Sawblades and Retipping Costs are Surging and It Will Get Worse
Sawblades tipped by Saw Specialists
Sawblades and retipping costs are surging. It will get worse.
Sawmillers and woodworkers across South Africa are already experiencing sharp increases in sawblade and retipping costs. But speakers at the South African Saw Doctors Education Association (SASDEA) conference, echoed by Sawmilling South Africa Executive Director Roy Southey, warn that this is not temporary. It marks the start of a sustained structural rise.
Suppliers and sharpening services are not the cause. While mark-ups apply, they do not explain the steep increases since January 2026. The message is clear: prices will continue to rise.
The real drivers are two key materials: tungsten carbide and silver.
Tungsten carbide, essential for cutting tips, is the main culprit. As global tungsten prices rise, these increases flow directly into blade manufacturing and repairs, further impacted by currency volatility. At the same time, silver that is used to braze carbide tips to steel blades is also volatile, influenced by oil prices and US inflation expectations.
The impact is evident. Robert Welsh, Director of Saw Specialists in Durban, says over the past several months, the global cost of tungsten carbide has continued to rise significantly, with a 60% increase in February, and an additional 10% increase already this March.
Tungsten is heavily used in modern munitions, where it is consumed and removed from supply. Ongoing conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, along with stockpiling by major powers, are accelerating demand.
SASDEA’s new committee, led by Stefan Botha of Tekwani Sawmills, emphasises that this is not a short-term spike but a structural shift. Global supply constraints are tightening the market. Chinese export controls, war-driven demand, and years of underinvestment in mining are limiting tungsten availability.
China holds 80% of the world’s tungsten supply and has imposed export controls since 2024, banning the export of all dual-use commodities, including tungsten, antimony, and gallium, to US military end-users and for military applications. Global defence forces are outbidding commercial users for the remaining supply.
In a letter to Saw Specialist customers, Robert says the latest price for APT (Ammonium Paratungstate) in Europe has reached 2500 USD/MTU (R5,000 per kg).
“Our suppliers are now adjusting prices every fortnight with surcharges applicable at shipment. Current expert opinion suggests that prices will continue to rise through 2026, with new mines coming online in 2027 to bring the market back to stability. This increase directly affects the manufacturing cost of many of the products in our range that rely heavily on this raw material”, Robert explains.
The forestry and woodworking sectors are directly exposed, and any operation using tungsten-tipped tools will be affected. Bandsaw blade pricing is not affected.
Cape Forest Products is a new dawn for South Africa's forestry sector
The optimising cross-cut system at PG Bison's Thesen Sawmill in George
The merger of PG Bison’s Southern Cape sawmilling operations with MTO Forestry Southern and Eastern Cape operations to create a new company, Cape Forests Products, creates a more sustainable timber and sawmilling industry in the Southern Cape.
CEO of the newly formed Cape Forests Products, Greg Woodbridge, says, “This merger heralds an exciting new dawn for an industry that is so important to the region in terms of sustaining jobs.” Cape Forests Products will employ directly and indirectly over 2,500 forestry and sawmilling people in the region.
The devastating fires in recent years have severely impacted the forestry and sawmilling operations in the area, and it will take several years for operations to recover to pre-fire levels. As a result, the various businesses were operating at suboptimal levels.
“Our customers are situated predominantly in the Western, Southern and Eastern Cape. The merger means we can offer them a more reliable source of supply and a wider variety of quality products from our various operations”, Woodbridge explains.
Cape Forests Products will consist of PG Bison Southern Cape’s about 10,200 hectares of forestry plantations; the Thesen sawmill in George and its Woodline pole plant in Groot Brakrivier, and MTO Forestry’s about 31,700 hectares of leased forestry plantation and its sawmills in George and Longmore.
“The merger has created a significant black controlled business in the forestry and sawmilling sector with increased production and reliability of sawlog supply, improved efficiencies and sustainable sawn timber supply, all of which will encourage further investment and enhanced competitiveness”, says Woodbridge.
