The Greenhorn's initial sawing season 2019-20

[doc henderson]

especially diesel stuff can set for 6 months and start right up.  My wife is funny (just like all the others I presume)  after the engraver was demonstrated, she got a wild hair and said we had to have it.  she still has never run the thing.  my 1976 dump truck I bought before I had met my wife, paid 3k and 100 worth of tires and wheels.  my wife only complains once a year when we pay the taxes and tags (70 bucks)  the rest of the year in comes in handy.  You are all growd up, and we have no desire to know all your financial stuff.  we just want to "balance" things out since you and yours are prob. thinking not.   .  I agree with having a back of the mind plan.  I think you neighbor or son should buy one and store it at your house.  then you can start it and run it on a regular bases for them! :D  best regards!

[doc henderson]

with some block and tackles can you use the winch on the mule?  My brother went and bought a brand new JD mini tractor for about 18k with a loader (tini) and a tiller.  my uncle found a well cared for used one they were asking 12, he said all I can pay is 8k and they took it.  at this point they are virtually the same tractor.  I called JD before my uncle bought it and all the used ones there were 16k.  My brother said "he stole it".  It was a friend of his who passed away and the daughters I think they wanted Uncle Jerry to have it.  he still helps them out when needed with snow and such.  see what comes along

[Old Greenhorn]

Yeah Doc, I will back burner this for a while but keep my eyes open. Since I like to keep things generally positive here I will not be sharing my financial information, it would just depress everyone.  ;D :D
 I have no issues getting logs on the mill, and now that I will have that block wall next to it, I am thinking of mounting a 110v winch on that wall just for pulling logs up the load ramp. 
 The machine would just make things faster and safer AND I could groom the surrounding area to increase the usable ground I have for drying skids etc. It's pretty swampy right now and I would need a lot of fill, but it is doable if I had a machine. So it's more than just the mill work.
 But I have some time. I just need to build up the mill account for a while.

[Hilltop366]

A front end loader is really handy to have but an older 2 wheel drive tractor with a three point hitch will do lots of work, rear forks will lift more than the front and that is were really heavy things should go.

Add a few rear implements over time and you will wonder how you ever got by without one. If you get lots of snow drifts in your area a rear snow blower may pay for itself and the tractor.

A cab is really nice in the winter but not necessarily required if you dress right and stay in the neighbourhood.

If you upgrade later and stay in the same size range the implements will work with the next tractor.

My brother has had a MF210 2wd (25 engine hp) tractor that he bought new mid 80's it is not very big but you would be amazed at the work that thing has done over the years. It has over 4500 hours and I bet he hasn't spent over $2000 in repairs 35 years. That works out than less than $300 per year in ownership cost if he threw it away!

This probably isn't helping is it? ;D

[Old Greenhorn]

SNow removal isn't an issue for me. The Mule plows just great and I have a 3 stage snow blower I have barely used in 3 years. If it get bad, my son has two 8' plow trucks as he runs a plowing service. It's the dirt moving that would make a big difference.
 I am not looking to get talked out of anything, I just need to keep it all in perspective and work the plan.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well, even though it was pitch black when I got home I was determined to do something tonight. Got my work clothes on and headed out behind the shop and plugged in the floodlight I hung 30 years ago and not used since then. It worked. I started to measure out and plan where the mill would go. Then the light burned out. OK, so I go in and grab a halogen work light and plug that in. better light. I dropped 4 blocks down and adjusted them by measurement off the shop wall. I picked a high one and started with that and dug it in and set it level. All the other blocks will be set in reference to this one. Then I got the dinner call. BUT I got the first block set, it's progress. Eventually I will have 3 blocks under each 6 foot section which will have 6x6 timbers on top of them, and then the tracks are bolted into the timbers with 1/2 lag bolts. In the prior setup, I only had blocks every 6 feet and lighter blocking I added later in between. I think this is where some of my head shake comes from on those wide logs and heavy cuts. I want that to go away, because when this mill cuts well, it really cuts, but that shake slows me down and roughs up the cuts. I hope to improve the quality a bit more.
 Obviously I have a lot of work to do. I will work on the lighting to make it better for dark work, but I want to keep moving forward, so setting that first was a big step. The hardest part of getting it done is getting off your butt and getting to work. ;D
 Tomorrow I hope to set another block or two. It's not much, but it gives me a leg up for the days I can focus on it. Oh, I would love to have the head and a couple of sections set by Sunday afternoon. That would put me way ahead of what I had hoped for and in a week I might be back to fetching logs and milling Which is 1-2 weeks ahead of my planned schedule. Then It's all about the weather and the logs I can get.
 

