Sawing Full Time

[Deese]

I started sawing for a new customer 2 days ago. Very nice Longleaf pine and poplar logs. It is a humongous job. Over 300 pine logs. He isn't in a hurry and his help is limited. So, I'll be sawing his logs on and off over the next several weeks in between other jobs. It is a nice arrangement. I've got a killer syp sawing job scheduled for next week. I'm worn slam out but motivated and pressing forward. 

[Deese]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Deese]

 

 

[Woodpecker52]

Before long a stationary mill, edgers, equipment, employees, timber buyer, etc. Keep it going. You will make it big.

[ladylake]

Before long a stationary mill, edgers, equipment, employees, timber buyer, etc. Keep it going. You will make it big.

NO.  Steve

[Deese]

In the woods tonight boys and girls. Sleeping a couple hundred yards from the work area. Didn't feel like driving home so I will wake up next to the skidsteeer and will watch the sun rise as I'm getting work done. Someone bring me coffee in 7 hours please. Mosquitoes are back in full force. Bring it. 

[Deese]

Can't sleep. Here's a pic right before sunset today. I think this one turned out to be 4"x10"x20's. Got a tad close to the pith but what the heck. This stuff is dense and stable. Ain't going anywhere. 


 

[Deese]

Y'all my life is so crazy right now and I love every single bit of it. I have learned so many new things about sawmilling and everything associated with it over the past month or so...Things you can only learn when you actually rely on your sawmill to pay your bills, to support your child, to pay your electric bill...It is not fun and games anymore. I view it as Life or Death, and buddy all I can say is that it's a totally different experience. I'm all in! 
Just got home from a job. I'll be sawing cedar here at the house tomorrow and then moving to the big pine job Monday morning. I've never worked harder, but never been as happy in my life as I am right now. I don't mind the work and will outwork 2 guys half my age and I'm not even joking. It won't always be this way but I must do what I have to do to reach the next goal I've set for myself. My life may be crazy, but I am 10x crazier! Ha. I've Got This. 

[YellowHammer]

You da man.  Full steam ahead. 8)

[barbender]

Beast level 10! Sometimes life puts you in those sink or swim circumstances, I can see you're swimming just fine👍

[Deese]

So, I had to cut down a big cedar on a fenceline this morning. It was a dangerous situation but I survived!  Called my brother to bring his tractor to move the log for me. Tree was literally covered in poison ivy. Tried to do my best to stay out of it. Got several 8x8x10 posts already presold that will come from this solid log. Things are looking good my friends...oh wait, my...um...arm just started itching!


 

[Deese]

Well, I got a good dose of poison ivy. Eyes were almost swollen shut 2 days later. This is me after a steroid shot in the rump a few days afterwards but I never slowed down. The latest customer was bewildered and said I was crazy when I kept showing up each morning to saw his logs. He had two of the best Mexican workers that I have ever seen in my life. One of them watched me change the sawblade one time, and he did that for me for the entire job. I was sawing as fast as the sawmill would allow and they had another log on the loading arms before I could turn my head. Spent lots of time on super big 36"+ diameter syp logs, then flew through several thousand BF of 16"-18" diameter logs. Old men were driving up, pulling out their chairs and watching. I would stop, go over and respectfully shake their hand and tell them how nice it was to meet them and to not hesitate if they ever needed a hand with anything. I am making new friends by the truckload. I Love what I do. 

 

 

[Deese]

I've got more work right now than I can handle. Working 18+ hours every single day sawing and sharpening sawblades. I'm getting phone calls from people everywhere wanting all sorts of stuff, from trailer decking to 12"x12"x21' beams for new houses. Y'all it takes big, straight syp logs to get clear 12"x12"x21' beams. Got a pile of beams that are due in 7 days. Getting my boy tomorrow and forgetting about work for 2 days. Then got to find those big SYP logs starting Monday. Go BIG or go home. 

[thecfarm]

Sounds like you are doing good. Except for the poison ivy. :(
My Father would have enjoyed watching you. We looked at the one I bought many times. And I do mean many. He never got to see me buy it.
When Magic Man retires,he'll send you all of his customers.   :D  :D

[Peter Drouin]

You're doing just what I did for years. Then I had made so many friends milling all over the state.
I started getting orders for lumber. I told them I do on the road sawing I'm not a lumber yard.
When the road work slow down because Ross [Wood Mizer of Maine sold tons of mill on the east coast]  :D :D :D ;)
Then some sawing wood for half of what I get for sawing. 
That's when I took the next step.


