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Whatcha Sawin' ???

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

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Darrel

1992 LT40HD

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

BigZ La

That's some really good news Fish. Glad to hear it can be managed. Going to make it up your way one day.

Novascotiamill

Beatiful sunny plus six day in Nova Scotia so I decided to go fetch some oak logs a neighbour who was clearing a building lot donated. He was kind enough to lop them a tad over 8 ft and has his excavator guy stack them were I could pick em up with my tractor forks. This is the first oak Ive sawn! Hope I can load the picture. Have a great day.

 
2017 HM130
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2017 kioti ck2610HST with FEL and forks
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terrifictimbersllc

Today I sawed a 10' x 4-1/2' yellow poplar log with the Peterson chain slabber.  460 square feet of 2-1/2" thick slabs. 


 
 

Yesterday it was a 38" x 9' butternut and a 33-48" x 11' sequoia, 525 sq ft total.  The sequoia is shown below. Between the 2 days there were about 2450 board feet of 2-1/2" slabs.  I used a dozen chains.  Some cut slow but all of the slabs were perfect as far as the sawing went and the customer was very happy with them.


 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

fishfighter

What kind of pay scale do you use?

Snow day here. Something that don't happen. :o



 

;D

Crusarius

That is not even a dusting.

I ended up with about 3" last night

fishfighter

That is about what we had here. Last snow fall was Dec 2008. Don't happen much here. :D We have about two or three more cold days and then we will be back in the 70's-80's. 8)

WV Sawmiller

   Could be some super deer hunting if season is still in. You have some big grown deer who have never seen snow and they can be readily driven with dogs (where legal) or man-drives. Plus you can see a deer moving in the snow a lot further than against a bare brown background. Good luck and be careful. Snow makes things slippery and falls hurt.
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

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: fishfighter on December 08, 2017, 11:49:17 AM
What kind of pay scale do you use?
Sorry I missed your question.   I have charged chain slabbing by the square foot area of the saw cuts.  I give the rate per square foot in advance in my sawing agreement. I made a calculator to predict the sawing area and cost of a log of given length, diameter, slab thickness and predict this for the customer in advance.  I charge a premium, about 25% more, for cuts with average areas over 42" wide.   I also have a minimum charge that depends on distance.

The cost for chain slabbing is usually 3-4 times what people usually pay me for band sawing an equivalent volume of wood.  Of course there is little comparison otherwise, starting with the differences in log and board sizes.  I don't cut boards less than 2-1/4" thick and seldom less than 32" wide, since I don't use this method when the job can be done with my LT40 super.  Chain slabbing isn't for those customers who want economy lumber from big logs. 

In practice, after each cut, when the slab is removed, I measure the area of the freshly cut surface below.  I can accurately measure an irregular sawn area in about 30 seconds by defining that area as a regular trapezoid.   Here's how.

The log length is L.  I measure a width at one end,  usually the width of solid wood at that end, but it could be between any two points at that end. I call this width W1 (width 1).  To define the width of the other end of the trapezoid, I hook the tape measure to one of the points just measured for W1,  and stretch the tape down that side of the log to the other end,  and adjust the tape (I am using it as a straightedge),  so there is just as much solid wood outside the line as there are gaps (lack of wood) inside the line (the tape is the line).  I note the tape position at the other end.  I do the same thing down the other side and note that position of the tape.  Then I measure between these two points I have just noted, that is W2 (width 2).  W1 and W2 are the widths of the end of a regular trapezoid,  of length L.  The square foot area  is (W1 + W2)/2/12*L.   

I note Cut#, W1, W2, and L for each cut, with a pencil and paper,  then put them in an excel sheet at the end of the job, to figure up the area of each cut and total area.  There are usually 1 more cuts than there are slabs at the end of each log.

There has been a lot of discussion here about charging for sawing irregular boards and means of measurement of irregular areas.   In my mind measuring sawing costs of natural edge slabs by measuring sawing area needs no comparison with conventions about board foot measurement and I have never had a disagreement with any customers in this regard. 

Here's a drawing showing this 30 second area measurement of an irregular slab.  I am moving the tape at the bottom to make the wood outside the line fill the voids inside the line, and noting the 2 points that give W2.  I am doing this quickly and with a preference to err in favor of the customer.


