Pics of the new LT50

JVK · March 13, 2012, 01:11:18 PM

This is the new mill and new to me forklift arriving to my first sawing job on Larry's barge. Everything is done by water where I live. No roads from town, boat or plane access only.

Raider Bill · March 13, 2012, 01:21:09 PM

Nice looking equipment! Alaska?

mad murdock · March 13, 2012, 01:25:16 PM

Nice setup JVK! Do you live on the island? or is it a work camp? Welcome to the Forum BTW.

bugdust · March 13, 2012, 01:27:03 PM

Soooooooooo sweet. So I guess with exception of "home-sawing", portable business is pretty much out?

sandhills · March 13, 2012, 01:32:31 PM

Very nice equipment and even nicer scenery, where is that at? Welcome aboard!

LOGDOG · March 13, 2012, 02:15:51 PM

Very nice JVK. Welcome to the Forum. Tell us about yourself.

Magicman · March 13, 2012, 02:53:01 PM

:-[ Jim, I missed your previous thread, so I will say Welcome to the Forestry Forum now. Will you be cutting/sawing on your property on the West Coast of Vancouver island?

zopi · March 13, 2012, 02:54:40 PM

Grr....jealousy is green, not orange. lol

JVK · March 13, 2012, 06:55:31 PM

I'm showing these photo's because this forum is the reason I have this mill. We've all seen hundreds of photo's of pretty much the same mill, but it seems we never get tired of looking at one more. This next photo is the classic "Accu-what?" look. It is about my third log on this mill and after reading the manual a bunch of times and reviewing Bibbyman's post, I'm lost.
Do I push auto down or pattern? But wait... I made the cut in manual mode, raised the sawhead up at the end of the cut
and returned for the next cut. What button do I push to get a useful board? The brochure said up to 675 bf/hr! I better learn fast. Anyway, I've cut a dozen logs now and I am an expert!

JVK · March 13, 2012, 07:40:43 PM

A few more shots of the new mill. How long do I have before it turns pink? I'm set up at a dryland sort now, cutting some Yellow Cedar and Red cedar for some dock projects I am working on. Can you smell that Yellow Cedar sawdust in the pics?

customsawyer · March 13, 2012, 07:49:00 PM

Nice set up and good looking site. You will have it figured out. If you start making a cut with out being in the pattern mode you will have to press auto down before you raise the saw head at the end of the cut. This only works on the first two opening cuts by the time you start your third face you really need to know where you are taking the log.

morgoon · March 13, 2012, 09:29:00 PM

Wow looks like a nice set up and great scenery

thecfarm · March 13, 2012, 10:31:09 PM

A LT50 and a grapple too. Logs to be cut. What more could a man want??

hackberry jake · March 13, 2012, 11:04:46 PM

I imagine there isn't much competition out there, $10 a bf for everything! 8)

steve phillips · March 13, 2012, 11:17:31 PM

hey jvk
good looking set up

JVK · March 14, 2012, 12:37:17 AM

You portable guys are safe. I'm pretty much stuck up here with a small niche market that works for me. I've been building docks, floats and waterfront type work for a long time. When Nelson Duncan showed me some wide boards he made with a chainsaw mill in 1978, I was hooked. That was the coolest thing I had ever seen! I saved up $700.00 and bought a new Husky 2100, Alaskan mill and built up a small business that lets me buy this brand new WM. No bandmills or forestry forum in those days.

I moved up to a small gas powered homemade bandmill with 30' of track to cut long beams and custom cedar and Dfir lumber. After 25 years on the CSM, the bandsaw was heaven. Then up to a well used Mighty Mite 412 H dimension mill to cut the monster logs. We get some large flair butt cedar 6' in diameter with a 2' hole at the big end and this is the mill for mining into those. You can cut for taper every which way to sunday and get the best lumber fast with this mill. The problem is that it breaks down a lot and where I live, it is sometimes a long time before I can get it repaired.

Thus the new WM. I'ts so nice to have a new mill! That forklift is some machine too. I can stack lumber 44' high!
I sure like this forum. I feel like I know some of you so well.

I've already bent the debarker arm, so I'll post some of those pics later. I think some of you might enjoy some photo's of
the way we do things up here, so I'll keep you posted!

colinofthewoods · March 14, 2012, 01:36:04 AM

sorry if I missed it.. but where abouts on the coast are you ?

customdave · March 14, 2012, 02:04:25 AM

Nice pics, & welcome to the forum , enjoy the new mill 8)...

Dave

MotorSeven · March 14, 2012, 10:03:39 AM

Nice set up and beautiful location! I am sure there is a WM tech that is chomping at the bit to fly out there and give you some accuset lessons :D

LOGDOG · March 14, 2012, 10:09:42 AM

That's a great story JVK. I've always wondered how expensive those landing crafts are to hire. Do they charge by the hour to take you to your location? The one in your picture looks like a pretty big rig. Do you also have to take your lumber out via the landing craft?

Meadows Miller · March 14, 2012, 10:44:57 AM

Gday

And Welcome to The Forum JVK Im sure you will have plenty to contribute n Shes a Sweet Setup Mate

;) ;D ;D 8) 8)

Dont worry with the Accu-whats ;) I got them the first time I sawed with it on Jakes Lt70 ;) :D Im use to dealing with multi page setups on settworks but it was alittle different as It was the first time I had used settworks in about 4 years and the 1st time I used it on a WM you just gotta switch your thinkin to horizontal ;)

Regards Chris

JVK · March 14, 2012, 01:37:27 PM

Thanks for the warm welcome's. I've got the Accuset down now. That photo of me was on the third log. I was showing the mill to a couple freinds and did'nt know they were taking that shot. I have cut a bunch more logs now, but still getting used to the new LT50.

I live in the small town of Kildonan, located 25 miles south from Port Alberni. There is a passenger/ freight boat service that services this area yearound three days a week from Port Alberni. My business is mostly the coastal town of Bamfield and the Barkley Sound area.

Larry's barge is a 74' landing craft. He hauls logging and construction equipment at about $275 an hr. We have a couple tug and barge services as well.

I have a 40' steel work barge with a barco 080 log grapple on deck. I use it all the time for just about everything. Do a search on these the towns I mentioned and if any of you are out west you're more than welcome.

This photo is a float cabin I am building. That's my work barge tied to it. Jim

LOGDOG · March 14, 2012, 01:57:31 PM

Beautiful place JVK. About your floathouse ... were there special permits involved to build that or did you just need to have moorage secured to be able to park it in front of? My wife and I have wanted to own a floathouse for years. We follow this couple's blog ...they're up your way. http://powellriverbooks.blogspot.com/

colinofthewoods · March 15, 2012, 02:15:06 AM

You are definately living the dream out there ! I'll have to do some exploring in your neck of the woods. i've logged all over the island but never Alberni Inlet. Must be some good beach combing out there too.