A new guy - introduction

SandpointSawmill · February 04, 2011, 01:24:44 AM

I have benefitted from reading the boards for quite a few months, and I have finally decided to register. My brother and I own a 2007 Wood-Mizer LT40 hydraulic with the 28 horse gas engine and a 2010 Wood-Mizer LT15 with the 15 horse gas engine.

We have been sawing lumber for several years for our own homes and personal projects and have done several projects for customers - mainly bringing logs to our own places for sawing or sawing our own logs and selling leftovers from jobs. This year, we have decided to begin advertising and run the portable sawmill at customer sites. I created a website for our business, www.SandpointSawmill.com. I will refine it over time and personalize it.

We are in the panhandle of North Idaho, about 60 miles south of the Canadian border and mainly mill birch as our only hardwood. Lots of Doug Fir, Grand Fir, Larch, Aspen and many different varieties of pine.

Historically, we have both done some timberframing, and I have a general contractor license and do pretty much everything in residential construction.

Nice to finally register and introduce myself.

redbeard · February 04, 2011, 02:07:18 AM

Welcome Sandpoint sounds like you guys have been busy, What do you guys sell your Birch for? I like using the Gran fir for structure projects.

SandpointSawmill · February 04, 2011, 02:35:42 AM

Thanks redbeard.

We use the birch mainly for flooring. We have also used it for cabinets and stair railing. To dry it requires cinching it with straps and retightening the straps occasionally. It also greatly benefits from resawing - back on the Wood-Mizer. Doing this yields perfect flooring - very pretty.

I have some pictures of the birch as flooring. We produced the cabinets in the picture from Aspen, dried and resawn, and the stair railing in the background is also birch. Actually, every piece of wood you see in these pictures we produced on our sawmills. The ceiling and walls are all kinds of pine varieties as well as Western Larch.

I, too, love Grand Fir for structural beams and posts. very stable.

Chuck White · February 04, 2011, 05:26:57 AM

Welcome to the Forestry Forum Sandpoint!

Sounds like you guys have a good setup!

Nice looking wood-work!

bandmiller2 · February 04, 2011, 05:58:52 AM

Welcome Scott, do you guys sharpen and set your bands or ship-em out?Some fine looking woodwork.Frank C.

fishpharmer · February 04, 2011, 06:32:15 AM

Glad to have you Scott, welcome. Impressive woodworking. Nice website too.

jdtuttle · February 04, 2011, 06:41:04 AM

Welcome Sandpointsawmill. I have a friend that lives at Bonners Ferry, Wayne Ronek. I'm coming out this fall for an elk hunt.
You have a nice set-up & great skills.
jim

terrifictimbersllc · February 04, 2011, 06:51:02 AM

Welcome Sandpoint, what beautiful country you have, i'm jealous. Nice web site and woodworking.

Burlkraft · February 04, 2011, 06:57:12 AM

Welcome Scott

Nice lookin' work there ;D

pnyberg · February 04, 2011, 07:25:41 AM

Welcome Scott. Did we talk on the phone?

I like your website. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I'm curious about the strategy of having both the LT40 and LT15. Is the smaller mill used to mill longer logs?

--Peter

Magicman · February 04, 2011, 07:36:39 AM

Welcome Scott. It sounds like the Forestry Forum scored when you decided to join. Your experiences and talents will be interesting to share. I enjoyed looking at your pictures.

Bibbyman · February 04, 2011, 08:30:40 AM

Welcome to the Forum! 8)

Looks like you've got a lot to bring to the table. ;)

oldaxman · February 04, 2011, 08:43:10 AM

Nice website.I live nextdoor to you in Chewelah and plan on doing sort of the same thing after I finish my own projects. I'll show my wife your site as a good example for her project. We won't compete, the Flowery Trail pass will be a good dividing line. :D I destroyed a set of brakes going over that once pulling my tractor with my sawmill in the pickup, lesson learned. Actually I am in Sandpoint right now remodeling a house we have had as a rental many years hoping to sell it in this market. Wish me luck huh. :-\ I wish you well in your business, these are tough times.

ely · February 04, 2011, 09:43:28 AM

welcome to the FF, very good looking work in the pics.

Wintergreen Mountain · February 04, 2011, 10:28:43 AM

Welcome to the FF.

The kitchen looks so Nice, I wouldn't think of useing it, For Fear Of Soilling It.

Leon.

Bill Gaiche · February 04, 2011, 10:44:21 AM

SandpointSawmill, welcome. Great photos. That wood really makes a statement.It also makes a home feel cozy and warm. bg

Don K · February 04, 2011, 11:11:02 AM

Welcome to the forum, sandpoint. Beautiful woodworking.

Don

gizmodust · February 04, 2011, 11:27:18 AM

Welcome to the forum, Sandpoint. Sounds like you've got a lot to share. We're the lucky ones. Great looking work. Look to hear more of your experiences. (And more pics

;D)

SandpointSawmill · February 04, 2011, 12:34:58 PM

Quote from: bandmiller2 on February 04, 2011, 05:58:52 AM
Welcome Scott, do you guys sharpen and set your bands or ship-em out?Some fine looking woodwork.Frank C.

