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Learning Curve and Limited Real Estate: VB-Milling Small Suburban HM126

Started by VB-Milling, July 26, 2021, 04:01:54 PM

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VB-Milling

Did some sawing last night and rearranging of the drying stack again for more efficiencies.

Mill yard is starting to get really "spacious"  :D

I've got 2 halves of some really rotten looking white oak to saw, the mill table is full of cedar and cherry offcuts that I'm going to try and get some boards from, 3 or 4 skinny cedars logs and a short piece of hickory.  I've decided the rest isn't worth messing with especially when I have 8 large logs in the driveway ready to go.

Will continue to work through what's in the mill yard this week so I have space to drag the mill out to the front to mill the driveway logs.



HM126

Nebraska

"Sonny move out to the country" lyrics just popped into my brain.  Wonder how long Billy Joel will be stuck in my head......"working too hard will give you a heart attack ack ack".... ;) Sorry good progress, back to your thread.

VB-Milling

Got through the skinny cedar logs I had.  Not much yield, but good practice.  Started sawing the short log on the mill late yesterday afternoon.  First cut and hit metal.  At least the blade was near the end of life.  Not sure I even want to mill this log at this point given what I still have left to saw and no real plan for the wood.  Think I'm going to cut my losses and make it firewood.  Sure has some nice colors colors though.  I'm not even really sure what it is.



  

  





Definitely running out of space in the shop.  I have green cedar and paulownia stacked in there to use over the winter.  The rest is walnut and cherry that's been air drying for 12-18 months.  Need to further process it on my 20" Delta Milwaukee vertical bandsaw and stack it to dry further.





Really loving this $20 ammo crate box from AMZ!  Had a downpour or two over the last week and everything stays dry and accessible.



  



Got the milling table mostly empty of the cedar offcuts.  These were what was left after I got all the 6x6s for the pergola build.  I'll run them through again and get 4/4 lumber for planter boxes and maybe even some 2x6s for the pergola.



 

The lonely stack left on the table is cherry offcuts.  I'll take a closer look this weekend, but I'm not sure they will yield any useable lumber.  Might be firewood.  I love burning cherry in the firepit.

Once the mill table is totally empty, and I've processed everything that's currently staged on the roller tables, I'll be ready to tackle the driveway logs.  The mill table will be a really nice flat area to stack the lumber that comes off the driveway logs and I'll position the roller tables to make an easy route from the driveway to the table.  Looking forward to that driveway stack.  Will need a toeboard solution before then me thinks.

HM126

VB-Milling

Google Photos autogenerated this for me and I had a good laugh.

A lot can change in 2 years!



 
HM126

VB-Milling

Lots accomplished over the last few days...

Got through all the cedar offcuts.  Really glad I took the time, there was plenty of lumber to find from it.













Moved the operation to the front yard and tackled 5 of the 8 driveway logs.  2 pines, 2 maples and 1 white oak.  1 white oak and 2 maples remain and will for a while.  Maybe early December.









Got some nice lumber from the pines and practiced edging against the cant.





Processed a bunch of scrap into firewood





Gave away a bunch of scrap to my neighbor for firewood





Got a mess more of scrap to process into firewood





Good thing I made some room on the firewood rack





Long pull to get the big white oaks on the mill





Made some monster 10/4 boards and leapfrogged the roller tables to get them to the backyard.  I wouldn't be surprised if they each weigh 300lbs.













Stacked the pine on the mill table which I guess is now a drying table LOL





Got some cool maple crotch boards.  Nice figure and grain throughout.  Maybe try to sell these guys some day.









Made stickers with my 20" bandsaw.  That's the last of the kiln dried scrap commercial lumber I have so I'll have to pick one of the remaining logs and make stickers to be able to finish processing what I have left.  I'm thinking the white oak halves I still have in the backyard would be a good candidate.  I'll have to use some green stickers, but I plan on milling a bunch and stacking them on a pallet to air dry for my future needs.





Today and tomorrow afternoon will be spent cleaning up the driveway and front yard and hopefully processing the pile of scrap so I can put the mill back in the side yard.  Also need to make or find a couple dozen stickers so I can finish stacking out what's leaning against the house.
HM126

Southside

Did you get those roller tables from a guy there in Virginia Beach? 
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

VB-Milling

Unfortunately no.  Had to drive a bit.  They came out of a defunct cabinet shop just outside Richmond.  Shop has been closed for years and years.  My friend in Newport News purchased the shop contents a couple years ago.





Last November, we bartered my labor loading cabinet shop tools for the day for anything I wanted in the building that wasn't bolted down.  I got the roller table assembly and a few other things and got to spend the day loading old 'arn with a good friend.  I took the whole assembly, so those green angle outrigger things became a mobile base for my 12" jointer.  Also have a total of 4 of those pneumatic cylinders and a bunch of valving that I harvested.  I'll do something with them some day.





