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Working with Dad

Started by WoodMiller, January 11, 2009, 11:08:52 PM

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WoodMiller

Read Ely's post today about his Dad and the wood stove glass, as well as a couple of other posts in the same thread that talked about working with your Dad or other relatives.

We run a WoodMizer LT40 Super, and my normal tailman is my 78 year old Dad.  Now, before you start on me about who's  sawing and who's tailing, I can't get him to run the mill on any consistent basis.  He's worried that he'll mess up the mill or the lumber or both, so he normally offbears for me.  I try and keep the slabs thin and will give him a hand with the bigger stuff, but he seems determined to keep up with the youngster and gets mad if I schedule a job without him.

Over the years I've had many customers comment on how they wish they could still work with their Dad, and how nice it must be for me, and overall it is.  But there can be days...........  Let's just say that we don't always see eye to eye about what's safe when working with high weight logs, lumber piles, slab stacks, moving blades versus stationary blades, etc.  More than once I've been told "I ain't stupid - I'm not going to get my fingers too close.... " as I catch him reaching in front of the blade to pull bark off the band as it's cutting. I've pointed out that I didn't think there were too many digitally challenged people that got that way because they wanted to see what it was like....  But he hasn't quit on me yet and I haven't fired him lately so I guess I'll just have to keep nagging...

When Dad's not available, my wife helps out, but same deal - can't get her to run the mill.  But she'll out-tail most of our customer's all day long. (Allright - you know what I mean ;) )  'Course the safety shoe is on the other foot then, because she yells at me for 'brushing against her'  with that 900 pound saw carriage as it gigs back..... (Honest - the bruises are  really pretty small and are usually gone in a few days)

So - who do you guys use for tailmen/women?  How's it working out?  Do you pay them a wage?  Dad works cheaper than the wife, 'cause he's good for a 6-pack at the end of the day, while the wife expects at least dinner....

WoodMiller
WoodMizer LT40 Superhydraulic LT40HDD51

WH_Conley

The wife is really cheaper than you think. Once you said '"I do" yer gonna have to feed her anyhow, might as well get some slabs pulled anyhow. :D
Bill

ErikC

 Dad tails for me all the time, he doesn't much want to run the mill either. I think he likes to see the lumber. He worked in big mills all the time I was growing up and still is a lumber fanatic. He says pay me on good jobs, but I usually do anyway. He has worked a lot for no money though. I guess he gets a little back when I do some of his logs.
  If Sarah comes she runs the mill and I do the lifting.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Mr Mom

There is only three people that help me and they are....me,myself and i.
Nobody wants to help me just gives me way how they would do it.
I like when i get to do things with my dad.

Thanks Alot Mr Mom

ely

dad will tail every slab and board from my mill. if its extra heavy or if he is feeling poorly he will ask me to help. otherwise any on lookers have to work double time to beat him out of much. when he is cutting on his mill, i have to work double time to even touch a slab or lumber, and when i do, it mostly seems i am in the way while "helping" him.

we are very fortunate with his health, he was born in 41 and in better shape than me. hard to keep up with.
always my first choice in working partners.

thecfarm

Enjoy it.I miss doing it.My Father never got to see my mill.We would go look at them but that was about it.He would of really enjoyed it.We did work in the woods together.He got to do all the fun stuff,like drive the tractor.  ;D  But he could do alot of work, right up until his death. Not a day goes by that I don't think of some of the things we use to do.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Dave Shepard

It seems that whenever I have someone to tail for me they quickly develop an attention span problem and find other things to do. :-\ It's only work, and it won't bite. ;) Well, it usually doesn't. ::)
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

cilley

I am a very lucky person when it comes to working with dad........it started when i was six years old.......helping him with a house my parents bought........there are way to many stories to tell about "this old house"...........i have been a builder - contractor for 30 years.........and he has worked with me from time to time........i finally bought a mill last spring.......after years of saying it would be nice to have one.........i cant keep him away from it !!!!!!!!............. i wish i had done this years ago if i had only known how much quality time we would have together........from all of us that enjoy working with DAD.......thankyou DAD..........p.s. my dad will be 93 in April !!!!!

