I think I slipped in the back door

[gharlan]

Well living in central texas in the land of corn and cotton on does not make one think of a sawmill. Even though i had never even seen a sawmill, I kind of had a hankering for one. I was curious what post oak looks like or live oak. I was really to cheap to buy one as i did not think I would get enough use to justify the expense. So I started looking into building one. Well last week I found out about a huge burr oak that was down while also hearing of a mill in a guys backyard a few hours north of here. I agreed to take the burr oak out for the logs and firewood(I never said I was smart), but now i needed a mill. Investigating the backyard mill it turns out to be a Norwood and the oil is not even dirty in the honda yet. He was more than happy to part with it at a very fair price. Now i am the proud owner of a norwood and a burr oak log. The log tapers from 40" at the base to about 34" 20 feet up. I had to halve it in order for my tractor to handle it and get it on the trailer. I am afraid the saw came with 7 blades that had been laying outside for about three years. I tried cleaning and cutting with them with limited success. They did fine in a big mesquite log and some dried post oak but they baulk at the big cuts. So now I am waiting on ups to bring those new blades.

In my first cutting i have learned a few things though. If you do not tighten the saw head properly your cut will go from 1" to 3.5" pretty quickly! Also nails are really hard on already bad blades.

I am not sure how much success I will have finding logs to mill. I wiil say i am already looking at every tree I pass. I did try to get a few 20" pecan logs that fell in a big park here but the city refused to let me have them. They prefer to haul them to the landfill. I was told the city can not give anything away--such a waste.

I guess i will contact the tree services and see if i can con them into letting me come get the big logs they take down before they make firewood from them.  I am thinking the norwood is going to be a bit to small as a lot of the old live oak is not to straight  but quite large in diameter.  I guess its a good thing i bought a 372xp  for quartering but it sure waste a lot of good lumber.

well thanks for all the info here.--gary

[thurlow]

There's another Texican or two on "here", but I'm not too sure how much they know about sawmills.   ;D

[Texas Ranger]

Have you folks in Tennessee gotten past the two man crosscut and the saw pit, yet? :

Ain't no back door for a Texan, one of us here has been here longer than most all them damyankee types, and most of them wanna be Texans from the south east.  We got ourselves an honorable chair at the table.  You just have to tolerate the Texan envy that occurs. 

Welcome, and just a few more Texans and we will out number those other folks.

[sawguy21]

Welcome Gary, pull up a stump and grab a cold drink. This is going to be fun.

[Dave Shepard]

Welcome to The Forum!


Dave

[WDH]

Welcome ;D.  We won't hold it against you that you are from Texas :D.

[brdmkr]

Yeah, welcome to the forum.  I suspect that if you have the only mill in your parts, you won't have much trouble getting logs from the tree service folks.

Live oak is a really pretty wood, BUT it moves while drying.  I have about 400 bdft from a log that looks like airplane props.  Still, the grain is phenominal.  I hope to cut it into short enough pieces that I can machine it flat and straight.  Maybe I can use it for flooring.

Oh, we like pictures .

[thurlow]

Have you folks in Tennessee gotten past the two man crosscut and the saw pit, yet? :

[Bibbyman]

Welcome to the Fourm, Gary.  Looks like you started out sawmillin' in a big Texas way!

[SwampDonkey]

 

[Woodwalker]

It could be worse. You could be from west Texas. It's so far tree to tree out there Woodpeckers have to pack a lunch!
Welcome, neighbor.

[LeeB]

Welcome Gary. Actually there are more mills in central Texas then you would think. Seems like i rember there being three or four in your area.  If you haven't sawn any live oak yet your in for some fun there. It's the hardest stuff I ever put a blade to. Ripping it with the 372 ain't no party either. You should be able to find some red cedar close around you and the bigger mountain cedars make fine mantels. Sometimes you can get pretty decent lumber from them also. Mostly it has a lot of bark inclusion though. It makes nice paneling like that. A lot of people don't seem to like elm on here but I always found cedar elm to be a pretty wood, kinda tough to dry straight, and fairly plentiful in the area. Mesquite is a nice wood, hard but fairly easy to mill. It wont take you too long to figure how to get the best yield around the shake that it's prone to. There's always Hackberry, simular to elm. Osage is pretty common in your area too. Pecan is nice but it likes to move when drying and takes a good sharp blade to cut straight. If you haven't figured it out yet, a lot of the stuff in central Texas is difficult to dry but you'll learn a ton for when you do come across the better woods. There is also willow. ash, an occasional cypress from along the rivers an da few more. Don't despare finding something to saw, it just may not be the comercial woods. Enjoy your new mill and new addiction. Yes it is addicting. Just ask all the rest of us addicts on here. :D :D

[fat olde elf]

Welcome to the Forum !!  Lots of info and knowledge here....I used to sell lots of rose bushes produced in your area.....Biggest challenge in sawing is to keep your bands sharp.....I really love opening up those logs !!!!