The merger is subject to approval by the Competition Commission.
Bravely sawmilling in the Eastern Cape
Third generation sawmiller Denver de Kock is the owner of RD Sawmill
Denver de Kock, MD of RD Sawmill near Maclear in SA's Eastern Cape Province, defies harsh trading conditions with a thriving sawmilling business.
The multi-generational De Kock league of aunts, uncles, brothers and cousins have used their shared legacy of sawmilling experience and tradition to build a sawmilling empire that prospers across the Eastern Cape.
Denver stayed true to this tradition as a third-generation sawmiller born and raised in Maclear within earshot of the De Kock clan in Tsolo near Qumbu. RD Sawmill was launched in 2010, and Denver and his cousin gave early direction to the business before he became the sole proprietor.
The sawmill's primary focus is wet-off-saw timber, distributed through retail or directly to the public for use in construction applications, pallets, and furniture-grade material for manufacturing.
Wood-Mizer increases recovery
RD's initial momentum came from circular mills. However, recovery losses saw Denver opting for a Wood-Mizer LT10 to claw back recovery and improve the sawn quality.
"We soon saw the light when we got our first Wood-Mizer LT10. The circular blade mills weren't giving us good recovery", comments Denver.
The initial results of the first Wood-Mizer LT10 prompted a mill closure, which saw the two new LT15s and HR200 resaws replacing the mill's previous line. The single Wood-Mizer LT10 was duplicated into two LT15s with two Wood-Mizer HR200 resaws, adding to RD Sawmill's current capacity.
"When we changed to the LT10, our recovery and cut size accuracy improved significantly", Denver explains. "The bandsaws leave fewer marks on the timber, which opened the doors to new markets with furniture grade material going to manufacturers".
Sawmilling is tough
Several challenges in the Eastern Cape sawn-timber market have made it increasingly crucial for sawmillers to streamline their businesses to remain competitive. Electricity supply constraints and a steep increase in diesel prices make it expensive to run generators to supplement power and get products to market by truck.
A growing sawmilling sector that competes for an ever-thinner slice of the log supply pie, combined with high log prices, has put margins under pressure. Operational cost increases brought on by various factors have also eroded margins further.
Commercial plantations in the area are closely linked to key offtake markets like board and sawn timber production, with the remainder up for grabs by the higher bidder.
"The demand for logs and constraints on the supply side has made it tough for small and medium-sized sawmillers," says Denver. "Although the retail sector in the Eastern Cape dictates pricing. We're finding new markets willing to pay a premium".
Denver says, "We're using Wood-Mizer's thin-kerf narrow bandsaw tech to recover every scrap of saleable material to boost profits". Although diesel costs have spiked, RD is offsetting some of it through the lower rolling resistance of Wood-Mizer's thin-kerf, narrow bandsaw technology.
"It's become tough," says Denver de Kock. "It's hard work, and it's up to the individual to think innovatively around making the most from what they love doing.
Sawmilling in the blood
"In my instance, sawmilling is in my blood. I work on the business from early to late. I think about the company when I wake up and go to bed. And importantly, I'm hands-on.
RD Sawmill stands out for several reasons. The mill signage welcoming visitors is new and well-maintained, testimony to Denver's careful hand over the entire business. The sawmill uses its sawdust for extra revenue. Blades are maintained in its saw shop for a sharp cut in the morning. The sawn product is precise, and the stacked sawn timber is standing regimentally straight and ready for delivery.
"We're privileged to have a business and a supplier network like Wood-Mizer that partner with us to build forward and prosper", comments Denver.
Source: Wood-Mizer.
The Shire Eco Lodge and nursery focuses on sustainability
Rob Scott uses the Wood-Mizer to cut wood for his building and furniture projects and custom orders
Rob Scott, owner of Shire Eco Lodge near Stutterheim, says the curved shape of the chalets is unlike standard timber buildings and posed so many problems that it took over a year to complete the shell of the first lodge.
