Winter sawing tips

Geoff · November 13, 2002, 06:27:39 PM

Ahh the cold weather is upon us. We're just now dipping below freezing, and it's gonna stay that way until the maple syrup evaporator starts in late February.

I thought it would be a great idea for everyone north of the mason-dixon to share ideas on how to keep things running smooth. In order to keep the rest of us from being jealous, those of you who run inside aren't allowed to brag... :D :D :D

To get things rolling, substituting water for a windshield washer fluid mix.

Geoff

Jeff · November 14, 2002, 02:21:15 AM

Unplug the A.C. in my sawbooth and plug in the heater. :D

ARKANSAWYER · November 14, 2002, 04:53:49 AM

Got the burn barrel out and found some matches. It is suppose to snow here Friday night. Snow in Nov is just about unheard of here. I guess we could all pack up and head to Fla and saw up sinkers all winter.
ARKANSAWYER

Brian_Bailey · November 14, 2002, 05:48:51 AM

I cheat, can't stand sawing logs when it's below freezing. I put the mill to bed for the winter and go inside where its warm an build furniture. Besides, it's the only way I can get rid of the lower grades of lumber that don't sell. It amazes me, on how a nasty looking board won't sell whole, but cut it up an make something nice out of it and wham someone is throwing money at ya for many times over what the board was worth. Now that 's what I call adding value.

Geoff, I know this isn't what you were looking for in your org. post, but that's how I keep my operation running smooth.

Noble_Ma · November 14, 2002, 06:05:50 AM

Sawdust freezing all over the mill is a problem that I haven't found a good solution for. Anyone have any fixes?

chet · November 14, 2002, 08:14:27 PM

LongJohns, Sorels, & lots of hot coffee :D

Vermonter · November 15, 2002, 05:09:31 AM

A light coat of Fluid Film makes my mill shed the sawdust buildup. Although this stuff is over $1 an ounce, it is the best stuff going. I bought my first can from a gun dealer a few years ago, I just bought my second from Gemplers.com last week. They changed the sprayer, and now sell 5 gallon refills. This should keep me going for years. It's lanolin based, and the film even works on my swing blades, which are bare metal. The new stuff doesn't smell as bad either. I used the stuff originally for my hand planes etc when I was in construction, the road salt spray finds it's way into toolboxes, rusting anything in it's path.
Gemplers is also my best source for outdoor clothing, a full line of Carhartt, and new gray atlas winter gloves. Dream gloves, for someone who hates gloves.

woodman · November 16, 2002, 07:42:47 PM

Put the cover on and spring will be here before you know it :D

ARKANSAWYER · November 17, 2002, 05:40:58 AM

While I was in Memphis this weekend I went by a guys mill and he had a battery heating pad under his water tank to keep his water warm. He plugs it in at night and it keeps his water jug warm. I had them when I was up in Alaska on the trucks. One under your battery would help starting on frosty mornings.
ARKANSAWYER

Geoff · November 17, 2002, 12:57:02 PM

Good tips. We've been exchanging water tanks from inside at lunch. It seems that with the right set and frozen logs, the saw keeps cool with very little water. I like the battery warmer idea.

You've got to watch your guides in the morning that they free wheel and aren't frozen from the night before.

We do a lot of hard maple and the best time to saw without worry of stain is the winter.

I can plug in the forklift at night, but I saw a real neat thing that a logger did. He put hydraulic disconnects on the rad hose of his skidder, and then one on the truck. In the mornings, he would use the truck coolant to warm up the skidder. A bit safer than the fire under the oil pan.... :D :D

As for us keeping warm, good ole' fashioned hardwork does the trick better than anything.

We keep the packs tarped to prevent the snow from accumulating between the stickered rows (or on top of the dead stack), so that the grader doesn't give me grief when he has to use a crowbar to separate the boards.

I got the carb icing thing solved. It's now about 10 deg. F, so it's colder than that point when it hovers around freezing when the problem occurs. Also had to put a new spark module on the engine. Gotta love em'

Geoff

Fla._Deadheader · November 17, 2002, 03:46:03 PM

DanG guys. I left the cold a long time ago. Went diving this past week. Got headaches from the sinuses freezin up. Water temp was 60 degrees, ON TOP. Didn't want to read the bottom, in 35 foot deep holes. Wouldn't get back in again !!
Arkansawyer, them sinkers won't be froze when ya pull in here. :D :D

Would that spray stuff be any kind of substitute for water? I been thinkin that water will flush out the grease in the guide bearings and cause a melt down. Guy here that cuts sinkers uses diesel. Place smells BAD. EPA will put him in jail if they ever find him !! Harold

ARKANSAWYER · November 17, 2002, 06:31:53 PM

Harold,
I run lots of water and have not had a bearing go bad yet. I give one spirt of grease in the morning and one after lunch. Go through about 4 gallons of water a day.
ARKANSAWYER

Noble_Ma · November 21, 2002, 05:46:14 AM

What do you guys do to the engines on your mills before putting them away for the winter? I've done all the usual maintenance. Do you run the engine out of gas? I usually fill the tank and add stabilizer for the lawnmower and snow blower. I was going to do the same to the mill.

