Keep him Busy!

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Here's me working at a big mill this week.  I guess they think that if they keep me real busy on their stuff I will not have time to mess with mine and be stamping lumber.  This job just keeps growing.  They gave me some logs that have been laying around for a few years thinking this would slow me down.  No matter to me as I get paid the same if it is FAS or mushroom stock. ;D  A guy from a big mill down the road from this mill came by today to see when I could come by and split a 60 and 56 inch logs and saw them up for them.  Some one told him that I black powered large logs and sawed them up on my "toy" mill. >:(  May have to charge extra on that one.
ARKANSAWYER

[rbarshaw]

What's their purpose for hiring you? :P I don't understand.  :P Can't they cut their own wood? Don't get me wrong, I think it's great to have money flow the other way 8), but it just seems strange to me!

[Tom]

It is kinda strange but not unusual. (hmmm  sounds like a song I heard once) :D

I've sawed for sawmill before too.  They get in such a hurry that they cherry pick their log yard and then they are looking at hours of sawing bad logs.  They don't want to do it  so they hire a fellow with a "toy" mill.

They let logs lay until they get punky and are looking at throwing them out till someone suggests finding a "toy" mill to salvage what they can.

They buy a truckload of logs that has an over-sized log in the middle and they can't handle it.  They don't want to take the time to split it themselves because it is too labor intensive. So, they hire a "toy" mill. (The mills here have a cut-off at 20 inch dia.  They don't even like them that big. Since I can cut to 36 without much trouble, it's just another log to me and all I see is money.)

They have an equipment break-down and orders begin to back up.  They hire a "toy" mill to get them over the hump.

This is when they realize that the "toy" mill in the right hands, isn't a toy.  I've sawed for several medium sized mills in the area and was on the verge of a contract with a big mill to cut over-sized logs when they were bought out.

There is a lot of money there if you don't let your pride get in the way.  It's when the bigger mills begin to think that I'm an employee and try to treat me like they do some of their labor that I move on.  Most of these mills, in all fairness, are happy to have the help.

Go Get'em Arkansawyer!

[Duane_Moore]

 8) I see that Blue Chevy Pickup out there working also. good job,  go for it Arkensawyer.. Duh---Duane 8)

[Bibbyman]

Errrh.... Dat's a Dodge 3500... ;)

"Big mills" will also bring in someone with a band mill to saw up their specialty stuff – over length,  special sizes, high quality,  low production, etc.  

A lot of people look at a band mill like a Wood-Mizer and think it's limited to what it can saw - when in many cases,  it can saw logs bigger and longer than a big commercial mill that has been optimized to saw the average size log.

Often times, when given quality logs to saw, the "overrun" on a band mill will pay for the sawing tab so it's more cost effective to hire the sawing out than to mix the high grade logs in with the high production stuff.

I suspect this mill has picked out some nice logs they intended to resale to some grade lumber mill or export and then didn't make the deal or get around to sawing them themselves. Once they've aged, they are stuck with them.  Arky was their best hope to recover something from them.

[EZ]

Sawing with my bandmill is alot of fun, but I dont consider it a toy. The big mill up the road from me wanted to know if I wanted to buy a couple of truck loads of logs from them. He said they were to big for there mill and gave me a good price on them. I told him that I would let him know in a couple of days. That nite a good friend of mine that works up there called and said the logs were full of metal. >:( I wised up real quick.
EZ

[Fla._Deadheader]

  I believe I would have slung a detector over my shoulder and marched right up to that log pile. Find metal and "There's a cull", there's another, and another, etc. and made them an offer.

  Most times you are looking at fence wire and can saw around it, or, for the right price, dig it out. Depends on the log.

  They COULD be Walnut or Cherry : ;D ;D

[Percy]

I think you are gonna see more of this sort of thing throughout North America.(I hope, too ;D). Arky can cut the high dollar stuff offa the crap better than an automated wizzbanger cause they dont look at every face. The operators of these wizzbangers are watchin for hangups. Everything is based on production.  I worked 4 months with my LT40 in 1997 for the now defunct Skeena Cellulose. Made a little over 10 "g"s a month cutting clear Hemlock cants off of the rotten centered butts. The big mill couldnt do it cause if the rotten center fell apart on the carrage(common thing) the whole line was down while  the employees' with the right union classification went down there to lift/cut the pieces into the waste conveyor. I was charging them 45 bucks an hour back then and they were grinnin lika cat eating guts. ;D

[iain]

fence wire and 4" nail's in some fabulous ash today 5 blades on one 28x120 butt and i did'nt realy mind as i said it is fab
its way to dark now for pics but will take tomorrow when i unload the truck

[EZ]

I did think about it for awhile and almost did go up and tell him that I wanted them, but I didnt have a market for any lumber at the time.
Besides that he is one of them guys that will wave to you when HE wants to.
EZ