HM126

VB-Milling

Got the mill yard really cleaned up and ready to receive the mill trailer from the front yard. Processed all the offcuts into firewood and stacked in my rack.  Also, stacked out all that I sawed over the weekend on the mill table.  Can sort of see it all in the distance.  Don't have many good pics....tried to beat the rain.





Started making white oak stickers 6 at a time, then the rain came and I called it quits.





Mill trailer will be moved back to the side yard tomorrow, leaving 3 logs in the driveway and those 2 half logs in the side yard for the future.  I really wish I could finish out the driveway logs, but its a busy November.



HM126

Southside

Well if you need more rollers, racks, etc there is a guy there in or right near (think hand grenade distance from Hickville) VB that runs a "racking business" out of a warehouse.  Really nice guy, very fair prices, bought a number of skate rollers from him a few years back.  
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

VB-Milling

Quote from: Southside on November 02, 2021, 08:18:52 PM
Well if you need more rollers, racks, etc there is a guy there in or right near (think hand grenade distance from Hickville) VB that runs a "racking business" out of a warehouse.  Really nice guy, very fair prices, bought a number of skate rollers from him a few years back.  

I'd like his contact info...20ft of rollers is great....40ft would be even better for when I'm sawing in the driveway and would eliminate the need for leapfrogging the 2 tables I have.

I'm also considering putting wheels on the 2 tables I have
HM126

VB-Milling

Took a few more pictures this morning of the progression of the stickers and the drying stacks

















Firewood rack is looking pretty much full





Driveway logs









Need to get on the phone with Woodland Mills; my 14hp Kohler keeps stalling for seemingly no reason.  Its really caused this process to drag on longer than needed.  I drained the tank and carb bowl looking for obstructions/sediment.  Didn't find anything.  I don't think its a fuel delivery issue.  I know these motors have a low oil shutdown feature, so I checked the oil.  All topped up.  Quite frustrating as I really don't want to have issues with a motor that has less than 15 hours on it.
HM126

Southside

Change the fuel filter. If that doesen't fix it change the fuel lines, can't be but a few dollars worth of hose there.  Could be internally collapsing.  
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

VB-Milling

Quote from: Southside on November 03, 2021, 09:06:12 AM
Change the fuel filter. If that doesen't fix it change the fuel lines, can't be but a few dollars worth of hose there.  Could be internally collapsing.  

Fuel line is good.  I took it off yesterday with the tank and checked.  Internal diameter intact and good flex.  Good flow out of the tank outlet.

There's a fuel screen at the inlet of the carb.  That's the only thing I haven't checked yet.  Either its a piece of debris that dances around with engine vibration and only occasionally chokes off the fuel causing the stall or its something electrical.  Hoping its debris, but I'll have to check this afternoon.
HM126

VB-Milling

Checked the filter screen on the carb and it looks brand new....because it pretty much is with only 15hrs on it.





Had the carb assembly apart and didn't notice anything causing blockage.  Put it all back together and she ran just fine for a few cuts.

Talked to Woodland Mills earlier in the day and tech support said maybe vapor lock from a faulty fuel cap and to run with it loose or disconnect the control wire from the oil sentry system.  If it happens again, I'll try the control wire.  There's no way to run full throttle with the fuel cap loose and not get fuel everywhere, even with a relatively empty tank.

Problems for another day if it happens when I mill more in a week or two.  I had to shut down my front yard operation before I head out of town.

Mill is tucked back into the side yard with all my support equipment.  Just a pile of sawdust left to clean up.



HM126

VB-Milling

I've been reading a lot lately about blade sharpening, DIY vs sharpening service.  There is a ton of information available so I'm not going to start yet another thread on it.

I have concluded that, above all, I do not have the space to dedicate to my own sharpening equipment.  A close second is I do not have the desire to learn, the funds to commit nor do I currently saw enough to make it worth it.  I sharpen plenty of things already and I'd rather be doing something else.

With all that being said, my options are:

1) Always purchase new blades and scrap/sell the others
2) Send my dull blades out for sharpening (either ship or local)

I've got about 13 dull blades, 2 bent and basically ruined blades (my fault), a new box of 15 blades and a dull-ish blade on the mill currently.

I suppose I could ask some of the guys who show up for my Meet and Greet in a week.  Maybe I'll get in touch with somebody who resharpens somewhat local to me.

Open to suggestions as long as they aren't how I should resharpen my own blades.  Unless another half acre, a 20x10ft shed stocked with brand new sharpening equipment falls from the sky, I can't entertain that idea.
HM126

btulloh

That sums it up pretty well. Best case would be to find a local service. I'm sure there are some in your area. Not all are good at what we need. Generally it's going to be a commercial operation that you're looking for. Most of the cottage industry sharpening services are not going to be good for our needs. 

