New to it all

[two saw]

Well I did it and I think it was a good purchase. I bought a demo TH36DTH D&L double cut mill and I am trying to get the hang of it. It is a complete hydraulic mill with a 55hp Yanmar diesel to power the saws. 10hp Kohler to run the hyd to the features. Any one else out there have one of these mills that would like to share some helpful hints or suggestions I welcome them. I am right now cutting ties and giving the side lumber to the log supplier (a friend ) for the ties inside. getting used to all the levers and I already wrecked the edger saw on a lift post I neglected to lower out of the way.  >:(. I would like to turn this into my primary source of income and I was wondering what is the most profitable market to saw for? I would have to buy all my logs and that is not a problem as there are a lot of suppliers close to me. I am only 16 miles away from a Koppers tie treatment plant and they will take all I can give them. What are some of the other more profitable markets and if you could clue me in on some lumber buyers in my area I would really appreciate any assistance getting me to the profitable side of this venture. Sorry if this is a little long winded but I have ALOT of questions and there are still ALOT more to come. I have always wanted a small business of my own and I think this will be the one.
Lindsay and his staff have been really helpful with questions that I have had on the mill and always take the time to make sure I know what I need to know. Thanks goes to them!
Cutting ties isn't hard they are just bears to get off the mill by yourself. I can only pick up two at a time!  :D. I am buying a Skytrak telehandler to move logs and lumber around the place. It is used but I can't swing the $50,00.00 for a new one. I eventually want this thing set up at my house permanently under roof on some ground I own. Wouldn't it be nice to get on the Farmall Cub and drive a 1/4 mile to work every day?
Again sorry so long and thanks in advance for the help.

[Troy]

Welcome to the Forum!  Man, it sounds like you jumped in with both feet.  Nothing like starting off small and working your way up to the big equipment!

[getoverit]

Welcome to the forum two saw !

I came close to buying one of those demo saws too (maybe even the one you bought), and think they would be an excellent machine for what you are doing with it. They can also produce some dimensional lumber on a fast scale business.

It sounds like there is good money in producing ties, and this may be the best thing for your area. Recently in the forum, there has been talk of producing blocking materials for truckers and other construction type companies. There is also the market for hardwood decking materials for construction type trailers.... the list goes on and on.

Depending on what kinds of hardwood you have access to will determine your best bet for sales. If you have time and space to also sticker and dry lumber, it will increase the value and your profits. This can be a slow process, but one that should mean a good money stream if you keep at it.

you might want to check for hardwood wholesalers in your area also to see fi there is room in the market for your wood. Several members on the forum sell this way, and aparently make good money at it.  You may also want to research the possibilty of sawing logs that are too large for a big production mill. They are glad to get the sawing done, and you should be happy with the profits from sawing.

Welcome to the forum !

[sprucebunny]

Welcome to the forum, two saw .

I sure would like to see pictures of your saw.

;D

[brdmkr]

Welcome two saw.  Pics are also welcome ;)

[woodbowl]

Lots of pics.  ;D

[two saw]

Let's see if I can post it here I just put it in my profile.

[DanG]

Welcome to the Forum, Two Saw, and congrats on choosing one of the best portable mills on the market. 8) 8)

It sounds like you have a pretty good deal going for this stage of the game.  You have a market for the ties, and the opportunity to learn from the side lumber you're cutting.  Take advantage of it and learn all you can.  As you develop your sawing technique, you will also begin to recognize other markets for your products.  The mill you have chosen will allow you to watch the log and lumber, instead of thinking about controlling the mill.  Keep your business plan flexible until you see which direction it is taking you.  There may be some surprises down the road, and you don't want to be so focused on a good thing that you miss out on a great thing. ;)  There is lots to learn about this business, but you're way ahead of the curve with the mill you have chosen. 8) 8)

[two saw]

Here is another one of the head saw unit.

[getoverit]

Nice looking mill ya got there ! I really like the log deck too. How do you get logs onto the log deck?

[highpockets]

Welcome Two-Saw.

This is the best place on the net.  You'll never find a better bunch of guys and gals. 

[TN_man]

Welcome two saw 8)
Your log supplier may be getting a pretty good deal. A few clear boards off the side may bring about half of what you could get for the tie, if it is oak logs that you are cutting. If it is gum or some other lesser valued wood than you are the one coming out ahead. I buy oak tie logs for $280/1000bdft. and depending on the size of the log, can get several nice boards off the side, which average around $700/1000bdft. I consider myself to still be learning the different markets, so I was curious as to what the log suppier is doing with the boards off the side?
Enjoy your new saw and I hope you can get to work at home, which is my goal as well.