blaze83

great thread

I left seattle to come back to Ohio to be with my dad...we got an LT28 august of 07 and have sawed enough lumber to build a shop and we have a few hundred board feet of cherry oak hickory maple ash and walnut drying for when the shop is done...he is the one that taught me how to fall and and instilled in me a love for the outdoors...I'm glad i came back when i did because his health is fading...looks like possible back surgory.... this summer i'm looking forward to some fishing time 8) with him and my cousin tom

god bless all the dads,

Steve
I'm always amazed that no matter how bad i screw up Jesus still loves me

okmulch

Its me and my wife in the field. We are not sawing but driving skidsteers moving trees and feeding the grinder. I can not get her to feed the grinder at all. She would rather move trees because she is afraid of breaking the money maker. However she can break loaders just as easy as a grinder. :D
She had no idea and had never run loaders before but after four years she is as good as anyone.
My dad (cedarman) likes to come out and cut down cedar trees for me and he's not afraid of breaking anything. Just two weeks ago over christmas he and my brother were out and my brother broke an axle on one loader and my dad broke a cylinder on the tree cutting loader. As of right now I have three loaders in the shop. The thread on how to move a loader shows two of them going to the shop.
All in all they are helpful, at least I can make my brother fix what he breaks, as for cedarman thats another story. :D :D
Rotochopper b66 track, #2 Rotochopper b66 track, woodmizer lt40, CAT 277b, CAT 268b, CAT 287c, CAT 277c, CAT299d2, CAT299d3, CAT 299d3, Volvo 70e,volvo70f, volvo90f

WoodMiller

Went to the shop yesterday to find Dad taking the control valve assembly off of his MF tractor loader.  There was hydraulic fluid everywhere - on the tractor, all down the front of him, and he was inventing new words.  Seems he forgot to dump the pressure from the control valves after shutting down the tractor and it hit him right in the face.  Told him there was a reason his eyesight requires him to wear glasses, since they stopped it from getting in his eyes.  He told me that since I was so smart, I could hook it back up after the overhaul, since he also forgot to label the hoses. ;D

He knows he's got me over a barrel since we need the tractor next week for an on-site sawing job... :)

Hope I can keep him working for a long time to come.
WoodMizer LT40 Superhydraulic LT40HDD51

Dodgy Loner

My dad just bought an LT 15 in October, so we've had lots of quality time at the sawmill since then.  We've been milling lots of pine for our sawmill shed, and he's the one running the mill, but I'm the one with the tape measure at the other end of the log deciding how deep to cut and when to turn the logs.  With a manual mill the tailman ends up doing a lot more than just tailing - I also wield the cant hook and clamp the logs.  We've got it worked out so we're pretty efficient.

When we're sawing hardwood lumber, tensions can run a little higher.  Dad still runs the saw, but since I'm the one who'll be using the lumber, I want it sawn my way.  I always get on to him about cutting the slabs too thick ;D, but it's still fun.  I'm sure I'm making memories that will last a lifetime at that sawmill :).
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WoodMiller

We bought our first WM mill in 1994,  got the LT40 with full hydraulics.  Dad's comment was that we could load and turn the logs by hand and really didn't need to spend the extra money.  Well, after a full day sawing, he remarked that he sure was glad we decided to get the hydraulics on the mill.   ;) You tend to forget that even if the mill loads and turns hydraulically, the tailman still has to lift nearly all of the log off the mill, just one one piece at a time......  At least loading and turning on the LT15 is done close to the ground, so you almost have to use your legs to lift and move.
WoodMizer LT40 Superhydraulic LT40HDD51

Dodgy Loner

Our pace tends to be pretty leisurely, since we're not sawing for profit.  I wouldn't want to try to make a living without those hydraulics, though.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

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