Down in your area there should be a ton of grinding services. Never too early to get that sorted out. Our mills run lower blade speeds and tend to dull the bands quicker. I'm lucky to get 200 bd ft out of a blade. Sawing bark cuts the life dramatically so anything you do to remove a strip of bark on the entrance side will pay dividends. 

I'm on the same page as you about doing my own sharpening. All things considered it's just not a practical solution at this stage. I'd like to arrange for the sharpening fairy to come in at night and make all my tools and blades sharp, but so far that hasn't happened. 
HM126

VB-Milling

Quote from: btulloh on November 04, 2021, 12:25:54 PM
That sums it up pretty well. Best case would be to find a local service. I'm sure there are some in your area. Not all are good at what we need. Generally it's going to be a commercial operation that you're looking for. Most of the cottage industry sharpening services are not going to be good for our needs.

Down in your area there should be a ton of grinding services. Never too early to get that sorted out. Our mills run lower blade speeds and tend to dull the bands quicker. I'm lucky to get 200 bd ft out of a blade. Sawing bark cuts the life dramatically so anything you do to remove a strip of bark on the entrance side will pay dividends.

I'm on the same page as you about doing my own sharpening. All things considered it's just not a practical solution at this stage. I'd like to arrange for the sharpening fairy to come in at night and make all my tools and blades sharp, but so far that hasn't happened.

I know you've been sawing a while Bob.  Are you just stockpiling your dull blades?

I'll do some searching.  I called Sure Set Saw in Chesapeake many months ago and they sharpen pretty much everything except band mill blades.  Got a friend through the tunnel with an LT15, but I think he uses WM Resharp services.

@Poquo @Solomon Do you have anyone local, sharpen yourselves or ship out?
HM126

SawyerTed

The math definitely has to be in favor of buying sharpening equipment and dedicating the space.   For a hobby, getting blades sharpened makes sense.  I'd rather saw than sharpen but sharpening my own blades is a necessary evil. 

I sharpen for a handful of hobbyist guys.  They have maybe half a dozen blades every month or so.  I'm happy to make a little folding money and they are happy to get blades sharpened close to home.  I did have to buy a 10° wheel but we worked out a way to cover that cost over a number of blades.  It normally takes about 10 minutes a blade to sharpen and set for them.  
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

VB-Milling

Quote from: SawyerTed on November 04, 2021, 03:12:06 PM
The math definitely has to be in favor of buying sharpening equipment and dedicating the space.   For a hobby, getting blades sharpened makes sense.  I'd rather saw than sharpen but sharpening my own blades is a necessary evil.

I sharpen for a handful of hobbyist guys.  They have maybe half a dozen blades every month or so.  I'm happy to make a little folding money and they are happy to get blades sharpened close to home.  I did have to buy a 10° wheel but we worked out a way to cover that cost over a number of blades.  It normally takes about 10 minutes a blade to sharpen and set for them.  

Maybe I'll meet someone locally next weekend and we can work out a similar deal. This would be the ideal arrangement for me I think.  My blade volume after this initial sawing surge isn't going to be much.  With 30 blades on hand and my willingness to purchase another 15-30 blades to have in "inventory", it would be great to be able to wait until I had 10 blades or so, drop them off locally to someone and they could take a week or two to sharpen them at their leisure.
HM126

btulloh

Shipping costs really skew the cost when you send stuff away. If I made a little monney sawing I'd feel better about it but all this sawing stuff is pure hobby with no income for me. I do have a local place here but I haven't quite figured out if they are exactly right for me. 

Richard at cutting edge is the best source for sharpening kasco blades if you ship. I think he can sharpen any brand as well. 
HM126

VB-Milling

I would like to send them back to Richard, but you're dead on about the shipping costs.  I'll sure support Cutting Edge where I can, but if I can find someone locally who can do a decent job, I would really like to save the cost and hassle of shipping.

Which maybe leads back to my other option.  Just scrap the dull bands and only buy new....
HM126

btulloh

Maybe these guys in chesapeake: https://sure-set-saw.business.site/

Website is not very helpful except for phone number and address. 

Industrial grinding is a decent search term. Searching for sharpening seems to turn up knife and scissor guys. 

The place i use here is called Automatic Saw Filing. Been there for years. And looks like it.  Good place though. Excellent Stihl dealer. Not exactly in your neck o' the woods however. You should have a lot more places down there but they usually don't have a high profile and can be hard to locate. 
HM126

VB-Milling

HM126

btulloh

Oh. Oops. When we get to a new page I lose track!  I'd feel bad about it, but it seems to be the norm on the FF.  ;D  I guess food references will be showing up soon.  :D
HM126

Poquo

Had a local guy to sharpen blades but he retired.Have sent some to Woodmizer resharp . I don't have enough room to set up for sharpening.
2015 Woodmizer LT40HD26

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