Cant stress. Swing and Band Mills

ARKANSAWYER · October 21, 2003, 09:21:08 PM

If she can cook I might think about moving

I just can not find any one here in the States that wants to work one that hard.
ARKANSAWYER

HORSELOGGER · October 22, 2003, 06:14:46 AM

Ultimately, the impressive swinger output numbers , at least that I have seen, are always in big softwood. I wonder if there might be some guys in the Pac NW that are sawing all day , every day with a swinger? If a guy ( or gal ) wants to saw, and saw only for a living, I dont beleive a manual mill of any kind is gonna get the job done. Especially if they have to buy logs competitively and sell on the green wholesale market. The margins are just too slim for a lower production manual mill. In hardwoods, with log prep, loading logs to the right face, and all the general and usual stuff that goes with a day of milling and keeping things organised, an average day of sawing 4/4 material for me , working alone would range from 800 bft in small logs, to 1200 plus in 18 to 20" plus logs. I have almost tripled those numbers, though when sawing dimnesional lumber out of pine logs, and having a helper. The opening face is nowhere near as critical to me on a pine log as it is on a nice cherry or red oak. Also I have the Hydraulic version Peterson ;) ( in other words, I usa a skid loader to load logs, move lumber , slabs and sawdust.) In the old days, when everything was a hand job, the material handling took up more time than the sawing... Anyway... Arkansawyer, the guy who runs a buy logs/ saw for the wholesale market with a swinger is maybe not out there, but the people who have include a swing mill as part a diversified and creative overall business plan are using it as a very effective tool , but only as one faccet of there operation. I saw untill I dont need any more lumber for the kiln or for an order, then go do something else.After abou a week of just sawmilling, I am ready for something else to do, as I have ADD and get bored easy :D I would not want to do any of the things that make up my business exclusively, as any of the can become a drag in large doses. I enjoy the overall diversity, but some would not be able to enjoy the constant change and varying problems and challenges that come with the territory.So... I am not a super swinger , I guess, but the swinger is a super part of my operation!

KiwiJake · October 23, 2003, 12:23:55 AM

Horselogger, are you form the states? I did'nt even know we exported the hydraulic type over there, when did you buy it and whats powering the hydraulics? Just curious.

Jeff · October 23, 2003, 03:14:30 AM

He told ya Jake. :D

( in other words, I usa a skid loader to load logs, move lumber , slabs and sawdust.)

KiwiJake · October 23, 2003, 04:17:22 AM

Carls mark2 mills were powered through a tractor PTO or a trailerised 50hp hydraulic powerpack (still the push pull version). But I get it... :

Horselogger, given a forklift and an automated swinger and a good load of logs, at the end of the day on my own I could have some real production figures. If I was on my own with a manual mill those figures would be reduced by half to a third I would think. Terresa's production rate was just a little over amazing I wreckin (2500bf a day). I've cut a lot of hard wood and our 27hp 6tooth blades love the stuff. What size horse power are you running on your mill?

HORSELOGGER · October 23, 2003, 06:36:39 AM

Jake, I have the 24 Honda, 8 tooth blades. Regarding the daily production numbers.... This is something that would be good to clarify, as it comes up from time to time on the forum.I personally dont put a lot of weight on raw bft per hour or day numbers any more, unless the person talking can be more specific about what a "day" of sawing includes.A sawyer with help, hydraulics, deadpiling for shippment to a wholesale yard etc... are going to get more boards a day than me. My day of sawing starts with a clean work area , because moving slabs, shoveling out the sawdust from the work area and piling with the skid loader was the last thing done the night before. That was after all lumber was stickered and put away or covered from the elements.In other words , a "day " of sawing for me is a lot diferent than a full out production operation would be.If you looked at the actual minutes spent sawing lumber, the Peterson mill is very fast and impressive, but because of the other parts of how I manage my sawing day, the overall numbers are not very impressive to someone keyed into that only. On the rare occasions that I do a portable job my production goes up noticeably, as I will have help, and the lumber stickering and clean up are not my problem. 8)