New Member

[WV Sawmiller]

I have been reading these posts and picked up a lot of useful information. Please keep up the good work.
     Happy birthday (10 Nov) to all USMC members.
     I am 61 and have ordered a new WM LT35 hydraulic mill from the WM NC office. Visited with Tyler there a few weeks back and was impressed with the design and quality of the mill. WM has beenvery diligent about sending flyers and post cards about WM events and they finally wore me down. Settled on WM because of their reputation and service locations/support. I'd have brought the mill home with me then if they had one available but had to order it and would not get here till about now so I delayed till first week in January to avoid 2014 WV property tax. Too busy with deer season and weather now to cut anyway. Have never cut a board in my life but have wanted a mill for several years. Had a guy come cut a bunch of tulip poplar for me to make a barn several years back plus I have taken several poplar, spruce, walnut and cherry logs to a neighbor up the road with a small manual WM mill. He stays several months behind on his cutting and most owners won't cut for the public.
     I met Becky, my wife of 37+ years when we were in college at Auburn. I am from NW Fla and she is from N. Ala. We got married while I was in USMC Officers Basic School at Quantic. Stayed in 13+ years then got out and worked mostly overseas ever since. Had 18 months with Saudi Navy which included first Gulf War. Then was with Fluor for 20+ years in Saudi, Norway, Haiti, West/Central Africa (Cameroon & Guinea), Iraq, Afghanistan and Mongolia. Location permitting, Becky would come spend summers and school holidays with me around the world. She was a HS band teacher and is a free lance photographer. When I left USMC and while I was in Saudi she took the job and bought our home here in southern WV. I came home on R&R and moved the family in then left her to handle the legal and admin issues. I had never even been in WV.   
      We have a large log home and 42 acres (I'd have 80 acres if I could lay it flat as rises 450' on 42 acres). It is mostly forested with plenty of poplar, oak, hickory, a stand of old planted Norwegian spruce, maple, buckeye, black locust, blackgum, beech, walnut, cherry, etc. I plan on harvesting lots of the poplar and a few walnut and cherry but will leave most the oaks, hickory & beech for the wildlife as I like my deer and turkey hunting. For support equipment I have a 2009 4wd Dodge pick up, a 650 Kawasaki ATV, and a homemade logging arch. I figure to add a used tractor with forks next year.
      We have worked and vacationed all over the world. We'd take private tours with our own guide and driver and trekked/canoed into some real backwater areas. We took along a portable picture printer to give pictures to the people in remote villages and that got us access to place most people never see. I've hunted with the pygmies in Central Africa, ridden yaks in Mongolia, scuba dived the Red Sea and in Thailand, and have baskets, spears, blowguns, camel saddle bags, boat paddles, etc. from people in all over Africa, South American Amazon, Norway, and such. See Becky's website at "greensphotographic" for pictures of people and places we visited.
     My last assignment with Fluor ended 2 years ago and I guess I am too old and expensive to place on another since they have not found me more work so have been home fishing and hunting and spoiling my 3 granddaughters (8, 6 & 2). My son and his family live 9 miles away and we have a daughter in Charlotte NC not too far from Albermale WM office. Becky told me not to bring home any more fish or game. Freezer is filled with catfish fillets and venison and I needed something to occupy my time and figured to cut some of my logs and for the public. I hope to mostly cut on their site as I don't have a lot of flat, vehicle accessible land to share with my non-working horse and mule. Lots of mills here but very few are mobile or cut for the public. I won't try to compete with their prices but I figure I can beat their response times and cut on client sites. We will see.
      I still need to create a website but have my EIN, a draft contract, rates including  BF and hourly rates (based on what I have seen here and on other sites), have sourced insurance, and have a set of WM educational DVDs here to study before the mill comes. I still need to get door signs for my truck, print contracts, business cards and get my 2015 WV business license and tax info (we have to collect sales taxes on services and material sales here per WV Tax dept).
      I'll send more info and likely ask lots of questions when the mill comes. Keep up the good work.

[WV Sawmiller]

Oh yeah, my dad had a small family business and his favorite saying that pertains to customers and vendors he used was "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once." I concur.

[RM Farm]

Welcome WV Sawmiller! Congratulations on the purchase of your mill, I trust it will bring many years of fun and service.

[drobertson]

Howdy WV  glad you got on,, I've only know a few from your state, and both were genuine folks, a nice trait for sure.
Can't say I blame you for waiting til next year,  If it goes like it has the last few years it will be spring before you get really into it.. Man, I sure hope this year spares us the snow and ice, and I'm sure it's a bit different from your Alambama days! ;D  I can say here in the Ozarks the winters have just a bit more bite than it did In the Palmetto State.
I here there is not much flat ground in your neck of the woods, I can kinda relate, but we do have a bit more in certain areas.  I was told by a good friend up that way that I am a flat lander ;D  not sure about this, I've seen flat land, but prefer the hills and hollers.  Looking forward to seeing you up and running.. 

[Seaman]

Welcome to the FF, and Happy USMC Birthday to you too Sir.
I was in 2d Recon 83-87, and have a son in 1st Recon now.
Looks as if you are well on your way to an excellent business plan!
Frank

[WV Sawmiller]

DRobertson,

    When I moved up here my Dad, who had a monument and chain link fence company back in Fla, used to tell me we needed to buy 40 acres of good flat land in WV and build a perpetual care cemetery (there's a whole lot of 3X7 grave plots in an acre of land). I'd tell him "I don't think there is 40 acres of flat land in WV. If so it certainly isn't connected."

