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#1
General Board / Re: The weather 2025
Last post by thecfarm - Today at 06:02:15 AM62° and all clouds all day.
Looks like the mid 70's for a high today.
Looks like the mid 70's for a high today.
#2
Sawmills and Milling / Re: Best log yield?
Last post by longtime lurker - Today at 06:01:55 AMSeveral years ago I read the results of a national survey into the hardwood sector here in Australia. There were no real surprises... mills running on Mk1 eyeball scanning systems significantly outperformed mills running on any modern scanner for yield. The big guys however had a consideeably cheaper cost of production. As I said... no surprises there at all. When I see a computer that can outperform me I'm going to retire.
Thing with yield is its a deceptive number.... it can mean what you want it to mean depending on what you count in or out. Does total yield include landscape timbers and stakes? Do we factor in grade to our yield numbers? I tend to have a lower yield percentage than a lot of my peers but my target size on grade yield tends to be high... I've got poor logs and skilled sawyers. But because my log quality is low I struggle to cut some sizes and logs that will cut them get cut for those regardless of orders. 12x2 or heart free 6x6's are a whole lot harder to find than 6x2's for instance.
Log quality is the major factor all other things being equal, it's easy to get good numbers in veneer logs and impossible if you're sawing didgeridoos. But it doesn't mean didgeridoos can't be profitable if you're buying them at the right price.
One of my things is the amount of time I've invested into finding cost neutral long term markets for crap... stakes and pegs and dunnage mostly. Having steady demand for 1x1 or 2x11/2 at cost of production gives me a lot of options to keep my overall yield up while sawing for orders. So I guess my priority list looks like hard to get but easy to sell sizes, today's order book sizes, stuff that sells so I carry stock sizes, and my downgrade sizes like stakes and garden sleepers. As we grow larger I depend more and more on holding stock... I try and fill orders from stock and saw to replace the stock. But I am transitioning to being a lumber yard with a sawmill, and being the guy who can fill orders fast is a handy competitive edge in any business.
Thing with yield is its a deceptive number.... it can mean what you want it to mean depending on what you count in or out. Does total yield include landscape timbers and stakes? Do we factor in grade to our yield numbers? I tend to have a lower yield percentage than a lot of my peers but my target size on grade yield tends to be high... I've got poor logs and skilled sawyers. But because my log quality is low I struggle to cut some sizes and logs that will cut them get cut for those regardless of orders. 12x2 or heart free 6x6's are a whole lot harder to find than 6x2's for instance.
Log quality is the major factor all other things being equal, it's easy to get good numbers in veneer logs and impossible if you're sawing didgeridoos. But it doesn't mean didgeridoos can't be profitable if you're buying them at the right price.
One of my things is the amount of time I've invested into finding cost neutral long term markets for crap... stakes and pegs and dunnage mostly. Having steady demand for 1x1 or 2x11/2 at cost of production gives me a lot of options to keep my overall yield up while sawing for orders. So I guess my priority list looks like hard to get but easy to sell sizes, today's order book sizes, stuff that sells so I carry stock sizes, and my downgrade sizes like stakes and garden sleepers. As we grow larger I depend more and more on holding stock... I try and fill orders from stock and saw to replace the stock. But I am transitioning to being a lumber yard with a sawmill, and being the guy who can fill orders fast is a handy competitive edge in any business.
#3
Sawmills and Milling / Re: Best flat file
Last post by Ron Wenrich - Today at 05:49:50 AMI always used an 8" mill bastard file for face sharpening. I would buy a box of them from my mill supplier. Our sponsor, Menominee Saw sells them.
#4
Sawmills and Milling / Re: Best log yield?
Last post by Ianab - Today at 03:19:55 AMAdding to what LongtimeLurker has said, on the IT side, a modern mill will be scanning logs and comparing that data to market prices, stock levels, and current orders.
So sure good 12x2s are worth more than two 6x2s, but if you have a large order of 6x2 to fill This Week, then you can adjust the sawing patterns. Get paid this week vs maybe a little more sometime in the future?
It's that juggling the various factors that keeps sawmilling interesting. On a commercial scale it's success or failure. But even on a hobby level, it's still about getting the best results, even if the weeks payroll doesn't depend on it. No point cutting 2z12s that won't do the job, and fall apart because of some heart check or rot. But you don't that for sure until you open the log up.
As other have said, be prepared to adjust your plan once you see inside the log. You can load up a log and think "Yeah that will make some sweet 2 x 12". Then you find a defect in the log. OK, maybe two 2 x 4 and a piece of firewood.
So sure good 12x2s are worth more than two 6x2s, but if you have a large order of 6x2 to fill This Week, then you can adjust the sawing patterns. Get paid this week vs maybe a little more sometime in the future?
It's that juggling the various factors that keeps sawmilling interesting. On a commercial scale it's success or failure. But even on a hobby level, it's still about getting the best results, even if the weeks payroll doesn't depend on it. No point cutting 2z12s that won't do the job, and fall apart because of some heart check or rot. But you don't that for sure until you open the log up.
