iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Oldest mill worker you know...

Started by Banjo picker, June 12, 2009, 09:38:24 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Banjo picker

The mill where I take my cants mainly makes pallets now, but the old gentleman that has unloaded me the last several times i have delivered there is 91 years old.  His name is Mister Seay.  We pronounce it just C here.  But he always is smilling and talking.  He has me trained to put him some dunnage on top of the bundles as he unloads them so he don't have to get off the lift to do it. :D ;)  ... Then he'll be ready to set another bundle on top of it.  He said these young fellers don't want to work.   I guess he could put a lot of folks in the young feller cat.   8)  Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

Dave Shepard

I don't know of any really advanced mill workers, but you reminded me of a man that worked at my local Dodge dealer. I was talking to my diesel tech, and the phone rang, and Al, who was long retired, but came to work every day, ran across four car lifts to get to the phone before the secretary. My diesel guy said "92, and still running for the phone." The owners mother brought the mail to the store every day until she was something like 96. Sometimes it's work, sometimes it's just what you do.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

Chuck White

The oldest one I know (sawmill worker that is) is my Father-in-Law.

He still runs the LT40G18 that he bought new in 1992.

He told me once "I'm not fast"!
I replied no, but you're not slow either!
He said "well then I guess I'm half-fast!
To that reply, we both laughed and then had a beer break! ;D

He's the one that got me into the Wood-Mizer world!

He turned 72 this past November, what a great guy!


Chuck
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Ron Wenrich

I interviewed for a job back in the mid '70s at a mill where the owner had died.  He was 95 and still running a handset mill.  The sons wanted to keep it going and they owned a coal company.  They're now one of the bigger mills in the area.  Boy, did I blow that one.

I've run into a lot of old codgers in the business.  The original owner of my current clients got killed in a car wreck at the age of 73.  He was still active in the business, and could have gone another 10 years. 

Our current cutter is 70 years old.  He's cutting timber, which I consider a young man's job.  I don't get to see him too often, but the other day he was in at the mill.  He has an impressive set of arms. 

Now that I think of it, we only have one guy under the age of 40 in our operations.  Most are in their late 40s to early 50s. 

On a side note, my wife used to marvel at one of the patients that came to her doctor's office.  She was 95 and ran a local telephone company and wore spike heels.  She died in her sleep.  We should be so lucky (dying in our sleep, not wearing the spike heels  :D). 
Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Brian_Rhoad

My dad turned 85 this past April. He still cuts trees and skids them. He bought an old Frick 00 mill last summer. He wants to run a circle mill "one more time". He's not as fast as he used to be, but he still keeps going. He went through some major surgery 3 years ago. The first doctor didn't want to operate because he was "to old" and probably wouldn't make it. They took out his whole large intestine and gave him over 150 units of blood. 9 months later he shot the biggest buck he ever got.

Brucer

My friend, John, has a really interesting home-built circle mill, but it's only good for 6x8's max. He called me last January, said he had a contract to saw 900 LF of 6x6 D-Fir for a local municipality, to be delivered in June. Could I come out this spring and saw the logs for him, at my usual fee? He fell off his roof shoveling snow and broke his back and his leg, and cracked his pelvis. He said he'd be able to run his tractor to supply the logs to me, but couldn't do much lifting as he was in a body cast. John is 76.

Barb and I drove out to his place (up a mountain and down the other side) on Easter weekend to check out his situation. He looked a little sheepish when we showed up. He said he'd decided to buy a Wood-Mizer, LT40 hydraulic, so he was going to be able to do the work himself.

DanG! Now I've got a real competitor.  ;D
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

backwoods sawyer

Just a couple of years ago my neighbor spent the summer taking out a stand of Oak, he split all the firewood by hand (close to 100 cord), cleared the land and replanted it with Doug- fir. He would show up at 8:00 am sharp and quit at Noon, six days a week. My boys and I offered to help him but he declined saying that he needed something to get him out of bed in the mornings otherwise that is where he would stay.  He is an old logger – sawyer from back in the day. He will be 99 next month. We still kept a close eye on him, as he was a bit wobbly when running the saw. The kids took over a cup of coffee to him every day at 10:00 and sat with him while he took his break and would come running back to tell the story of the day. In his mid 90's he would do more in a half a day, then a lot of younger men would. He has since slowed down but is still active in the community when his health allows.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

kelLOGg

There's Mr Booth in my area. He's 93 and still fells trees. Ran circle mill all his life and still buys and sells (mostly buys) land . Stopped running his mill only 2 yrs ago. Just brought me 4 pine logs from a tree he cut on land he just bought. Left them on his logging truck at my place and said "any time this month will be fine". One log is a challenge to handle - its 28 diameter x 19 ft long.
A month ago he slipped and hit his bull dozer ("which didn't move and inch" ). That put him on a walker for a week but has since recovered. His work ethic is an inspiration.
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

fishpharmer

How old are you Banjo Picker? :D ;D

Just kiddin......I don't know any real old mill workers.


Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
Lucas 618 with 50" slabber
WoodmizerLT-40 Super Hydraulic
Deere 5065E mfwd w/553 loader

The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls looking like hard work. --Tom A. Edison

ErikC

  A few weeks ago a man I knew well died. He packed mules with me for 2 months strait last year, and fell snags as a contract on fires the year before. That is one of the hardest jobs there is, and he was doing well at it even though he was 75. All of his life he was a logger of one sort or another. When a guy has worked that hard for so long he just doesn't feel right any other way I guess.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

Banjo picker

Quote from: fishpharmer on June 13, 2009, 06:33:32 AM
How old are you Banjo Picker? :D ;D

Just kiddin......I don't know any real old mill workers.




I am just a baby at 53.    ;) ;D  Tim
Never explain, your friends don't need it, and your enemies won't believe you any way.

Chico

The oldest I know is 82 still got pep in his step gets around better than I do He's outlived two wives and plans on making it three He's a lumber grader and can walk a chain all day long and put some of the youngins as he says to shame says it gives them something to shoot for ;D
Chico
My Daughter My sailor MY HERO God Bless all the men and Women fighting for us today If you see one stop and thank them

Thank You Sponsors!