Log Stops!!!!!!!

[macurtis]

   Gentlemen---A 32" 16' Foot long red oak does not look
good rolling off the wrong side of the mill !!!!!!. Fess up,
has this happened to the experts?

[Bibbyman]

I’ve done that with smaller logs and cants but I think so far,  you win the prize.  

How did you get it back on the mill?  

How did you make it look like that’s the way you intended to do it all along?

[macurtis]

Well Bibbyman---- I have some kind of excuse---This log
had a bow in it, I was leaning over to see where the log
turner was, I was having a little trouble getting it positioned on the
mill, sure enough, the turner was all the way down, I was going to nudge it with the dog, log was kind of pivoting on large knot.
In all of this confusion, not realizing the log stops were down,
needless to say, I nudged it, off the mill.  We had a large
tractor with forks, tied chain on it and lifted off of tire.
Dragged it around, put it on the mill and sawed it. No one was
around but me and helper, we kinda looked at each other,
said a few choice words.

[Tom]

Been there, done that.

I think you have me on size but I have rolled a couple or 4 off of the back of the mill. Luckily it's not an every day occurance.  I have made most of my mistakes while trying to satisfy an obnoxious log owner who "knew more" about what was going on than me and I got rattled. It's hard to work with someone yelling instructions when you know they are wrong. At first I tried to be polite.....now I tell it like it is and stop till he makes up his mind whether he wants me to saw his log or go home.

I have done some dumb stuff too, and that is what is really embarrassing.  Wait till you cut into your clamp or dogs or roll a log off of the back of the mill in front of a bunch of farmer spectators.  These guys won't give you a break when it comes to ribbing.  I even get it in the grocery store, they remember.   Of course it's the dues you pay for being allowed to be a part of their club so it's OK.

[Rick-Wi]

Reminds me of the time we looked at a woodmizer.. The guy wasn't that familiar with it.. Had a 24" small end log on it and was cutting to show the people what it would do.. Went to turn the log and got the turner stuck, and proceeded to thruogh the log off the mill.

Rick-Wi

[Corley5]

Never had that problem on my circle mill.

[woodman]

  Yea first year all alone rolled one on the tire hell of a time to get it back on. But that's the way you learn.

[Frank_Pender]

I am with you, Corley 5.

[Tom]

As embarrassing as some of these things are, it's nothing to be ashamed of.  If you don't make a mistake once in awhile, you aren't doing anything

My concern is that I don't hurt someone. That means that those areas where I could make a mistake,  need to be kept vacant of help and spectators.  They have no business next to the mill where a broken blade could get them or a log rolled off of the mill onto them.  This stuff happens and the operator needs to make sure that he is protecting others to the best of his ability.

I have had people run up and put their hands in the stream of sawdust exiting the chute.  My heart stops.  What would happen if a blade were to break right then. That's when you find out what kind of "bed-side" manner you have.  If they continue after you've cared for their feelings then it's worth it to hurt their feelings.  It's humbling to know you can make a mistake but it's necessary to realize you can.

[BRP]

When I first got my mill,I sawed into my log dog,no one but my wife seen it.She filed it away as women do, only to bring it back when she wanted to giggle. You live and learn.

[woodmills1]

yes  must have a few cuts in the metal so you know that you have been workin.  I bought my saw used, so   those marks were there when I bought it.  but you should have been there when I cut the 20 by 24 hickory cant in half then gave the top a good push to have it drop into the loader arms.  no no no it did a quick 180 and dropped onto the tire and then onto the ground.  yes my wife saw me do that and did chuckle.

[JoeyLowe]

   I've thrown a couple off the mill.  Mostly small logs and usually when the log decides to roll over the dog instead of like it is supposed to.  Have also skimmed a dog a couple of times too.  In fact, just yesterday I was making the last cut after having put a new blade on the mill (only had three cuts on that blade) when I skimmed the dog.  Hyd pressure went to 500lbs and blade dug into the cant.  No more new blade.  Cost of doing business though.  As far getting hurt and being safe, I did drop a cant on my left thigh.  Hurt for two weeks.  Lucky I didn't break it. (The cant that is)

[ARKANSAWYER]

I would never do such a thing being the professional that I am.  I did clamp a rotten 20 inch pine log last  week (I told the man it was of no use but he insisted it would be beautiful blue stain wormy pine boards) and it busted in half and part wedged between the tire and rail.  It was so rotten I just kicked it with my steel toe boots and it fell a part and came out.  I think those saw marks on my mill came from WM doing pre-test  runs?
ARKANSAWYER

[Papa Dave]

Well, the other day, I said to my wife, come out and watch me cut this walnut log. The first time for her to see the mill run.

Well, the blade was somewhat dull, because I had run into some tramp metal on another log, but I did not know how far you could push a dull blade. So, as I pushed it, the blue smoke rolled and the blade dived down and the top of the blade came off of both wheels.

It was not a pretty site and my wife will always remember it. But so will I. I now know when to stop with a dull blade.

So, all in all, it was a good lesson and nobody got hurt.