How did your morning go?

[Jeff]

I just love Fridays. Especially when I know I am going to bug out about 9 am. But Fridays like this one I could do without. I could also do with out loggers who think that they need to send me wrapped presents on the last day of November

Here is present number 3 of 5. Lets just say I spent most of my morning standing next to the saw instead of cutting lumber.


Ceramic fence insulator.

[TanglewoodTimber]

 I can surely relate to all of that.  I finally bought a Rens metal detecter and solved 99% of the problem.  the log owners get to pay for down time at $55.00 per hour and the teeth that need replacing.  they learn this up front before any cutting occurs.  I have refused cutting for people where there is a chance of hitting such objects.  Better luck in the future.

[Jeff]

Our mill runs around 30,000 ft a day and a log like those containing the insulators are processed in under a minute.

So any metal detecting system would have to be a whole log automatic scan. The time taken to detect each log for metal would be far more expensive then the normal amount of tramp metal events that occur cost us.

Welcome to the forum tanglewood, I remember when you joined a little while back. thanks for the post and the info for custom sawyers!

[CHARLIE]

So Jeff, you want to know how my Friday morning went. Are you sure? Well.....let me see if I can remember.  I got up at 5:00 a.m. and headed for work at 6:00 a.m.  I got there about 6:30 a.m. and turned on my computer. After it booted up I checked some reports to make sure there wasn't any major order problems, but found one. An order had set up with too many conversions, so I was going to have to manually fix it using an update program (we call it a SPUFI) once I figured out what needed to be done. But before I did that I walked over and badgered a guy into buying me a cup of coffee. Then we sat and B.S.'d for about an hour. I then went back and fixed the problem order. The phone rang but I knew that it was someone with a problem, so I didn't answer it. Instead I went and bought myself and another guy a cup of coffee and we talked football for about an hour. After that I went back to my desk and sure enough there was a message on my phone, but I didn't pick it up 'cause I knew it was a problem and that I would have to do some work and it was almost lunch time. So I walked over to the office next door and talked about woodworking 'til it was time to go to lunch.   Of course this is a fantasy but I'm hoping you were believing it.  Actually, out of my department, there was only 2 of us there 'cause the rest took vacation. I was swamped trying to resolve peoples order problems and correct records and answer questions. I had a line of people at my door once during the morning. Wish I had one of those "take a number" machines.

[swampwhiteoak]

I went into the office on Friday thinking I might get to leave early that day  .  Spent the morning on the phone to landowners that are worried about ordering trees and trying to set up some appointments for next week.  Finished up a windbreak design and headed over to a meeting.  Meeting lasted longer than expected and I skipped lunch.  Drove across a few counties checking site prep for planting sights next year.  Got back to the office about 6:30.  Since we don't get overtime, I seem to "donate" a few extra hours here and there.

I spend enough time during the week posting here to get them back, though.

[Gordon]

Looks like I had a much better morning than you did Jeff.

Got to work at seven, waited for the sallyport to clear out that was seven thirty. Informed the building that I would be working in they would have no water for a few hours. Let everyone get out of the showers and do one last flush. Get the materials out of the van and down to the basement. Turned water off at about eight thirty am. Drained down the waterlines in the building about another half hour. Started cutting in new valves into the existing water lines.

Cut in and solder three 2-1/2" ball valves on the cold water lines one on each teir of the building. Cut in three 1-1/2" hot water valves and three 1" hot water recurculation line valves. Opened up the 4" main and flushed the system, checked for leaks and cleaned up tools. Got done at about one pm.

Then the BAD afternoon started. Went to load the tools in the van and realized that the keys were locked safely in the van. So I had to bring the tools back in the building and lock them in a closet. No problem I carry an extra van key on a separate ring. But guess where the other key ring was.----IN MY TRUCK.---So not wanting to sound like a dummie and call on the radio back to the shop. I walked across the compound back to the inside maintenance shop and borrowed a van to run to the outside shop where the extra key was.

Drive back inside drop off the van walk back across the compound and get my tools out of the locked closet. Finished up at---two thirty. Well I guess that sort of worked out perfect because quitting time is three. So by the time I got back outside the compound there was enough time to write the work order and leave for the weekend.

Gordon

[Frank_Pender]

I stalled around most of the morning today.  I had a task to do that was not really on my wanted schedule.   It was a friends funeral.  They are sometimes really tough, you know.  The mill operation was a blessing when I arrived back home.  Hard work is often a very soothing remedy for what trials one has to face.  Preping the kiln for another load took some of the salt out of the anguish of the day.  Thanks for letting me vent here.

