Wide Cut Bandsaw Mill Plans

SKU bandsaw-mill-plans Category

$95.00

All the details you need to build your own wide slabber bandsaw mill capable of handling and cutting a 76″ diameter log.  Heavy duty build construction for smooth and stable cuts.  30″ wheels drive either a 1.5″ or 2″ blade.  The 134 page plan document includes parts lists and suppliers for each component, cut lists for breaking down full lengths of steel, and step by step assembly instructions.  Each section also has informative write ups covering things to consider and further information on the sawmill’s design.  A listing of all components that would need to be modified if you’d like to change any of the cut capacities is also included.

Also included are 3D PDF models (which can be viewed in Adobe Reader) of major components and a DXF file of the guards.

 

Plans are provided electronically.  You will receive a link to download them after checkout via email.

 

Plans are in imperial units.

 

Please review disclosure in description section below before purchase.

 

 

Description

Frequently Asked Questions

Can us use a gas/diesel engine?

Yes, here are the considerations:

  1. Motor mount would need to be changed to an appropriately sized engine mount
  2. Pulley sizes would need to be adjusted to maintain the rpm of the drive shaft.
  3. The design expects a clockwise rotation on the engine/motor shaft.  If you use an engine with a CCW rotation, the mount would need to be modified so the shaft faces the front (there may also be additional clearance issues to deal with at the top of the carriage and the sawhead is raised to max height) or the sawhead design can be mirrored so the drive side is on the left vs right as designed.
  4. A clutch or idler would need to be included to stop the blade without stopping the engine.

Legal Disclosure

Matt Cremona, LLC (“Seller”) is a Minnesota limited liability company with a principal place of business of 3505 Admiral Lane North, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota 55429. Seller makes available to purchaser (“Purchaser”) that certain sawmill plans designed by Seller (“Sawmill Plans”), subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations stated herein.
SELLER DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED, AND/OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT, AND TITLE. THE SAWMILL PLANS ARE SOLD ‘AS IS.’
Seller does not warrant that the Sawmill Plans meet or comply with the requirements of any particular safety code or governmental requirements. Seller reserves the right to change the design of its Sawmill Plans from time to time without notice and without obligation to make corresponding changes in or to its Sawmill Plans previously sold. Any action taken by Purchase upon the information contained in the Sawmill Plans is strictly at Purchaser’s own risk.
In no event shall Seller including its officers, agents, employees, representatives, attorneys, and parent, subsidiary, and affiliated companies be liable for damages of any nature, including without limitation, special, direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, exemplary, or consequential damages or losses, including, but not limited to, whether or not relating to or in any manner resulting from or arising out of any nonconformity of the Sawmill Plans, any defect in Sawmill Plans and workmanship, any performance or nonperformance by Seller of any of the obligations or delay of delivery or failure to deliver for whatever cause, and regardless of the sole, joint, and/or concurrent negligence, breach of contract, breach of warranty, strict liability in tort or statutory claim, or other legal fault or responsibility of Seller. No representation or other affirmation of fact by representatives of Seller, whether verbal or in writing, including photographs, brochures, samples, models, or other sales aids, shall constitute a warranty or other basis for any legal action against Seller. There are no other representations, promises, agreements, covenants, warranties, guarantees, stipulations or conditions, express or implied, by Seller.
Purchaser expressly agrees that Purchaser will not use the Sawmill Plans for business or commercial uses. Purchaser shall not sell, lease, license, transfer, or assign any sawmill based upon, in whole or in part, the Sawmill Plans. No part of the Sawmill Plans may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Seller.

41 reviews for Wide Cut Bandsaw Mill Plans

  1. Reyna Doege (verified owner)

    Most amazing set of band saw mill plans I’ve seen on the internet. I got in on the previous pricing, but even at $95 these are a great value! I’ve started modifications on mine as I’m going for a 48″ cut width, and am starting to put together some of the materials. Can’t wait to begin the build, but I know that’s going to be a few months away. Thanks for the time and effort Matt!

    • Matt Cremona

      So awesome to hear!

  2. Brett

    How much did it cost you to build the saw

    • Matt Cremona

      I did it for about $8500. If you’re looking at all new parts, figure about $13000 or so

    • David

      Fantastic build Matt! Of the $8500 how much do you have tied up in drive components (var freq drives and motors specifically)?

      • Matt Cremona

        The main vfd was $800. The lift vfd was $300. The main motor was given to me by a friend who had pulled it off another machine and the lift motor I got from a surplus seller for $150.