As other have said, be prepared to adjust your plan once you see inside the log. You can load up a log and think "Yeah that will make some sweet 2 x 12". Then you find a defect in the log. OK, maybe two 2 x 4 and a piece of firewood.
#5
General Board / Re: The weather 2025
Last post by Ianab - Today at 02:35:04 AMLong day yesterday, 
Had to meet up with friends that Taylor had been staying with for a few days, and they live about 4 hours North. Last weekend the road North (and East) was closed due to slips and flooding, so we got to meet up with them ~1/2 way on Monday. Wasn't a bad trip as rain had eased, and there was just some stop/go traffic where damage was being repaired.
Come Friday and it's time to get her home. Lil kindly volunteered me to drive an extra hour North to make things fairer. Yeah, should be no problem, apart from the "heavy rain watch" for the area. Got to the meeting point at Piopio, with 15min to spare, and checked my phone. Messages about the road being closed due to a serious accident. And they were stuck ~15 mins North. Luckily from there you could take back roads around the closed highway, and as I can read maps better than Alayne I got through the 30 min detour and met up with them. Grabbed some lunch in Te Kuiti, back through the detour, and 5 stop go work areas, and although it rained the whole time, it didn't get to "problem" levels.
If the Awakino Gorge or Mt Messenger roads close, the detour aroud those is about 5 hours. There are some back roads, but if the main road is closed, chances of getting through those back ones is low.
Had to meet up with friends that Taylor had been staying with for a few days, and they live about 4 hours North. Last weekend the road North (and East) was closed due to slips and flooding, so we got to meet up with them ~1/2 way on Monday. Wasn't a bad trip as rain had eased, and there was just some stop/go traffic where damage was being repaired.
Come Friday and it's time to get her home. Lil kindly volunteered me to drive an extra hour North to make things fairer. Yeah, should be no problem, apart from the "heavy rain watch" for the area. Got to the meeting point at Piopio, with 15min to spare, and checked my phone. Messages about the road being closed due to a serious accident. And they were stuck ~15 mins North. Luckily from there you could take back roads around the closed highway, and as I can read maps better than Alayne I got through the 30 min detour and met up with them. Grabbed some lunch in Te Kuiti, back through the detour, and 5 stop go work areas, and although it rained the whole time, it didn't get to "problem" levels.
If the Awakino Gorge or Mt Messenger roads close, the detour aroud those is about 5 hours. There are some back roads, but if the main road is closed, chances of getting through those back ones is low.
#6
General Board / Re: Shade tree mechanic! What...
Last post by beenthere - Today at 01:05:16 AMBill
How many hours on the Cadet ? Or does it not have an hour meter?
How many hours on the Cadet ? Or does it not have an hour meter?
#7
Chainsaws / Re: Sawing a saw out
Last post by gspren - Yesterday at 10:46:06 PMQuote from: Magicman on Yesterday at 09:30:37 AMI always have an extra bar/chain with me and usually an extra sawIf no people or animals were near than no noise, it just vibrated the air. It takes an ear drum to translate the vibrations to noise, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
No one was there when it fell so did it make a noise??
#8
The Outdoor Board / Re: It's Snapper Time!
Last post by gspren - Yesterday at 10:30:47 PMI thought of this thread today while getting one of my old Canada walleye rigs ready for some Susquehanna catfish. All my modern rod/reel rigs are in Delaware so what I found available was a D.A.M. Quick 3000 reel on a rod that I trolled with in Quebec 20 plus years ago. Reel looks rough but still feels good.
#9
General Board / Re: Shade tree mechanic! What...
Last post by Wlmedley - Yesterday at 09:23:35 PMHaven't been using my Cub Cadet mower since I got a Kubota a couple years ago and fixed it up. Thought about getting rid of the Cub Cadet but it probably wouldn't bring much and I figured I might need a backup being the Kubota is pretty old. Today I decided to mow some with the Cub mostly to keep the battery up and keep it from ruining by setting so much. When I started it the mower deck started running even though the PTO switch was off. Didn't really want to work on it, been having trouble with my back, but couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. Took the hood off and checked it out. Unplugged PTO wire and still running deck. Pulled electric clutch off and found bearings locked up. Pried out bearing seals and bearings were dry. Lubed and freed up bearings, packed with grease,reinstalled seals and tried it out. Seems okay. Don't know how long bearings will last but I probably won't be using it much and a new clutch is over $200. Got 13 years out of it so I can't complain.
#10
General Board / Re: The weather 2025
Last post by thecfarm - Yesterday at 09:10:27 PMHad a shower at just about 6:30 tonight, when I was getting ready to go out.
Stopped around 7:15 with a beautiful bright rainbow and another one beside it. This was a full arch too.
I went out and mowed some of the meadow.
I just came in.
Stopped around 7:15 with a beautiful bright rainbow and another one beside it. This was a full arch too.
I went out and mowed some of the meadow.
I just came in.
