Not Quite a Log

Magicman · May 02, 2012, 06:27:18 PM

A tree butt does not necessarily make a log. Sure, I sawed it and actually got some nice lumber, but it still was not a "log".

T Welsh · May 02, 2012, 06:39:42 PM

Magic, When life hands you lemons, You make lemonade right. I have cut some uglier ones than that. But I am just a hired sawyer and have no control over what a customer comes up with and wants cut ;D. As long as I am on the clock and getting paid, I smile and talk about how much character the log will show and ask the custom what they plan on doing with it after its cut and try and make them feel good about cutting an ugly duckling 8). Tim

Magicman · May 02, 2012, 06:52:11 PM

Yup, in my case they are always the customer's logs.

I forgot to take a picture of today's job which started with 3 very nice Cherry logs. Next was this and the top cut off of it, then finishing with 4 SYP framing lumber logs. 1441 bf in 6 hours.

JohnM · May 02, 2012, 07:29:51 PM

Quote from: Magicman on May 02, 2012, 06:52:11 PM
Yup, in my case they are always the customer's logs.

I forgot to take a picture of today's job which started with 3 very nice Cherry logs. Next was this and the top cut off of it, then finishing with 4 SYP framing lumber logs. 1441 bf in 6 hours.

Hey MM, I'm sure you've said before but how do you charge? bdf or by the hour? Just curious. Thanks.

JM

cutterboy · May 02, 2012, 08:12:23 PM

Hey Magic, that is an ugly one for sure. :D I don't like those big knots. They tend to take the blade to places it should not go. >:( However, on the other hand we all know that really nice lumber can come out of an ugly log.

Magic, as skilled as you are, I'm sure you got the best that "log" had to offer.

Magicman · May 02, 2012, 08:36:00 PM

Quote from: JohnM on May 02, 2012, 07:29:51 PM
Hey MM, I'm sure you've said before but how do you charge? bdf or by the hour? Just curious. Thanks. JM

I quite possibly have not said. ;D

Cedar, timbers, and cants are always by the hour, but everything else is bf. Additionally, I do charge $1.00 per mile one way, one time as a setup fee. Hitting tramp metal is a flat $25 per hit, no matter whether it resharpens or not.

pnyberg · May 02, 2012, 10:45:20 PM

I don't see anything wrong with that log. ---

sgschwend · May 02, 2012, 11:29:53 PM

It has a blowout shown in the picture, so that might cause a loss of some output.

The log was trimmed pretty good, the knots weren't sticking up except for that one fork, I would have offered to trim that part off.

Canting might not have been too much fun but perhaps you just slabbed it?

Steve

Ron Wenrich · May 03, 2012, 06:26:42 AM

I saw logs like that all the time. I've sawn some that are a lot worse than that this week.

paul case · May 03, 2012, 08:11:09 AM

It may be as bibby would call''ruff'' but in my neck of the woods it is a log. Quite a log if ya ask me. It looks like the kind that would cut out a 12''x12'' cant and those make 12 3x4 cants that I currently sell for about $5 each. I wish I could buy loads of them kinda logs. PC

Magicman · May 03, 2012, 09:30:35 AM

I did not have any real difficulty sawing the log. I just hated the obviously poor quality lumber that it would produce.

He wanted/got 1" lumber up to 1X12's. It had a double top, a large limb had been nicely trimmed from the top face and the other that I got on the second face opening. Those large knots will cause some knot wave. With the large knots, the lumber will do some bad things as it dries. I dislike producing poor quality lumber, but you can not make chicken pie out of chicken mess.

His other logs were top notch. Large, straight, and limb/knot free Cherry and SYP.

Misfit · May 03, 2012, 11:07:02 AM

Some might say that log was "butt-ugly". ;D

Tom the Sawyer · May 03, 2012, 04:33:43 PM

Last Saturday's client had high hopes for this ugly, oops, 'character' log. Had to prune it down to get it on the mill, that cut line was at 27.5". It was junk, should have yielded 275 bf, got less than 100, decay and hundreds of ants - oh well... The rest of the logs he had were fine but this one was a major disappointment.

T Welsh · May 03, 2012, 07:07:03 PM

Even an ugly log will produce usable boards, and quite frankly even some drop dead gorgeous boards some time! But as Magic said its hard to get the boards to stay stable when the knots are that big. I too hate cutting crappy lumber. Tim

trapper · May 03, 2012, 07:39:46 PM

I took an oak log off the mill because it was so rotten. When the owner came to get his lumber he had me put it back on the mill and cut it. His money.

WDH · May 03, 2012, 10:08:21 PM

I have cut some crappy lumber. I concluded that there is not future in that. All that work for something that will not behave in the stack. At least in this case, there will be some good wood between the knots.

Peter Drouin · May 03, 2012, 11:23:33 PM

all good fire wood :D :D :D

Magicman · May 04, 2012, 09:28:25 AM

Sometimes better. I just hate to saw crappy lumber. No matter if the logs were the customers and he had them sawed. He may forget or maybe not realize how bad the log was, but long after I am gone, the lumber will still be crappy and I sawed it.

My sawing reputation is always based upon my final product, and in this case, I was not pleased.

Frickman · May 04, 2012, 09:44:56 AM

If it came at the right price, delivered to my yard, I can make a decent/good living sawing logs like that. Blocking and utility lumber is hot in my area right now.

newstick · May 04, 2012, 10:42:46 PM

Hi Guys I am new here but have been lurking for along time. I like to take logs like this and cut them into 3" to 4" slabs for mantles and table tops ,they are realy good for that. I do know that custom sawing you don't always get to do what may work best.