Our operation is underway!

[drobertson]

Just wondering,, what made you lean to the 35 on your upgrade?

[hunz]

You definitely won't regret the upgrade to the 35 despite the price tag. The lt-35's are great mills...I had one for a year then upgraded to a super hydraulic. If you can find a lightly used 40, you may save yourself an upgrade down the road to one. The used 40's can be had for less than a new lt-35...just a thought.

When everyone kept telling me to get something with  hydraulics, or get the bigger mill, all I could see was the larger price tag. It wasn't until after I had one that I finally understood what all the advice I was getting was about. In my opinion the ratio of income stays the same or gets greater with the bigger mills. They cost more, but they return a whole lot more for the investment made.

[OlJarhead]

Just wondering,, what made you lean to the 35 on your upgrade?

Price.  I'd love an LT40HD or Super HD but for the price I couldn't see doing it unless I were milling full time.  For me, milling for customers is a part time business as I have a regular fulltime position with the phone company but my plan is to get the business to a point that I could eventually retire from working for someone else and just work for myself ;)

[drobertson]

Ten four on that,  just wondering,, 

[Brucer]

I'm a big advocate of the "buy what you can afford and upgrade later if you have to" school of sawmilling.

You know from the LT10 that you like sawing and can do it. You've got lots of experience under your belt. The LT-35 sounds like a perfect fit. If you get to the point where you can use something bigger, you should have no trouble selling the '35 so you can upgrade again ;D.

[Dloiselle]

Eric I have to tell you this thread has been just awesome. I am in the process of researching a mill, and trying to gain as much information as possible. I have a piece of land here in upstate NY I guess mid state that is fairly heavily wooded, I want to put a house and large shop on - truck and excavation equipment. 

Your thread enabled me to envision doing everything, I have some fence to fix at my home, wood shed to build as I am tired of the pallet game, and though we haven't had any snow this season I am tired of the headache of tarps blowing off, piles covered in ice ETC.

Your thread and the pictures has been quite encouraging and educational. Thanks for taking the time to type it and load the pictures!!!!

[Magicman]

Good Morning Dloiselle and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.   

[OlJarhead]

Thanks Brucer et al, appreciate the feedback.

Dioselle -- thanks and welcome   I'm glad it's helped.  I call it a 'labor of love' though sometimes think it's a labor of blood! ha!  Seriously though, it's a journey and one I'm enjoying

My only advice on mills today is that it doesn't hurt to try ;)  For us we saved money with the LT10 by not having to buy paneling and at the same time removed trees that were in the way of the solar panels etc and used them on the cabin.  It was a big win for us!  Then when I was out of work we decided to make the mill portable so I could mill for customers (you can find that thread here by searching me or LT10) until I found work.  We did some milling, gained experience and nearly paid for the cost of the trailer upgrade (custom made) by milling for others before I went back to work full time in my career field (telecom).

Today, while I continue to use the mill for cabin stuff (have 3 dozen logs to mill now) I want to get back to milling for others as it's become something I not only enjoy but envision doing well past retirement age ;)  So I want the business to pay for itself, provide for the cabin and be there well established when I decide to retire.

[OlJarhead]

Spoke with WM this morning and we're set to order as soon as my better half agrees  8)   

[OlJarhead]

Wifes response:  (and I quote)

Love you!  When are you planning to order?

Ah ya We're getting an LT35HD!!!! COME ON!!!  Let the sawdust FLY! :D  8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

[Deese]

Heck yeah  8)

[OlJarhead]

Ruh Roh!  Woodmizer has a sale going on the LT40HD!!!!  For $4k more I can get the Lt40 with debarker and I'm thinking that just might be the best option for the price!  Bigger logs, a little better motor (by the sounds of it) and a lot of perks...

The wife might kill me but I can pick it up NOW -- if of course I can drive the 250 miles to get it, do the training and drive back all in one day -- but I'd be driving with a BIG SMILE on my face ;)

[Magicman]

I love the smile.   

