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Wood Mizer Sawmill Competition Pro Visited Me Today - WOW!

Started by YellowHammer, February 07, 2012, 10:08:51 PM

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YellowHammer

I had a rare experience today and wanted to pass it on.  My LT-40 had a warranty issue and when I called the Georgia office, instead of just mailing me the part, they asked if I would be available today so the service guy could show up in person to replace the part.  After I got over the shock of that high level of customer service (I live 4 hours from the Georgia Wood Mizer office) I said sure, I'd be glad to take off work to get a rare chance to pick an experts brain.

So the guy showed up (on time) and it turns out he has sawed professionally for decades and also competed in the Wood Mizer sawmill shootouts.  After replacing the part and tuning up my saw (it reminded me of a musician tuning up a guitar), he started doing things with my saw that a monkey couldn't do with a hot banana!  He showed me fast movements with the controls I'd never heard of, he ran the saw and manipulated the logs at an incredible rate, he flipped slabs and flitches off the log onto the loader arms with only the hydraulics, faster than I could get to them by hand.  He showed me competition moves like when to clamp, and when to just get the clamp close but not actually touching.  He showed me how he watched the "rooster tail" of sawdust coming out of the teeth of the blade to tell when he was at max controlled feed rate to get a straight board.  Basically the rooster tail would twitch when the blade would just start to wander, and would settle down when he backed off the speed a hair.  I joked that I never even knew the rooster tail was there.  Anyway, it was a truly impressive display of skill that left my jaw on the ground.   
All I can saw is WOW!   
YellowHammer 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Bill Gaiche

Now thats service. Do you think you can make that mill dance like he did in a few days? bg

sgschwend

Steve Gschwend

sjgschwend@gmail.com

123maxbars

Sawyer/Woodworker/Timber Harvester
Woodmizer LT70 Super Wide, Nyle L53 and 200 kiln, too many other machines to list.
outofthewoods
Youtube page
Out of the

Magicman

I have seen a video of some of the "hot shots" with a WM.  I don't think that my brain could work that fast.   ;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

LOGDOG

From what I've seen Magicman ... your brain works pretty darn fast as it is.

Good story YellowHammer. Now you know why Woodmizer has sold so many sawmills all over the world. I wish there were more companies like them outside the sawmill business. I've said before, if they built cars or trucks, I'd be the first in line to buy one. Orange of course.  :)

Silver_Eagle

I agree, I like to cruise Magicman's comment's to see what great info he has shared for the day. Alway's a great read imo.

Wow, you are very lucky YellowHammer, that is awesome new's. 

customsawyer

It is always nice to see a good sawyer running a mill. When I was first starting out I would go over and watch the man that got me started. I spent hours over there slack jawed and mouth full of sawdust. I would not be surprised if it was Earl. ;)
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

Bibbyman

Yea, a bunch of show offs...  :) 

We've been to a lot of shows and most every mill manufacture has a couple of guys that can really push a mill.  I watched a guy run a Woodland mill once at a show.  Looked like a chicken on a hotplate playing a pinball machine.

Care to tell the "Top Gun's" name?
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

wwsjr

Sure does sound like Earl. I have worked a few shows with him at MS locations.

Willie
Retired US Army, Full Time Sawyer since 2001. 2013 LT40HD Super with 25HP 3 Phase, Command Control with Accuset2. ED26 WM Edger, Ford 3930 w/FEL, Prentice Log Loader. Stihl 311, 170 & Logrite Canthooks. WM Million BF Club Member.

YellowHammer

Yep, it was Earl.  He must have a good reputation for so many to guess correctly. As far as getting video of the action, I asked him if he minded, he just grinned and said he'd be done before I got the camera ready.  He was right....all I filmed was a pile of settling sawdust.
He showed me a lot of fast log handling moves, but my favorite one is the reverse log roll using the powered backstops.  I'll try to describe it, because I looked on You Tube, Wood-Mizer and other video sites and could not find a clip of it anywhere.  Once he had sawn the first flat face on the top of the log, (with the feed mostly wide open) he wanted to rotate the log outward a quarter turn so he could saw into the clean cut he had just made and not use the debarker because it slowed him down.  I'd assumed he'd use the claw turner, and would rotate the log 270 degrees until the face came back around to the blade.  That was too slow....here's what he did.  He would lower the backstops to almost flat down.  Then lower the two plane clamp until it was just touching the bottom of the log, and using it, push the log onto the lowered backstops until it was not quite balanced on them.  Then he raised the backstops, lifting the log off the bed, at the same time he moved the clamp inward more, under the log.  The moving clamp would cause the log to spin and roll off the raising backstops and it would land back on the mill a reverse 90 degrees to where it was, with the sawn face now rotated and facing the blade.  Before the log had settled, he had it clamped and was sawing full speed.  It was one of those "what the heck just happened moments," and after another grin, he stopped and showed me the move in slow motion.  I practiced it later, and it is as difficult as it is fast.
Give me a couple decades and I'll get the hang of it.  Maybe we ought to have a thread titled "Best Sawmill Moves" so you experienced guys can teach us more of these advanced log handling techniques...

YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Bibbyman

I'd be picking a dozen logs off the back side of the mill before I got one turned like that!
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Magicman

Yup, I have done several of those tricks before, 'cept they were not planned.   ;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

MotorSeven

Sounds like I need to make it to one of these shootouts..... fascinating story!
WoodMizer LT15 27' bed

pnyberg

Sounds pretty slick, but I don't understand how it is that the debarker slows him down.

--Peter
No longer milling

YellowHammer

It slowed him down because it was a distraction. Instead of only having to concentrate on keeping the blade cutting straight and level at max speed, he was also having to control the debarker in/out adjustment down the log and at the beginning and end of the cut at a very high speed. So as soon as he could, he'd simplify what controls he had to juggle and stow the debarker.  One less thing to worry about. 
YH
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

customsawyer

The thing about Earl that I find impressive is that he is just as effective on any of the mills. It is one thing to master one of the machines but to master them all is very impressive. He sold me my first mill way back when and still picks on me every chance he gets.
Two LT70s, Nyle L200 kiln, 4 head Pinheiro planer, 30" double surface Cantek planer, Lucas dedicated slabber, Slabmizer, and enough rolling stock and chainsaws to keep it all running.
www.thecustomsawyer.com

jmcq

Very Cool.
I stumbled onto that method when I first started sawing, but I never put much effort into perfecting it.
I will have to see if I can improve my speed by cutting with that method.

J
05 WM LT70 D62

MapleNut

That would be neat to see, and see someone saw that fast also. I have sawed very little so far, and was wondering,  without that first face turned to the backstops or the bed, how you keep it square sawing it this way? ??? thanks
2005 WM LT40HDG28, 5500 IRON MULE, 272,262,046, & A PIC!

terrifictimbersllc

Have a good eye for it, do it when not quite square is OK, or depend on trimming to square later.
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

Mooney

We are putting the "reverse log roll" move into the next Wood-Mizer Way  8) With pictures too!  :D Thanks to YellowHammer for bringing it to our attention  ;)

red

Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

TimW

Quote from: terrifictimbersllc on February 09, 2012, 05:35:04 PM
Have a good eye for it, do it when not quite square is OK, or depend on trimming to square later.
I wanted to try it, until I realized nothing but an eyeball to square it up.  Besides, flipping the log over for the second cut still gives two faces where no debarker is needed.........and keeps it square.
            hugs,  Brandi
Mahindra 6520 4WD with loader/backhoe and a Caterpiller E70 Excavator.  My mill is a Woodmizer LT40HD Wide 35hp Yanmar Diesel. An old Lull 644D-34 called Bull

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