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Cold weather stop you sawyers?

Started by welderskelter, December 28, 2018, 11:43:17 AM

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Ed_K

 Below 25° and the mill won't start manual pull cord at 22° the skidder won't start without lots of extra work, find generator to use block heater, jumper cables to juice up cold batt. After 10° I'm next the the furnace adding wood ;D
Ed K

Jwswan

agreed on all the above.  Also, depending on how much finger dexterity I need vs. working in heavy chopper mitts, I can reliably add on 15-50% when there is decent snow on the ground and the temps are teens and less. I'd like to work out some clever ratio.  And at 38, I'm already pretty soft and prefer to head into a very cozy shop.  I love winter for the cross country skiing, no so much for outside work.  I've decided there's no need to be a hero when it gets cold.  
Keep 'em guessin'.

thecfarm

I don't have to work outside. I just play around getting firewood. I wear certain clothes. If that don't keep me warm I head for the house. I think I can tell when it's 10° and 16°. 16° I am fine,but that 10 is a, I am cold and heading for the house.
Years ago I worked for the state working on low income homes. Now that's a cold job. Blowing insulation and standing on a ladder. At least cutting wood I can keep warm.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

nybhh

 I'll take a sunny 20 over humid 90 all day long and be be thankful for it.  i saw for myself though so below 20ish with no sun or lots of snow or wind and I'll ussually find something else to do.  

I like to fire up the incenerator/burn barrel below freezing and burn off some slab wood while working too.  Makes breaks, and the end of day beers a lot more enjoyable as well!  ;D
Woodmizer LT15, Kubota L3800, Stihl MS261 & 40 acres of ticks trees.

Kwill

Mid 30s here today. I sawed all day in it not much wind so it was about right.
Built my own hydraulic splitter
Built my own outdoor wood stove
Built my own log arch
built my own bandsaw sawmill
Built my own atv log arch.
Built my own FEL grapple

Kindlinmaker

Quote from: nybhh on December 29, 2018, 07:19:01 PM
I'll take a sunny 20 over humid 90 all day long and be be thankful for it.  i saw for myself though so below 20ish with no sun or lots of snow or wind and I'll ussually find something else to do.  

I like to fire up the incenerator/burn barrel below freezing and burn off some slab wood while working too.  Makes breaks, and the end of day beers a lot more enjoyable as well!  ;D
Across the river in Dutchess with the same usage needs and same sawing guidelines.  Must be a Mid Hudson thing.  Enjoying this warm spell after falling behind with the hot, wet summer we had; woodshop needs boards and some nice figured logs going to firewood if we don't get to them soon. 
If you think the boards are twisted, wait until you meet the sawyer!

Old Greenhorn

Quote from: nybhh on December 29, 2018, 07:19:01 PM
I'll take a sunny 20 over humid 90 all day long and be be thankful for it.  i saw for myself though so below 20ish with no sun or lots of snow or wind and I'll ussually find something else to do.  

I like to fire up the incenerator/burn barrel below freezing and burn off some slab wood while working too.  Makes breaks, and the end of day beers a lot more enjoyable as well!  ;D
Ditto what NYBHH and kindlinmaker said. The humidity here can be terrible in both winter and summer with fall not far behind that. If it is dry, sunny and 10° I can still be good with a couple of breaks and a little slab fire to check in with every once in a while. It's all about my feet, If they are comfortable than I am good. There are a lot of benefits to working in the colder months, like no mosquito's, fewer ticks, easier skidding, no leaf cover on the trees, etc. We get very damp, overcast days here before mid-January and it can be hard to stay focused when that chill gets in your back.  It's 32 and damp out right now and it is killing me to be sick, and in the house for the last 3 days. 
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Brucer

I don't saw when ....
A) It's -10 °C (or colder) -- that's 14 °F.
B) It's snowing heavily (snow packs between the bed and the cant).
C) Snow on the ground is more than a foot deep.
D) I've got nothing to saw.

