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Whatcha Sawin' ???

Started by Magicman, December 23, 2014, 12:00:38 PM

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longtime lurker

Welcome to summer in the wet tropics: you mow, then three days later you mow. Pasture grass grows at around an inch a day, lawns near as bad, the only thing that slows it down is lack of sun when the weather swings from daily showers to serious rain. And its stinking hot and miserably humid out there: I drain 4 x 1 gallon waterbottles a day + coffee + beer and go to bed dehydrated every night.

Paradise the other 6 months of the year.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

fishfighter

Sounds just like southern Louisiana. Already cut the yard 3 times this year. 84F right now. :(

longtime lurker

Southern La, Florida, East Texas - Sugar cane and bananas and coconut trees... now add water. Anything up to 300" a year of water falling from the sky. It gets hot, it rains, it steams, it gets hot. We get the 6am shower, the noon sprinkle, and either a 3 pm shower or a late afternoon storm. Set your watch by it.

But just like southern Louisiana winter is perfect... why it gets that cold it frosted here once about 15 years ago. ;D
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

ncsawyer

I was sawing up the butt cut of a pine tree that came down in my yard from the hurricane back in October.  It wasn't a very good quality log, but I was making sheeting boards for a shed, so it didn't really matter much.

I had cut the whole log and put a stack of 1.5 inch flitches back on the mill to edge when I hit a ROCK!

Not the first time I have hit a rock, but I thought I was home free on this one with no foreign objects, but I thought too soon.  Evidently a bird or a squirrel dropped a small quartz rock in the crotch where that limb grew out from the tree and it grew around it.



  

 

It almost looks like a pocked of dry pitch in the pictures, but my blade and I both seem to agree it was indeed a rock.
2015 Wood-Mizer LT40DD35
Woodmaster 718 planer
Ford 445 Skip Loader

Darrel

Four things cause that

1. A boy
2. A squirrel
3. A slingshot
4. A rock

Then 50 years go by and look what happens.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Magicman

Correct Darrel.  The only way that a squirrel or a bird would have been involved would have been being a target. 

Give the boy credit where credit is due.  Same way with nails.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Jim_Rogers

Saturday the 11th I hauled the mill down to the marina near a small harbor to mill up the one cherry log that I previously showed you.

Here is where it was when I got there:



 

It was a very cold day, wind chill was around 10° F or something like that.



 

We scanned the log for nails and pulled out quite a few. Then we found a lag bolt:



 

After we turned out the lag bolt we loaded the log and started cutting 2 1/4" slabs.
I did hit one nail we missed.

But after changing that blade we sawed up the rest.

Then we loaded up a short piece and cut that into 2" slabs:



 

The customer was happy and I was glad to get back into the truck and out of the wind.

The spiral grain wasn't that bad, just a little along one edge that showed a crack.

Total time on job 3 1/2 hours, one blade used beyond the one that hit the nail. Was dull when we finished. About an hour drive down and same back.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Jim_Rogers

On Monday the 13th, as I had the mill all folded up and the truck loaded with tools, I traveled over to a country club in a nearby town. Only 5 miles away.
The golf course grounds keeper had set aside some red oak logs and one maple he wanted cut up into 2" thick slabs (no edging).

Here is the biggest and last log I did:



 

The log was froze to the ground and he needed to move it with the tractor. He's cleaning off the froze mud before he loaded it onto the mill.

Total time there about 4 hours, one blade used.

Customer was happy.

He showed me a pile of logs he has there and wanted to give them to me. All very short and most not worth milling.
He told me that they cut down 100 trees a year at the golf course. I told him to cut them longer and pile them up where a log truck can get to them so that they can be hauled off. Maybe he will.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

WV Sawmiller

Jim,

   When you do those small mobile jobs do you charge a minimum fee or did you just combine the 2 in this case?

   I had a guy wanted me to come saw 2 hickory logs a while back and I told him my my minimum and suggested he get a couple more logs but he was happy with paying the minimum for just the 2. He sold the slabs off the truck that same day so we all did okay.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Magicman

My sawing job tomorrow will be a 63 mile road trip and I agreed to be there by 7:00.


 
Three 17' Cherry logs that have been bucked to 8', plus another 8', plus that burl thing on top.  He told me that he had put it in the burn pile but I told him to go and get it.  Heck, we will throw in up on the sawmill and see what comes out.  I don't charge for sawing stuff like that anyway.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

fishfighter

Went to Mass and after, I had fell two oaks. I was in need of some 16'+ logs for some live edge lap siding for the shed.



 

As you can see, my buddy is always under foot. ;D Couple times I woke up with him licking my face after passing out in the house or yard. :D

Did some framing and hung the first few boards of lap siding on the shed on these sides. Sun out and got to hot and had to quit. :(



 

Maybe some more tomorrow.




Darrel

MM, I don't normally charge to saw that sort of thing either, but one time a guy hired me to saw 9 logs like that and I did charge for it. Then there one straight log 14' long and 16" on the small end. He said he was going to make firewood out of it because it didn't have any figure. And he was right. It just had some of the most beautiful spalting I've ever seen in maple. Didn't charge him for that one but I did accept a couple of nice slabs.
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

Magicman

You may remember last year after I finished sawing, the customer had a Cypress log that he tried to give me.  I refused and suggested that I saw live edged slabs for him.  He sold them that night and paid for the sawing job.   smiley_thumbsup
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

paul case

Fish

I am glad to see some leaves on your trees. Good looking lumber too. That shed is gona be fantastic when finished. Do you have plans to seal the wood or let it gray?

