New to the forum - sawed california redwood

[Rob in NC]

First of all thanks for all the good info ive been lurking around for a while reading and checking out pictures. I guess ill throw in my first post with what got me interested in mills in the first place:

Long story short - my grandad (born in 22') planted a California Redwood at about my age (31) so that would have been 1953 roundabout and was determined to get it to grow when everyone said it never would. After a few trys and numerous special order trees from across the country he finally got it to take and today this tree is no exaggeration 15-18 feet in diameter at the base ( i havent put a tape on it but thats close) and 100+ ft tall and way out of place in Eastern NC. About 4 years ago a tornado took the top 30-40 feet out of it and i went to the new owner (he has since passed and the house sold) and asked for the trunk sections - he was happy to give them to me. I got them out and hauled out to a family farm where they sat for a couple years on some logs. This is the part i kicked myself for i left them for 2-3 years before cutting them this past spring and boy i knew i screwed up when i saw the first board fall off. It was like nothing i had ever seen - red as any cedar you would find. Turns out i lost 80-90% of the sapwood due to letting it sit so long and deterioration and bugs but the heart was intact and in good shape. It was so good that the mill i took it to cut it for the price of one prize board out of the pile for his home - he had never seen anything like it he said.
Well i milled it out into random cuts because i want to use it in my home one day but in what application im not sure so i cut plenty of 2-3" live edge slabs for countertops and table tops, 5x5's for table legs, 1x for wainscoting, and some 4-5" thick mantle sections. So i would have options.
This all got me thinking as much as i enjoy working with wood and building things (i went to school for construction and currently run projects for a custom home builder) i had never thought about the front end of wood processing until i saw this log cut. Now i am in the market for a mill and have been pretty excited about turning some trees around some family properties into usable lumber for barns, future projects, etc. I am planning to purchase a mill by next summer and i think i am sold on woodmizer - probably something in the lt15-35 range. i have been keeping my eye on them for the right sale to kick in or the right used mill to come up for sale. I want a mill that will keep up with my creativity and ambition but dont plan to make a living running it. That being said im sure i could sell select pieces to my homeowner clients to offset some costs and not to mention what it will save me on personal lumber. I want something i wont get frustrated with and will be able to do anything i need to do - within reason.
I am attaching some pics of some of the shots of the redwood cuts.






I was blown away watching that mill run - he let me sit in the box with him while he cut and i couldnt believe how fast it would run through the wood. I tried to attach a video but i may have done it wrong.



Knowing what i know now i would do 2 things different - i would have had the logs cut on a thin kerf mill to have less waste and his dogs really ate up some of my mantel cuts when he rolled it - might be unavoidable though i know this is soft wood. Also i would have cut the logs within 30 days of bringing them home. Oh well live and learn - seems like learning curves just always happen on the most important/sentimental projects!

[kelLOGg]

Welcome, fellow NCian. What a story! A redwood in NC and big enough to dwarf our native trees. 8) Our western members will have a lot to chime in about. Best of luck on your sawmill journey. What part of SE NC are in?
Bob

[Kbeitz]

I'm sure you have a picture of that standing tree somewhere....
Right ?

[Magicman]

Thanks for sharing your Redwood journey, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Rob in NC.

Scroll down and check the "For Sale" board.  There are a couple of interesting sawmills for sale there.

[mad murdock]

Welcome! Nice backstory on the redwood. Trees out hrre do grow big, tall and nice. No doubt. Once you get your mill, there'll be no stopping you !

[Arkyrick]

Hi Rob great story. Its funny how watching a sawmill in action can give you sawmill fever ;D The same thing happened to me several years ago. I bought my first WM LT15 and have never regretted it. The only advice I would give you is if you can afford it get a sawmill with hydraulics, it makes the physical side of it much easier. I do all the lifting rolling etc.. by myself and having hydraulics would make it sooooo much easier. Never the less Wood Miser makes a great product and I highly recommend them. Boy what I would give to get some of those red wood logs 
Arkyrick

[samandothers]

Hey Rob!

NC Redwood, wow.  Have not seen any here in Charlotte, thought cell companies have some tall towers with branches! 

Hope you can find a mill or two to run before you buy.  My mill is not here in Charlotte or you would be welcome to visit, though if you are in Eastern NC it would be a haul anyway.   The folks at Woodmizer NC are good folks.  My LT35 manual is from them. 

Look forward to more of your posts.

[Sixacresand]

Welcome to the Forum, Rob in NC.   Thanks for the photos and story.

[Brad_bb]

Nice wood and story too!  I purchased an LT15go in 2014.  Just after that they came out with the LT15 wide.  I would prefer the ability to cut wider as I am cutting a lot of curved, wonky, or crotch wood.  I also bought the LT15 so that I can run Woodmizer's MP100 beam planer.  My primary focus is beams, and boards are a by product.  The planer lets you not only surface the beams, but get the faces square to each other very well.  That planer requires a 2 rail mill.  Any of the single rail hydraulic mills won't work.  To get the hydraulic advantages, I'd have to rig up my own HD system.  So far I haven't needed it because i have a forklift for loading and unloading, and I pay a friend of mine to help me mill/offbear etc.  Another benefit is the ability to add endless extensions.


 
The next dilemma I had was how to cut table slabs that I could not do with the LT15, or how to reduce big white oak logs down to a cant size I could mill on the LT15.  Solution:  Big Granberg chainsaw mill.

[Rob in NC]

Hi Rob great story. Its funny how watching a sawmill in action can give you sawmill fever ;D The same thing happened to me several years ago. I bought my first WM LT15 and have never regretted it. The only advice I would give you is if you can afford it get a sawmill with hydraulics, it makes the physical side of it much easier. I do all the lifting rolling etc.. by myself and having hydraulics would make it sooooo much easier. Never the less Wood Miser makes a great product and I highly recommend them. Boy what I would give to get some of those red wood logs  food6
Arkyrick

   I won't be able to afford a hydraulic mill for a hobby mill unless I find a good used one for the right money. I can definitely see the advantages though. I'm going to start simple and if need be I will upgrade in the future. I can't get but so much $ tied up in a mill that won't be intended to produce some income to pay for itself. Esccentially it will just be a toy for me for the weekends for now. That is unless it bites me bad when I get to running one. Haha

I don't have a pic of the tree but I thought about that when I was posting and I will get one.