The design of the chalets takes its cue from nature. "I wanted the design of the chalets and their location on the margins of the indigenous Xholora forest to be a win-win for all", Rob explains.
Construction started in 2004, and the first chalet was up and running in 2008. The 20-acre Shire Eco Lodge and indigenous nursery is owned by entrepreneur Rob Scott and his family in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province.
Recalling scenes of the film version of the fertile vales of the shire in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the Shire Eco Lodge is home in the peaceful afro-montane forests of the Amatola mountain range. The rich trove of waterfalls, mountain streams, ancient yellowwood, stinkwood and lemonwood forests, surrounded by pockets of fynbos, leaves an indelible impression on visitors.
An inside view of a chalet built by Rob ScottRob Scott in his furniture factory
Lessons learnt
The curved A-frame timber chalets are uniquely designed and built. Rob recounts several obstacles they had to overcome because of inexperience. These included timber bending techniques, the value of bracing, bent timber breaking and bending glass windows.
"My father, Hamish, supplied the solution to the breaking problem. Laminating thin strips of wood together. This is a fascinating process and has, in fact, become an art. It worked well and is now used for other parts of the building's anatomy", explains Rob.
"Once all the laminated ribs are in place, the wall planks are fastened over them in layers, moving upwards as you go. Once the walls are complete, the roof ribs (about 50 laminated bow-shaped beams) are attached to them, giving the roof a curved shape and Asian-like appearance.
"It was then time to start the interior work, which also took time because all the walls, cupboards, etcetera had to be profiled in the curved shape of the walls. There was a new lesson every day. I became an electrician, plumber and painter in a few months."
Wood-Mizer
Rob's reliance on buying sawn timber from suppliers sparked the idea of getting a sawmill to produce sawn timber. It was further strengthened by the uncommon widths and thicknesses needed for the curved and bent components of the chalets.
He decided to invest in a Wood-Mizer LT15GO portable sawmill, which lets him move it to wherever it's needed to cut fallen hardwoods and invasive alien trees.
Some of the blocks, slabs and boards are sold as is. The bulk of the sawn wood goes to Rob's furniture workshop. It is supplemented with heavy, fine-grained spruce stringers sourced from Mercedes-Benz in nearby East London. He uses the wood to build custom furniture for his projects and discerning customers nationwide.
Shire Bulbs is an indigenous nursery selling bulbs, plants and trees across South Africa
Shire Bulbs nursery
A brief stint at a plant nursery during a gap year in the UK kindled Rob's passion for botany, laying the foundation for the start of Shire Bulbs in 2003.
The Shire Bulbs' initial successes quickly duplicated into further expansion, with the current bulb production site now comprising four shade houses and expansive open beds. It produces over 150 species of indigenous bulbs that are shipped to customers worldwide. The international acclaim is proof of Shire Bulbs' successes.
But it's about far more than the monetary value of bulbs for Rob. The business partners with Fruit and Trees for Africa, a Non-Profit Organisation that addresses food security, environmental sustainability, and greening.
"Many of the plants we grow are threatened, and so in addition to the conservation and protection of wild populations, we have prioritised the conservation of the rarer species through cultivation", he says.
Our guests get to experience this unique location to revitalise tired spirits. At the same time, The Shire and local communities benefit from tourists visiting and job opportunities created," Rob continues.
The unique chalets at the Shire Eco Lodge blend into the forms and shapes of their environmentThe Shire Eco Lodge is in a peaceful valley near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape
Organic farming
Organic farming is another arm of Rob's vision to harness business as a tool for greater sustainability, community upliftment, and self-reliance. His mother, Monica, is his partner in this part of the business, which produces organic fruits, vegetables, and crops that are sold and delivered free to nearby communities that need fresh produce.
Sawdust and chips from the furniture shops are also used as animal bedding for Rob and Monica's geese and duck flocks, allowed to roam free to rid the crops of pests. The rest of the waste is sold to nearby farmers, who use it to improve the health and well-being of their animals.