Right now C & D apply :).
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Stephen1

This is the 1st year I have sawn past December 1st. The new mill caused this as I am getting the bugs out of the new mill by  sawing wood for my adition to my cottage. 
I do not mind around the -5 or so and sunny. The snow on the ground is the biggest problem I find. I have a small yard and I have to stack all the unfinnished bundles of wood when I am finnished for the day. I then have room to plow snow in the morning, unpile my bundles and then saw wood. br>
 

 
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

petefrom bearswamp

I could and did mark timber to well below zero, of course I havent done that since 2006, but saw?
Not under about 35.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

boonesyard



There's an orange mill under there somewhere ??? Right now we're in a blizzard warning, -40 windchill, supposed to get down to -21 temp tonight. Milling will have to wait.
LT50 wide
Riehl Steel Edger
iDRY Standard kiln
BMS 250/BMT 250
JD 4520 w/FEL
Cat TH255 Telehandler
lots of support equipment and not enough time

"I ain't here for a long time, I'm here for a good time"

WV Sawmiller

   I hope its a manual mill because I don't see the loading arms raised up so the feet don't freeze to the ground. That's a trick I learned here. If there is a remote possibility of freeze before I will saw again I make sure to lift my loading arms at the end of every sawing session. Has saved me from some headaches several times.
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

moodnacreek

Way up north, circle mills that operate below 0 use solid tooth saws I am told.  These saws are thinner than insert tooth style and sometimes use more guides.

Chuck White

I'll bet it's that new LT50, I can make out the loading arms!

Too darn cold anyway!
~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!

Bandmill Bandit

I used to saw down to about minus 10C but now I like it above freezing a few notches. 

The joints don't like the cold so much.  
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

boonesyard

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 31, 2018, 03:13:30 PM
  I hope its a manual mill because I don't see the loading arms raised up so the feet don't freeze to the ground. That's a trick I learned here. If there is a remote possibility of freeze before I will saw again I make sure to lift my loading arms at the end of every sawing session. Has saved me from some headaches several times.
Hmmmm, didn't think of that and I just got 20 years in 20 minutes. I'll break the loading arms loose before I grab the lever, thanks for the heads up.
LT50 wide
Riehl Steel Edger
iDRY Standard kiln
BMS 250/BMT 250
JD 4520 w/FEL
Cat TH255 Telehandler
lots of support equipment and not enough time

"I ain't here for a long time, I'm here for a good time"

welderskelter

looks like all of us will be sawing tomorrow or the next day as it will be warm enough to make saw dust. Happy sawing.

ladylake

 
 It's +2 in Waubun right and -7 here in Grey Eagle and your over  100 miles north of me.  But the is going to be 16 above so I'll be sawing.  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

boonesyard

I've got a bunch of logs coming, but they're not here yet. Supposed to be in the mid 30's, would be great weather for making sawdust. Keep sawing! 
LT50 wide
Riehl Steel Edger
iDRY Standard kiln
BMS 250/BMT 250
JD 4520 w/FEL
Cat TH255 Telehandler
lots of support equipment and not enough time

"I ain't here for a long time, I'm here for a good time"

Andries

I'm about eight or ten hours North of the Minnesotans.
Same weather patterns here - a strong wind with really low temps for the last week.


 
Minus 43 degrees equals no milling.
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Andries

That last photo shows what we call 'sun dogs'.
Pretty much a common thing on clear and cold weather with ice crystals in the air.
A spectacular first for me were these 'light pillars' five nights ago.


 
No, they don't help with night milling, it has to be brass monkey cold for these guys to show up.
Danny @WDH doesn't know what he's missing up here in the far yonder.  ;) :D
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Andries

Like the guys in Minnesota and the Dakotas @Goose63 we'll get some above freezing weather for a short spell.
My milling orders are filled for now, so the firewood splitter is going to have to get to work.


 
It's a newer Honda, and I haven't changed over to synthetic oil yet, so some extra heat will convince most machines to cooperate.
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Southside

Andries - I love that first photo - what is there when the snow is gone?  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

WDH

I am missing glaciation on a large scale.
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

Andries

Quote from: Southside logger on January 02, 2019, 08:19:09 PM
Andries - I love that first photo - what is there when the snow is gone?  
Its a wheat or corn field in summer.
As Danny would say: "for all of three weeks?" 
He's a true Inuit at heart.  :D
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

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