 

Disclaimer.  The formula is for a regular trapezoid where the log/slab ends are parallel to each other (log cut off squarely). I keep this in mind and make sure to try to  err in favor of the customer if they aren't.  This method should very closely approximate the area.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

50 Acre Jim

Nice formula terrifictimbersllc.  Wait, what???   ???
Go to work?  Probably Knott.  Because I cant.

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: 50 Acre Jim on December 08, 2017, 07:46:52 PM
Nice formula terrifictimbersllc.  Wait, what???   ???
The area of a regular trapezoid is the average width  (W1+W2) divided by 2, times the length. 

For example a rectangle is a regular trapezoid, so take a board 1 foot wide at each end, and 12 feet long.   The area is (1+1)/2, times 12 or 12 square feet. 

Another example, instead if it were not a rectangle but instead a trapezoid with 6 inches wide at one end and 18 inches at the other, the average width is 1 foot and the area is the same, 12 square feet. 

Note I posted a drawing of this above. 
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

OffGrid973

Nice to see that snow in the south. Maybe now we can revisit the "when to stop sawing thread" and the we never get "..." replies can be modified.

Coming our way but frost on the pad means mill in the shed. Happy early white Christmas to the forum, we cleaned leaves in jersey today and should see 2" by the afternoon tomorrow.
Your Fellow Woodworker,
- Off Grid

fishfighter

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 08, 2017, 06:24:44 PM
   Could be some super deer hunting if season is still in. You have some big grown deer who have never seen snow and they can be readily driven with dogs (where legal) or man-drives. Plus you can see a deer moving in the snow a lot further than against a bare brown background. Good luck and be careful. Snow makes things slippery and falls hurt.

My SIL bagged this this evening. 21 1/4" inside spread 8 pointer that is very easy over 200lbs. ;D



 

Magicman

Just a bit of Goodwill Sawing this morning.  This tree once held a swing where a little girl spent many happy hours.  A few years ago the girl died from a seizure and now the tree has died.  I was contacted about possibly sawing/slabbing it down for a bench which will be built as a surprise gift for the family.


 
I know, not much to work with here.


 
Species?  I have no idea.  The center was completely white which eliminated Magnolia.  The bark is not furrowed which eliminates Chinese Tallow/Popcorn Tree.  It doesn't look right for Fig, but the species doesn't matter anyway.


 
The customary nail was only about ½" deep.


 
I slabbed the face opening and then flipped it 180°.   As per their instruction, I sawed into the log 18" on each end and then backed out.


 
They will chainsaw these off of each end and the bench will then be flipped over and rest on two 18" concrete blocks.  I was promised pictures of the final project.

They asked "how much" and I replied, "Merry Christmas".   
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

nativewolf

Liking Walnut

Magicman

You made me go and look at a Holly tree.  The bark in the 3rd picture is wrong for Holly, at least for my Holly tree 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

Southern Silver maple? They don't get to big if that is what it is.

Kbeitz

Once a swing should be a swing again...
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Chuck White

~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

WDH

Whatever it is, it sure is ugly.  Ugly to become beautiful. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

I found one more picture that did not "drop", and it is ugly too.


 
I suppose that this was the limb that the swing was tied to??  This was my opening face (actually my only opened face) that made the "seat" on the bench.
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

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

It could very well be.  My Holly yard tree is only about 6" diameter so it may not have developed any ageing characteristics yet.  This was a planted "city yard" tree.
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

nativewolf

Quote from: Magicman on December 11, 2017, 09:41:04 PM
It could very well be.  My Holly yard tree is only about 6" diameter so it may not have developed any ageing characteristics yet.  This was a planted "city yard" tree.

I have a nice chunk of holly, 25" diameter stems.  Pure white.  Sadly ppb found it..and loved it.  Oh well.  I since treated it and still might use it one day.  Bark looks similar. 

You can find lots of huge holly growing in coastal/piedmont VA and north areas of NC coastal/piedmont, very common understory species. 
Liking Walnut

Resonator

Because of its pure white color, Holly is most often used in fine furniture for veneer inlay in marquetry work. Its bows are also good for decking the halls. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Under bark there's boards and beams, somewhere in between.
Cuttin' while its green, through a steady sawdust stream.
I'm chasing the sawdust dream.

Proud owner of a Wood-Mizer 2017 LT28G19

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