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woodmizer LT40 super

Started by rwepinetree, August 22, 2015, 09:23:13 PM

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tmarch

Be careful calling her "old" or you might find yourself without a helper. ;)
Retired to the ranch, saw, and sell solar pumps.

Brucer

Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

rwepinetree

thanks for all of the comments the slabs will be chipped up on a pto chipper and hauled to a power plant so the slab issue is not a factor I do have a tractor with forks and a bucket I know it is a big step but at 59 do I take the jump I don't know . help please

beenthere

Quote..do I take the jump...

I'd say go for it, otherwise the next 25 + years might be kinda boring.  ;D
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

barbender

Quebecnewf, I would say the character on the left in your photo better fits the description "old helper"  ;D
Too many irons in the fire

Brucer

Slabs always have to be dealt with, even if you're chipping them.

It's a useful exercise to do some math before you get in too deep.
- how many logs of what size do you need per week/month/year to make your BF goal?
- how many linear feet of slabs will you produce?
- how fast can you chip them?
- how many cubic feet/yards of sawdust will you make? (Assume it expands x 2.5).
- how many boards of each size will you make?
- how many piles of lumber, and how much in each?
- can you get that many logs?
- can you sell that much lumber?

It may take a bit of head-scratching at first, but it's worth getting some ballpark numbers. It's also a good idea to start small and then upgrade. That way you can learn how to improve your production without feeling the pressure of recouping a large investment.

I got into the sawing business when I was 55. I was in good shape, plus I'd hurt my back a few times already and knew what my limits were. I was 61 when I took on that big job and it pushed me pretty close to my comfortable limit. Five years later I am definitely slowing down. I can't lift as much and the heat gets to me sooner.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

WV Sawmiller

Q,

   Yeah - I'd avoid that "old" designation and maybe stick with something like "seasoned to perfection" or such.

   I'm assuming you already have a market for all this lumber you plan on producing. I prefer custom sawing and hate marketing so I think on a much smaller scale than you do.

   Glad you have a great helper. Mine is an expert at describing to others watching the things I do wrong as they occur. Not much sneaks past her. Good luck.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

4x4American

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on August 27, 2015, 08:02:01 AM
   Glad you have a great helper. Mine is an expert at describing to others watching the things I do wrong as they occur. Not much sneaks past her. Good luck.

  :D lol lol lol

That's too funny!  If she's so good put her at the helm, and if she makes a mistake now you've got some ammo to fight back!!!
Boy, back in my day..

Magicman

It is not nice to mess with "Mother Nature", or any other mothers that I know.  (old saying)

Choose your battles and only fight the ones that are worth winning.  ("nother old saying)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Quebecnewf

Quote from: rwepinetree on August 26, 2015, 10:34:48 PM
thanks for all of the comments the slabs will be chipped up on a pto chipper and hauled to a power plant so the slab issue is not a factor I do have a tractor with forks and a bucket I know it is a big step but at 59 do I take the jump I don't know . help please

It is a big step at 59 . I took that step when I was 33 and like you I did a lot of info gathering. My mill is not my main source of income. I think at 59 and if you have not sawed much before you will for sure not make 5000 ft per week. After a time and some more learning you may move up towards it. I would be very doubtful if by yourself you can hit that mark of 5000 ft every week.

The thing is if you have to make that mark every week or you lose the mill, then you are setting yourself a hard task. If you don,t have to make that mark but are having fun and enjoying trying then go for it. My way of thinking is at 59 I don,t want to be forcing myself to work even harder than I did when I was say 30.

Just for info my old helper is older than me, but only by one year. Yes I know she looks younger than me but I was hoping no one was going to notice that. Even if they noticed I thought they would not mention it . Guess I was wrong. Nothing gets past the FF members

Quebecnewf

bkaimwood

A lot of great input here, the thing that rings loadest to be is log quality...I've sawed plenty of logs with 10% loss due to defect, sweep, etc...I've sawed a lot more with 30% loss...and unfortunately, due to many factors effecting softwoods in my area right now, and low quality and quanity supplies, just sawed a load with 50% or greater loss, which results in catastrophic days financially... I too can saw a lot of lumber in a day, but spend an equal amount of time on clean up, cleaning boards, stacking boards, cutting stickers, mill maintenance, hauling out cut offs, and so on...I guess the only question for most of is, do we saw half a day, and spend the other half doing these things, or saw a full day, and spend the next day doing these things? Yes, this only applies sawing by yourself...one good helper makes a huge difference. What kind of sawdust blower on the mill? I'm looking to add one...
bk

PC-Urban-Sawyer

Q'newf,

I won't say your helper looks younger than you but she certainly looks "better" than you.

Keep up the good work.

Wish I could come visit some day but that's a long trip for us and unfortunately my "helper" is not really into sawmills like I am...

Keep warm and dry.

If you can't do both, keep dry.


Herb

Brucer

Log quality is a really important factor. I was fortunate in that I spent 4 years contract sawing for a timber framer. He bought whatever logs he could get his hands on, so I was sawing everything from the best to absolute junk. I was also helping him figure out how much he was spending on having me saw, so I had a really good handle on the prices.