"We have an abundance that we like to share with the community to ensure that they also benefit from our bounty," Rob says, smiling.
Young Limpopo sawmiller on the move
The LT70 Remote ploughing through a 6 m pine log.
Pieter van der Linde, a young entrepreneur from Polokwane in South Africa’s Limpopo Province, bought his first sawmill at age 18 with the savings his parents had earmarked for him to further his studies. Instead he decided to use the money to start his own business.
“I love the outdoors and timber, which made the decision simple,” Pieter says. He ploughed the cash into his first Wood-Mizer LT15, and Duva Timbers was born.
Duva’s initial focus was sawn pallet components that went to pallet manufacturers, but Pieter soon spotted an opportunity to expand his product line to supply structural timber to the lucrative local construction and roofing market. However this required more equipment - and staff.
A straightforward through-and-through cutting pattern with flitches with wane exiting both LT70s and transferred to the EG800 with minimal manual inputs.
Final-size product exiting the EG800 Edger/Multirip.
A Wood-Mizer EG300 Board Edger and a second Wood-Mizer LT15 came first. Then a Wood-Mizer LT70 Remote that boosted output and improved recovery, followed by a second LT70 Remote in 2019.
A Wood-Mizer EG800 Edger/Multirip came next in 2020 to streamline the production process further.
The remote configuration of the LT70 drew Pieter’s attention. The remote operator station makes it easy to control all the functions needed to process the 6 to 6.6 m logs into boards with wane in an efficient, fast and automated way. Minimal labour is needed to move the board to the EG800 edger where final sizes are cut.
The EG800 is a robust manual edging and multirip solution for small and medium-sized sawmills. When configured as a multirip the single arbor EG800 can process flitches up to 900 mm wide and 110 mm high. The sawmilling process allows for a simple and slick through-and-through cutting pattern that sees flitches with wane exiting both LT70s, and the EG800 processing them into accurately sawn boards.
The uptick in production opened markets for Duva Timbers across Limpopo. Duva sells air-dried structural timber in all popular sizes to hardware stores across the province and to walk-in customers and custom orders delivered to clients by Duva’s own trucks.
Duva Timbers product ready for market.
Duva’s own truck fleet hauls roundlogs to the sawmill and finished product to customers.
An improved recovery process has also seen Duva moving back into the pallet component market.
The next step in creating a truly sustainable business was to purchase a timber farm situated on the slopes of the Wolkberg outside timber-rich Tzaneen.
The timing couldn’t have been better. With ongoing timber shortages being experienced in the region, Pieter is able to supplement his log shortfalls at the sawmill from his own farm. This has enabled Duva Timbers to increase market share, and to have more confidence in the future of the business..
Pieter credits his staff for much of his success.
“Their support is my strength,” he says.
Duva Timbers’ own farm provides crucial raw material security.
Pieter van der Linde, CEO of Duva Timbers.
Roadside sawmiller changing lives
David and Rosalina Letsoalo started Roadside Timber Traders from scratch.
A sawmill near Moria in South Africa’s Limpopo Province is the backbone of an extraordinary business success story that is still unfolding …
Roadside Timber Trading Sawmill is located in the sprawling suburb of Mankweng in Limpopo province of South Africa, not far from Mount Moria, home to one of Africa’s largest churches, the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). Moria takes its name from a hill outside Jerusalem where Solomon’s temple once stood.
David and Rosalina Letsoalo, the founders of Roadside Timbers, also seem to be blessed by their close proximity to this holy place. As members of the ZCC, they know where their strength comes from.
This, together with sharp thinking and hard work has already brought this formidable husband and wife team a long way.
Back in 2011, David and Rosalina were pondering their future as they needed to support their growing family. David’s career in hairdressing was slow. Rosalina’s career in furniture retail was solid.
Between these two options, Rosalina’s timber background seemed to be a safer bet.
Wood-Mizer is the backbone of Roadside Timber Trading’s success.
