Old coal mine became sawmill

29 June 2011 kl 10:07

Maggie and Jim Birley started a sawmill more or less by chance. They bought a disused coal mine in order to build a house. The result was Scottish Wood, a growing company with nine employees.
Maggie and Jim Birley.
Jim Birley.
Logosol’s PH260 4-sided planer is an important part of production at Scottish Wood.

The old coal mine, a restored opencut mine, is situated outside Oakley, north-west of the Scottish capital Edinburgh. The couple bought the land to build themselves a home,
and since 25 hectares of forest was included in the deal, they invested in a sawmill for their own use. As the work progressed, the house build grew into a project with the aim of changing Scottish forestry as a whole.

Started a foundation
”What we are lacking in Scotland is knowledge of how to cultivate and improve the forest,” says Jim.
Felling and replanting of the traditional hardwood species, primarily oak and beech, has only taken place to a limited extent for building and carpentry. But Maggie and John Birley are well on their way to changing that. Together with other like-minded people, they have started the foundation Dynamic Woods, which owns the sawmill, and the network Association of Scottish Hardwood Sawmillers with some 30 members, all small-scale wood processors.
”The foundation uses the profits from the sawmill for various projects in order to promote sustainable forestry in Scotland,” explains Maggie.

Desire for change, not growth
For Maggie and Jim, the most important thing is to improve and raise the profile of forestry in Scotland. The sawmill that they originally started by chance has been a vital tool in this work, but the end in itself is not for the sawmill to grow.
”For several years we’ve said that we won’t get bigger, but demand is increasing all the time, and soon we won’t have room to grow any more,” says Jim.
It’s an impressive piece of equipment that this couple have where other people would normally create a garden. Behind the family house there is a business that grows pile of wood by pile of wood, timber dryer by timber dryer. The heart of the business consists of two bandsaw sawmills and a 4-sided planer, the Logosol PH260.
”The 4-sided planer is a very good machine. We’ve had it for six years now and it’s used every single day.

PH260 at the Heart of a “Green” Company
Making money on planer shavings
Logosol Planer/Molder PH260
Logosol M7 sawmills
Scottish Wood

More than a horse farm

All over Sweden traditional agriculture is being replaced by horse farms.
But a horse farm can be so much more than a place where you live with the horses.
Christian and Therese Sämberg have horses, but their plans are bigger than that.
Trailer makes it easier to handle storm-felled trees

It is wise to remove the trees that were felled by the strong winds this winter, otherwise there is a danger of insect infestation in the wood.
But how can you easily transport individual trees over logs and rocks?
Logosol has the solution, a smart log skidder trailer for four-wheelers.
Young People Realize their Dream of Living Close to Nature with Their Own Sawmill

In Sweden the trend is evident: Young people become more and more interested in crafts of the old times and dream of a life in the country.
Three of those are Johannes Kabell, Timothy Ohdin and Per Hansson.
They have started a crafts collective and are building a large workshop with the help of their jointly owned sawmill from Logosol.
The Best Grinder in a Logosol Version

Tormek’s grinding machines and their method for sharpening edge tools have a solid good reputation all over the world.
Here comes their top model in a bespoke version made for Logosol’s customers.

Squaring Logs for the Frame Saw

There are not days enough in the year for Anders Assarsson who runs Svenshult’s Sawmill south of Gothenburg on the Swedish west coast. Even though the largest model of Logosol-Låks frame saw is going at full speed and the neighbours are helping out.
Now, the frame saw is to be automated, with the help of a large circular saw.
Save Your Storm-Felled Trees with the Logosol Sawmill

”Slice up your storm-felled trees! It is done quickly and you preserve all the good qualities of the timber.” This advice comes from Logosol’s founder, Bengt-Olov Byström, who continues thinking small-scale after the hard winds of this winter.
Sawn and Planed with Logosol: The World’s First Wooden Flooring with Double Eco-Labelling

800 million people live in and of the forest. Many are poor and would get a better life if their commodities and work were valued higher.
Part of a solution was presented this summer in a one thousand year old church ruin: doubly eco-labelled wooden flooring, produced in southern Chile with equipment from Logosol.
Rowing Boat with Traditions

Boat building has ancient traditions. Lars Wigren belongs to the growing number that carries the traditions on with the help of an own sawmill.
The Story of the Unplugged Sawmill

This year it is the tenth anniversary of the Logosol Sawmill model 7. 
Logosol celebrates this by taking the next step in development, the M8. But what happened on the way here?
New Logosol Sawmill M8: Highest Accuracy from the First Cut

The Logosol Sawmill M8 is the new model of the world’s most sold sawmill.
”We collected feedback from Logosol Sawmill owners all over the world,” says the product manager Mattias Byström at Logosol’s headquarters in Sweden.
New Logosol Sawmill Gives Further Possibilities

For the first time in ten years, the wood-processing company Logosol presents a new Logosol Sawmill. The model passes under the name of M8 and includes a number of new modifications. Comfort and performance have been further raised. A new design gives the small sawyer more possibilities for both efficiency and job satisfaction.
Sauna Panelling of Spalted and Oiled Alder

Arne Larsson is a man of actions. He seldom regrets anything. Except when he a couple of years ago, cut up a large quantity of alder into firewood.
”Alder is the most beautiful sort of wood in the Swedish forests,” says Arne, who recently built a sauna, panelled with spalted and oiled alder.

Building Wooden Boats in the Middle of Stockholm

What will a boat builder do when he cannot obtain mahogany that is wide enough? He takes his sawmill and goes to the woods.
”In the Swedish woods there are several interesting sorts of wood, like oak, elm and ash,” says Johan Nilsson, one of three boat builders behind the company Båthantverkarna (‘The Boat Craftsmen’ in English) in Stockholm.
New Planer with Unique Performance

Just in time for the planing season, Logosol introduces a completely new machine, which combines simplicity with larger size. To those who are already acquainted with the Logosol range of products this is a long-awaited big brother to the popular Logosol SH230, that was introduced more than ten years ago.
Wood planer adds value to your lumber

After investing in a sawmill the couple bought a Soloplaner. "A sawmill without a planer, it's like a computer without a printer," says Ronny Karlsson.
- A really good sawmill

John Haag in Sweden has found his niche in small-scale wood processing. With his two sawmills he started a log home factory. His band sawmill can handle the rough logs, the portable sawmill runs the log house molder.

Found true joy in sawmilling

With his own sawmill, Gerard Saulnier can finally realize his dreams: making logs from the trees growing on the family estate.
Laks in Tanzania saved the forest

Eight Laks saws turned a wrecked pine plantation into profitable forestry with record-low investment costs. The alternative would have been to burn down the whole forest plantation.
Stay sharp with HSS Sawblades

A new bimetallic blade with HSS teeth has been developed by Hakansson Sawblades. We visited the company and met CEO Olle Bergren for an interview.
“Leaving a forest to take care of itself is not good environmentalism”

The big challenge when it comes to industrial projects in developing countries is to find simple and durable equipment that give high productivity and quality.  Klas Bengtsson in Sweden has made this challenge his mission in life.
Close