OldJarheads Milling Thread...

[Crossroads]

I like your set up, I typically just sleep in my truck on overnight jobs lol

[OlJarhead]

I like your set up, I typically just sleep in my truck on overnight jobs lol

I'm only 5 years older than you and no way do I want to sleep on the ground or in the bed of the truck anymore!
Love the camper but tomorrow's job is without it.  Long offroad haul to get in (though I'd done it twice with a camper in the past) and just one day.

[OlJarhead]

Does feel good to get the mill ready to move again but I did use it to trim off some floor boards for the cabin recently :D  Funny, it makes a racket for my neighborhood! hahaha....at the cabin no one would know but at our home not far off the gold course it raises eye brows   ;D 8)

[OlJarhead]

You might recall a Walnut log I went to measure earlier in the summer.  Later I bucked it up for the guy as he didn't have a big enough saw and finally, after taking the summer off I returned to get it milled up for him.

Truth is, Walnut is NOT my favorite wood to mill but I'll do it.

On this trip my wife came along and took some pics.  I figured 90 minutes of milling and took 2 hours but she survived ;)

The logs were ok with some crotch in them but he didn't care to have the crotch milled so much as useable wood and stuff he could make cutting boards and things out of.  So I milled the logs down giving him the most options I could think of.

And since he works in health care he understood that he had to do the heavy lifting more than most but I still couldn't help by grab the cant hook once or twice.

This weekend on a job I pinched my left hand between the hook and haft, heck I'm not even sure how exactly but I did and half my hand is bruised pretty severely.  Here I am trying NOT to add to my injuries and yet, maybe this old jarhead just can't help it.

In truth, I showed him how to use the cant hook and that was it.  He did the labor!

 

 

 

 

Had to mask up and use the shield as the wind was blowing massive amounts of walnut dust right at me for a while.  Sucked and made me think of charging $100/hr for walnut!

 

 

 

 
He ended up with a nice bunch of lumber out of that one log including a mantel piece and 3 2" x 12" pieces he hopes to turn into a counter.  Lovely stuff even if I have to rinse out my sinuses now! lol

I did a fair bit of softwood on Sunday too but haven't gone through the few pics I took yet (will soon) or done the math on production either.  Also left my large CANT hook at the last job :(  Luckily it was a wood one and not a 5 foot Logrite!  I'm sure I'll get it back but it's two hours away so we'll see,

In other news the VA has agreed my hands, knees, shoulder etc are all service connected so at least I don't have to worry about the cost of surgery when it comes time which was something that concerned me as the arthritis has really kicked in this summer and I'm told I'll need surgery on my left thumb sooner than later and my right before long too.  Makes it tough to do this kind of work but I enjoy it and am trying to learn from Lynn and others who run their mills and don't hurt themselves (crossing fingers).

Cheers

[Magicman]

Looking good Erik. 

and am trying to learn from Lynn and others who run their mills and don't hurt themselves

I have pictures to the contrary.      

[Crusarius]

I just keep aspiring to be like all of you guys one day. I don't even think I would mind milling in the rain. I do find myself wanting hydraulics already...

[WV Sawmiller]

Erik,

   Is that a solid or a screen mask? I use a screen mask for weedeating and like it better than safety glasses. I'd think a solid mask would fog up too bad..

    Pretty wood you got there.

[OlJarhead]

Solid face shield.  I only use it when the wind is blowing the dust right at me and I'm eating it like mad.  I hate walnut dust!  But ya, I wear the face shield when I need to and safety glasses always.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

What is it about walnut dust? I have sawed some and find it no more offensive than the oaks I usually mill.

[Magicman]

I never make a pass unless I am wearing...


 
one of these.  Probably because I spent too many hours in a previous life breathing sanding dust.  These days a little dust is too much dust.  

[OlJarhead]

I must admit I hate facemasks and don't use them often but when milling walnut that fine dust is just too much and I live in a place the wind blows pretty much constantly (and for some reason always in my face! )

[goose63]

Hay Erick I thought you were in Washington not here in North Dakota  :D

[Peter Drouin]

Good job,  8) 8)

[Lawg Dawg]

I have a dust collector attached to my mill and 2 fans on my back when milling everything... but find white oak and cedar most offensive...very fine dust that goes everywhere

[OlJarhead]

I have a dust collector attached to my mill and 2 fans on my back when milling everything... but find white oak and cedar most offensive...very fine dust that goes everywhere

Hard to do remote ;) and Walnut is superfine dust!  Maybe it's the tight grain???  Either way, I like pine and fir and Locust is ok, so too is Oak, Apple and just about all other wood I've milled....walnut?  Yuk! but I'm happy to do it ;)

[78NHTFY]

OlJarhead--hey, who's that Joe sitting in on your camper steps? :D :D :D.  A toast to you!!!!  All the best, Rob.

