The saga continues...or help for new guys maybe

Bigdogpc · December 17, 2003, 01:52:42 AM

Been millin a few months now. Fabulous track record for multiple mistakes and lovin every minute of it.

STICKERS: have used 1x 2 pine for oak with no problems so far. Have used scraps from log being cut (wet) and got mild staining.

STAINING: wet sawdust left on boards when stacked is prone to staining. So far boards clean just fine when run through planer.

DRYING: Tried under a canopy to air dry and got considerable degrade (water oak doesn't dry well for me). Have a 12 x 20, closed on 3 sides and roofed area with one fan on a timer nearly full of mixed wood. So far it appears to be doing just fine.

SAWDUST: Currently using it to repair low spots in road and yard. Works but not real well.

SLABS: Found a guy who wants them to use for firewood. Used some myself to build a fence. Lots of uses, just be creative.

LOGS: Get mine from a tree guy. I cut boards for him when needed and he keeps the logs coming. This is in a rural area and very little metal in logs. I use a metal detector to check logs. Some of the logs are UGLY. I need to learn about log grading.

BOARDS: I LIKE wide boards and tend to cut them that way.

SAWMILL: Timberking 1220, manual, 20hp TIP:: Don't crank up too high or belt guard hits and will bend a support right down onto blade. EATS BLADE. BAD IDEA. Be aware of size limits of your mill.

Auxillary Equipment: The more the better. Moving and handling logs is WORK. I use a winch to load logs but still roll them by hand. Cant hooks are great but still work. Steel toe shoes save toes from logs that roll. Eye protection and hearing protection should always be worn. Breathing gear may become an issue after prolonged exposure to wood dust.

MONEY: I've not sold board one, I haven't tried. I have turned down paying jobs since I just wasn't ready to accept them. My better lumber is being stacked and stickered. I am running out of space for lumber storage and starting to look for a market that will buy small amounts of green lumber, low grade stuff mostly.

COMPETITION: A short while after I had my mill set up a guy down the road put in a nice ORANGE machine. He is very well equipped with loader, hydraulics, truck, sawbarn, etc. He appears to be doing just fine. I am no threat to him nor is he to me. We are both working different markets.

VISITING OTHER MILLS: I think this is a great idea. Sawmillers like to talk. Be aware that all sawmills are not what they seem. I pulled into a sawmill with a big circular saw blade sawing through a log on their sign...I thought it would be a great place to visit. It was a gay resort. OOPS

#1 PLACE FOR INFO: Right here on this forum. The folks here are incredible and share the information they have. If you were to tally up the years of experience for all the sawmillers here the number would be incredible.

PIXS: I will post some pixs in a day or two. My setup ain't great but it works. Hope this might help some of ya.

Ianab · December 17, 2003, 02:38:05 AM

Good on ya Bigdog
Sounds like you going thru all the learning stuff the rest of us newbies are doing ;)
My drying has been with Softwood, Pine and Port Orford Cedar dried in shed with fans and dehumidifier, but that gets into a whole other thread ;)
Sawdust... Swingblade sawdust looks like good calf bedding so went into friends shed for next season
So long as you having Fun

Ian

PS... get some pics 8)

Norwiscutter · December 17, 2003, 06:49:40 AM

Sounds exactly like what I'm doing with my hud-son... except for the whole gay resort thing... Looking at picking up an old Ponsi Iron Mule to move some of the big ones around. Got some 30+ inch white pine that tends to be a little rough on the 78 ford when skidding. ;D ;D ;D Really tough with the 16 footers. The best part abou the biguns is that they are easy to roll with the hooks. Havn't had a chance to sell nothing either... Kinda just making stacks in the hope that I eventually have a use for it. Wanted to get one of those orange mills but only cut about once er twice a month.( couldnt convince the wife that the LT40super H was a good investment for sawing boards that I dont have a use for.) Like the Hud-son though... perfect for the amount I use it and she's paid for. 8) The best advise I can give on the manual mills is if your looking to skimp on the options, dont skimp on the HP. I got the 23 horse briggs that has run like a charm up -10degreesF. Seen the 16 horse model and think that the extra 7 horse makes a world of difference. Anyways, just my 2 cents.

sawyerkirk · December 17, 2003, 07:33:05 AM

A while back I was looking for hardwood mills in Florida and kept coming up with that place you mentioned!!

T_in_SC · December 17, 2003, 10:44:21 AM

What's a Ponsi iron mule? Maybe that's what I need.