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I sitting in the back of the yard down from every one and every thing.  A loader comes down every couple of hours to see if I need more logs and haul off my slabs and full bundles.  Here I am just minding my own business sawing out 4/4x13 FAS red oak from a mushroom log when a pickup pulls up.  An ole boy wants to know if I can saw a 20" x 42" osage orange  log that has been down for a few years into 2 inch slabs.  "Yep! if you got a $10 bill you want to part with."  I finish the log on the deck and pick up this chunck and about 10 mins later we are putting the slabs back in the truck.  He says "Thank ya young feller" throws me a $10 and drives off.  About 5:30 I am topping off the mill and getting ready to head home when in pulls the same pickup.  He brings his buddy over to see if I can saw a cedar fence post into 1x's.  They are going to be back in the morning and are willing to pay for the blades.  Go figure!   Some one needs to put in a band mill in this neck of the woods as it is 40 miles from home for me.
  I only have 20 mbdft more to go. ;D
  And do not insult my Baker Blue Dodge by calling it a Chevy. :D :D :D
   Most of the large mills in my area have me saw up special stuff for them.  I can tell when they are fixing to add a new building as they have me come in and saw pine into 2x's for them.  One reason I need a swinger is just to go to the large mills and break down large logs for them.   FFFg is getting expensive and hard to find with all of this terorist stuff going on.
   I will try to get a photo tomorrow of the lumber I am sawing out of the mushroom stock.
ARKANSAWYER

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Finally sawed one of them 36" ERC's yesterday. Was going full guns, when, ZZZiiiipp, ZZZiiiipp.???

  Checked the cant, found 3 nails total, and 1 tip??? Where did the tip come from???

  Checked 2 boards, and there is the rest of nail 4.

  Pulled out the Ole Timer, scraped the burrs outta the teeth and proceeded to cut the log up, until the Doughty stuff let the cant fall apart : :

  Total damage, 2 teeth with the tips sheared off, about 1/32 of an inch.

  I'm with Arky, where's them metal filled logs???  A lot of the time, they see "Blue Stain, and won't touch them logs ;D ;D

[ARKANSAWYER]

This is the lumber that I am getting out of this mushroom stock.

  Most are even coming out 1C discounting stain and I am taking them down to 4x6 pallet cants.  They just let a pile of good logs get away from them.  They seem to be happy with the sawing.
ARKANSAWYER

[Captain]

Nice stuff, Arkansawyer.  Just curious, are you there sawing by the hour or by the BF?  I had an inquiry from a sawmill to breakdown some big stuff with the swinger, and I'm leaning toward hourly because I am relying on them for handling the material.

Thanks for the pictures!!
Captain

[Minnesota_boy]

I do some sawing for a big mill from time to time and I like doing it by the bd-ft.  Their loader operators take good care of me and make sure I have logs and get the product out of the way.  

The first time I went there, after about a week, I called all the drivers to a meeting with me.  Wouldn't tell them what it was about.  They were all talking and wondering about the "chewing" I would give them when I opened the door to my truck and pulled out a 6-pack for each of them.  The mill pays them, but I "own" them.  They really watched out for me then, so when I finished that run, each got a thank you card with a greenback inside.  Boy do I get service now!

[Percy]

I opened the door to my truck and pulled out a 6-pack for each of them.  The mill pays them, but I "own" them.  They really watched out for me then, so when I finished that run, each got a thank you card with a greenback inside.  Boy do I get service now!

 ;D ;D ;DHeya MB, you should be in politics :D :D

[ARKANSAWYER]

  MB that would really work here as it is a dry county.  We would also have to pay the Sheriff off as well.
  Captain,
  I have a buddy up in MO who has a swinger and he charges by the bdft.  He gets $0.20 bdft for anything less then 8/4 and $0.15 for cants.  They have him saw 4/4 till the grade drops then cut it into 4x6 pallent cants till the grade comes back.  He only saws the BIG and UGLYS and most will produce over 500 bdft each.  They set the logs out and he just sets up over them and chews away and stacks to the side.  He tries to get 1 mbdft a day and then go home.  He has several mills that he visits and they keep him plenty busy.
ARKANSAWYER

[Minnesota_boy]

Arky,
I have an inside track on that Sherriff part, I went to school with his sister.  ;D

I was offered$0 .20 bdft to saw anything longer than 20' for this mill, and I made a counter offer of $0.20 for the cants and $0.15 for the 4/4 and they do the edging.  The cants are either 5X5 or 8X8 and range from 22 to 32 feet long.  I try to average 3000 bdft a day.  Makes a fat paycheck at the end of the week, but I'm really bushed by Friday afternoon.  Only lasts a couple of months of the year, but it happens when I would otherwise have shut down for deep snow.

[rbarshaw]

    He tries to get 1 mbdft a day and then go home.
ARKANSAWYER

 :PPlease, someone explain mbdft for me? :P, I can't find a reference for it. I just can't imagine that it means 'million bdft'. I know ARKANSAWYER is good but??   :D :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Somehow, the Metric system seems to have gotten mixed in with the lumber standards??? Mbd/ft = 1000 bd/ft. Million usually gets written out : : : :

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Shoot Harold!  I wanted them to think I was that good. :D :D
 Nope if it was metric it would be kbdft for one thousand boardfeet.  m is from the Roman number system for 1,000.  Some times when looking at the big boys stuff you will see mmbdft and it is for one million bdft.  
  I got some mm's the other day and they had no color?
ARKANSAWYER

[ScottAR]

Yea the black and white M&Ms really bother me.....  Like they took the moon away or somthing... :D ;D :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

Hey Arky. Din't them Romans invent the Metric system??? Just got their alphabet screwed up doin it??? :D :D :D

  I done thought them MM thingys wuz grade cipherins : :D :D :D   I couldn't dog 'em down on the Corley ;D ;D