Today I was trolling the floor at the IWF in Atlanta. I was looking for neat tools for me, neat ideas to write about, and ideas to share with friends.

One of my very dear woodworker friends is named Dave Walnut.  (That’s not his real last name but it’s very descriptive of one of his passions.) Well Dave, this one’s for you! But then again, Tool Time Bernie just can’t resist great looking tools!

Dave Walnut harvests, mills, dries, and builds objets d' art using Oregon walnut. As I walked the show floor I came across the display for Baker Products of Ellington, MO. Take a look at their website: http://www.baker-online.com/Default.aspx 

There, on the IWF show floor was Baker Products model 3665D portable band sawmill. I’d be very surprised if the sight of that wouldn’t make Dave salivate just a bit.

With a 65 hp Cummins diesel engine, a 13 X 28” throat, capable of cutting a 20.5 foot log, this is a really nice machine if you want to get up and go to the wood and turn those logs into useful lumber. Just attach the 2 5/6” ball hitch connection to your rig, hook up the electric brakes and off you go!

The spec sheet says that one man can turn out 3000-5000 board feet (bf) per day. That number goes up as crew size increases. With three workers, you can cut between 5000 and 8000 bf. It is also available with a smaller diesel engine or and electric motor. But who can resist a 65 hp Cummins connected to a 23.5 gallon fuel tank. Oooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!!!