely it wouldn't be the crap they make houses with these days either. IMHO part of prepping is decreasing reliance on modern society.
[–] 16778383? ago
The difference is if you are in a bad enough situation to be stuck in a city/town. If you have your shit together a mill is way better than looting