[ManjiSann]

It may have been only one block but it's one block closer to your goal!  I applaud you for the initiative! It's hard for me to get motivated when it's cold and dark, artificial light or not.

Brandon 

[Old Greenhorn]

AH this is frustrating. I was looking forward to having 4 clear days to work on the mill reset and we had a very small Thanksgiving planned for the evening so I should have had a full day in yesterday. The temp hit 45 and even though it was overcast with a 20 mph wind, it was very workable. But I woke up with a bad head cold yesterday morning and had zero energy. Try as I might, I just could not get going. I went out twice and worked for an hour or so, but I was just weary and finally bagged it. I think I have 3 blocks set.
 Now I am studying the forecast and it looks like 6 inches of snow is going to start falling Sunday morning and continue thru until Monday after sunset. The 6" is no big deal, but I am in a disarray state with stuff still down at the mill, lumber flat stacked there to be moved up, lumber in temp stacks up at the house to be re-stacked and stickered, and the winter equipment swap yet to do (put the summer stuff in storage and take the winter stuff out and test fire it).
 I need to a least get the mill off the trailer and onto the rails, which means I need to get that track down and level. I would rather not do this twice, again. Then I can use the trailer to at least get the remaining lumber up from the old site, get my drying skid re-leveled, then re-stack everything and put a snow shield up on top of it. I don't think that is do-able at this point in my condition with no energy.
 Looks like it is going to be another grey day with a red sunrise and it won't hit 40 today, but I will give it a shot. I am hoping the fresh air helps clear this junk out of my system.
 Once again I am feeling that self imposed pressure to make it happen on time, but the body doesn't have much in the tank. We will just have to see how it goes and deal with the results. Most folks around here hear "snowstorm' and worry about milk, bread, and beer. Here I am worried about sawmills and equipment moves. (Well, I do need to pick up some beer in case I feel better tonight or tomorrow.)
 Time to pull my boots on.....

[Nebraska]

Keep on plugging away you'll get there, our weather went to junk as well.

[doc henderson]

I had the crud too.  just getting back to normal.  I worked Monday and Tuesday.  had appointment to pull new underground electric service to the shop at 8 am Wednesday.  I had the stomach crud all night.  So went out at 07:30 in am and was happy they had pulled the wire the day before.  took an hour to hook up both ends with a new fuse/switch.  the overhead was damaged 2 years ago in an ice storm, bending the mast.  I slept the rest of Wednesday, and the first half of Thursday.  did not have my usual helpings at a thanksgiving dinner at 4pm.  now I am close to back to normal.  Was suppose to work Thursday, but a younger Military doc, asked if she could have the shift. Thank God! no fun to work when you are sick.  work tonight.  had a lot of plans for those days off.  Hope we will have plenty more!

[Old Greenhorn]

I just came in for lunch and to warm my feet. The temp has shot up to 33° but I still have cold feet. A full progress report later, but I will say that some progress is being made even though I still feel lousy. Heavy breathing in clear cold air seems to help also. I won't hit my original goal by a long shot, but I should be able to complete the immediate needs before the snow. I think.

[Old Greenhorn]

OK, here is the daily log. Woke up at 5am feeling terrible again pulled on my boots and got out there at 7:30. The ground is starting to freeze and there is still a lot of residual water in the ground from last Sunday's 8 hour downpour, i.e. mud. Where I am setting the mill is is small rubble with very little dirt. Probably the material they busted up when they built the shop and poured the slab. SO I break it up with a pick, then pull it out with a mattock. It is slow going because I have to make a bigger deeper hole and get the big rocks out, then partially fill the hole back in to get the block at the right height. Because of the uneven ground I am also having to dig between the blocks so that the 6x6 rails don't lay on the ground.
This little bit represents abut 3 hours work to get it level.