 

[Crossroads]

How far from I90 are you Erik? I should be passing by next week and would like to stop by and say howdy while I stretch my legs for a few min. 

[Tramp Bushler]

My job timer starts when I park my butt in the truck seat to head to job site and stops when I shut the mill off at the end of the day.

Maintenance happens AFTER The mill is shut off at end of day. De duct 1 hour for lunch and coffee breaks.

Keeps it real simple.

I know I'm way late to the party. But this is how I look at it.
This topic is of interest to me because I just put money down on a used Mighty Mite band sawmill.
My primary objective is to mill the lumber I need to build my home. But afterwards, if there is intrest, in milling for people.
My big question is what does everyone expect for a daily $ total.
The mill I'm buying is VERY affordable. Its a Gen 2 , which is a smaller mill. 17 horse Kohler .  Hydraulic raise and lower and travel.
Manual log loading and turning and dogging.
I know what I figure for When I do arborist contract work . And timber falling . But, I've only ever run a sawmill as an hourly employee.
Does owning and operating a small mill have any kind of standard hourly rate ? Asuming a guy is steadily producing accurate , square lumber ?
This may not be the right thread for these questions. If not please feel free to move this post to an appropriate thread . And my apologize to the OP.
I am very impressed with your production Jarhead. Very good thread .

[Magicman]

My hourly rate very closely reflects my bf rate.  Sometimes over sometimes under, but always very close.

[Bandmill Bandit]

Like MM, My hourly rate is a product of my average monthly gross BF production divided by the sawmill hours for that month, X .30 cents, rounded to the nearest $10 bucks. I am at a $100 an hour right now and I DO NOT saw by the BF for any one. I don't even quote a BF rate for any reason to any one.

[Tramp Bushler]

OK, thank y'all.
So, there is money to be made with a sawmill. That's very good to know.
I'm sure I will have many many learning curves.
Milling my own lumber will be a very good start to my training. For my own lumber I will be doing my own logging.
Where we are moving to that may not be the case tho.
For the price I'm getting this mill at. It will fully pay for itself by sawing the house lumber. ( I need a couple hundred 2x12s. )
Thanks again. This is a Great thread.

[OlJarhead]

How far from I90 are you Erik? I should be passing by next week and would like to stop by and say howdy while I stretch my legs for a few min.

Less than a mile.  When are you coming through?

[OlJarhead]

I charge by the hour and think it's a function of the location as much as anything.  I have a set rate (though some times I debate that with myself) and it works for me.  Big logs, little logs, poor help, great help, the rate is the same:  $85/hr

I also charge for setup and delivery. 

This works well as it doesn't matter what my customers have or how good they are at helping me.  The rate is the same.  However, I work HARD to produce the best lumber I can at the best production rate I can so their price per board foot is a good price under the conditions I'm working.  I often look at the BF price for them and for my own knowledge but in the end I charge by the hour and have more than once said "you're paying me by the hour" when asked to do something other than run my mill.

I'm comfortable with that rate and haven't had any issue charging it.  I think of it this way:  if you go to the shop to have your car worked on, there is a rate and that's what you will pay regardless of how simple or complex the problem.

[Crossroads]

I also charge by the hour, I was about to up my hourly rate in Oregon, but now that I've moved, I'm keeping it at $75/hr for a while. Obviously it depends on what I'm cutting, but the times I've ran the numbers while cutting 2x6's with good logs. It comes out to about 40% cheaper for the customer. Cutting 1x4's things slow down a bit though, so it all averages out. 

[biggkidd]

Great thread Jarhead.  Just read from day one over the last few days. Hope your ailments heal up speedy and completely. Having MS I know how working with pain is.  Hoping to pick up a new LT15 or 15 wide in the next week or two and give it a whirl. Reading about your adventures has been great. So thanks!