    We do have good neighbors here as long as you accept them for who they are and don't try to change them. I worked overseas and had neighbors come to the house during a couple of different floods. One got out and dug ditches to divert a channel washing out/through my drive. Another jumped on my 4wheeler and pulled a big piece of culvert that had washed down from upstream and wedged on my bridge to my house. If he had not I'd have lost the bridge. Either would have been a real pain for my wife who was here alone. Last year we had heavy snow and I was trying to pack down a path to the road with my 4wheeler so we could get the trucks out of the drive and a guy from down the road came by and ran in with his blade and scoop and cleared it for me. Refused to take any payment for his work.

[thecfarm]

WV Sawmiller,welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have seen alot. Saw some lumber for those nice neighbors you have. I betcha they won't say no to that.  ;D

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, WV Sawmiller.

[samandothers]

Welcome WV Sawmiller!  Great group of folks here with a lot of knowledge! Florida to West Virginia quite a change.

There is a great group of folks at NC Woodmizer too!   My manual 35 came from those guys too.

[Magicman]

Enjoy that LT35 and Welcome to the Forestry Forum, WV Sawmiller.   8)

[scleigh]

Welcome WV Sawmiller. I went to West Virginia on a four wheel'n trip a few winters ago. Some of the most beautiful scenery on the east coast and very humble and gracious people as well.

Tyler and the rest are very helpful in Albemarle.

May want to take some time to learn your mill and get a few mbf under your belt before deciding on rates and the such.

[slider]

Welcome WV sawmiller for support equipment you should consider a skid steer.Mine sure too a lot of labor out of my set up.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

Welcome WV Sawmiller. I have toured your area on a motorcycle a couple of times. Nice country. I have a tree farm in the eastern panhandle of WV. Someday I hope to retire there.

[bandmiller2]

Welcome WV, is there 40 acres of flat land in WV.?? Been down around Bluefield everything I've seen is ether up or down. You will pick up milling just start slow and get your own system. I've found building good woods roads to be well worth the effort. A good sized tractor with a logging winch on the back will help getting sticks out of the hollers. Frank C.

[WV Sawmiller]

Bandmiller2,

    Bluefield is about 30-35 miles mostly south of me.

    I'd like a skid steer to work around the yard but a tractor would probably be easier to maintain and more practical. I know you can get all kinds of attachments for a skid steer but a used tractor is cheaper and with a pig pole, forks, blade and bucket would take care of most of what I would use around the place. Most of my property is inaccessible to a tractor and even getting a 4 wheeler close is iffy if possible at all. It is so steep though the logs are not too bad to drag down with lots of cable and a snatch block tied to trees along the way. Once I get them to the mouth of the draw I can get the logging arch to them and get them down the rest of the way (I hope). If my horse or mule would work that would be the ticket but  both are over 20 years old and figure they are retired. I have a nice walnut with root ball attached down in one runoff which will be one of the first things I need to recover and cut. Figure I'll cut a bunch of buckeye for stickers first as it is not much good for anything else I have found. Not even very good firewood.

[mesquite buckeye]

Welcome. ;D

[dgdrls]

Welcome to the party, 
My visits to WV have been to the Gaully & New River area.
Beautiful area for certain

Best
DGDrls

[manoverboard]

Welcome WV Sawmiller! I'd like to meet with you one day, I'm in Saint Mary's, roughly 20 miles up from Parkersburg. I'm retired from the USAF and a transplant to WV as well. You are certainly welcome to come to my mill and test the water. I do have a fellow sawyer with a WM who I'm sure would talk your ear off...lol Welcome again and happy sawing... Russ (304) 679-7480

[glassman_48]

wvsawmiller,
I was lucky enough to visit your area for a long weekend a few years back.  Reminds me of some parts of northern lower Michigan where I live.  Keep us posted on your progress with your new mill.  good luck, Ed

[warina drive]

Welcome

[SawyerBrown]

Welcome WV Sawmiller and fellow LT35-er!  Thanks for the great intro.  Will be interested in following your journey into sawing!

[WV Sawmiller]

Man overboard,

    I have read several of your posts as I slowly read my way through the backlog here. I look forward to meeting you and invite you to come see us here if you come south before we head north. Call me at 304 466 2336 and come see us if you find yourself in the area.

dgdrls,

    I live about 4 miles from the New River where Bluestone, New and Greeebrier Rivers join together. Is 8 miles from my house to my favorite boat landing on Bluestone Lake above the dam. I do a lot of fishing for crappie, bluegills and catfish. (I quit fishing for bass before I left Florida because it got to be too much like work - more fun to use ultra light tackle and fly rod for bream and crappie.) Just got through cutting up a nice spike I got with my bow Friday. Will see if I can find his grandpa next week before rifle season starts.

[bugdust]

Welcome to the forum WV Sawmiller, and fellow (planted) hillbilly. I'm located a little west of you in Wyoming County. Enjoy your new adventure sawing, and welcome for a visit anytime.