 

You can see the ground I am working in is not super friendly.


 

By about 10:30 I had enough done that I could get the mill head set on the top end track and get the trailer out of the way, but there was no way I could maneuver the trailer for a perfect lay to do it myself. So I called a neighbor for help (that doesn't happen often) and he was tickled pink to some help me for a change. We had to man handle it a bit and it would be hazardous for me to do alone on a good day, but in my weakened state it was out of the question (stupid). With two of us it took less than 2 minutes to get it on the track.



 

So he went back to his chores and I got the trailer cleared (the first major goal for the weekend) and worked on setting more block. I have to say, the block I got from home despot is pretty poor. You tap it with a wood block to set it in and it just crumbles. I lost two blocks, one broke when I dropped it in it's spot from a height of 10 inches or so. Glad I got plenty of extras.
 So I got more blocks set and more track down and wound up with sections pretty darn true (before test cuts and tweaking). I left the fourth section off for now because I don't need 24' of track in the forseeable future (spring?) and the 18' I have will allow me to cut 16' logs without a problem. i can add that last section anytime I need it with an hours work. I want to get what I have trued up and working well. I have too much other stuff to do before this snow hits.
 This is what it looked like at my 3:30 quitting time.


 

Right now it's all about function. In the spring I will do cleanup, organizing, and tidying things up. In the photo you see a lot of stuff leaning up against the shop wall. Those are various antenna part for many different types of antennas from UHF down through the low bands from my days as an active ham radio contester. AT one point I had something like 35 active antennas working here and this new mill area was the boneyard for parts, pieces, and projects for the antenna farm. I will get that cleaned up in the spring after I think about it a bit. You may also note there seems to be a tower section straight up thru the center of the photo, that is my 70' tower which is currently holding roughly about 8 antennas (440 beam, 220 beam, 3x 40 meter slopers, 2 meter stick, and two tri-band HF beams). I only mention these details because I know there  are a few hams here on the forum.

 Anyway, considering how bad I felt this morning I got a lot done and am fairly pleased. It stayed below 35° all day but it was workable for sure. I got kind of light headed a few times and took 5, but kept moving. I wanted to be done with working in mud and sharp rubble. Tomorrow I focus on storm prep. It's not that I am concerned about a silly 6" of snow we MIGHT get, but I have a bunch of fall chores yet to be done and as I mentioned in this mornings post, all the stuff still down at the old mill site to move up. SO tonight I'll e making a punch list so I can hit that stuff hard, first thing in the morning. It's probably time I put the doors back on the Mule too. ;D
 Now I just hope I can get a better night's sleep tonight. I didn't get much last night with breathing issues from this dang cold.
 Progress is being made.

[richhiway]

looks good. Feel better.

[RAYAR]

Things are looking good OG. Hope you're feeling better soon.

[ManjiSann]

You get more done when your a little under the weather than I do at my best!    Lookin good!

I thought about getting into HAM radio but the wife pointed out I already have too many hobbies so I just have the test book and a little Baofeng handheld. It was fun reading your post and having at least a clue what you were referring to if not a solid knowledge of it 

Hope you feel better quick!

Brandon 

[Old Greenhorn]

It's amazing how much you can get done when there is a shoe hanging over your head like this 16" of snow we have coming. I hit it hard and hooked the trailer on the mule and headed down to the old mill site. I knew I had to do it now or I might get snowed out. I busted my butt but all all the important stuff loaded. The only stuff left in the mill shed is stuff I can walk down and carry up by hand if I really need it. I left the 'break room' and work bench tarps up just to see if how they hold up in the snow. I'll probably leave that workbench down there and call it a picnic table or perhaps a rustic bar. ;D
 Anyway, I got everything loaded up.


