Visitor’s day.

[Bibbyman]

It started out in the 50's this morning and got over 60 this afternoon.  Mary and I were out working early and hoped to get a lot done. 

We were on schedule when about 10:00 a neighbor stopped in.  Mary went to make contact.  When she didn't return,  I went out to see if she needed help. Well, Joe had taken a vacation day – had to or he'd lose it – and couldn't just stay home and do something alone.  Probably everyone else he knew was working. He probably figured he'd find someone here to visit with.  In any case, he had urgent news,  he had put in an order for a Baker 18 mill.  We had to talk about that and the sawmill business, on and on.  He didn't take off until about 12:30. 

We go in to grab a bite to eat.  We hardly got into it when there was a loud knock on the door. It was another neighbor come to pick up a deck.  He also custom processes meat and had 15 lbs of sausage for us.  We love his sausage!  Anyway,  it was more than an hour getting him dealt with and gone.

The wind had come up so Mary and I decided we were done sawing for the day.  She went to the house while I put away the tools and machines.   I didn't get that far.  Cousin showed up with another guy. The pardoner wanted 4 cedar boards to make bird houses and feeders.  I had to shift gears and pull out a bundle of lumber to let them pick out some boards.  It involved a lot of visiting.  Then cousin decided he could use a few cedar boards too.  About an hour later,  Mary comes out to see what had happened to me and more visiting had to occur.  They left and it was about another 30 minutes before I got everything put away.  Sun was starting to sink in the west. 

Just another day at the sawmill.

[saxon0364]

Oh I know how you feel. :D Saturdays are the worst for that. But its part of rural life, neighbors and friends, and thats a good thing.

[bandmiller2]

Reminds me of a story.Too many years ago I worked second shift and would be around days.A certin religous group would spot me outside and come over.I asked them if they helped their brother,well I had them help me move some heavy engines and never saw them again. Frank C.

[Sawdust Lover]

Funny this topic should come up. I enjoy to have visitors but lately it has been getting out of hand. I only saw on weekends and sometimes during the week after work but it's getting hard to get anything done when you have so many people stopping by. Last weekend I wanted to saw 1000 bf of cherry to get in the kiln because the kiln is empty. By Sunday night I had 300 bf sawn and had 13 visitors. What do you do? You cant just keep sawing and ignore them. This is a tough one to juggle.

[Bibbyman]

I often keep working.  People can stand around for hours and watch work.

[Magicman]

When folks stop by when I am sawing, I always catch a minute between logs or whatever, hand them a business card, introduce myself, and then go back to work.  Sometimes I can chat when the help is off loading lumber or something but it is very brief.

Some of them will call within a few days and we will line up a sawing schedule for them.  Since I am custom sawing, I can not talk on the other man's $$$. 

Thankfully I seldom get caught in Bibby's situation.

[Kingcha]

When I visit it friend or neighbor I lend a hand if he keeps working.   Sometimes I get lucky and they take a break.   To me days like that are why I live where I live.  But then there are those time where you need to earn a living and its not so easy.    After the fact though you gotta smile.


matt

[clww]

Glad to hear you had a productive day, Bibby.

[Red Clay Hound]

I had a day like that yesterday.  I planned to clean out my shop, make some adjustments on my mill, set up my molder to run some t&g flooring and cut down a couple of trees that are too close to my sawmill shed.  Got the shop cleaned up and had a guy stop by who wanted 30 oak boards planed, so I stopped what I was doing and planed his boards.  Spent the next hour visiting with him about wood.

Grabbed a bite for lunch.  Right after lunch another woodworker stopped by to look at some white oak to build a table.  He stayed and visited for about 1 1/2 hours.  Didn't buy anything, but plans to come get the wood next week after he figures out how much he needs.

Got my chainsaw sharpened and was ready to take the trees down when another vehicle comes up the drive - another woodworker who had talked to me on the phone several times.  Spent an hour looking at my mill, my lumber and my shop and another hour discussing his future lumber needs.  Wants me to saw some walnut for him.  While looking around he found a cherry burl he wanted for turning wood so I put in on the mill and sawed it half for him.

After he left I had one hour of daylight left so I straightened the bent linkage on my two plane clamp.  Everything else will have to wait.  I made a grand total of $95 but all in all it was a good day.  Good thing I have a pension! 8)

[xlogger]

I took off work 3 days this week to catch up with sawing and other things. We keep our 6 month old granddaughter, so I didn't get much work done either. I'm sitting here this morning thinking of the things I was going to get done this week. Well I have one more good day but I guess I'll spend most of it with her. Got to love grandkids ;D

[bandmiller2]

Take a lesson from Huckelberry Finn and work the rascals,the good ones will enjoy it the slackers will beat feet. Frank C.

[LeeB]

Tom Sawyer actually

[thecfarm]

xlogger,enjoy that grandchild.   ;D  I know what Bibbyman is saying. I use to buy grain from a small farmer. He use to complain about the same thing. I would do all my talking loading the grain and head back to my farm to get work done.

[drobertson]

Just to add a litte, it always seems that vistors come kinda at the worst time, like mentioned, when we are trying to get caught up on the lil jobs that have been put off. And then there is the timing of the visit, just as one leaves, another shows up with perfect timing.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Just to add a litte, it always seems that vistors come kinda at the worst time, like mentioned, when we are trying to get caught up on the lil jobs that have been put off. And then there is the timing of the visit, just as one leaves, another shows up with perfect timing.

They must do it with cell phones - I think there's an app for that!

Herb

[beenthere]

Set up your own phone system for it to ring within 10 minutes or so after a visitor shows up.

That is, if one really wants to stop the visiting  ;D  as it does take two people to visit. ;)

[drobertson]

Tango anyone, no doubt is takes to visit.  And all being said many times the vistors come back for work. It just seems like when something has to be done Murphey's Law comes into play, with all the corrilaries.  I love to visit with folks, I just don't care for wasting time while I'm visiting. Kinda a contradiction I suppose. 

[bandmiller2]

I stand corrected Lee your right, tom sawyer,truth be known I've never met ether one of them. Frank C.

[5quarter]

Bibby...those are the best kinds of days to have. guaranteed the work will be there in the morning...no guarantee we will.  ;)

[Bibbyman]

A major winter weather forecast was issued for late today and the weather was cold to the point of being uncomfortable. Maybe that explains why nobody showed up today.  Not even the customer who had arranged to pick up a few boards.

[paul case]

no one showed up at my mill today either, except me.

Usually Saturday is a busy day with slabs for me , but not today. The weather was turning colder today with a mist and later in the afternoon we had rain and then freezing rain.

I had the gate open and the door open from 10 to 4:30 and nary a one showed up to slow me down.

I actually got something done..... and like to froze my tail off too!!!! When I left I had to thaw my gate lock out so it would lock again.

PC

[captain_crunch]

What I love about my mill is this time of year is it takes a 4x4 atv or my Ford 2910 4 wheel drive tractor to get to my mill Aint been a 4x4 pick up built yet that will disturb me