Portable

• Individuals can operate their own portable sawmills to earn a living. This requires owning equipment such as circle or band sawmills and working up to 10 to 12 hours a day. As with many small businesses, owners must handle administrative tasks such as paperwork, billing and marketing to obtain customers, aside from operating the actual mill, to earn regular income. They may need to hire one or two individuals to help manage the physical task of moving lumber and finished boards. They receive no benefits such as paid vacations or health insurance unless they pay for it themselves.
  
  

Earnings

• As of 2010, Cook’s Saw Manufacturing states that income from portable sawmills can depend on the type. A high end, two-man sawmill with automatic features can produce net income of $162.50 per day, not including the cost of the machine. This assumes cutting 2,500 feet a day at a going rate of $150 per thousand feet, minus expenses for 10 gallons of fuel, a worker and blade. Working 20 days a month produces income of $4,250 a month or $51,000 per year. A less-expensive all-manual sawmill does not need a second operator but can cut only 1,000 feet a day, producing a net income of $120 per day, $2,400 a month and $28,800 a year.
  
  

Companies

• Owners of large lumber mills do not normally receive a salary other than company profits, which can run into the millions, such as the $150.4 million in revenue made by Hancock Lumber, a privately owned lumber processing company. Owners receive wages, however, if they work as chief executive officers or other top executives of the company. As of May 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that chief executives of sawmills made a mean rate of $73.05 per hour, or $151,940 per year. Those working as general or operations managers got a mean rate of $45.67 per hour, or $94,980 per year.
  
  

Benefits

• Lumber mill owners who work as salaried employees receive, at a minimum, the same benefits that all workers in their companies receive. Hancock Lumber, for example, offers a medical and dental plan, as well as insurance for life and short-term disability. A 401(k) program handles retirement income, and a college savings program puts away money for higher education. Flexible work hours, as well as paid vacations and holidays, are part of the package. Employees also receive discounts on lumber, a wellness program and legal counsel.