  3. Ronders (verified owner)

    Amazing plans! There isn’t any one out there making this size saw for this price. If this was a woodmizer it would be over $100,000 easily. With the detail in these plans anyone with some simple metalworking skills can build this.

    • Matt Cremona

      Thanks!!!

  4. preston.riggs (verified owner)

    Awesome set of plans! Can’t wait to get started on this project!

    • Matt Cremona

      Thanks! Let me know how it goes

  5. Peter Poanessa

    Looks like a great project. One of these days…

  6. Jeremy

    I’ve watched all the videos love the mil ! Couple questions
    1. Why only a 5 hp motor and do you feel it’s enough power?
    2. Have you put hydraulics on yet?
    3. Do you plan on automating it with some sort of setworks ?
    4. How come your so awesome?

    Happy Woodworking!

    • Matt Cremona

      1. It’s a 10hp motor. It’s enough for my set up. More power would let you saw faster and use dull blades longer.
      2. Haven’t started yet
      3. Yes, that will be phase 3
      4. all of the above 🙂

  7. Doug solinger

    Will price saw mill plans stay at this price for a while any old people discount

    • Matt Cremona

      Yes, they will stay this price for the foreseeable future.

  8. Derwood B Harlow

    Best videos build on the internet
    Will you come to New Hampshire to speak when you start your world tour?

    • Matt Cremona

      It wouldn’t be a world tour if I didn’t!

  9. Will Douglas (verified owner)

    These plans are very detailed. I am excited to get started building this mill. So glad I came across your YouTube series and watched you build your mill. I was just about to purchase a chainsaw mill because all the bandsaw mills to cut large timber are ridiculous expensive for someone doing this pretty much as a hobby. I have a 60″ diameter 16′ white oak log that I know will make some beautiful slabs. Lots of pecan and hickory as well.

    • Matt Cremona

      That’s a huge log!

  10. Timothy Travis

    For me personally I would like to know if your plans could retro fit a Gas engine. I plan on modifying it to be mobile. I think with your plans and my know how I’ll have Exactly what I’m looking for.

    • Matt Cremona

      Yes there is information for calculating the pulley size to compensate for the higher rpm of an engine. You’d also need to modify the motor mount to fit the mounting pattern of your engine.

  11. Dennis Risk

    Loved your design, great job. Denny

    • Matt Cremona

      Thanks Denny!

  12. Bentley

    I have a set of 36″ wheels. Would it be very hard to adapt your plans to the wheels I already have?

    • Matt Cremona

      That wouldn’t be very difficult to do. If you keep the mounting the same, the only change would be the blade guards otherwise, the wheels shafts would need to be moved out 3″ on each side and the saw beam lengthened.

  13. Daniel reimer

    I have sound restrictions in my rural residential community. Do you know what level of sound it produces (dB)?
    Thank you.

    • Matt Cremona

      I can take a reading for you. What distance would you like?

    • Daniel Reimer

      8′ would be great, thanks.

  14. William R. Quayle

    Matt,
    I’m going to build your mill, but thinking about some modifications that will allow me to use it as not only a sawmill, but a CNC router and plasma cutter as well. I don’t typically do video work, but if this works out, that might change. Thanks for the plans, and I really enjoy your channel.
    Bill

    • Matt Cremona

      I had those things in mind when I designed it. You might beat me to making those additions 🙂

  15. Ralph Pardue

    Matt, would it be possible to purchase a set of updated “wide cut bandsaw mill” plans that would include the changes that April Wilkerson built into your design? Specifically, using the large pillow block bearings.

    Do you plan to add an electric power drive to replace the hand crank to move the rack?

    Thank you for your time.

    • Matt Cremona

      Hi Ralph, Premier Bandwheel can supply you with the mounting plates, bearings, shafts, and wheels. The mounting plates simply bolt to the existing mounting plates specified in my plans. They have everything on file so you can order the crate just like April got. Power feed will come with the next iteration where I add all the power options. Thanks!

  16. Victor Maitland-Smith

    Hi Matt,
    I am considering making your sawmill and was curious to how readily available the parts were and what sort of cost was involved.

    • Matt Cremona

      The only part that’s not available off the shelf is the drive shaft which needs to be custom machined. The contact info for my machinist is included in the plans. If you use all new parts expect to be around 15k in parts

  17. Shane

    Matt,
    Any advice on going the route ofnused parts for the mill?

