First Place West Region
Gary Mickelson
Priest River, Idaho

Sawmill Shelter Provides Elbow Room and Protection

About six years ago, Gary Mickelson purchased a Wood- Mizer LT30 sawmill at a neighbor's auction near Priest River, Idaho. He stored it for four years in a shed and then decided to build a structure dedicated to the Wood-Mizer.

Working with dead larch trees for rafters, beams and posts, and white pine for the perlings, Gary carefully cut about 3,000 board feet of wood for his shed.

As it took shape, Gary could envision the protection the open sided shed would provide for his Wood-Mizer, and the elbow room he would have. The project was finished in three months and Gary saved about $6,000 by using his LT30.

"First I set posts in concrete, and then put up beams and rafters," Gary says. "After putting on steel roofing, I stood under the roof and listened to it rain." And not a drop landed on Gary or his Wood-Mizer…a very gratifying sound.