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Started by bryanclover, July 19, 2009, 07:05:43 PM

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bryanclover

Hi All,

  After going the the 2009 Sawlex in West Virgina my uncle and I decided to go into the sawmill buisness. We got a used basket case of a Lucas Mill put back together and cut our first logs on Wensday. Since neither one of us have any experience at running a mill I would like to know of some good books. Both of us are experienced with machines of all types and my uncle was a millwright. I must say that we are having a blast riding the learning curve :).   
  Since I will be the primary sawyer I need to learn more about deciding what sizes of lumber to pull out of the logs and would like to know more about sawing for grade . I have looked around the net for books about sawyering ,if that is the correct term, but havent been sucessful.
  For now we are learning on about 40 smallish trees and making barn lumber.

Thanks for your help


LeeB

You just stumbled on to the best book available, full of helpful insights. The folks here are always ready to help out or point you to where the help is. Ask away and you will recieve. Use the search function and type in swinger and get ready for a long read. Try the other boards here too. They all contain volumes of info and jsut plain talk from good folks. Welcome to the forum.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

fishpharmer

Welcome bryanclover, you know I was at Sawlex and don't remember seeing you :D ;D
I am curious if you learned about forestry forum from the Sawlex booth or just found it online?  I am sorta new here myself, but its full of awesome folks that know their stuff.

LeeB is absolutely correct...........

Quote from: LeeB on July 19, 2009, 07:12:28 PM
You just stumbled on to the best book available, full of helpful insights. The folks here are always ready to help out or point you to where the help is. Ask away and you will recieve. Use the search function and type in swinger and get ready for a long read. Try the other boards here too. They all contain volumes of info and jsut plain talk from good folks. Welcome to the forum.
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

mcfcfan

Welcome bryanclover, if you really want books as well as using this excelleny source for knowledge try giving Mark Duginske a call, he is the Peterson Rep for WI.
Mark has written all sorts of books on timbers, different types of milling and is well known in his field.Mark was also at Sawlex along with many of the other Peterson Reps
His contact details are listed on the Peterson website under contacts / Reps.
Enjoy your milling :D :D :D
Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."

SamB

bryanclover,
Welcome to the forum and has been stated, there's a lot of information on this web site :P and you can ask questions. ;D Here are a couple more sites you might find useful;
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/products/publications/several_pubs.php?grouping_id=100&header_id=p

http://na.fs.fed.us/pubs/misc/flg/

Also a good magazine to subscribe to;
http://www.sawmillmag.com/

brdmkr

Hey Bryan.  Several folks here run Lucas mills (I'm one).  It sounds like you have been bitten by the sawmilling bug.  It is addictive.  This is the best place to go when looking for sawmilling advice.  It might be good to visit some other mills to see how they do things as well.  There is much to learn about just running the mill, but there is a whole heap more to learn about material handling, maintenance, setting up for effeciency, etc.  so visiting others to see how they do things can be really helpful.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

Don K

Hey bryan, Welcome to sawmilling and the Forum. I run a bandmill so I can't help much in the sawing dept. The logs themselves will be the best teacher. There is a ton of info on here about reading wood such as off center heart, tension caused by growth habits, much more that I can't name. Don't know the best way to tell you how to find it, sorry I am as clear as mud. ::) Try to find someone close to you that you can visit and watch them and you will learn alot. Don't give up or get frustrated. If you have a digital camera and learn to post pics, you can put a pic on here for us to see and ask a question and the answers more than likely will flood you. Peterson has some excellent videos I believe on their site that shows a few logs being sawed. Pick them apart if you can find them, they might be good visual aids.

Good luck,

Don
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
Massey Ferguson 1547 FWD with FEL  06 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 Dozer Retriever Husky 359 20\" Bar  Man, life is getting good!

Meadows Miller

Gday

Welcome to the forum Brian Like the Boys have said you have come to the rite place Mate  ;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

Becoming a Sawyer is a long and fun but at times hard road to go down  but its well worth it Mate ;)  ;D  ;D  8) I only had one handbook that i had to read that dad gave me when i was about 5 or 6 which beacame my bible  still got it now about 300 odd pages ;) Timber Production In Australia which as well read more than afew times  before i got my hands on a mill at about 13 ;) :D Most of it comes from expireance and having a Dad, Gandfather & Two Uncles showing, guiding and telling you how things are done from the time i could walk n talk  ;) ;D 8)

Anyway what mod lucas have you got what year also ???

and some tricks on small/smallish logs under 12"dia

Chock the log firmly I use 8 1/2 x 7s x 6' and i then use 4x 1 &1/4 blocks 12" long that get nailed to the the bed timbers drive the nails down hard below the surface to avoid that hribal noise of metal hitting metal  :o :( >:( I genraly dont have to shift them on every log just every now and then to allow for a log thats alittle smaller  ;) i also have them sett so that the bottom of the log is up of the main bearer  ;)

when setting your first cut set the saw at the stat hight you want to cut at them measure with a tape of the bearer the roll the carriage back then sett your hight of the front to roughly the same hight or higher on the big end  ;)

When boarding off in tha main cant leave the saw veirtical once you have taken enough off leaving about 8" or 7 1inch cuts (on an 8" mill ) remaining in the cant and just do a series of vertical cuts moving the guage sideways the reqired thickness once you get to the outside of the log flip the saw horzontal then sever the lot in one pass this keeps most of the weight in the log and it wont be as liable to tip/rool as weight is taken off in one hit not bit by bit if you where to take them of one at a time its also alittle quiker  ;) ;D

You can also slipp one end of the frame to alllow for taper  side ways ;) the light one  ;) :D :D i sett my mill on a4 short peices of 6x1 so it slipps easer and  and remember to rlease the stay then re tighten it you dont want the mill creeping sideways at the end while you saw ;)

Happy Sawing and keep us posted Mate


Reguards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

bryanclover

Thanks for all the welcomes

The mill is a 827 that was modified for hydrulic screw drive, for the vertical movement.  When we rebuilt it we opted for electric. When we where looking for a DC motor I remembered I had an old trolling motor in the basement. So I made an adaptor for trolling motor shaft to accept a 2" sprocket. The trolling motor worked perfectly 8).  Once the parts get in, we will be putting on a pendent box , like what a overhead crane uses, for push button vertical adjustment. Also we are working out a a big digital readout of the inches travled, so to save time not having to go over to the little slide gauge.
We rebuilt the tranny, and had to weld up alot of new parts. The motor had already been swaped out to a 27 HP Kawasaki.
As far as the year I am not sure. I was out of town when my uncle went to Ohio to pickup the saw.
I do a little aluminum sand casting on the side, and was thinking of casting up some of the Lucas log dogs. Has anyone used these? And if so, do you have complaints or praises.
I read some where about the hopping when taking deep vertical cuts on the Lucas. I experienced this yesterday. How do I go about stopping this?
         

ErikC

  Welcome to the forum. :) I have a peterson, so I guess we're sorta like cousins. On the peterson, hopping is mostly caused by feeding to fast, especially in hard or knotty wood,  or a lack of support under the center of the rails. I believe lucas makes a leg for this you can swing out of the way when needed.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

woodmills1

the best size of lumber to cut is the ones you have already sold or already have a need


get some practice logs of all kinds and sizes, learn the mill then get some orders or some cut lists for your self
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

metalspinner

I know where Maryville is!  Welcome aboard. :)

Sounds like you're well underway to having a great sawmill.  Would like to see some pics of your trolling motor screw drive. 8)
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

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