Brian_Bailey · November 21, 2002, 06:13:48 AM

I change the oil & filter in the engine. Make sure everything that I don't want to rust has a lite coat of oil on it. I don't saw logs in the winter but I do use the mill as a straightline rip occassionally. Make sure that the mice can't get into your control box or anything else!

Noble_Ma · November 21, 2002, 07:05:54 PM

I've had my run ins with field mice Brian. They got into the heater of my old truck and built their nest. It was a truck that I didn't use that often. Boy did I get a surprise the first time I turned the defroster on. What an awful smelll!!!

ohsoloco · November 21, 2002, 07:24:17 PM

Unfortunately, it's also the time of year for the mice to come inside. What a sound when you're trying to go to sleep and hear the pitter-patter of four little feet scampering across a drop ceiling >:( There'll be a nice piece of bacon tied to a mouse trap tonight ;)

Oh yeah, as far as winter sawing (to stay on the subject), I'd rather saw in the snow than the rain (since my mill isn't under cover yet)

Frank_Pender · November 21, 2002, 07:35:52 PM

You have good taste, Ohsoloco. I love sawing in the snow also. One of the best highs I have ever had was dropping timber in the snow. What a blast. 8) What was even mor exciting was dropping a 36" Douglas Fir one winter when we had about 2' plus and it was in the dark. I had just gotten a spluntkers light for a Christmas gift from my sons. I just had to try it out. Now, that was a thrill I will never forget, falling snow covered timber in the dark with a lite on your helmet. 8) 8) 8) 8)

OneWithWood · November 22, 2002, 10:39:45 AM

Andrew mentioned gray atlas gloves and got me thinking of a question I was going to post but haven't gotten around to doing so.
What types of gloves do you all prefer? I am so tired of the various one-size-fits-nobody stuff I find in most of the local stores. I wear gloves year round when working in the woods but just so I can keep to the subject line I will ask only about winter gloves

Minnesota_boy · November 22, 2002, 12:47:22 PM

I use a bandsaw and turn the water off in the winter. In fact, I've turned the water off all season unless the wood has really stick sap. I'll saw down to slightly below zero, when the hydraulic gets stiff and slow, or until the wind chill gets to me. I wear whatever clothes I need to keep warm and work as fast as I can and still give clean cuts. All cutting has to be slower when the wood is frozen. Watch your step in the snow or snow/sawdust mix as it gets slick at times. Spread a fresh coat of sawdust where you walk before you start each day (or as soon as you have sawdust to do that with) to take care of the slick spots. I wear leather palm gloves year arround and work to keep warm.

CHARLIE · November 22, 2002, 11:01:24 PM

Welcome to the forum Minnesota Boy! What part of Minnesota?

Minnesota_boy · November 23, 2002, 04:18:49 AM

Thanks for the welcome, Charlie. I live in north central Minnesota, near Bemidji.

Brian_Bailey · November 23, 2002, 06:38:15 AM

I opened the control box to my LT-40 so I could grease the contacts and lo & behold there was a mouse nest amoungst the wires

. Luckily I caught them before they started to strip the insulation off. The little buggers were going up the tube that connects the control box to the mast. I had to call Woodmizer for some parts and mentioned the mice to the service rep. He said, Ya, we tell everyone to pack steelwool into the tube hole to keep them out. I said well no one ever told me that!

Minnesota_boy · November 23, 2002, 06:59:07 AM

Thanks for the tip about the steel wool. I haven't seen mouse problems yet, but who knows.

Geoff · November 23, 2002, 07:25:11 AM

We're now into temps consistently below freezing during the day. One of the best things I did was get a neighbour kid to come down for an hour or so in the evening and clean the mill down. He makes it sparkle each night and that keeps the sawdust from accumulating and subsequently freezing in places that it shouldn't.

Good sharpening and setting means good sawing of the frozen logs. Like some of you in previous posts, I LOVE THE COLD. My theory is that you can always do something to get warm (first thing - work harder), but when it's hot, there's just nothing you can do about it. You can put on insulated coveralls etc. in the winter, but in the summer, once you're down to the shorts, there's only so much more you can do before you run the risk of getting arrested for indecent exposure!!!

I just went out and picked up a set of tire chains for the Int'l forklift, and sure enough they fit perfectly around the tire. The only problem is that they wouldn't CLEAR THE FENDERS....so now it's off with the tires, and a bit of torch work on the support struts to make some clearance. It's never easy is it?

Another tip is to go to your friendly neighbourhood lumber yard and take their old lumber wraps that the 2x's come in. I put them over everything once it's sawn, so that when it's time to stack down, or grade, we don't need a crowbar and sledgehammer to separate the boards. The tarps are free and even if they get ruined, they do enough to keep the snow from melting onto the boards, and turning to ice.

Geoff

ADfields · November 24, 2002, 03:30:27 AM

Geoff I'm with you! I lived all my life in Arizona till I moved to Alaska in 2000, dont like it over 65 outside now. I tell them people down ther "I can rub 2 sticks and bild a fire when it's cold! What are you gona bild to cool you off with when it's 115, AC??" :D Thay say go swiming and cool off but all that did for me was make me wet and hot! Air was 117 and waters 102 and thay called the water cool :

Bath water >:(
Andy