[OlJarhead]

Good morning!  It was 3am and I couldn't sleep so here I am updating an old thread but I figured maybe you'd want to see some cabin progress since I'm still at it (though I've not had much time since kicking up the milling business a notch last year)

I did manage to get most of the paneling completed in the loft but I still need to finish it off to the peak.  Still, it's coming along, slowly.


Last year I also managed to get the roof done on the deck   and yes I'm using all lumber I've milled (been a while since I bought any).  This roof is framed with full cut 2x8's on 19.2" centers with 4x8 hips and is strapped with 1x's. 


Somewhere I have a pic of the roof covered in a couple feet of snow.  It didn't care at all.  Only issue I had was that it didn't slough off as well as I'd hoped but it took the weight no problem :D


Haven't had much time up there this spring but I did make a short run up to put in some more fruit trees and check on the place. 

I also got my solar can heater built and installed:

It can get up to 200 degrees inside the box in freezing weather!  Once the porch is insulated etc it should help keep the batteries warm on extremely cold days in the winter.


February at the cabin

The roads were very muddy and many streams have washed over them so the drive is treacherous at times




Yes those are all my drive way!

Good thing I have the camper now so I don't have to commute on milling jobs!

[OlJarhead]

Josh (left) and James (right - step son) standing by our stack of lumber -- 4' tall by 42" wide and 8' long   Over 100 boards.

and six years later and a couple weekends of milling and um, ya the LT40 and I have become well acquainted!

Hard to believe it was just over 6 years ago that I started out with the LT10.  Thanks to all of you for taking me from the CSM to the LT40HD! :D

[nativewolf]

Do you worry about fuel loads in the forest around your cabin? 

[OlJarhead]

Do you worry about fuel loads in the forest around your cabin?

Yup, specially when it nearly got burned up in the last big fire!


See the word 'Aeneas'?  We're just to the left of it and not but 3/4 of a mile (as the crow flies) from the northern edge of that fire.....


Did a lot of preps around the cabin and cut in fire breaks along the property but we're in a forest and it's always a challenge.

[paul case]

I am proud of the progress you have made!

I also notice that there aren't any ''boys'' in the last picture.

I think they either get smart or get promoted?

PC

[Clark]

The first fire I ever worked on was the Virginia Lakes Complex. We camped at the county fairgrounds in Omak, WA and daily drove past Omak Lake. Later research indicates there are some lunker trout in there! Wonderful county and I'm glad to hear your cabin didn't burn.

Clark

[OlJarhead]

I now have a boat so maybe I need to check out Omak lake ;)

Thought I'd post in here as it's been a while   Wanna come along with me on the drive up to the cabin?  Hope in, it's 3 miles in the snow, uphill most of the time in 4low with studded snowies....don't worry, I've done this before ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCEg3henqDE&t=294s

How about a tour of the place?  Sure, I'll do a walk around, but don't mind the mess!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqQeqmxoxb8&t=48s

I'll have to do one of the loft, maybe once I have cleaned things up a bit ;)

[DPatton]

Eric,
Thanks for the tour and showing us your driveway. They say good fences make for good neighbors but I believe a driveway like yours makes for great neighbors :D.
You have a real special place there and I hope to someday to have my own little place just a few miles past the end of the road. Loved seeing some of those big, tall, straight pines with 30' to 40' of trunk before you get to the lower branches. You have something special indeed.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks   We love the place and those big straight pines are what I cut my teeth on (no pun intended ).

[Carson-saws]

Well done Sir! Looking real nice and think it is fantastic you are passing along a skilled trade.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks   It's been a great experience and I am always planning another trip   My sons have grown and left home but one is now a Lead Hand in a sawmill way up north (Chetwynd BC).  Guess the sawdust got in his blood ;)


This was last weekend   Lots more done and more to do but always keep the woodstove lit in the winter ;)

[Darrel]

We've got property that looks very much like that and three miles of rough dirt/mud/snow road to get there, but no cabin yet. Plan to start construction in the spring. Sure is beautiful country!