Just over a year ago, Justin and his wife, Leeann, decided to sell everything and pursue a more self-sufficient, off-grid homesteading lifestyle. They knew from the beginning that living remotely would come with its own challenges, so they did plenty of research before making the big move.

“One of the things we quickly realized we would need was a sawmill. Being able to harvest wood directly from our own property would allow us to reduce the cost of purchasing lumber for our projects and eventually, for building our home,” Justin shares. “After reading numerous reviews and researching our options, we settled on the Woodland Mills HM126 Portable Sawmill, and it hasn’t disappointed us.”

Learning the ropes

Like any new skill, there was a learning curve when the couple started milling. With time and patience, they were able to find their rhythm. Both Justin and Leeann became much more comfortable not only with milling lumber but also with properly maintaining and inspecting their sawmill.

“Now, the HM126 Portable Sawmill has become an essential part of our off-grid lifestyle,” explains Justin. “We live in a remote location, at least an hour and a half from the nearest town, so being able to produce our own lumber has made a huge difference. Instead of making a long trip into town to purchase lumber, we can harvest trees from our property and mill what we need right here at home.”

from trees to projects

The HM126 Portable Sawmill has helped Justin and Leeann take on a wide variety of projects around their property. They have used lumber from their land to build a chicken coop, rabbit hutches, raised garden beds, and the interior framing for a shipping-container guest bunkie.

“Our most recent project was a deck and outdoor shower for the guest bunkie,” Justin states.

“Being able to mill the lumber ourselves has been incredibly convenient and cost-effective. It saves us the time and expense of driving our truck into town for supplies, while also giving us the ability to produce the sizes and dimensions we need rather than settling for whatever lumber is available,” Justin continues.

“We can mill almost anything we need, from 6x6 posts to 2x4s, 2x8s, and more.”

Tools That Make Off-Grid Living Easier

The Woodland Mills HM126 Portable Sawmill has become an important tool for Justin and Leeann, helping make their off-grid lifestyle possible.

“We’ve been so happy with our sawmill that this spring, we decided to add another Woodland Mills product to our property: the TFG55 Gas Wood Chipper,” Justin says.

“The chipper has been another excellent addition to our operation. It has made cleaning up branches from trees we’ve felled much easier, while also giving us a useful product we can put to work around the property.”

The wood chips have been incredibly useful, helping create walking and ATV paths while also providing a practical material for garden beds and greenhouse flooring.

building a future

Woodland Mills has become an essential part of Justin and Leeann's off-grid journey. From turning trees into lumber for projects to putting branches and wood waste to good use, these tools have helped make the most of the resources available right on their property.

"We’re excited to see what we can build next and how much further we can take our homesteading journey,” says Justin.

“If you’re considering adding a sawmill or wood chipper to your property, we highly recommend taking a look at Woodland Mills. For us, the HM126 Portable Sawmill and TFG55 Wood Chipper have been valuable investments that have helped us save time, reduce costs, and turn the trees on our property into something we can be proud of.”

Your Feedback Matters

Sharing your experience helps other landowners learn more about Woodland Mills and gives our team valuable insight as we continue to improve. If you’ve received your equipment, put it to work, and sent us a review - thank you! If you haven't or simply want to share more, we’d love to hear how it’s going. Photos and videos are always welcome and often help inspire others taking on their next project. Upload HERE

For new customers:
If you're new to Woodland Mills' ownership, around 90 days after your order is delivered, you’ll receive an email inviting you to leave a product review. If you’d prefer to share feedback or submit a review sooner, you can reach us anytime at reviews@woodlandmills.com

For even more real-world reviews, tips, and conversations, we also invite you to join the Woodland Mills Product Owners & Community Facebook group and connect with fellow owners.