Portable sawmill

They have existed for over 100 years but grew in popularity in the United States starting in the 1970s, when the 1973 oil crisis and the back-to-the-land movement had led to renewed interest in small woodlots and in self-sufficiency.

Arguably, as once used in early Canadian forest logging, the donkey engine was one of the earliest portable sawmills.

Prior to the advent of the portable mill, small-scale sawmills were generally cobbled-together affairs constructed and operated by (almost always) two men with a penchant for tinkering.

This was, and remains, a traditional occupation for Amish men; unlike most mechanical systems, small sawmills typically do not use electricity.

More recently, with the invention of the Wood-Mizer in 1982,[3] portable bandsaw mills represented a dramatic shift in design.

They are also used for low-volume production of specialty hardwoods used in furniture, and can be used to produce the large timbers used in post-and-beam framing techniques.

The thin kerf blade of the portable sawmill allows for much higher board foot yields from these valuable logs.