Hi Frank - we use Wood-Mizer's Resharp Services.

Quote from: jdtuttle on February 04, 2011, 06:41:04 AM
Welcome Sandpointsawmill. I have a friend that lives at Bonners Ferry, Wayne Ronek. I'm coming out this fall for an elk hunt.
You have a nice set-up & great skills.
jim

I got a nice 5 point elk this past season practically right outside my door. We don't usually have them right outside my door, but the Lord decided to bless. The elk was eating all of the neighbor's apple trees, so I call it apple fed elk every time I eat it.

Quote from: pnyberg on February 04, 2011, 07:25:41 AM
Welcome Scott. Did we talk on the phone?

I like your website. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I'm curious about the strategy of having both the LT40 and LT15. Is the smaller mill used to mill longer logs?

--Peter

Peter - yes, I am the same guy you talked to. I will customize my web site soon, but to get one up quickly - with yours - you made it too easy. I hope you don't mind the loan of data for now. You have a good web site.

My brother bought the LT40 years ago, and I added the LT15 at my place to have a sawmill available here when the LT40 is elsewhere. We live next to 1600 acres of timberland, and I have deeded access to standing dead and deadfall. Therefore, I get quite a few trees coming across the place. I usually mill them, air dry them, and then sell certain pieces via craig's list.

Thanks for all of the compliments everyone. Since you all like pictures, I'll share these of the timber frame barn I built on my place 18 months ago. A lot of the lumber was milled on the LT40, and some of it is cirular sawn from dead Doug Fir milled not too far away in Montana at Specialty Beam. Jim Nash is the owner of that business and runs a big 5 foot blade on a million dollar mill - or something like that:

On the exterior, the fascia is Western Hemlock, and some of the siding and all of the trim is Western Red Cedar that we milled on the LT40.

On the interior, we used Doug Fir for the structural members, western Hemlock for the 2x studs that are nailers for the metal siding, and the loft is Wester White Pine:

Buck · February 04, 2011, 12:48:45 PM

Welcome! Nice work too.

SandpointSawmill · February 04, 2011, 01:09:09 PM

Quote from: oldaxman on February 04, 2011, 08:43:10 AM
Nice website.I live nextdoor to you in Chewelah and plan on doing sort of the same thing after I finish my own projects. I'll show my wife your site as a good example for her project. We won't compete, the Flowery Trail pass will be a good dividing line. :D I destroyed a set of brakes going over that once pulling my tractor with my sawmill in the pickup, lesson learned. Actually I am in Sandpoint right now remodeling a house we have had as a rental many years hoping to sell it in this market. Wish me luck huh. :-\ I wish you well in your business, these are tough times.

Wow, in Sandpoint now, huh? Excellent. I hope you do sell the house. I suppose it all depends on asking price. I haven't looked at prices lately, but it seems that in-town it is still possible to get a house sold.

Is your wife developing a web site for you?

Magicman · February 04, 2011, 02:22:29 PM

Nice barn also, and that is an understatement.

Brucer · February 04, 2011, 05:14:51 PM

Hey, welcome Scott.

One of these days I'm going to have to get a passport and take a day trip down through NE Washington and Northern Idaho. Problem is, then I'll want to swing by some of the members in Oregon, and maybe over to Montana, and then ... well it'll turn into a "week trip" :D.

oldaxman · February 04, 2011, 05:19:21 PM

Yes my wifes going to do the site for me when I get to that point in life, couple years I hope. Building my house right now and barn and shop and............ . Then I want to supplement my retirement with my mill. Your sites very informative and to the point, I'll tell her not to plagerize it to bad. :D She is a puter nerd at coldlwater, shes the brains I'm the brawns, at least I used to be when I was younger. Now I just kinda stumble along hunched over and limping :D By the way, all those cool clearcuts you can see in the cabinets mountains from town and the lake, I was proud to be a part of. Ahhh the good ole days.

ljmathias · February 04, 2011, 08:26:09 PM

Please, no more pictures! I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes, bemoaning the sorry state of "clean" in my barns and sawmill shed, and the more I think about how clean and neat and .... I can't go on. :'( :'(

Lj

Jasperfield · February 04, 2011, 09:16:47 PM

I'm happy that you've decided to become a member. Talent is welcome.

moonshiner · February 04, 2011, 09:25:52 PM

Welcome ,Great work I love the floor.

KyTreeFarmer · February 04, 2011, 10:24:01 PM

Another welcome!! I love your barn, great work.
KTF

Just Me · February 06, 2011, 08:28:28 AM

Very Nice work! Love that barn!

I don't know how some of you guys find time to work on your own stuff. Always seems I am last on my list. I'm always short on either money or time.......

Larry

dovetails · February 06, 2011, 01:24:30 PM

Quote from: Just Me on February 06, 2011, 08:28:28 AM
Very Nice work! Love that barn!

I don't know how some of you guys find time to work on your own stuff. Always seems I am last on my list. I'm always short on either money or time.......

Larry

Just to let you know, YOUR NOT ALONE!!!!