Ya’ll said This would happen... and it did!

[chinaberry]

Got my new Woodmizer LT35 hydraulic a couple weeks ago.  Couldn't be happier.  Brought it home from my dealer, T&K Farms in Louisville, MS on Friday August 14.

I sawed all day Saturday and Sunday!  Never had so much fun (with my clothes on).  Got in from sawing, cleaned-up, grabbed a bite, and went to bed... never been so tired.  *DanG... this is really addicting.  I can see where some of my other chores are being neglected slightly.

Today I did it... I hit the manual log support (just a little bit).  Does this count?  It did ruin the blade, so I guess I'm in the Club now.  

Boy, I am learning now how much I don't know.  For me, the learning is very much part of the fun.  Which reminds me I learned yesterday that even a new blade, if it is put on inverted, doesn't cut very well!

 

 

 

 

 

    

[Walnut Beast]

Glad to hear your having fun. Nice sawmill 👍

[thecfarm]

Did I ask all ready, what's the lumber for? Nice Logrite you have there.

[chinaberry]

The 2" by 6" by 14' are going to be rafters for the sawmill/drying shed.  The long syp logs will be sawed for beams (headers over sawmill log bay).    Milled 3-8' oak logs into 1-1/8" boards to be air-dried, kiln dried, and planed for sale. 

The thought just occurred to me... is the length down the log support (that you just tried to saw thru) directly proportional to your stupidity?  My first mishap just barely nicked the log support.  Anybody sawed way down on the clamp or log support?  Come on now, fess up.

[WDH]

Way down :?  Ummm, yes.

[Cedarman]

Down low or up high, sound is the same.  Blade makes one kind of sound, your mouth makes several other kinds of sounds.

[Southside]

So you hit metal and did the backwards blade thing, cool. Now roll a log off the backside of the mill and wedge it between the tire and frame and you will be well on your way to a Woodmizer Grand Slam award.  :D

[Brad_bb]

You're ahead of the game with strapping and stickers and your stacking.   Now to figure out what you're going to do with your dust.  Some just pile it on an out of the way part of their property.  Some compost it. I burn all my dust in vortex burn barrels.  You can burn green dust as long as you have hot coals in the bottom. 

You hit the lower part of the upright when you forget to put it down when you meant to.  Kind of like when you stumble in the dark to the toilet and sit down and sudden realize the seat is actually up. 

[Banjo picker]

Sad to say, but that won't be your last mill strike.  I hit my # 2 log dog last week .....again, just barely...of coarse it was a new blade, and I been doing this 12 years.  At least this time I didn't cut the chain into like I have before.  I was timing my logs to see how fast I could finish one....bad idea.  Tim

[mike_belben]

Atta boy chinaberry.  

Now get some tin on those stacks before you discover what sun on one side can do.

[Sixacresand]

Chinaberry, Congratulations on your new sawmill.  I see you are already learning what not to do and having fun in the process.  I looked up your location and did not realize Louisiana had a Florida Keys type geography also.  Looks like an interesting place. Definitely a new Winter place to visit on my bucket list.  Hope your did OK during the last storms that came through. 

[Patrick NC]

 

  
 This was a few months back. 

[WV Sawmiller]

Banjo,

   If you hit the #2 side support sounds like you need to check the alignment because if they were properly set you'd have hit the first one. :D

   I can check but I doubt I have any saw marks on my side supports or clamp over 2 inches down. : I was tired and it was late and I decided to saw the customer another sticker and sawed into the side support at full speed. No good deed goes unpunished.

Chinaberry,

   It sounds like you still need to leave the rear toeboard up and saw some nice long wedges. (I've heard of people doing that. ;))

[terrifictimbersllc]

IQ  is in such a tight high range here  it would be hard to develop any correlation.  :P  :D

Amended...

[WV Sawmiller]

TT,

   Did most of us just get insulted there? Are you trying to incinerate sumpin? :D :D

[Bandmill Bandit]

  It sounds like you still need to leave the rear toeboard up and saw some nice long wedges. (I've heard of people doing that. ;))

It happens to the best of us. I once was sawing an order of 6 6"X12" X20' and I managed to make 1 of them 6"X12" at the start end an 4.75"X 10.75" at the finish end. Making 1 bad cut on a beam is one thing but 2 cuts 1 after the other. That was an expensive mistake. Not sure if was just a brain fart or alzheimer's starting to set in.      

[chinaberry]

South side... now that's funny.

[chinaberry]

Hey, Mike... yea you are right.  I am going to tack some of that utility plastic tarp over the top and down the side about 2".  Got a bunch of that cheap tarp, might as well use it.

[chinaberry]

Thanks for the replies, gentlemen.

While I have your attention... I bought a flat pack of 15 blades from Kasco and I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been when I installed that blade on backwards.  I installed just as it came out of the pack.  Are all their blades inverted from what a woodmizer runs?

Also, about stickers.  I really need to sticker a bunch of oak and some syp.  I have cut a bunch of stickers but isn't it asking for trouble using green stickers on green wood?  I intended to air dry these stickers.  And should I use pine for pine and hardwood for hardwood, or does it matter.  Hate to go to the box store and buy kiln dried sticker material, especially after milling all this wood... help!!

[WV Sawmiller]

CB,

   I can't answer the Kasco blade packing question as I have not tried them.

   As to the green sticker question I have always been told dry stickers are always preferred. If not available I would suggest you try to use green stickers from the same species.

