Whatcha Sawin' ???

Magicman · July 26, 2018, 07:20:19 PM

I wasn't planning on sawing anything until we get back from the Pig Roast but....

My backyard neighbor called, "do you want the logs from an Oak tree that I am having removed?" Well yes, "I'm on my way".

A 36"+ butt Water Oak coming down.

The lower ~8' was hollow so it got "jump butted" making the butt log 29", both 12' logs.

I moved the sawmill & trailer and depending upon a Grandson Tailgunner, am ready to saw Saturday morning. I plan to saw it all into lumber for barn restoration on my property, primarily 2X12's.

WDH · July 26, 2018, 07:43:08 PM

Now you will have to saws em and stacks em too.

Sheepkeeper · July 26, 2018, 07:44:36 PM

Quote from: Magicman on July 26, 2018, 07:20:19 PM
I moved the sawmill & trailer and depending upon a Grandson Tailgunner, am ready to saw Saturday morning. I plan to saw it all into lumber for barn restoration on my property, primarily 2X12's.

In this case you saws 'em and keeps 'em :D

Magicman · July 26, 2018, 07:59:03 PM

It's funny that I can see my sawmill out of my Sun Room window as I sit here. ;D

Lawg Dawg · July 26, 2018, 09:06:34 PM

Quote from: Magicman on July 26, 2018, 07:59:03 PM
It's funny that I can see my sawmill out of my Sun Room window as I sit here. ;D

Don't get to likin it too good...next thing you know....Magicman sawmill shed build thread ;D

Larry · July 26, 2018, 09:21:36 PM

More 2-1/2" thick live edge slabs, 27 to be exact. Couple of mantles. All good red oak logs in the 20 - 26" class.

Most of the slabs are too heavy for me to pick up. I usually slab down to the pith than rotate the log with the two plane clamp/chain turner so the slabs slide onto the loader arms where I pluck them out with the forklift. Than I rotate 180 and slab down to the bed. I can either slide those slabs off or lift them with the toe boards high enough for the forklift to reach them. I usually raise with the toe boards.

Next cut is for a 4 X 16" live edge on one side mantle. When the mantle is a long ways from the pith the live edge is angled. Close to the pith and the live edge is square. A design feature that needs to be discussed with the customer.

The second rotation with the slabs ready to be plucked with the forklift.

I've been sawing a lot of slabs for three months now. I love it, production is really high with very little waste. The rage is river tables and the more cracks in the slabs the better the customer likes em. I logged big white oak last week. Got some ugly top logs with too many knots for lumber and I won't even fight them on the log splitter. I think I'm going to slab em and see what I can sell

Chuck White · July 26, 2018, 09:40:02 PM

Yesterday my Niece and I sawed three "one live-edge" 5x24x8 out of a 38" second up the tree log!

Pallet forks are your friend, and the customer had a set ready!

Added up to 80 board-feet per slab!

Tough to handle, had to put a 1" piece on top of each of the end bunks and slide the cant toward the operators side to get the 24".

Happy customer!

Magicman · July 26, 2018, 09:41:43 PM

I am thinking that I will probably throw a couple of live edged slabs off and see what the DIL might want to do with them. I am not in the "selling" business, but it would be neat if she could develop a market.

Crossroads · July 26, 2018, 11:33:45 PM

Went for a 2:31 min. Drive this morning starting at 4:00 am to saw some live edge maple slabs

Customer had them laying out just right

Found a little spalting

And some more color

Some of it has a lot of stress and was cracked on several directions. A few of them even split full length, but the customer wasn't fazed.

Crossroads · July 26, 2018, 11:50:13 PM

Tomorrow I get to sleep in, then will be milling some oak ay my place. The tail gunner won't be here until 8:00, but I have a order for 700 bf of blocking of various sizes and 12" long. I hare making a mess on my lace, but sometimes ya gotta do what needs done.....

longtime lurker · July 27, 2018, 05:55:34 AM

Back in from out in the weeds playing logging contractors and the third order of business is some therapy for my battered soul, if not my bloody soles. It was a tough trip, and my new boots i left with - same everything as the last 10 pairs or more - were not so comfy to me.

Anyways

For something different I too did some live edge slabs, got about a dozen off the log. And I laid him offset so I got a pretty straight run through the barrel and a bend at the end rather then getting more figure but a waist shape had I attacked him conventionally. Still nice enough anyway - couple of the bigger ones were pushing 36" at the narrow point.

Queensland Maple - Flindersia brayleyana

Busysawyer · July 27, 2018, 09:11:55 PM

Working on sawing these trees so I can feed my mill and my addiction to sawdust. Playing logger for a few days. These are some big trees, most I'm having to cut from both sides with a 47in bar on the stihl 880. The big one for today was 62in on the widest part and 51in on the narrowest. That's not counting crotches, just trunk. The first crotch on this tree was nearly 8 foot before the split.