    • Matt Cremona

      Ebay or local surplus suppliers would be a good start especially if you can find the linear bearings and rails

  18. Matt

    Where do you order the jumbo bandsaw blades?

    • Matt Cremona

      I get mine from Cook’s Saw but any bandsaw blade supplier can make custom length blades.

  19. Dan Clifton

    Hi Matt,
    would like to build your mill to use for the 75 pecan trees I have access to and also over 100 southern pines.
    Where do I order your plans and is it possible to have you give me a call when you have time to answer a few questions.
    if so, I will send you my phone number. Thanks.

  20. Paul Baker

    Do these plans cover automation of all the moving parts

    • Matt Cremona

      The plans are for a manual mill with the exception of motorizing the sawhead lift.

  21. Doug Hynes

    Matt, do you include conversion charts for downsizing your sawmill? I love your videos but want a smaller model than you are using.

    • Matt Cremona

      I provide a listing of each part that would be impacted by a change in capacity. You’d just need to know how much you’d like to reduce the capacity by and subtract that from the length of each part in the list. Those list are provided for cut width, cut height, and cut length.

  22. jon Gonzales

    Hi. I like the saw you made. I am interested to know the cost of parts. I am a welder and work in a maching shop, do you have an estimate for labor hours for fabrication and assembly? Thank you

    • Matt Cremona

      If you use all new parts, expect to be around 15k. I built mine for about 8500. Roughly 150-200 hours but I’d think you’d be able to knock it out much faster.

  23. Neil Bizzoco

    Have you come up with an estimated cost to build the band Saw Mill I am interested but I would like to come up with a budget.

    • Matt Cremona

      If you use all new parts, expect to be around 15k. I built mine for about 8500.

  24. Martin

    Hi
    Do you have any plans of releasing plans with metric measurements for people that don’t live in the US? If you do I and probably many more will be very interested :p

    • Matt Cremona

      Not at this time. That would be an entirely new cad model, parts list, and set of plans.

    • Matthew Smith

      It’s not very hard to convert metric to imperial Martin. There are plenty of tools online you can use, which do most of the work for you. These days in fact, you’ll see many welders/fabricators and carpenters use both metric and imperial systems. Good luck dude.

  25. Chris

    I have a few questions about your wide cut saw mill. Are the plans just for the base, or does the saw itself come with build instructions? If not what saw assembly do you use, and what’s the bd/ft speed of it?

    • Matt Cremona

      The plans include details for building the full machine as pictured. The table of contents is available in the pictures above so you can get an idea of what’s covered in the plans.

  26. Alex

    What can you charge someone for the services offered with one of these saws? In other words, how much will someone pay you to cut these slabs like you did in your video titled, “Spalted Silver Maple Slabbing…”?

    • Matt Cremona

      Tends to vary quite a bit. I’ve seen slab mill pricing range from $100-$300/hr

    • Liam Cealleigh

      Price is ALWAYS by Board Foot… and it depends on what wood you are milling as well as the configuration required for yield… aka flat sawn/quarter sawn… no one honest charges by the hour… that’s absurd…
      If you want a butcher block of hard white maple you can only use straight grain that deviates equal to or less than 1″ over 18″, [When I made Hard White maple Heartwood blanks for LePage’s glue company quality control tests & blanks out of ASH for MLB baseball bats the grain could not deviate more than 3/4″ over 12″!]. That wood was HEARTWOOD ONLY,
      If you are ship building/ coopering you need white oak QTR Sawn ZERO DEFECTS hence you will lose a lot of the log that way, If you want spalted maple… that is a disease of the tree & you cannot predict what the outcome is in any given yield for any given log so again you pay for the BOARD FEET produced & take the yield that nature provides from your log & you also trust your (hopefully honest) miller to not be lazy but to do the necessary work to yield the max possible… now if someone wants to drop by & scrape each board (curly cherry etc) & make the calls as far as feed orientation for a custom yield according to their particular plans for the material…then certainly you COULD charge them BOARD FEET PLUS an hourly rate for their slowing your work down with a custom cut job & looking over your shoulder which just pisses me off because I will forget more about wood before posting this comment than almost everyone on earth will ever know in 100 lifetimes so telling me how to best mill a log is a lot like some clown telling a brain surgeon how best to remove their aneurysm… all I need to know is what the project is & any particular aesthetics desired & I will do better that they will in determining how best to tackle the job for max yield… however for a one man operation on a self built machine that clearly allows blade drift over the larger work pieces (see pictures) you probably want a loyal customer base that appreciates being present & calling the shots in which case you would probably use that as a business model that offers what most millers aren’t providing [a personnel touch] in which case again you SHOULD just charge by the BOARD FOOT yielded & make the customers’ experience- your business model’s & selling point… harvesting a log for a one man woodworker dealing in custom furniture/ jewelry/pen & pencil manufacturer is a whole different story that harvesting a log for frame, siding & floor boards [high output production]… nevertheless if someone whats you to mill a log of lignum vitae, pink ivory, wenge, or cocabola etc etc… then the price/board foot is simply much higher than for pine, spruce, fir, red oak etc… an honest miller relies upon & takes pride in his ability to max the BOARD FEET of every log under his care according to the requirements of the customers project… I have in 54 years on earth yet to meet a miller who was not also an excellent carpenter/woodworker… so NO NOT BY THE HOUR/// No honest man charges by the hour to mill wood… that is just absurd