Bigdogpc · December 17, 2003, 02:43:49 PM

Looks like this might be a worth while line of conversation...all us new guys comparing notes and what not. The "SAWMILL" outside of Dade City has a MOST impressive sign! Feller I asked 'bout where the sawmill was...well, he give me a big smile and informed me the place was a gay resort. Didn't take me long to drive outa there. Been a wee bit gun shy of stopping at other sawmills. If they ain't a big pile of logs visible from the road, I ain't stoppin!

Set a pair of 23' skinny logs down as loading bunks today. Logs roll easy on them! Used some slab chunks to shore them up to take the extra weight from logs. Gonna save me some backache for sure!

Didn't do much sawing today, mostly piddly stuff around the mill. It were MISERABLE weather (eat your heart out you folks up north) Temps in the 40's and windy. I was COLD and had the burn barrel going!

tat · December 17, 2003, 03:25:39 PM

I have only had my Mill for 3 weeks and at the same time I am cleaning my breeder hen houses out for a new batch.I have moved and stockpiled 425 tons of litter for spring use and will soon be putting 4 tractor trailer loads of sawdust back into the houses. This has cut down on my oppurtunity to make many mistakes because I haven't used it much yet. Looking forward to getting hens back the first week of the year, then I will have time to play and make some sawdust fly. I might should have bought myself an ole circle mill and then I wouldn't have to buy so much sawdust.

Tom · December 17, 2003, 03:39:41 PM

Good choice with the Cook mill, tat. I see you are just around the corner from the Cook family. That's handy for spare parts, blades and just hangin' out. I spent a day there once and had a great time.

Be glad you have chickens. My chicken farmer customers are having a bad time since Tyson picked up and left, lock, stock and barrel. The chicken industry is shut down here and nobody wants take their place. I wish the chicken farmers could start a co-op and open there own factory. There's enough of them that they could have their own layers, feed mill and all.

Keep a camera handy and let us see your mill in action sometime.

Bigdogpc! I ran into that same place myself once. Boy is it embarrasing. Now I blush when I get it in Google. :-[ :-[

Keltic · December 17, 2003, 04:30:00 PM

Good to hear from a novice, makes me want to make the plunge! Cheers FMK

LSUNo1 · December 17, 2003, 08:11:36 PM

Bigdog, enjoyed the post. Been through similar trials. Good to hear some of the staining comes out with planing. I have been sweeping sawdust off after my first batch of cypress experienced staining. Some incentive to not use too much water. Wet sawdust adds quite a bit of time to stacking :-[.

Tat, I had the same mill. Good solid machine for the money. Except that it is a little too RED for my taste...I need one purple and gold ;D. Cooks are fine folks to deal with. Sold it and am hoping to get one with some hydraulics someday. By the way pretty area you in. Been through your neck of the woods a few times in the last 6 months or so and really like it.

Duane_Moore · December 17, 2003, 11:19:26 PM

8) cool Bigdog. needed that little nudge, what to do with all this wood myself, guess will get a mill and give it a try on my own. so afraid will get adicted to it, then all of them withdrawl pains, and the I TOLD YA SO, ;D ;D Duane, yes dear

Duane_Moore · December 17, 2003, 11:28:16 PM

8) 8) 8) 8)Look I got two trees, and did't even plant it,wished I knew how to post pictures,, God Bless ya All over the holidays, Duane

woodmills1 · December 18, 2003, 05:43:17 AM

when we bought this new place the previous owners had called it Sky Farm orchard. I liked that name and was thinking of going with Woodmills at Sky Farm as a business name. Searched skyfarm and came up with a nudist colony in NJ. Whoops! :D :D

Bigdogpc · December 18, 2003, 06:06:29 AM

The pixs...I hope

The canopy, waiting on the mill to be delivered.

All purpose log mover.

Big log for this mill. It was oblong to 34" x 28" mill is rated for 29" diameter

Gum, love those wide boards

My son John, the chief sawyer

Look close and you can see the log bunks sticking out.

My Dad supervising. At 70 he is still quick to grab a cant hook to help. He helps a LOT when we are up there!

Yours truly rollin a log.

Slab driveway for Bronco. We use the winch for pulling big logs that are too much bother for cant hooking.

They ain't the best pixs but they do show what we are up to. The shed in the background holds our tools and what not. It cost me more to have the shed moved than it did for the shed itself. 100 bucks to move it, 75 for the shed!