So David started selling poles bought from wholesalers that his customers then used for building. But business was slow. To increase profits, he started buying poles directly from farmers. A pole harvesting team that he started pushed weekly sales to 250 poles.
But the rapid development of formal housing that was taking place in Mankweng created a big demand for sawn timber, and David and Rosalina knew they needed a new business model to take advantage of this opportunity.
The answer came in the shape of a used Wood-Mizer LT30 that they bought in 2016.
Producing accurately sawn timber that was required by the new home builders around Mankweng was an immediate winner. They also cut on-site which made their sawn timber cheaper than the timber being sold at the local hardware stores, and sales boomed.
The original Wood-Mizer LT30 is still working.
Roadside Timber Trading was no longer a struggling roadside stall. Three months later they bought a second Wood-Mizer, an LT15.
The Wood-Mizer staff guided and supported the Roadside Timbers’ sawmilling team during those early days, and is still helping them to grow their business today.
Roadside’s Wood-Mizer fleet continued to expand, reaching eight Wood-Mizers in 2018 and ten in 2020.
As part of Roadside’s productivity improvement drive, three Wood-Mizer TITAN Multirip / Edgers also came on stream in 2020 to rip cants that are produced on the sawmills into boards.
“We now understand how to work cleverly to produce more,” says David with a smile.
2018 also saw Roadside opening a second sawmill outside Tzaneen, a town near Polokwane in a tree rich area of Limpopo. From there they are now servicing customers in Giyani and Venda.
Offcuts from Roadside’s structural timber production process is made into doors to boost recovery and drive sales.
Current production figures of wet-off-saw structural timber exiting Roadside’s Polokwane division stands at +90m³/day for a weekly average of some 450 cubic meters that includes 38x38, 70x76, 38x114, 38x152 and 338x 228 sizes.
The drymill that kicked off in 2018 processes Roadside’s offcuts into doors and frames, with roughly 200 to 250 units sold per week to local hardware stores. A 4-head moulder produces components for the doors and frames. This, together with shavings and sawdust that are sold to farmers, has driven Roadside’s recovery figures to above 70%.
Roadside’s drive to increase efficiency now also includes a logistics division that adds significantly to the bottom line.
“Our own fleet of nine trucks now ensures a constant flow of between 250 and 450 pine logs into the mill per month. We also do all our own deliveries to customers. All of this builds our profits,” says David.
Roadside Timber Trading now has 45 full-time employees working double shifts to keep up with orders.
The Roadside Timber team uses own transport to collect round logs and deliver sawn timber to customers.
David and Rosalina co-manage the business with Rosalina focusing on marketing, and David on production.
While not trading during the Covid-19 lockdown, David and Rosalina still managed to pay all their employees’ salaries despite the shutdown.
“With good people on our side, and business partners like Wood-Mizer there to assist us, we are blessed,” commented David.
Sawmillers on the ropes
Sawmillers large and small are under pressure as a result of rising input costs, load shedding, round log resource constraints and tough market conditions.
A ‘perfect storm’ of rising input costs, roundlog resource challenges, unreliable electricity supply, declining exchange rates, high prime lending interest rates and shrinking markets has put South Africa’s sawmilling industry under severe pressure. Many sawmilling businesses are operating at break-even or worse, resulting in business closures and mounting job losses.
This is the sad story shared by Sawmilling South Africa’s Chairperson Duncan MacKay and Executive Director Roy Southey at the SSA AGM held in Pretoria recently.
“We have seen a reduction in saw log volume throughput, resulting in sawmill closures and further job losses,” said Duncan, who is a Director at White River Sawmills. The most affected provinces are Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, where unemployment is already running at more than 40%, he said.
As a consequence of the extremely difficult economic conditions, sawmills have been engaged in alternative power supply projects and cost management, devoting less attention to replacing or improving production technology, said Duncan.
He said that SSA has an active relationship with government and participates in a number of government/business initiatives, and has highlighted the plight of sawmillers at these forums, but to no avail.