 

 

 

 

 
This is a lot of work for sure. Good luck and work hard, Just think what you're going on a job and what the customer wants you to do. Sometimes a customer wants you to do something that will hurt the mill or you. Then you don't work. Sometimes you have to say NO.

[WDH]

Then got to find those big SYP logs starting Monday. Go BIG or go home.

Jake has a whack of them....

[Magicman]

When Magic Man retires,he'll send you all of his customers.

Actually I did send the customer to him that was overlooking Mobile Bay a couple of weeks ago.  ;D  It was 185 miles from me which was OK, but I as tied up sawing the "sand pit" job.  I couldn't saw both, so I kicked it to Deese.

[Deese]

Actually I did send the customer to him that was overlooking Mobile Bay a couple of weeks ago.    It was 185 miles from me which was OK, but I as tied up sawing the "sand pit" job.  I couldn't saw both, so I kicked it to Deese.

Magicman sure did, and he knows how much I appreciated it. I still do. He trusted me enough to put his name on the line to help me out. In return, I made danG sure I went above and beyond to do the best job possible. I had been wanting to dive into the sawmilling world full time for quite a while, but I kept telling myself that I would know when the  right time to do so would eventually present itself. There were several factors that were pushing me in this direction, and that sawing job was one of them. 
Sharpening sawblades at the moment. Making ERC sawdust in roughly 8 hours. 

[customsawyer]

Then got to find those big SYP logs starting Monday. Go BIG or go home.

Jake has a whack of them....

I might be running a little low now. Y'all have any more of them SYP logs left?

[Barney67]

I got into some poison oak/ivy a few weeks ago and after several days of worsening rash and swelling, tried a product called Zanfel that really cleared things up quick. Expensive, but worth it in my experience.


Enjoying this thread, congrats on your success.

[Deese]

I've been stashing logs everywhere for the past couple years...Finished this erc around 11AM this morning. I will deliver two or three 8x8x10's tonight and the rest is mainly 3x6's. I needed 33 total and only got 20 or so from the logs at this spot. Moving to the other logs I've got and finishing the 3x6 order this evening and delivering them tomorrow. 

 

[4x4American]

Looking good bud, run like hell!

[Mossy Chariot]

Wearing me out just reading about you adventure. Great job glad you are doing what you love!

[Deese]

Got a stomach/intestinal virus (stomach flu) and was completely shut down Tuesday - Friday. I was SICK SICK Monday night through Wednesday. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy (I don't have any). Tried to finish sawing some ERC on Thursday and immediately broke out in a cold sweat and heart pounding couldn't keep my breath. I was bad dehydrated. Made the 20 minute drive into town and bought 2 gallons of off brand Pedialyte and chugged it for the next 24 hours and I started feeling better over the weekend. It was probably Sunday before I had that "pep in my step" again and felt close to 100%. 
I've had the "stomach bug" before, but nothing NOTHING like this time. Looking back, I'm pretty sure I know why...I had been pushing myself so hard and was already bad dehydrated when the symptoms hit. So, my body took a double beating. Leason learned. I've always taken my health for granted and pushed too hard, and I'll admit I stayed bad dehydrated pretty much since I started working for myself. I was "too busy" taking care of everything else instead of my body. I will not let that happen again. 

The past two days have been wild crazy busy, trying to catch up. I got up at 5am this morning visiting a new customer and his logs...He's the largest landowner in the county adjacent to me. The number of logs is mind boggling. Then spent the remainder of the day sawing southern red oak and syp that customers had dropped off. Not much, around 450bf. It's close to midnight and I just finished sharpening sawblades trying to get ready for a nice portable job this Thursday sawing 60 bald cypress logs. I don't think they are crazy big, and good equipment and help will be there so hopefully I can finish it all in 12 hours. The only thing I must do tomorrow is saw 300bf of syp 1x8x14's and a few 4x12x20 syp beams. 

Oh yeah one last thing, I've got a customer wanting live edge slabs from a 40"+ diameter magnolia log. Wants the entire thing slabbed libe edge. What type chainsaw mill should I buy to get this job done? I've got a Stihl 661 chainsaw. Any advice would be appreciated 

[terrifictimbersllc]

Pass on that slabbing job. You have plenty of work and it is outside the scope of what you can efficiently do.