When I started buying my own logs, I paid 35% more than the timber framer did. I recovered 35% more usable wood as well, so at first glance it was a break-even proposition. The thing that many people overlooked is how much time and money I saved by not having to handle the extra waste. When you're working alone, the time saved translates directly into more production.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Dave Shepard

 I still maintain that 1,500 feet a day isn't a problem on a Super. I cut 972 feet of mostly 1"x8", with a few 1"x4" that I got edging. There are two stacks of 8' in the back that you can't see. It took 2:50, with two blade changes. One was dull, the other popped off when I backed it out of a cut before the band stopped. It was a mixed bag of 8', 10' and 12' logs of medium to not so good quality. The target was as much 1" x8" as possible, so it actually took longer to get what I got, and there was a bit of waste that ended up in the slab heap. Even with cleanup and other maintenance, it shouldn't be too hard to hit 200 feet an hour for an 8 hour day. I used only what you see in the photo. Normally, I would have my twin blade edger and roller table set up, which would speed things up quite a bit.



 
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

warren46

I don't disagree that it is possible to saw 1,500 board feet in a day.  I is a different matter to saw 9,000 bd ft in a 6 day week. 
Warren E. Johnson
Timber Harvester 36HTE25, John Deere 300b backhoe/loader.

scully

good call on the 40 super .I wouldn't trade mine for the world . The guys are right with there comments ,personally I do on site stuff and never get 1500 feet very often . Not alone any way . If you are set up in your own mill yard with all the things in place to be efficient you will do good . I find that three guys and a skid steer with forks can really get some things done !
I bleed orange  .

drobertson

yep, I am orange, mainly because of sun and dust, but the jacks lack.  Fought them since 04'  hate them, always have and will.  6'4" and 240 makes the grade if you are there.  20 ton bottle jack, and shims are the only way I've found to get it right.   Level is level.   No alliance here in regards to the jack system.  Probably should not get started,  I've been in the wood shed bout all day ;D  but we are warm ;D
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

terrifictimbersllc

I added adjustable outriggers to my 2001 super last March.  No comparison, worth every penny,  wish I had them from the beginning. https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,82154.0.html
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

GDinMaine

 The 40 super is a great mill.  I LOVE mine.

My best day by myself was around 1300bf of 1x boards. No helper or support equipment at all.

My personal best day was 2200bf of 1" lumber from questionable quality logs. This was in no small part due to a very knowledgable helper a mini excavator and a 50hp tractor with forks.  The customer/helper knew exactly where and when to pull lumber, flitches and slabs and stickered lumber as it came off the mill. When the stack was getting high enough moved it with the tractor. He used the mini excavator to move logs right to the mill forks without fail.  We were both tired by the end of the day, but not so bad to saw and sticker about 4000-4200bf of lumber in 12-13 hours of work.  Needless to say he was a happy customer.

That said.  If we were to keep up that pace, in another day or so we would have ran out of space to put the stacks of lumber, would had a had to do some serious sawdust cleanup and last but not least, the log pile that started at 60+ was all but gone.  So. After three days, at the most, a full day of cleanup and resupply would have to happen. However.  When my customer ran out of logs, I just packed up and rolled on down the road.


Here is a photo. There was one more stack of lumber that didn't fit in the picture.



 
It's the going that counts not the distance!

WM LT-40HD-D42

Solomon

Quote from: WoodenHead on August 23, 2015, 04:46:58 PM
There are many factors that affect over all output.  Material handling is a big factor as saw output increases. What happens to the lumber you produce?  Do you have to dry it?  At the very least you would have to stack, bundle and load it.  If you could be at the saw all day, I think 1500 bdft per day is do-able.  But if there are many other steps, then I agree with the others, some days you might reach 1500 and others days it will be less.

I was talking with my wife yesterday, remembering when I had an LT28.  I recalled a few days I hit 700bdft from the saw (after a full day) and I was almost dead.   :D  Now, with an LT40 (non-super) I can cut 700 bdft (of 1") in a morning and spend a couple hours in the afternoon sticker stacking and cleaning up.  Some of that has to do with a more productive saw and some of it has to do with better handling.  I make small incremental improvements to my operation as I go.

So after all that, my answer is maybe.   ;D     
I've done 2500 bf in a 13 hour day with myself and four people.
We did no clean up , maintence or other support work and after the sawing was done we worked about 3 & a half hours stacking and stickering in three different shipping containers they customer had for drying the lumber.
After expenses, I figure I cleared about. $950.00 for my pocket.
I took my mill home and the customer cleaned up the mess, (I suppose).
  I was tired.
Time and Money,  If you have the one, you rarely have the other.

The Path to Salvation is narrow, and the path to damnnation is wide.

Solomon

I was running a Logmaster LM4.
Time and Money,  If you have the one, you rarely have the other.

The Path to Salvation is narrow, and the path to damnnation is wide.

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