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Started by Tom Posch, December 02, 2018, 06:24:29 PM

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Tom Posch

Hello all.  I am a new member to this site and new to sawmills.  I am an excavating contractor and have need of rough sawn oak lumber on occasion.  I use it for trailer deck and dump truck side boards.  I have been observing for a little while and decided to introduce myself. 

I've already purchased a mill, I found a Linn on Ebay.  We formed and poured a concrete pad in my yard to place the mill on.  I hope to set it up tomorrow.  I've also been collecting oak stalks for raw material.  We are getting pretty close to our inaugural outing to actually mill some boards.  

I'm trying to have everything on hand for the big day.  I mentioned the chain saws.  I'm going to get a 20 pack of blades to have on hand.  

I just wanted to say hello and tell you there is a lot of helpful information on this site.  I've learned a lot already.  

I'm open to pointers and advice.  

Thanks
Tom


Crossroads

Welcome Tom, I hope you enjoy your new mill. It should bring you years of joy. 
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

SawyerTed

Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

A-z farmer

Welcome Tom from another forestery  forum newbie.
I know you are going to enjoy the milling journey .
We use white oak for everything on our farm from truck bodies to buffalo pens .

Zeke

bandmiller2

Welcome Tom, What part of the country do you live in.? You will likely pay for the mill in short order as oak decking and blocking is needed in your business. Be diligent in your cleaning of logs before milling as bulldozers and excavators will grind grit and pebbles into the bark. Take your time when starting, speed will come on its own schedule. You time is valuable and it may not pay you to sharpen and set your own bands right now, but save the dull ones, Good luck and don't be afraid to ask. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

btulloh

Welcome aboard, Tom.  Good luck with the new mill. Share some pics when you can.
HM126

Tom Posch

Thanks for the kind words.  I'm in central New Jersey.  I have some pictures in my phone of the construction of the pad.  That's not too exciting, but the mill is getting set tomorrow.  I am looking forward to that.  Then I'll figure out how to post some pics.  

Southside

Welcome to the Forum, you will enjoy sawing.
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

samandothers

Welcome Tom!

It is a great place to learn!

ellmoe

Welcome and good luck with your mill.
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

Chuck White

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Tom!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

petefrom bearswamp

Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

maple flats

Welcome aboard.
For starters, what will you use to move the logs? Forks on a TLB works well. Or I use an excavator with a thumb, but before it had a thumb I made up a sturdy steel box beam about 42" long and a clevis on each end. To the clevis' I put a set of log tongs. That worked well, but the thumb is faster. For minor moving a Logrite cant hook (click on Logrite in the left sidebar) is the best choice IMHO.
What is your log source? If yard trees you may want a good metal detector, if woods trees, rarely needed.
Most of all, have fun.
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

WV Sawmiller

   Welcome and good luck. If you have not bought your bands yet I'd suggest 4 degree doublehards for my WM mill if I planned on cutting hard wood like oak. I assume you can get them to fit your mill. Keep us informed.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Tom Posch

My plan is to bring the log to the mill with a backhoe with forks.  I can place it on the mill at that point or if it's a large piece I will crane it on the sawmill with an excavator and a cable.  I stood on my head pouring the pad perfectly level and carefully setting the mill in place.  I don't want to manhandle the log in place and mangle things up.  

I have my eye on a 10 ton crane that I can install on the back of a Freightliner cab & chassis I already own.  I can build a flatbed body behind the crane and run around picking up potential raw material for the mill.  

I have some wood already that came off of a clearing job.  Maybe a half dozen stalks between 24"-36".    

Woodpecker52

One look at that blade brings back memories or sawblade wobbles, blade dishing, loose teeth and fighting rust on blade and 1/4 inch kerf.  Heavy machinery, big diesel engine, flat belts, v-belts, even time when carriage wheels jumped of track and the joys of log wedging blade to a sudden halt. When I got the sawmilling bug again I am so glad I went to a band Mill.
Woodmizer LT-15, Ross Pony #1 planner, Ford 2600 tractor, Stihl chainsaws, Kubota rtv900 Kubota L3830F tractor

Tom Posch

I appreciate the gracious welcome. 

boonesyard

Welcome and good luck Tom. I too have a construction Co. that reaps the rewards of having a mill around. Trailer decking, truck tip/tops, shoring beams and custom bridging. Not to mention the fun personal stuff. This forum and its members are a wonderful bunch and a massive wealth of knowledge. 
LT50 wide
Riehl Steel Edger
iDRY Standard kiln
BMS 250/BMT 250
JD 4520 w/FEL
Cat TH255 Telehandler
lots of support equipment and not enough time

"I ain't here for a long time, I'm here for a good time"

Grizzly

Quote from: Tom Posch on December 02, 2018, 08:43:55 PMI'm in central New Jersey.


My impression of New Jersey was that it wasn't long enough to have a north, south, and central. anudder education!! :D

Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
2011 - Logmaster LM-2 / Chinese wheel loader
Jonsered saws - 2149 - 111S - 90?
2000 Miners 3-31 Board Edger

Tom Posch

We're 150 from top to bottom.  We're not California (thankfully), but we're not Rhode Island either.  

SawyerTed

I'm thinking the value of a crane/winch truck is unexplored here!



