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Old Timer Sawmill Stories

Started by Alligator, July 16, 2014, 07:11:34 AM

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Alligator

As many of you have probably realized by now, I don't have a sawmill, don't even have one close enough to go get my fix of sawdust and turpentine. I hope to get one when I retire in a couple of years, money, health and time, permitting. I started this for stories, because Darrel and I were taking over Dave's 4-Side planer talking about our early sawmill assignments in the sawmill. If you have some early experiences, share them.

My father and Uncle were in the lumber business when I was born. I didn't know there was life outside the sawmill until I was almost 40. I have got 40 years of sawmill stories

Quote from: Alligator on July 16, 2014, 06:44:46 AM
Quote from: Darrel on July 16, 2014, 02:18:33 AM
Alligator, I cut my planerman teeth on that screw!  I was about 16 or 17'. It was my job to stack the stickers that were in the units of redwood that had been air drying out in the yard for a year or so.  And I had to crank that head out almost every night before I went home.  I finely told my uncle that if I was going to extract the head I was also going to change the knives.  The rest is history.

That is hilarious. I didn't have to do it every night, but 3 or 4 times a week. We didn't run our planer continuously. We air dried everything, so from early spring until late summer, when I was out of or after school it was my one of jobs. I was also the sticker guy. Before we got the unstacker, we had 2 roller beads about 16" of the ground that I had to step over to collect the sticks and put them in the rack. By the end of the summer my shins were purple from top to bottom. I also had to keep a 4x4x6 on the roller bed for the next pack. Funny how the same grunt work falls to the young guy in a sawmill everywhere. When we got the Unstacker I wanted to throw a party,until I realized how quick another layer of sticks fell. You were lucky, your insistence on changing knives propelled you on to be a planer mill man. I was always kept away from the running machinery until I was 18. There was always work though. I spent most summers on a tractor bush hogging the lumber drying yard, so the bottom layers would dry evenly.. That was about 30, half mile rows of stacked lumber.
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

Alligator

CBLC was my family's mill founded in 1946 and closed in 1988. (I was born in 1953) I had duties in the sawmill from about age 12. I was with my father, in the truck so early I can't remember how old I was. I do remember seeing mules pulling logs. I don't know that I understood at the time what was happening, but I can't remember not understanding what was happening in a sawmill.

By the time I reached an age that I was allowed/required to work at the mill, it was stationary. We no longer moved the mill around, and hadn't for some time.  The planer mill had been moved from one location (rented) to 120 acres they had bought.

I greatly enjoy reading all the experiences and details of all the sawmillers here. I understand how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into sawmilling. It is a way of life I miss. I have been away from it for 20 years, and don't know if my body will allow me to return, as I have become 100 lb. over weight, sitting behind a desk, pecking on a keyboard.
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

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