    • Dave Kaduk

      It is always amusing to hear or view the ramblings of someone who is totally self absorbed……… I am an honest man and, if I owned a magnificent machine like Matt’s or like April’s that is built to do very specialized work, I would more than likely charge someone by the hour if they came to me with their material and their specifications describing what they want me to do for them. I have, in my 68 years, often paid hourly rates for specialized services.

      No additional comment, it is boring to attempt to engage in a battle of wits with someone who is unarmed.

  27. Dave

    What is your policy toward visitors coming to your shop/saw mill? I live in MN and get to the MSP area quite often.

    • Matt Cremona

      I do my best to accommodate visits. Email me to set up an appointment: matt@mattcremona.com

  28. Andrew

    Have you added on an automated lubricating system like as shown in your work on April Wilkerson’s rig or is that not too hard to figure out?

    • Matt Cremona

      I haven’t added it to mine but it’s in the plans.

  29. Jacob Pardell (verified owner)

    Yo Matt!! You are my hero!!!!! Also, I wish we were neighbors. Happy woodworking brother!

    • Matt Cremona

      Thanks!!

  30. Doug Solinger

    Plan on buying saw mill plans what would additional cost to get a large printed set of plans ,have you plans for hydraulics thanks Doug solinger

  31. Ronald Crowder (verified owner)

    How long does it take to receive the plans I ordered?

    • Matt Cremona

      They’re available immediately after checkout

  32. Mac

    Approximately how many lbs of steel goes into this? Local steel store has a clearance section with most sizes, sold by the lb. Trying to approximate cost in steel.

    thank you!

    • Matt Cremona

      3000-3500lbs

  33. Duane Boatwright

    Hi Matthew, My name is Duane Boatwright I live in Montrose Iowa. Could you please tell me what size linear rails you have a make and model and wheels where to by them.I designed a saw mill years ago similar to yours 40ft bed I beams.It was 7 ft wide but cut it down to 6ft 6inches I want to use a two inch wide band blade.i will be adding hydraulics log lift and carriage feed hydraulic drive. I’ve been following you and April W.on you tube its pretty awesome. I want to cut logs long enough for my Timber frame house I designed when I was 7 years old. I be 54 in April I also been doing custom woodworking since I was 7 years old it just came naturally to me.Thanks to God.if you can help with the info on these two items I wood be great full.I know were April got her wheels and arbor I don’t know where you got yours And happy wood working. Thanks Duane Boatwright, DTB wood productions. I’m not on the web or you tube.oh awesome job on your mill!!.

    • Matt Cremona

      Hi Duane, The linear rails are thk hsr45. Wheels are 30″ from Cook’s Saw. Thanks!

  34. LEROY MURRAY

    hi Matt
    This is the set of plans i have been waiting for this band saw. i will build it with skill i have and your
    blueprints thank you.
    Skip Murray.

    • Matt Cremona

      Thanks!

  35. Ed

    Matt,

    What do you know or can you estimate the cost is to build this saw?

    Thanks

    • Matt Cremona

      If you use all new parts and materials you’ll be around 15k. I built mine for about 8500.

  36. Bob Mosier

    Hi Matt,
    What is the ball park cost of materials for the bandsaw? Also is there an option in the plans for a smaller version?

    • Matt Cremona

      If you use all new parts and materials you’ll be around 15k. I built mine for about 8500. The plans list the parts that would need to be scaled in length by the capacity you’d like to change.

  37. ola

    If possible send in metric. mm cm

    • Matt Cremona

      I only have them in imperial units.