[TxLogger]

Monday Morning--it's a beautiful day.  Planned on finishing up cutting a small tract of hardwood.  Had day all planned & lined out.  Help show's on time.  Great start .

Hand sticks tractor in mud.  Tears valve stem out of left rear tire.  Down about 2 hours & out $70.  Not bad we'll recover.

Got a load ready to haul.  Haul truck stuck in mud.  Okay no problem not stuck real bad.  Work an hour on getting unstuck, just about there & throw drive shaft on haul truck.  Now broke down in mud, busted yoke on transmission, can't get nut off, day has gone to ?

Go home will try again tomorrow

Tom

[Tom]

Hey Tex,

Here's a good tip.

Next time you are able to get your tractor tire free from the rim so nothing gets burned, do this.

Cut a piece of 2" or so iron pipe about 1 1/2" or 2" long and spot weld it at the valve stem opening.  It doesn't even have to be as tall as the valve stem but I feel safer if it is.  Don't be too concerned with a tight fit because you want water to be able to get out when you park the tractor.

Then when you are running in the woods or deep in the mud the stem is protected.  

[Gordon]

Well Tom great minds think alike.

I was thinking the exact same thing when reading that post on the valve stem. Did it to my last tractor after the same thing happened. Now on this tractor it came with protectors on the front rims but not on the rear. Go figure. So I added some to the back rims. Two quick tack welds on the pipe nipples and some paint a great money saver.

A friend actually went a step farther with his. He used threaded nipples and put caps on top to help keep the mud out of the pipe. I just hope he used plenty of never seize on the threads.

Gordon

[Tom]

yeah, me too.  

It would be my luck to never get the caps off and have to dismount the tire to air/water it up.

I guess a lot of you guys can't use water, what with the freezing winters..........but we do down here.

I have found that a short piece of pipe works fine.  It needs no top.

I have a great skid pan and a plate in front of the tractor too.  Talk about saving money try tearing a hole in your crankcase or radiator.

[CHARLIE]

Tom, up here the farmers use antifreeze in their tires instead of water.

[Tom]

.....................oh

[Corley5]

Calcium Chloride is also used as ballast in tires up here.  But its corrosive nature makes it hard on rims if a leak develops.  A new stuff called RimGuard is made from corn or sugar beet squeezins, has a food rating from the USDA and is non-corrosive but stinky and sticky.  

[Frank_Pender]

  Corley5,  Does it freeze?

[Corley5]

Doesn't freeze but must get pretty thick.

[Frank_Pender]

  Speaking of thickness.   My morning is just about over, here in Dallas, Oregon.  The rain has been falling since 3:30 this morning.  My thought had been to saw lumber, even have one of the mills in a large building, however I changed my mind.  I simple made sure the kiln stove was stoked as well as the Taylor stove for the house was loaded and headed for the woodworking shop I have here on the Tree Farm.  I even stoked that stove.   I decided to make a few Christmas gifts for the Siblings and my own "critters" (2 sons)  I found some pieces of Black Walnut and began turning Tree decoractions.  What a BLAST.   I have turned about 25 already and dhave run out of "eyehooks".  Back to town this afternoon, I reckon.  I hope everyones day has gone as fine and fun as mine, so far.

[Haytrader]

First time to post...rookie here.
Got new saw Monday and have already leared several things not to do.......
My real job is hauling hay (54' dropdeck trailer hauls 34 big round bales) and this afternoon while loading the second load of the day I found a drag harrow that the farmer had parked in the fence row (with front tractor tire....ugh)
I enjoy seeing what y'all have to say and am learning by reading.
After a 10 year fascination of bandsaws I now have one. I have no idea what happens next.  I cut a cedar yesterday and have all the locals oohing and aahing. Today i brought some elm in from the farm to cut for blocks under the saw and some friends came by to see the "new toy" and think the elm needs to be furniture or somthing. I must admit it has some pretty grain.

Haytrader

[Kevin]

Hey Trader,
Glad to have you with us.
What mill did you buy?
I just milled a couple hundred board feet of elm yesterday on my LT-15 for furniture projects.

[Jeff]

Hey Hey, Hay!

One of the most beautiful things I ever saw made from wood was a grandfather clock made from american elm. Elm is making a come back around here after loosing most of it to dutch elm disease.

Speaking of which, the biggest elm is called the buckley elm which is only about an hour from my house. There is a thread about it on http://www.forestryforum.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?board=general&action=display&num=985825260&start=3