 

I did my winter equipment swap, got the lawn tractors put away and the snowblower out. Set ups some quick and dirty drying skids, moved a little lumber. I hit all the high points on my punch list and started to relax a bit. After I unloaded and put everything away or found homes for stuff that didn't have a home up here previously. I did it quick and dirty, more work on that later. So I grabbed up a 6x8 short that I had and put it on the mill for a test. I milled it into 5/4 x 8's to use for floor decking. That went well, keep in mind that I have not yet done any tweaking on the mill, I have not run cross lines to check slant, not front to back lines to check swoop. I have done no shimming to tweak the level and straightness. Everything in my mind is rough, but the mill seemed to cut good. SO I ran down past the old mill site and bucked up a dead fall and took the butt log (the rest is firewood for 2020) and skidded that log up and loaded it up. I made a handful of 2x8's for the loft build out of it. It cut pretty good. Nice try for the first shot.



 

I have to say, one of the biggest pleasures I already have from the new mill site is being able to take a board right off the mill and take 5 step and put it on a stickered stack. That is a new experience. I see productivity growing. ;D



 

 I am pretty pleased with the day. We watched the grandchildren for the afternoon which is running well into the evening as my son tries to get his plow trucks prepped for tomorrow. What worked like a charm 2 days ago on initial test does not, of course work tonight. So I just came in from working in the dark with a headlamp trying to help him troubleshoot the pump motor on one of his plows. No joy, but I am frozen now. 

 I still have to get the mule setup with the plow, but that is shop work for the morning, I have plenty of time before the snow hits.
 This last photo is for Brandon. You don't know what kind of bullet you dodged by missing 'the hobby' of ham radio. You have no idea how much labor, expense, scrounging, and years to put this tower together. Besides this I had another 12 antennas, many of which would go up in the fall, and come down in the spring. The only difference between milling and ham radio is that at the end of the day with milling you wind up with something you can use or sell, with ham radio, if you are really good, you wind up with personal satisfaction and a certificate. :D I was pretty good, I have a lot of certificates. But when I found myself standing on the peek of my roof, at 3am in February because I had blown a balun and was doing a repair so I could wok the Japanese stations, I asked myself why I was doing it, and really had a pretty wimpy answer. To each his own.
 This is what sits directly above the mill.


 

[Nebraska]

Hmm never realized you were fluent in Japanese.   Looks like a very good day.

[Old Greenhorn]

Hmm never realized you were fluent in Japanese.   Looks like a very good day.

I am not. Ham radio contest communications are short, sweet and international. ;D

[ManjiSann]

I have to say, one of the biggest pleasures I already have from the new mill site is being able to take a board right off the mill and take 5 step and put it on a stickered stack. That is a new experience. I see productivity growing. ;D



 

I am pretty pleased with the day. We watched the grandchildren for the afternoon which is running well into the evening as my son tries to get his plow trucks prepped for tomorrow. What worked like a charm 2 days ago on initial test does not, of course work tonight. So I just came in from working in the dark with a headlamp trying to help him troubleshoot the pump motor on one of his plows. No joy, but I am frozen now.

I still have to get the mule setup with the plow, but that is shop work for the morning, I have plenty of time before the snow hits.
This last photo is for Brandon. You don't know what kind of bullet you dodged by missing 'the hobby' of ham radio. You have no idea how much labor, expense, scrounging, and years to put this tower together. Besides this I had another 12 antennas, many of which would go up in the fall, and come down in the spring. The only difference between milling and ham radio is that at the end of the day with milling you wind up with something you can use or sell, with ham radio, if you are really good, you wind up with personal satisfaction and a certificate. :D I was pretty good, I have a lot of certificates. But when I found myself standing on the peek of my roof, at 3am in February because I had blown a balun and was doing a repair so I could wok the Japanese stations, I asked myself why I was doing it, and really had a pretty wimpy answer. To each his own.
This is what sits directly above the mill.

Hey look, you have pretty stacks of wood!!!
I admire your energy and determination to get stuff done even if it's only to "tick the high points" as you say. All to often I allow myself to get overwhelmed by a task because I figure I can't get it all done by whatever time I have in my head so I get discouraged and don't try. You just plug along and make progress, very admirable  

I wanted to learn HAM for a SHTF sort of survival skill. You may not have a physical/tangible thing you can point to and say "See that's what all my effort was for" but you have a skill, a very useful one should you ever need it!

