A good day milling with Lucas log chocks

[sigidi]

So this weekend I went to see a fella who had contacted me via my website. 260k (161mile) round trip from home, we organised this weekend and I set out nice an early - 0530, had a McDonald's breaky just down the road from the job and then rocked up on site.

When I get there the logs are still in the place the tree loppers dropped 'em  :( 4 lengths all 6m (20') long, the biggest being around 1,800kg (4,100lb) and the smallest, was a bit young to slice nice timber from. So after using my muscles and a bit of leverage with a liberal splashing of brain power I ended up with this...





and at the end of the day, I ended up with this...



Customer had raked up all the sawdust in the time I packed the mill onto my truck.

Part way through the day, I got a couple of thick bottom slabs, I set them aside for the last log of the day. Once the log was opened, I threw them on top...



and raised the mill 2" then sliced out the back of both bottom flitches...



and here is what the two looked like after being trimmed up...



I just do this as part of the general volume rate, if I end up with a bottom flitch thick enough to get a decent coffee table, bench seat etc. I throw then back on and make them lighter to play with but also easier to install something with two flat faces rather than one flat face and one half round face, just part of the service  ;D

So the end of the day gives a nice pile of sawdust, but what else? well obviously a pile of trim cuts or tailings, here is the pile of 'waste' apparently destined to be docked into firewood



off to the left rear of pic are the sticks which where questionable in quality. I leave a 'question' pile so the customer can go through it a bit easier and select what they think they can use or not, all these bits don't pass structural grading, but have sections in them which can docked to use in various projects the customer may have.
These are the bits I was called in for...



most are 6x6, 6x2 or 8x4 it worked out at around 2,000kg (4,400lb) of sawn timber, a bit lower percentage of recovery than I'd liked, but the logs had some considerable defects in them and at 46% I still came out above the 40% benchmark I like to use. Did a calculation once home and the 6x6's weighed around 75kg (163lb) each ;D :D 8)

On re-fueling, I had a little visitor...



drop by and check on proceedings, hung around until I was finished and even stayed still for me to almost touch it. Then I had to get back to workin, as usual I was on my own, so had done a bit of lifting myself and still had a fair degree to go before still driving home. On starting the engine I thought old mate Kookaburra would take off - nope, I began to roil the carriage toward it - nope, even touched it with the carriage - nope... plucky little bugger turned around and began pecking at the mill as if he'd scare it off by attacking it!!!

So the night before I had wanted to charge my cordless drill to use on my log chocks I like to screw then down - anyway the battery fried and killed the charger too :-[ :( >:( Lucky I had just taken delivery of my new Lucas log chocks - no cordless drill needed ;D Initially I didn't have wide enough log supports for them (but I know a guy who can cut me some more at a good price ;)) so I used a piece of packing. Anyway the second log of their use... what do I do? now keep in mind I have had hardened screws holding my blocks down for 6 years and not hit them once... yeah you guessed it? I bloody hit one!!! :'(



if you look close you can see I also trimmed the right side of the 'T' handle too best thing about it all - no blade damage and the chocks work so easy, much easier than having to get the cordless out for each log. I was initially undecided about getting them, but thinking about the job they do (just as good as my previous method) and how simple they are without tools - just great 8)

[Hilltop366]

Nice work sigidi   I'm all tired out just reading about it. :D