 II 
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

OffGrid973

Welcome aboard Tom and good luck sawing.  I am up in Bridgewater which is "North Jersey" for our folks on the forum even though it's located also in central jersey, as anything south of the Raritan River is considered "South Jersey", and yes they root for the Eagles and Flyers :).
Your Fellow Woodworker,
- Off Grid

Tom Posch

Most people identify by their Parkway exit.  I'm a 98 guy.   Farmingdale to be specific.  

Sixacresand

Welcome to the Forum, Tom Posch.  it looks like you are ahead of the game with a concrete foundation and support equipment.   The Forum is a great resource.  
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

Tom Posch

I tried with no luck to post a picture of the mill on it's new pad. 

Tom Posch

Quote from: SawyerTed on December 04, 2018, 08:07:15 PM
I'm thinking the value of a crane/winch truck is unexplored here!



 II
That's a cool wrecker. 

SawyerTed

The wrecker/winch truck/crane truck is one of those "use what you can scrounge up" kind of things.  It belongs to a friend with whom I swap work.  I saw his logs that don't fit through his firewood processor and I trade sawing for the use of this wrecker.  It has 200' of cable on the winch drum. As long as I chock the wheels and keep it on high ground, I can winch out any log on our farm.  It will not skid a log worth a darn.  If I lift the log, I can carry it easily. 
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

Tom Posch


BrandonSchiller

Welcome! I'm new also and have found this place a wealth of information 
"If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ" Gal 1:10

Skipper11A

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 03, 2018, 09:34:36 AM
  Welcome and good luck. If you have not bought your bands yet I'd suggest 4 degree doublehards for my WM mill if I planned on cutting hard wood like oak. I assume you can get them to fit your mill. Keep us informed.
I second 4° blades for the oaks, especially the big white oaks.  Also, 4° blades will mill any other wood you put on your mill, albeit a bit slower.  You might want to set up a pressure washing station to clean those logs when they come in covered with mud.

Tom Posch


thecfarm

Looks good!!!
I myself try to keep equipment away from my mill. I put my logs onto 2 logs that I have sawed the top flat on. Easier to roll logs on to,no little bumps,all flat.These 2 logs goes the other way of the bed rails. Than I use a peavey to roll the logs on. I bridge the gap with a piece of ¼x4" by 3 foot long flat iron stock. This way I am not hitting my mill.
You will need a peavey,the one with the point, to roll your logs on. Get it from Logrite,sponsor on the left.
Have fun sawing.  
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Old Greenhorn

Very pretty setup, love the slab, but the fact that you have some flat ground really caught my eye, very jealous. Nothing is flat here and there are 'two stones for every dirt grain'.  I found the flattest area I could down in the woods and one end of my 24' run is 12" higher off the grade than the other and 6-12" of side slope too. Will maybe do concrete in the spring, but I need to get a machine in to cut out a flatter spot, pull stumps and bigger rocks, and that costs. You are a lucky guy.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

Tom Posch

OGH, excavating is what I do.  I am going to set the stalks on the machine with an excavator much like a crane would.  I don't want to put the mill through any trauma. I do need to get a cant hook.  Tried today to locate one to no avail.  Have to get it on Ebay or somewhere online.  Should I get one or two?  I'm thinking two. 

Tom

Skipper11A

Quote from: Tom Posch on December 07, 2018, 04:30:13 PM
OGH, excavating is what I do.  I am going to set the stalks on the machine with an excavator much like a crane would.  I don't want to put the mill through any trauma. I do need to get a cant hook.  Tried today to locate one to no avail.  Have to get it on Ebay or somewhere online.  Should I get one or two?  I'm thinking two.

Tom
Get one 60" cant hook and one 48" peavey from Logrite.  Nothing replaces a peavey when you're moving logs around the yard and it can also do the turning like a cant hook.

samandothers

Logrite!
listed on the left!  I have 2 cant hooks from them, great tools.  

Get some Blue Creeper for your rusted bolts etc.

Southside

Their tools are second to none. Seriously, you can not come close to their quality with anything else. I went through many Peavy wooden handles over the years, then decided to try a Logrite, I don't buy anything else now if they make it. 
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

btulloh

Probably ought to get a hookaroon while you're ordering your cant hooks.
HM126

Tom Posch

Hate to look dumb, but what's the difference between a peavey and a cant hook?  I've only seen pictures of them and can't tell the diff.  

Southside

Not a dumb question at all. A Peavey has a point at the end and works well with moving logs, it will cut into a cant and does not do as well as a cant hook on cants which has a hook at the end allowing it to grab the edge of a cant. Likewise a cant hook will move a log, just not as well as a Peavey .
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Magicman

 

 
Slightly different tools and everyone has their own preference.  A Peavey has a point/spike on the end and a Cant Hook doesn't.  No Peaveys for me but all Logrites.  logrite_cool

Cant Hooks and Peaveys - LogRite Tools LLC

Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

thecfarm

Peavey,starts with a P,and a peavey has a point is how I remember it.I have read on here,if turning expensive wood the point might leave a mark in the wood,a cantdog does not. 
I like the peavey myself. I use the point for prying the logs apart. I can also put the point in the ground and it will stand up.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

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