It is becoming more diffiuclt these days to find a local sawmill with the all round capability to both work in the woods felling and extracting trees together with processing same in a sawmill yard. A chance visit made to Nettlebed Sawmiill located on the B481 proved that this service and facility is still available to South Oxfordhsire's woodland owners and timber user's alike.
The first thing that strikes a visitor upon arrival is the pile of softwood logs stacked ready for processing -
- through the sawmill which contains a vertical Stenner band mill together with a Stenner resaw used to break down primary timber cants into resawn products.
The vertical band mill is capable of producing restoration quality oak logs.
Once the log has been opened and broken down into a primary cant and slabwood then the cant can be resawn into smaller scantlings that can be used for fencing, fence panels, planks, etc.
The outside of the log which contains mainly sapwood is sawn off to create slabwood and this is not wasted but can be further chipped for fuel wood or crosscut to make firewood for the local market.
Offcuts are processed into kindling which is bagged and sold to people who need this material to start their fire. The kindling is sold in net bags for stacking and customer pickup convenience.
The sawmill also acts as a distribution depot for other specialist fencing products including chestnut paling fencing and even coal.
This local family owned and run sawmill provides a good example of how each part of the log can be used to produce various added value products and illustrates the old sawmilling addage that :-
"the only thing free on a tree is the rustle of the leaves".
Ken Hume OWG Executive Trustee
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Author
Nettlebed Sawmill