As you say, I dodged a bullet on that one  :D  I don't need another hobby that I can sink thousands of dollars and countless hours into that doesn't have some sort of positive return to my family, not now at least. It is a useful skill but I need to be wise on how I use my time/energy/money right now. I still would like to learn HAM but I think waiting till the young'ns are a bit older and finances are in a better place would be the prudent thing to do.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the antenna you pictured, it's called a Yagi?  :P

Keep up the good work, I'll have to mill vicariously for the next few months at least while mother nature blesses us with the moisture we need to live through the next year  

Brandon

[Old Greenhorn]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the antenna you pictured, it's called a Yagi?  :P

Keep up the good work, I'll have to mill vicariously for the next few months at least while mother nature blesses us with the moisture we need to live through the next year  

Brandon

Yuo, actually if you look close there are 4 yagi's in the photo of various sizes and for different bands.
I will keep plugging as conditions permit. Right now the mill is covered in 10 inches of snow, but at least I can walk right up to it. Had I not gotten the move completed, I would have been shut down for weeks, at least. I feel very good about that detail. :D

[Old Greenhorn]

I didn't have time today with all the snow, but I did want to clarify my earlier statement about ham radio just to set the record straight. Although it is true it can be an expensive hobby, it doesn't need to be so. I was in my 30's when I started and raising a family, buying a home and moving 100 miles to have a better place to raise our kids.....with a 30% pay cut as a bonus. We had no money to spare, so I went into the hobby pretty much building everything I had. The very few things I bought were used and I can only recall buying one thing brand new ( a modest HF rig). All those purchases were covered by side jobs, overtime, or sell/swap/trade up deals. Hams are generous folks when they like you and I got a lot of help and donations, because I wanted to learn, so I went to a lot of antenna work parties to help folks put up big towers and antennas. Those folks would sometimes give me their old stuff which I would repair and put to use. I bought my entire tower setup for just $350. because I helped the ham that owned it, take it down and also helped him with some other packing and preparation chores as he prepared to move to FL. He liked me I guess. 
 A lot of other folks did too. I would build my stuff and try things and they would teach me new stuff and often give me parts. I would operate contests at other large stations and they appreciated my time. I was never a top ten world class operator, but I was top twenty and they were glad to have me. I helped them too with the mechanical stuff I was better at. 
 So yeah, you can get into the hobby for cheap. I will bet you have already spent more cash on your CSM stuff than I spent in my first 3 years in ham radio. ;D I didn't want anyone to think I was disparaging the hobby/skill in any way. My daughter got her ham ticket, but never really used it much. My nephew got his and is having a blast, now I give him my old and not so old stuff.  As on the FF, I made a lot of friends around the world, there were 4 of us in a group on 12 meters, it was like meeting after work at a local pub, we talked most days of the week. One was in Alaska, one was in the UK, one was in New Zealand, and me. One new years eve we each shared our house parties as the time came around to us. The fella in Alaska even gave my daughter (4 at the time) a minute by minute update on what Santa was doing on Christmas eve and let her know when he took off to start his rounds (which turned out to be conveniently right at her bedtime). The next week he sent us a photo he took of a moose calf that was just born in the plot he had cleared out for his tower. So there was some benefit to my family too as I taught my children about the homes and lives of the people I had become friends with. 
 I maintain my ticket (I worked too dang hard for the Extra Class license under the old testing system) and when I get a little older, and a little more 'delicate' I will have a good thing to do in the winter months. The hobby has changed a LOT since I was active, I have a lot to learn, all over again.
 I just wanted to set the record straight. I loved my time in ham radio, it taught me a lot that I used in life, and my job later on. I look forward to the day I get back to it. Right now I am just too busy.

