Is Harbor Freight's Saw Mill Worth It? Here's What Users Say

With over 1,600 locations across the U.S., a lot of professionals and DIYers purchase at least some of their gear at Harbor Freight. The hardware retailer offers all kinds of tools, and depending on what you're looking for, you may have several options to choose from. For example, you'll want to know how to choose the right Harbor Freight chainsaw for your needs, because the store sells many different kinds. If you're looking for a full-size saw mill, on the other hand, you'll find one, and only one, option at Harbor Freight: the Central Machinery 301-cc Saw Mill.

That means that if you're not interested in that particular product, you'll have to find a saw mill somewhere else. There are two major things you'll want to consider before purchasing such a major piece of equipment: is it capable of performing what you need, and is it worth its cost? With its robust 301-cc gas-powered engine, its blade (which is 1-1/4 x 144 x 0.048 inches in size) has a speed of 3,279 fpm. That's enough for the Central Machinery 301-cc Saw Mill to saw logs and flat stock up to 20 inches wide. Plus, while it's certainly big, it's designed to be portable, so you can take it from jobsite to jobsite.

If you've determined that Harbor Freight's saw mill has the specs for what you need, then you'll want to know how well it actually works and if it's worth its lofty price tag. Without any first-hand experience yourself, you'll want to see what other people who've used the equipment think, especially those who've spent big bucks on it. 

Reviews from Harbor Freight customers are generally pretty strong for the Central Machinery 301-cc Saw Mill. On the retailer's website, the saw has a strong 4.6 out of 5 average user rating based on over 320 reviews, with 97% of surveyed customers recommending the saw mill. A lot of these user reviews praise the quality of the tool and how relatively easy it is to operate. This echoes a video review by Bus Grease Monkey that declares, "Using this saw level is like a difficulty level of one ... I am shocked how easy it cuts like butter."

In addition to how simple it is to use, there are user reviews pointing out how easy it is to assemble the mill. This simplicity doesn't come at the expense of cutting power. One review states, "I like it because it's just a basic sawmill. It has plenty of power." Another calls it "extremely capable" and says it's "easy to feed through the logs and I cut all day on a tank of gas." One 5-star review goes as far as saying, "You can build an entire house with this."

Several Harbor Freight reviews also mention that, at its price, the product is a great value. Harbor Freight's saw mill costs $2,499, which isn't chump change, but — as YouTube channel Laid Back Living notes in its video review of the machine — "This is one of the cheaper saw mills, if not the cheapest band saw mill you can buy." However, moments later in its review, Laid Back Living also added, "Being the cheapest one, there are some little quirks to it." This isn't the only review to mention some issues, either.

The video review of Harbor Freight's saw mill from Laid Back Living is generally positive. Some of the "quirks" the review does mention are that the wheels don't have anything to keep sawdust from accumulating and clogging them, and that there is also no accessory to keep sawdust from piling up on the ground. It also mentions the lack of a sliding guard for narrower logs. Additionally, Laid Back Living notes a few other minor, inconvenient design flaws or lack of convenient features, but at the same time acknowledges that — considering it's very cheap for a saw mill — they aren't necessarily dealbreakers.

The handful of 1-star and 2-star reviews on Harbor Freight's website mostly contradict the hundreds of positive reviews, such as one that reports that the machine is "Difficult to set up. Difficult to use." However, some also mention issues with blade drift and the saw not cutting straight, which are more serious than just annoying "quirks." There are also some 3-star mixed reviews, such as one user who calls the mill "mediocre," but they still "have probably milled enough to make it worth it. It's got some quirks that kinda suck. Namely, the locks it uses to lock the mill head to the uprights to prevent it from moving during a cut."

You can even find complaints here and there among 5-star reviews, such as the user who wrote: "I wish Harbor Freight would offer track extensions for it so you would be able to cut longer boards. It could use a little more detailed instructions also. But all-in-all, I'm very satisfied." This is a common sentiment found in reviews that note some minor issues — overall, users are very satisfied with the Central Machinery 301-cc Saw Mill.