Whatcha Sawin' ???

Ianab · July 04, 2018, 09:56:38 PM

Biggest log was the ugliest, but I sawed it up today anyway.

No real surprises inside, but it should work for kids "rustic" play furniture or something.

Not going to get another board out of there. :D

MIll and tractor put away, boards loaded up and home in time for lunch.

Magicman · July 04, 2018, 10:26:03 PM

So you saws um and hauls um?

PA_Walnut · July 05, 2018, 06:42:27 AM

Quote from: Ianab on July 04, 2018, 09:56:38 PMMIll and tractor put away, boards loaded up and home in time for lunch.

Whoa!! That mountain in the background looks amazing. Is it always snow covered!? How far away is it?

Ljohnsaw · July 05, 2018, 10:50:06 AM

Quote from: PA_Walnut on July 05, 2018, 06:42:27 AM
Quote from: Ianab on July 04, 2018, 09:56:38 PMMIll and tractor put away, boards loaded up and home in time for lunch.

Whoa!! That mountain in the background looks amazing. Is it always snow covered!? How far away is it?

Only in the winter (down there). Ianab is in NZ. His pictures are a welcome relief to us on the top side of the world in the summer :D

Darrel · July 05, 2018, 01:23:26 PM

I had the same teacher for both 3rd and 4th grades, Mrs. Hockley. She was from NZ. She would tell us about Christmas being in the summer. That sure sounded bazar. :-\

WV Sawmiller · July 05, 2018, 02:19:27 PM

My wife and I learned that in 2009 years ago. I was working in Afghanistan and met her in J'berg S. Africa on an R&R in June/July and we like to froze to death camping the first couple of nights. Fortunately we were heading north and the closer to the equator up into Botswana and Namibia we got the warmer it got. We had never been south of the equator and forgot about the seasons being reversed. The next time we went was a couple years later and we went in December and it was like Spring time.

Ianab · July 05, 2018, 02:30:45 PM

The Mt is called Taranaki or Egmont depending on who you ask. It's about 12 miles away. That's it's usual winter look, although we sometimes get a dusting of snow down here in town. Late summer can see it pretty much bare of snow.

It's so distinctive as it's only ~20miles from the coast on three sides, and 60 miles from any other Mt.

Just checked the weather, it's 6:30 am and 2°c outside. Probably get up to 12 or so during the day, so actually nice to work in if it's not raining. Christmas is generally the start of summer here. We still do regular cards and decorations, then go to the beach. :d

petefrom bearswamp · July 05, 2018, 06:11:06 PM

Sawed a few Hemlock 8 footers today.
Looked great on the landing when I bought them but all 7 logs had shake.
Dang Hemlock anyway.
Made some boards and a lot of kindling wood.
Glad I just do this to take me hunting and fishing and not to put food on the table.
It seems hemlock is getting worse and worse here in my area.
I love to saw White pine but the market in my area is mainly for hemlock.

dirtymartini · July 05, 2018, 07:17:40 PM

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on July 05, 2018, 06:11:06 PM
Sawed a few Hemlock 8 footers today.
Looked great on the landing when I bought them but all 7 logs had shake.
Dang Hemlock anyway.
Made some boards and a lot of kindling wood.
Glad I just do this to take me hunting and fishing and not to put food on the table.
It seems hemlock is getting worse and worse here in my area.
I love to saw White pine but the market in my area is mainly for hemlock.

I have some 8 foot Hemlock logs coming on Saturday. I'm a noob to the sawmill, what's the best use for an 8 foot Hemlock log? 2 x 4's and 2 x 6s'?

Bruno of NH · July 05, 2018, 07:23:51 PM

Pete
I can't get good hemlock
I have been sawing some for a pole barn and got mad and switched to spruce and fir.
Spruce is hard to cut but has no shake and big knots.
The fir cuts nice

WV Sawmiller · July 05, 2018, 09:18:03 PM

Yesterday I dragged out the walnut heart I cut the day before. Today I stacked some lumber and planed one 14' 1X10 and think I burned up my planer. This afternoon I cut the 10' butt log into a 4" fireplace mantel, 8/4 LE slabs and a few 4/4 boards. Some of the boards will go on my RA saw to cut shorter due to some punk. Cut a 5' and 4' piece into 8/4 and some 4/4 boards several of which turned out to be spalted which I have never seen in walnut before.

The walnut heart except tops for future cookies

10' butt log ready to cut a couple small horns off and saw. A couple inches of punky sapwood on the sides.

Tried the water trick like Nathan does.

16/4 mantel X 10' long with at least 14" heart between the edges. This is my nicest mantel on the place and will be priced accordingly.

Made some 4' boards and found spalting (and some black ants). Wood still feels pretty solid.

Started clean up and the spectators came.