“It would appear that Government does not understand the urgency of the situation - or has little or no interest in our sector,” said Duncan. “It is therefore becoming increasingly obvious that our industry will have to take the initiative by taking appropriate steps to enhance our own interests. Interaction and input from our members is becoming more critical to ensure prosperity for our companies.”
Promoting use of structural timber In order to boost demand SSA is taking a proactive role in promoting the use of structural timber products with architects and designers, and facilitating access to export markets for value added timber products to boost economic growth and create jobs.
To this end SSA has almost concluded the sampling phase of negotiations with Wespine to have timber originating in South Africa graded to Australian specifications. This will allow South African sawmills to export sawn timber to Australia.
Apprenticeships and learnerships SSA members have also been engaged in the development of apprenticeships and learnerships that are seen as crucial for the growth and development of the sector. The first of these, a Saw Doctor
Apprenticeship, should be ready for implementation by the end of 2023. Additional funding received from the FP & M Seta will enable work to continue in the development of the kiln drying and wet and dry mill operator programmes.
Executive Director Roy Southey reported that SSA’s individual sawmill membership has remained fairly constant through the year at 47. However Roy said they had lost the membership of Limpopo-based Stevens Lumber Mills which closed temporarily in April citing load shedding challenges and problems with round log procurement as the main reasons. Stevens Lumber Mills is one of the oldest sawmills in South Africa, and has been operating for over 60 years.
Sawmilling SA Chairperson Duncan MacKay (left) and Executive Director Roy Southey.
On a happier note, Roy welcomed back Geelhoutvlei Timbers sawmill in the southern Cape, which has completed a rebuild after it was gutted by fire in 2018.
“2023 has certainly been the toughest year ever for the sawmilling sector in South Africa and one in which we have seen the closure of a number of mills with the resultant devastating effect on rural economies. Sawmilling, which for many years has been a driver of job and wealth creation in many rural areas from the Limpopo to the Cape, is under pressure from a multitude of challenges,” said Roy.
“However, not all is lost. If you consider the groundswell of interest in timber building driven by the green economy, the rapid development of the mass timber movement, the advances in recovery from log mechanisation, the development of export markets, and the move towards additional timber-based products, the future does not look quite so bleak.
“The challenge for us as sawmillers is to rise and grasp these opportunities and gear our businesses to take advantage of this shift away from commodities towards value-added products. Then we will certainly survive,” concluded Roy.
This silver lining of optimism amidst the storm clouds of our troubled land was echoed by Forestry South Africa’s Executive Director, Michael Peter, who presented the keynote address at the SSA AGM. Ever the optimist, Michael is heavily involved in several public/private sector initiatives set up to tackle the energy, rail and ports challenges, and he maintains that real progress is being made on all these fronts and that solutions are achievable.
He also pointed out that the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has recently called for expressions of interest from the private sector to partner with local communities to bring the so-called exit-reversal state plantations located in the Western Cape back into production. That represents 22 000 ha of mainly pine plantations that – once fully operational - will go some way towards alleviating the shortage of round log resources in the Cape region at least.
Sawmill Productivity Improvement Award
The annual Sawmilling Productivity Improvement Award was presented to the Tekwani owned e'Mpuluzi Sawmill in Mpumalanga, during the SSA AGM.
Andrew Crickmay (left) of Crickmay & Associates presents the Sawmilling Productivity Improvement Award to Sean Hoatson of Tekwani Timbers..
Runners up were (in alphabetical order): • Bracken Timbers • Eswatini Plantations • Eswatini Treated Timber • Dulini (GNG) • Jessievale (York Timbers) • Langeni (Merensky) • George Sawmill (MTO) • RF Gevers • Thornville (Tekwani)
The purpose of the Sawmill Productivity Improvement Award is to give recognition to mills that show improvement that serves to make them more competitive. As the focus is on improvement, the winning mill is not necessarily the most profitable mill. The award is based on results from the Intermill Comparison, a quarterly benchmarking report produced by Crickmay & Associates. The floating trophy was first awarded in 1991.