[DoubleD]

Welcome two saw you are in the right place
Ah we love pictures keep'em coming 8) 8) 8)

[two saw]

TN_MAN I am curious, how many tie logs do you get on an average, I know it depends on the logs size, in 1000bdft.  Do you know a good place to market the side lumber off of these logs. I could use a couple good contacts to sell to. The fellow suppling the logs right now is a friend and he let me set up the mill on his farm and is an ex-sawyer himself. He is helping me with the mill and I am in turn practicing on his logs. He will use the boards on his farm for horse fencing. About the tie logs, I was under the impression that I would be buying them by the log foot rather than the board foot. I am going to contact a local high volume lumber mill about maybe doing some cutting for them. We will have to see what it will pay. I am really looking forward to getting into this good and heavy.
Thanks to all for the warm welcome and keep those suggestion coming.
I will have to use another program for changing the sizes of the pictures. the ones I posted look too grainy or something.
We will see if this one is any better.

[beenthere]

two saw
MUCH better on the pic. And thanks for being persistent to find the way to do it.  I was going to finish catching up on posts and send a PM to encourage you to try, but see you beat me to it.  Seems the key is to size them first to a max of 400 in the widest dimension, and then save them to a file of less than 30 kb. That gets one a pretty good picture to post.  I too, was real frustrated at first, and just kept hitting buttons and trying to determine what was really happening as some pics turned out good, and others didn't. I stumbled on a program connected with my camera (old Epson) that made it real easy and understandable at the same time.

Wish you the best on your sawing venture. There has been discussion on the forum in the past (Ron Wenrich and Arky come to mind if I remember right) who have talked about the tie market and sawing ties as a profit maker.  If I remember right, it takes some close figuring to 'milk' it for a profit. The side lumber you get may be the 'profit' that you want need to make it all work, especially if you are buying logs. Lots of angles to figure, but having fun is the main thing.

About buying logs, possibly you mean buying the logs on log scale (in board feet) rather than 'log foot'.  Have not heard of 'log foot', and wondered if there is something 'new' out there.      Buying logs on the Doyle log scale will be to your benefit, as the Doyle rule underscales logs that are 'small' or under 25" scaling diameter (small end inside bark).

[Don K]

Welcome to the Forum two saw   

[Snag]

Welcome to the forum two saw....  hope you find it as helpful as the rest of us newbies....

[sawguyver]

Nice saw and nice hearing from you.

interesting thread also.
sorry, but no advise

[red]

hi two saw

everything looks and sounds great

except maybe you should paint the saw orange ?

just a thought

[Norwiscutter]

Nice mill choice. Welcome to the Forum

[jpgreen]

THat mill looks like it means business..

[ScottAR]

Welcome...  I'm Green with envy...   Good lookin' mill!

[TN_man]

Two-saw,
The best way to make money selling ties that I have found is to buy #2 logs that are in the
12-15" range. This will give you 2 clear sides to cut nice boards off of the side. I have my logs cut to 9ft. to be able to get the extra footage out of the boards and then trim the tie down to the 8'8" length needed for the ties.
I have been selling to flooring companies around here. You will need to check their prices, because they all do not pay the same price. I travel an extra hour farther one way to sell to a company that is paying .25 better for the best boards. I think the other company takes the FAS stuff and resells them where as the other companies uses them, thus the reason they knock a quarter off the buying price.
I get alot of the boards off the side to be FAS because I set the log up to open up the clear face first and keep cutting until I get to a lower grade and then flip it.
My WM mill is all manual so I can not cut as fast as others, but I can do several logs into ties and boards per hour. That can come out to about 50 to 60$/hr. depending on how much you paid for the log. I also work the mill myself or with my son, so I am not having to spilt that money outside the family. It works for me, but I have not gotten to where I can quite my regular job yet, because I have not found a steady supply of logs. When the los are there, I make good money (for me anyway), but when they are not there I either log some off my property or I look for some custom jobs.
Good luck and keep us informed,
Jeff

[dail_h]

   It's still all shiney ,and clean,but he's done hit a dog already. Way to go Two Saw. oh yeah ,welcume

[Shamus]

Hey TwoSaw,
     glad to see another D&L man on the forum. I have put about 500 hours on mine so far, and am still learning how to cut faster. But it comes with time, naturally. Shoot, you can't help but get better as you go, you can't really force it, you just gotta keep cutting until it is second nature, and your log breakdown decisions are automatic.
     You will need a system for dealing with the mountain of sawdust you will produce, especially directly under the mill. For now I am using tarps under the mill that I pull out before they get too heavy. I plan on building some skids that I can pull out with the bulldozer (any day now, really). A roller table behind the operater (you) will help a lot with offloading, sorting and stacking.
     If you are looking to gain speed right now, and aren't paying for your logs, don't waste too much time trying to sneak every single board foot you can out of the outside of the log (although it is good practice), slab a lttle heavier and focus on those ties. Heck, if you are milling you are also in the firewood business, another good income source.
     Another thing to do is make sure your teeth are plenty sharp, its easy to lose production with dull teeth, and you might not notice the difference at first. Another thing to try (although Lindsay will shake his head at this one) might be to turn up your rpms just a little (eg from 2400 to 2600). It made a noticeable difference for me. I can mill around 1,500 board feet now on a good day working solo, and I have a smaller model D&L than yours, with no live feed or hydraulic dogs. When I started, I was lucky to average 900 bd ft. I do like that there mill plenty...
     Don't get discouraged, and keep wrangling that learning curve with grit and gumption, and you'll be jes fine.