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Farm29

Sawed some ERC live edge today and some 4/4. The biggest had a little rot in it but still got a good batch of clean stuff not sure what I'll do with the live edge maybe some benches its 3-1/4 think how long do you guys think I should let it air dry before I use it 

  

  

  

 
96 lt40 Hyd 24 hp onan
460 rancher

LeeB

Not sawing anything right now but need to saw some more cedar to continue with the barn in progress. Some pine in it that I milled years ago but mostly cedar so far milled off the the new property. The place is over run with cedar. You can't  see them in this picture but there is a pile pf cedar logs just out of view that come out of this small pasture that will be the pen for our old horse. Have already milled almost as many as in the pile. I'll get a pic of them tomorrow. the brush piles were enormous. 



  

 
'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.

Magicman

Looking good Lee, now be careful on them ladders. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

fishfighter

Quote from: paul case on March 19, 2017, 08:33:21 PM
Fish

I am glad to see some leaves on your trees. Good looking lumber too. That shed is gona be fantastic when finished. Do you have plans to seal the wood or let it gray?

PC


Going to have to seal in. Maybe some linseed oil. I know that a lot of those boards will split over time as they dry. :(

This is just the building. I will be coming off it and building an open pavilion that will be 16' wide by 30' long. That is were I will be parking my sawmill. I been kicking around an idea of building a new electric power sawmill or just convert my mill over to electric. ;D Or, if I stay with gas as now, I will build a complete new track rail system. Going that route, I would be able to just set aside the old track/rail system that is on a trailer and swap the mill head if I want to do some mobile sawing on my place. 

Deese

Spent most of the day Saturday cleaning around the work area, and had a few hours remaining to saw a few 2x's. Cut lumber most of the day on Sunday as well.


  

 

I cut 26 cookies for my sweet sis'n law and left them on the trailer. She was supposed to pick them up last night. Well, she didn't and the man came for the lumber and trailer this AM and guess what? Cookies are gone. Guess what I'm doing after work today...again  :-[


 

I learned a valuable lesson the hard way this weekend, one that I will likely never forget. I will either not accept logs smaller than ~8" diameter, or charge double BF rate for sawing them. I had hired help (one guy) and we busted it all weekend and only yielded 1492 BF. I was only averaging 2-3 2x4's or 2x6's per log. Cannot make money that way. You can only work so fast for so long, until you exhaust yourself. I've also learned that I need 2 good helpers when things are really flowing. My body is paying for it today. I would rather not have an hourly rate option, as my customers are usually absent while the sawing is done. I talked to my customer last night and he was bringing several more trailer loads today. I told him about the situation and he seemed to understand, and is taking them to another nearby circle mill. From this point forward, I don't believe I will ever reject oversize logs (30"+) again. I'll just make sure I've got 2 good helpers.
I think it's safe to say that "I'm cutting my sawing teeth on the EZ" similar to Paul Case!
It's time to work smarter. Still learning.

On another note, a past customer sent pics of his 1x8 flooring material being sent for T&G processing.


 

And this is the returned product


  

  

  

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

safdchief2

Did some Oak Burl this weekend. 2" and 4" thick.
WM 1995 LT40HD OnanG24 - Farmall M - Selfmade 32" log arch - 2011 FLHTCU FFSE

fishfighter

When to saw some more live edge lap siding. First cut, I notice that the blade took a big dive. :o Even the mill motor was having a bit of trying to keep up. Not good. :o

Started inspecting things. Yep, fan belts are finished. :(  Had to order a couple sets which will be here Wednesday morning.

Well, I do need some rest, so that is a good thing the belts trashed out. :D

On a side note. What I also saw was a lot of saw dust build up on the belts. Does anyone use some kind of scrapper to clean off the belts?

paul case

Farm 29,
I think that i enough air drying. Nice bunch o cedar!

Deese,

That will learn ya how to say nope!
I think the first hundred or so logs I sawed for my house build were about like those ones you described. You'll make a mountain of slabs and a little dab of lumber.
Keep it up!

PC


life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Magicman

Today's job increased from 7 to 11 Cherry logs, five 10' and the rest 8'.  It was 66 miles and I was there by 6:45.


 
The setup was very good and the logs were easily rolled to the sawmill loader'.  The largest butt log was 20".


 
I disagreed with his lumber storage/drying location, but at least they did a good stickering job.  The total was ~1Mbf, but I just charged him the daily minimum and did not scale it.


 


  
This burl fork was interesting to saw.


 
And it turned out some nice bookmatched live edged slabs.


 
As well as several burl cookies that should make some interesting tables or whatever after they dry.  There were ~16"X24".
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Jim_Rogers

Monday when I went to my second spring road job, I set up and got ready to start milling and I looked up at my scale:



 

And in the wind from driving back the scale decal had blown off.

I wasn't that upset as I can use the ruler scale, but it is nice to have your regular sliding scale.

Many years ago, I bought a second scale and I wanted to try and do something different. I just installed the back up scale.



 

Now all is right in the world.

I believe you can buy just the scale decal, but I'm not sure. I may try and see if I can.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

JRWoodchuck

Jim where did you get your second scale from. I have been thinking about adding one like to my mill.
Thanks!
Home built bandsaw mill still trying find the owners manual!

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