The yearling with her was much smaller and lots redder. The old doe walked over and bedded down about 35 yards from me. When I went to close some gates the horse and mule went to their salt block and old doe was about 5 yards behind and 10' from front of my mill.

Magicman · July 06, 2018, 08:02:38 AM

Dat's some purdy stuff!

Busysawyer · July 06, 2018, 06:23:35 PM

Well after 3 days of no logs to mill I finally found a load of logs to cut. Mostly walnut but there is few oak , hard maple , cherry, hickory and even one red elm still waiting to be picked up. Went and picked up a little load with truck and trailer so I'd have something to cut over the weekend. I hired a logging truck for Monday to go pick up the other 80% of the logs we left there. Some real nice walnut in this first load and what is getting delivered Monday as well.

I got to play with this timber jack for awhile. I had never seen one in person . It's a really cool machine.

Chuck White · July 06, 2018, 06:45:06 PM

Sawed 1722 bf Red Pine 2x6's today!

A very nice day, it only reached 76° with a nice breeze out of the North, those high 90's had us shut down for four days!

WDH · July 06, 2018, 08:04:36 PM

Beaver,

!!

Crossroads · July 06, 2018, 08:58:11 PM

Nice walnut B.B.

Busysawyer · July 06, 2018, 10:07:04 PM

WDH, crossroads. This is my first attempt at buying a load of logs to grade saw and wholesale. The veneer buyer took what they wanted and we bought the rest . 6,200 bf walnut, 800bf cherry, 1500 bf red oak, 600bf hard maple Doyle scale. I didn't have pay for the little bit of red elm , soft maple or hickory that was laying there. I had to put out a good chunk of change and I'm very nervous about making any money. Most of the walnut looks good but there is a fair amount of little logs and a few big ones with rotten spots. The logger is a friend of the family and knows I'm green as it gets but said he didn't beat me up on grade and he's sure I'll make out alright. I hope I'm not about to learn an expensive lesson.

Lawg Dawg · July 06, 2018, 10:14:46 PM

Some White Oak, BB running out of logs is no good, especially when you trying to make $$. I've got to do some logging next week myself! Thank goodness for the people bringing me their logs to custom saw, not as much money as selling retail, but it keeps the capital flowing!

Just Right · July 06, 2018, 10:48:14 PM

BB, Back in 98 I teamed up with my best friend and started a logging business. He had all the experience and I didn't. You talked about being GREEN. Well I was greener than that. And his words of wisdom were.. . ."You never know if you will get your head cut off, if you don't stick your neck out!" I am sure you will do fine. Good luck!

Busysawyer · July 06, 2018, 11:07:40 PM

Lawg dawg, I saw that pic on your fb page today. Nice looking slab, I haven't had the pleasure of milling any white oak yet. Yes running out of logs is not good at all. I've been scrambling the last couple weeks trying to make connections with loggers and buy standing timber. Can't post pics in the watcha sawing thread without anything to saw. I think I've made a couple deals for buying some good timber but no contract signed yet, just a handshake on the deal. I'm meeting the father in law on the 21st up at one of his properties in northern MI to look over his place there. He has about 1200 wooded acres he's owned since the 70s and hasn't had it cut. I've never seen the land but it sounds like a promising source for a steady supply of logs. I've talked to a couple crews that said they could log it and a guy that says he can haul it. I've been seriously stressing the supply issue and have been on the phone way too much trying to put all the pieces together. I just want to stay at home in my own little happy place and make piles of lumber and sawdust.
Just right , I appreciate the words of encouragement. At this point I've got a lot of money wrapped up in this and I'm all in. I've always felt that if I work hard and try to make smart educated decisions every thing will come together.

PA_Walnut · July 07, 2018, 07:04:47 AM

Quote from: Busybeaver on July 06, 2018, 10:07:04 PMI hope I'm not about to learn an expensive lesson.

No risk=no reward. Look out for metal! Walnut seems to grow it inside.

4x4American · July 07, 2018, 07:57:29 AM

Are you gonna sell the hard maple wholesale? Just wanna make sure that it hasn't sat around for more than 3 weeks so the log don't stain.

Just Right · July 07, 2018, 11:02:29 AM

BB, I agree with you. Hard work and smart decisions is always a plus. I am in the same boat. I will be retiring in Jan and will have more time to go full steam ahead. I have been doing everything possible to get things set up and rolling now so when the time comes I won't feel like . . . . .I am so far behind I think I am winning!

fishfighter · July 07, 2018, 12:52:07 PM

So, I got out today early and finished resetting up my mill after bending a track. To test things, I put a dead water oak that was small and I felled it about 8-9 months ago.

All is good and it was nice to just saw something up. ;D Little log, I pulled out two 2x6's and four 4/4 x 8's. All 10' long. I did just flat sawed that log and chunked the pith.