[jerry-m]

Hi, Gary

Good find on the saw mill and welcome aboard... There's a lot more of us Texas boys on here than first meets the eye 8)

Have fun,   Jerry

[thecfarm]

Welcome to the forum,gharlan.Good find on the sawmill.You are well on your way now.

[TexasTimbers]

How ya doin gharlan. Came through your fine town a couple weeks, maybe three now, ago.

Is your mill a LM2000? Does it have the 20HP honda? 13?

Keep your blades sharp and start out practicing on smaller logs. They will not discourage you as easy at first, working your tail off and not seeing much for it at the end of the day. Of course, they yield alot more lumber once you do get them broke up, but knowing what you are going through with the manual labor, smaller logs tend to show more for your effort until you get acclimated to handling massive logs.

Probably the most important thing to remember, is that Tennessee came down here and hepped us out with the Alamo so we would graft them into our fine culture. Went sent alot of them back that didn't make the grade. Thurlow's antecedents were put on that west bound wagon train right after San Jacinto when they were found asleep under a 4 pounder, one of the Twin Sisters, which was 'posed to be shooting heavy shot into the Mexican lines. Their family has never recovered from the bitterness of having experienced Texican Rejection.
There are some Canadians who live in Swamps who also envy our fine state, because when their antecedents headed south to aid us in our struggle for freedom, they got lost and ended up, 3 years later, right back in the Klondike where they started out from.

Enjoy your mill and know that when the Texas Haters attack you, your Lone Star Brothers will circle the wagons and take all comers. 8)

[thurlow]

 

  Tennessee came down here and hepped us out with the Alamo so we would graft them into our fine culture. Went sent alot of them back that didn't make the grade.  

I don't care who you are;  that right there (the idea, the concept) is funny.   ;D

[WDH]

Thurlow, you are a hard man to insult :D.

[TexasTimbers]

Well, it's hard to phase a man who's been through as much as he has. :D ;)

[thurlow]

No, no, no;  what's funny is the outlandish idea that a Tennesseean couldn't make it in Texas. 

[Texas Ranger]

Y'all did just fine, ya came, ya fought, ya died for us. :  there is a debt in there, you folks every have to fight an invader, oh, wait, that debt was paid.  By Hood's Texans.  Well, next time.

[gharlan]

Yes the norwood is the LM2000 with a 20 hp honda. I am really impressed with how quite the engine is. It seems the few logs I have managed to find have been to big for the mill. so I am getting better at quartering with the chain saw. I ordered 15 blades from menominee last week but as of today they are not here. all this waiting is about to kill me too. I so want to try the mill with a sharp blade. I am thinking that stickers are going to be a constant need. I hope i might find a few logs just to cut into stickers and dry but I am going to need quit a few as soon as those blades arrive as I have a few logs to cut and i can not wait.

[TexasTimbers]

gharlan I have several dozen blades for you I'll sell you cheaper than you can get anywhere else just to help a fellow Texan out. A few bucks each plus shipping. $3 how's that. Have a few new ones too same price. Just wanna get 'em out of here.
Call Norwood and ask them what problems they were having with those 20HP Honda's and if there is a revision or something you need to do. I can't remember what is was now but, when i bought mine several years ago like 3, the salesman told me when i was inquiring about what engine I wanted "If it was me I would get the 23HP Briggs, we are having some problems with the Hondas" So I would call and find out if there is any prevention you can do and what the deal was. Don't let 'em pretend nothing was wrong they were having widespread problems with the Honda 20HP.

thurlow, I knew what ya meant . . . but we all just good 'ol Southern boys in the end.

[gharlan]

well I would love the blades Kevjay. let me now a total and an address and i will send you a check. and thanks about the honda. I think this mill is about three years old too, although I bet it does not have 2 hours on it. It still has all the new tags hanging on it. I tried to clean the air filter but could not blow any dust off. I really wanted something bigger but i felt at 50 cents on the dollar i could not go wrong. the same guy also has a nyle kiln that has never been uncrated. he is hoping I will return for it. but I am unsure of more toys right now.

[Handy Andy]

  When I get away from home, people accuse me of being a Texan, don't know why?Don't really have the same accent up here in Kansas.  You probably have about as many trees down there, I can find plenty to saw if I work at it.  Have fun.  Keep posting.  Jim