Magicman · July 27, 2018, 09:22:48 PM

Looks like you have found a fix for your addiction.

chep · July 27, 2018, 10:22:22 PM

@Busysawyer
Are you selling the butts off those trees or sawing them? From the looks they would go veneer pretty easy. Not sure how much $ you sell your lumber for but those logs are worth $$

Brad_bb · July 28, 2018, 08:22:41 AM

Busysawyer, nice stuff. Don't let anything go to waste. I saw 10- 14" straight or curved two sides flat into 6.5" timber frame braces. I saw 8-13" dia straight or curved two sides flat for timber frame braces 4.5 inches thick (the 1/2 inch is so I can plane down to 4" after a year). Stuff smaller than that I saw into 2.5-3.5" thick two sides flat for live edge railings. Another trick is to let the bark dry on the Walnut live edge. Then in a year go back and remove it with a draw knife. Then sand enough just so it's smooth to the touch and apply a coat of clear shellac. Give a good zerbra effect with the remaining bark paper. I use a Triton Superjaws XXL to hold live edges in place while we draw knife and sand. A great tool.

Crossroads · July 28, 2018, 08:38:07 AM

Dang! Those are some big walnut,have fun....

Crossroads · July 28, 2018, 08:49:10 AM

Cut some oak blocks yesterday, it was a bit sad to butcher these slabs up, but a bird in the hand, is better than 2 in the bush...

I did save out one piece to try to sell as a mantle. It's 4 3/4"x13"x8' and I have no idea how to price it. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

Southside · July 28, 2018, 05:05:35 PM

If it's the one in the first picture I would say $5 maybe $10 if you deliver it to me.
:D :D :D

Magicman · July 28, 2018, 05:08:38 PM

Some of that grain looks confused Crossroads. smiley_dizzy

My Grandson Tailgunners showed up and were ready to go to work this morning.

They quickly set the Logrites into the first Red Oak log.

Three hours later the logs were sawn and they were sweat wet.

Front and back. We all three had to change into dry shirts.

Yup, I got a nice trailer load of mostly 2X12's with a few 10's & 8's to be used to renovate the barn on my property.

And then there was some live edged bookmatched stuff.

These might make end tables or something.

Just some live edged slabs some 6/4 and some 9/4. The DIL will put them on "Marketplace" or somewhere and see if she gets a nibble.

Crossroads · July 28, 2018, 05:49:06 PM

Quote from: Southside logger on July 28, 2018, 05:05:35 PM
If it's the one in the first picture I would say $5 maybe $10 if you deliver it to me.
:D :D :D

I'd hate to take advantage of you like that, I mean , I'm not trying to retire off that one mantle. Oh wait, yes I am 🤪
Dang you really worked those boys Lynn!

Magicman · July 28, 2018, 06:14:37 PM

Actually they work harder to keep me from working hard. If I reach to do something, they will outreach me and say, "I've got it". They are two of the best.

The oldest, Ben on the right now has one week's service working at our Georgia Pacific paper mill. Luke on the left is a sophomore in high school and is our youngest Grandchild.

pineywoods · July 28, 2018, 08:24:43 PM

DanG, Magic, You train them well. We hav3 about that age, don't know how to do anything but play video games, AND not much interested in learning..

Magicman · July 28, 2018, 09:28:34 PM

Actually there may have been some growing pains, but the training credit goes to Marty.

They have really grown since this picture was taken when we were painting property lines. Now the shortest is the tallest and I am now the shortest.

Crossroads · July 28, 2018, 10:47:49 PM

I hope he has a long healthy career with GP. I had a lot of good years there, before the changes, good management is everything......

PA_Walnut · July 29, 2018, 07:16:42 AM

Quote from: pineywoods on July 28, 2018, 08:24:43 PMWe hav3 about that age, don't know how to do anything but play video games, AND not much interested in learning..

My 15 year old son is that way too. HOWEVER, I notice within a 1/2 hour at the mill (when I make him do it) his entire demeanor changes and he becomes much more pleasant, asks questions, and within a few hours he's like a completely different kid. It would be a terrible tragedy is his computer and Xbox had a "lightning strike" and neither continued to work!

He helped me with some EXCELLENT curly hard maple yesterday. Takes a while when squeezing the best/most from a log with treasures like this. Quartered as much as I could for instruments, but cutting it 90 produced great figure also. I've noted it discussed here that quartering curly creates better figure. It's more consistent and instrument makers seek it, but the figure is usually more "busy" flat sawn. See below.