Now, back to the subject. I did nothing on the mill yesterday, but I have to say, if I had any doubt about moving the mill, the snowstorm today cleared that doubt away for good. I tried plowing the skid road down to the old mill site at about 6am and got 100' down the skid road and got stuck. When I got home this afternoon and did a re clearing of snow around the house and pulled the snow blower out to cut a path from the house to the shop, I still had some daylight. So I took the mule around the back of the shop and was able to plow a path right along the bed of the mill. I had placed a drying skid exactly far enough away fro the mill to allow clearance (it was an accident). If I had too, I could do just a little shoveling and clearing and put a log up on the mill tonight. ;D Just having this as a possibility makes me more pleased than you might guess.  I actually think I will be skidding up a nice log this weekend to work on. Had the mill still been where it was I would be shut down for a minimum of 3 weeks and have a heck of a time getting a log cut and the lumber moved up with the residual snow that will linger down in the hallow. I am very pleased that this has come to pass. Very pleased. It's kind of a big deal for me. Work can now proceed. 8) 8) 8)

[ManjiSann]

OG, I didn't take anything negatively about what you'd said regarding HAM. My comment also was not in any way on how you'd gone about it, in case that was how in came across. 

 I will bet you have already spent more cash on your CSM stuff than I spent in my first 3 years in ham radio. ;D 

You nailed it exactly! How quickly did I go from a little home owner saw to the wonderful Husky I am now enjoying? And then a mill attachment and I'm already trying to map out a 36" bar and mill, a trailer, possibly a robust stationary mill type thing, a solar kiln, a chicken coop ;) ;) Figure the same trajectory with HAM... or any other hobby, and I think you'll see my point. I try for moderation, really I do    My comments were on my personality quirk of going full speed ahead on whatever interests me. I looked into the equipment for HAM and I tend to want the best, don't usually get it but I want it  :
It sounds like you had some really awesome experiences with HAM and I hope you're able to get back into it some day 
Brandon 

[Old Greenhorn]

Well I was up and at it at 5:30 again this morning because we had another 6 inches over night and I needed to get the snow cleared. That put us up at well over a foot for the storm, but others just 15 or 20 miles from here got 2' so I am not complaining. But still it had to be cleared so I could get to work because I knew the other two M/E's would not be in on time if at all and the boss would also likely be a no-show again. So I got it done, pretty quick and dirty, but well enough that the wife could get in and out safely and easily.
 I got to work and was miserable. I have not slept well in 6 days from this cold and constant coughing and it is catching up. By noon most of my co-workers, and even my boss was in. I could not keep my eyes open and actually napped through lunch. By 2pm, I'd had it. I sent them all an email explaining my situation and left. I got home and took a 45 minute nap on the couch until the coughing fit came back. So I decided it was time for fresh air and I might as well finish the trim plowing and snow blowing. So I did that and we should be in good shape until the next storm. But then I thought about the remarks in my earlier post about being able to use the mill right after a decent snow. So I pulled around back and hit it with the plow, then did a little bit of shoveling to see how hard it would be to get the mill 'log ready'. It's a no-brainer. Good to go. Now my wood stack will need a lot more work, BUT that will come with time. I have not had any time to make snow covers for them yet. I might clean them up in the coming evenings, but for today I was shot. I had proven something to myself and that was good enough.
 It's hard to tell in this photo but I got the snow down to grade next to the mill and 30' beyond.


 

I was able to clear enough to give me room to run the mule past the head when I drop a log, and then some.



 


This shows the view from the other direction. I will have to come around the corner of the shop on the right and make the turn to drag the log up parallel to the mill bed.  It should be easier with frozen ground.



 

The lumber stacks could do with a bit more protection. This stack in the center I just milled Saturday, there is a bigger one just to the left of it you can't even make out.



 

 So I am sick and feeling poorly but I am happy that I made the right choice and I already feel like all that extra work has paid off. Tomorrow I may wind up taking an actual sick day and actually staying home sick instead of sneaking in chores. I feel like that is a waste, but I also feel pretty darn punky right now.

[richhiway]

Better rest up a couple days. Feel Better.

Rich

[Old Greenhorn]

Better rest up a couple days. Feel Better.

Rich

How much did you get down your way? Or is it UP your way? Your two locations straddle me and I am not sure where you are.