The Bronco is 4WD and has a boom welded to the back with a small 12v winch. If we don't use the winch we hang a chain fall off of it. So far it has moved all we have tried.

The little bobcat in the pixs isn't ours (how I wish it was!). It belongs to a customer who we swapped some work for sawin'

Ya'll have a very Merry Christmas!!

Paul_H · December 18, 2003, 07:39:41 AM

Great pictures Bigdog! Looks like you've got a nice setup and alot of help around too.
How do you have the boom tied back in the Bronco?

Bigdogpc · December 18, 2003, 08:07:53 AM

Thanks. The boom is tacked to the bed and bolted to the frame. I can remove it and put it on another vehicle when the time arises (when I kill the Bronco).

Norwiscutter · December 18, 2003, 08:37:02 AM

An Iron Mule is a skidder. This one happens to be an 87 that the guy really wants to get rid of. Supose to be well taken care of although who knows... I have a guy come down every so often and move the big ones around with a bobcat just like Bigdogpc does. That boom looks like a good Idea. Hope you got some good springs... they pretty much are bottomed out in that one pic.
Nice looking gum... not to much of that up here but ya do see some nice pine sometimes...

Stump Jumper · December 18, 2003, 08:48:02 AM

nice pictures.I have made slabwood roads through the mud to get logs with the skidsteer works great.

tat · December 18, 2003, 09:23:33 AM

Thanks for the welcome Tom, I have lurked for almost 2 years before joining and find this site to be extremely helpful and friendly. I will be glad to get chickens back so I can start receiving a check again. It makes life a little easier. I have a digital camera but for the last 6 months I haven't been able to make the computer talk to it so it is useless. I see that I have an advantage over some of you other guys just starting out because I have a tractor with frontend loader on it to do my skidding and placement on the saw. LSU1, thanks for the comment on our little part of the world. I enjoy it except when it has been cold an nasty like lately.For you guys up north that means 28-32f at night and 50-60f during the day. I also don't like RED that much because I bleed ORANGE and BLUE. But it looks like my daughter will be going the Univ. of Alabama on full scholarship next fall so I may have to realign my thinking(money talks). Hope LSU does well in the bowl game though. Maybe I can get that camera thing resolved and will try to post some later.

woodbeard · December 18, 2003, 01:22:07 PM

Bigdog, Thanks for posting the pics, and especially the tips.
Good info for those of us starting into small scale milling.
Gotta tell ya, though, you shoulda asked them boys at the resort if they needed any sawing done. Probably could get you a decent gig, and killer tips if you worked it right :D

Bigdogpc · December 18, 2003, 01:59:30 PM

I'd be more than happy to drop you off there Mr Woodbeard. I KNOW my little truck could out run you when you was afoot...I think there is a fondness for beards and such. YOU might get more "gig" than you was ready for! :D :D

T_in_SC · December 18, 2003, 03:34:59 PM

Biggogpc, Great pictures. That's a really nice setup and place that you have there.

Tat, What kind of tractor and loader do you use and how big of a log will it handle? I,ve been looking for good deal on a used one.

AtLast · December 18, 2003, 04:20:56 PM

Bigdogpc
I never got the chance to welcome you...so...WELCOME...you will NEVER find a better, knowledgable excellant bunch of guys than whats on here....most of what I learned about milling was done on this Forum....the administrators here are THE BEST....but there is 1 catch...ya have to learn the Theme song ( words are posted) titled...SPINNIN- and-a-GRINNIN...and your initiation is to go into your local and sing this song at the top of your lungs.....right guys?....ummmmmm right ???
have fun with your new passion

woodbeard · December 18, 2003, 07:12:50 PM

:D :D :D I s'pose you aint talkin' frogs neither
Ah well, probably more excitement than I can handle anyhow.
But you are correct about the beard ;)

Atlast, didn't Arlo Guthrie propose a similar scheme?

tat · December 18, 2003, 07:21:33 PM

to T_in_sc, I have a MF 4225 and 1036 loader on it. It is a 55pto hp tractor. I really don't know how big of a log it will handle yet because I have only cut some small scrappy stuff to practice on so I didn't ruin any good stuff learning. I have 20 acres of woods that I plan on turning into lumber for my house and then turning that into pasture. Most of the wood is syp about16"-28" dbh and water oak about the same. I don't think I will have any problem as long as I cut to length before skidding.