  38. Steve Hill (verified owner)

    Hi Matt;
    5 star review. The plans are very detailed and helpful. I plan to build one slightly smaller than yours, and probably could build it based on the amazing videos that you published on YouTube, but I figured that you should benefit a bit financially from all of that work, so I bought the plans for reference. I do have some questions when you get a moment.

    1) Was the strength of the steel on the bed engineered or based on experience? It seems a bit oversized compared to most commercial units (exc. being the larger Cook models). You did comment on why you put cross members 2’ apart, and cutting smaller logs makes sense.

    2) Why did you use SS cross member “covers”? That is a lot of work and expense. I presume that is to protect underlying tubing and to make replacement easy if needed. For non-commercial use do you think that this is necessary after using your mill for a couple of years?

    3) I see that you started out by pushing the sawhead assembly to saw, and now use a hand-crank cable. Does this seem to work OK and are you going to add electric or hydraulic for this purpose in the future? I am going to use an electric motor for this…given that a 3/4HP motor works for the vertical lift, do you think that a ½ HP gear motor will work for the forward/back movement? (I want power mainly to aid in “auto return” the boards after cutting).

    4) Why is the drive side blade guide adjustable (on the linear bearing) instead of fixed with only adjustment on the idle side? It seems that it would require some interesting jerry-rigging the side supports if the drive side blade guide was adjusted “inward”.

    5) Do you cut very large logs (e.g. BIG ELM) without using side supports and clamps?

    Thanks for all of informative and entertaining content.

    Steve

    • Matt Cremona

      Thank you so much, Steve! Responses to your questions below:
      1. I based the size on what I saw other manufacturers using. I went with heavier gauge so it would be harder to damage and so the tapped holes would have significant thread formation (1/4″ material provides 4 threads with a 3/8-16 thread).
      2. The top of the bunks is a high wear area. Painted steel will need to be maintained. Most manufactured mills simply wrap the steel tube in stainless sheets bent to shape which is fine too but easy to damage. The idea of capping the frame with the cross members allows for the caps to be replaced if they somehow become damaged or to shim them if the frame beneath comes out of flat.
      3. This works better than I expected which is why I haven’t made a priority of adding a power feed. When cutting large logs, the hand feed provides a lot of feedback allowing me to adjust the feed speed as I go as needed. It wouldn’t take much power to pull the saw through the cut especially if you’re building a smaller one.
      4. The drive side guide can be moved over if you’re cutting out in the middle of the bed – especially the first cuts on a big log. The log might be up against the stops but due to the curvature, the top cuts are further from the stops.
      5. Yes; they’re heavy enough that they don’t move. I’ll still put the stops in just in case the log slides over but I don’t bother clamping them.

  39. Mike Timmons (verified owner)

    Thanks for the plans Matt! Loving your videos and learning through your efforts. Wanted to share with the group that if $750 per for the great Cook’s 30-inch wheels make you gulp, I found an option to get started with for $250 each and 25.3 inch diameter.

    I read on Cook’s about diameter and blade life (bigger the better so as to not be bending the blades around the wheels so severely), and obviously throat depth.

    I also combined anecdote on the crown-ground steel wheels with the “hobby-grade” V-belt style, but also commentary on other “professionally” built smaller mills that use the rubber (v-belt).

    I found the following on Zoro.com….I couldn’t find same on other sites for near this low price of $250 so I snatched them up. I’m going to get my mill going with these, I figure I can always resell and upgrade. If anybody else is hesitating pulling-the-trigger on band wheels because you just don’t know if you really need the Cook’s for your volume or the precision they offer, here’s a starting point.

    At 25.3 inches in diameter I thinker they’re close enough to, “The Big Cremona” spirit: Go big or go home.

    https://www.zoro.com/tb-woods-12-to-2-1516-quick-detachable-bushed-bore-1-groove-2535-od-2501b/i/G3733457/?_ga=2.170084128.1283489003.1616785755-1951916894.1616785755

    • Matt Cremona

      Great feedback and info. Thanks Mike!

  40. Koichi (verified owner)

    The plans are great, awesomely detailed and thorough. One question I have is that the stainless runners are listed as 2″ x 2″ x 1/4″ wall thickness. The thickest wall thickness in my country for 2″x2″ or 50mm x 50mm stainless SHS is 1/8″ or 3mm. Since these runners are to provide a more wear resistant surface against the logs, would it make sense to use flat bar instead? Or do you think 1/8″ wall thickness SHS would still be strong enough?

  41. Michel Obery

    Great post. It’s very well thought out and quite educating. Keep it up.

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