This Alaskan Off-Grid Pioneer is also a Money Maker with his Sawmill

Scott says he has two Woodland Mills sawmills, one for building off the land in Alaska and another for making money in Oklahoma

Scott's Alaskan property is remote, so remote that aside from the local airfield there aren't many ways to bring in building materials.

Because of that, he bought a Woodland Mills HM122 Portable Sawmill to build with on his land.

And he liked it so much he ended up getting a second sawmill for his property in Oklahoma. 

"They're [for] two totally different purposes," says Scott, operator of Wildways Adventures, of his two sawmills, using one to live off the land and the other to mill slabs for local woodworkers.

The Off-Grid Mill

A fisherman in Alaska, Scott lives in a tiny, off-grid community deep in the wilderness. Aside from an electric generator that powers the town there's little in the way of amenities. Many villagers trade and barter goods rather than purchase from each other with cash.

With that in mind, buying a sawmill seemed like a reasonable venture, says Scott. He had flown lumber out for raw materials to his Alaskan homestead once before, but it was so expensive that he vowed never to do it again.

"I realized I just can't afford that, it's way too expensive," he says.

Instead he realized how much cheaper it would be to just find logs resting on the river and haul them to his property to mill.

Purchasing his HM126, Scott says he was able to start milling lumber for materials for his cabin, doing both interior and exterior work. He's able to mill dimensional lumber and other building materials that are basically impossible to get affordably up there.

When neighbors took notice, they started offering fishing nets and other supplies to him in exchange for lumber, which he happily accepted.

Because winters get so cold, he says he's able to spend the summer months collecting logs and then spends the winter milling them, ensuring he's always busy.

A Tale of Two Sawmills

After realizing how useful his first HM122 was, he decided he should get a second for his property in Oklahoma.

The difference between the two mills is that, in Oklahoma, he's nearby big box stores and lumber yards and dimensional lumber is much cheaper to purchase.

Because of that, Scott says he primarily uses his Oklahoma sawmill to make live-edge slabs, which he sells to local woodworkers.

Having recently built a drying kiln too, Scott says he's now able to prep his lumber, giving him much more control over the whole process: from harvesting, to milling, to drying and finally selling it.

His customer base includes those looking for walnut slabs for mantles and countertops, as well as materials for epoxy river charcuterie boards and benches.

It's a great way to make money, he says, and so wildly different from how he uses his Alaskan sawmill.

"That seems to sell really well," says Scott.