[Stephen1]

So you hit metal and did the backwards blade thing, cool. Now roll a log off the backside of the mill and wedge it between the tire and frame and you will be well on your way to a Woodmizer Grand Slam award.  :D

And do it without  a loader to get it out.Extra points for that one  :D

[WV Sawmiller]

   The bigger the audience the more extra bonus points you get too. :D

[WDH]

You can use pine or hardwood stickers as long as they are dry.  You can saw out a bunch of 1"x1" pine and sticker the stickers and run a fan on them full blast and in a matter of a few days you can use them.  With a fan on them they will dry enough pretty Dang fast. 

[chinaberry]

That is good info that I didn't know... thanks, I'll give that a try.  Seems like there are an unlimited number of ways to screw-up your fresh sawn lumber.

[Durf700]

Congrats on the new mill!  I have the same and I love it!  you must have the manual middle backstops if you missed the first one?

I've nicked my backstop and log clamp a touch , popped off the blade coming back before I raised the head enough and have dropped an 8x8 off the back of the mill flipping it which wedged between the tire and frame..  but I havent put a blade on backwards yet! 

[chinaberry]

Hey, Durf... you are correct my two middle backstops are manual.  My woodmizer dealer talked me out of going with the additional 2 Hyde backstops.  I'm glad he did.  I like it that way.  

I really like the simple set... does all I need it to do.
I like the scale.  Easy to read, it being so close... and precise.
The scale reads in sixteenths, but you can actually just quickly bump the drum switch and it's possible to only move the head one thirty secondth.

The Kohler is great... runs fairly quietly, smooth, powerful, and starts like a new car... and easy maintenance.

Two things I don't like:
The debarker keeps throwing the circuit breaker... frustrating.
The sawmill jacks are a real pain.  Very hard to level the frame properly.

I'll be getting the fine adjust outriggers soon.

I have discovered that once you buy a sawmill, you're just getting started spending money.  Just spent $296 on 13 oak and pine logs.

I absolutely love my mill... suits me just fine, for now.  Will be dreaming now to purchase an LT40 super hydraulic!!

[WV Sawmiller]

CB,

   I am glad you are happy with your manual additional side supports. I am happy mine are hydraulic. To each his own. If I lower mine all the way with my hydraulic switch I don't have to remember if I lowered the 2 middle ones too. 

   If the debarker is tripping I bet you are sawing from the small end and the pressure keeps increasing causing it to trip. There are pros and cons to which end you start from so basically it is just a learning curve as to how much pressure to apply so right now just keep bumping the in and out switch on the debarker as needed. It will become more automatic with time. I wish someone would design one that automatically followed the curve of the log applying the same pressure no matter the size of the log. Maybe WM will see this suggestion, build it and send me some of the extra money it earns them. :D

   The jacks, especially the two on the drive side, are a pain to operate. i keep an old car bumper jack I use. Actually, since nothing in WV is level anyway, I normally drive the low side up on 2-3 boards about 1"X6"X3' to help level the mill side to side and I carry an assortment of cut off 1X6 & 2X6 to put under the jacks. I'd rather raise my mill than dig it in but I keep weight on the tires. 

   Since you are throwing money around everywhere anyway stop at a truck stop or RV center and buy yourself a pair of small sticky back levels like you put on RVs ($5-$6 probably). Mount them on the lower rails/supports so you can easily see when your mill is almost level end to end and side to side. Remember - your mill does not have to be perfectly level - just close and with weight on all the jacks.

   Yes, I love my SimpleSet. Accuset is better but SimpleSet if very good. I use it with my cheat sheet so I always land on a finished board on the bottom. I'm attaching a copy of it as a mill warming gift to you. :D I keep mine sealed in a gallon ziplock back with 2 small magnets from HF stuck on the inside cover of my control panel so it is always with the mill. 

   Buying logs is a personal decision. I have 40+ acres of mostly wooded property so I cut what I need/want. People periodically give them to me or I trade for them. I have but very rarely paid for logs. My best deal so far this year was to trade a 5X8 trailer load of kindling cut from my slab pile for a walnut tree - 5-6 logs which returned over 265 bf of some real pretty walnut slabs.

[Chuck White]

Hey, Durf... you are correct my two middle backstops are manual.  My woodmizer dealer talked me out of going with the additional 2 Hyde backstops.  I'm glad he did.  I like it that way.  

I really like the simple set... does all I need it to do.
I like the scale.  Easy to read, it being so close... and precise.
The scale reads in sixteenths, but you can actually just quickly bump the drum switch and it's possible to only move the head one thirty secondth.

The Kohler is great... runs fairly quietly, smooth, powerful, and starts like a new car... and easy maintenance.

Two things I don't like:
The debarker keeps throwing the circuit breaker... frustrating.
The sawmill jacks are a real pain.  Very hard to level the frame properly.

I'll be getting the fine adjust outriggers soon.

I have discovered that once you buy a sawmill, you're just getting started spending money.  Just spent $296 on 13 oak and pine logs.

I absolutely love my mill... suits me just fine, for now.  Will be dreaming now to purchase an LT40 super hydraulic!!

When you are leveling up your mill, when you're adjusting the front jacks, move the sawhead to the rear and when you are adjusting the rear jacks, move the sawhead to the front!
In short, move the sawhead to the end you're not adjusting!

[Durf700]

I really like my fine adjust outriggers I copied from others on here.  I use my dewalt cordless drill and set it up and tear in down in a few minutes without tweaking my back!  about 450 dollars!  I have the extra backstops hooked into the factory hydraulic ones also and I like them that way.  as far as the debarker, yes, you either are cutting from the small end and building up pressure or your hitting some knobs that stick out on the log and it is working it extra hard.  I just bump it out and then back in as I go down the log to solve the issue.  I popped my breaker 1 time the 2cd day I used it.  haven't popped it since in the last 50 hours logged on the mill meter.

I bought mine June 6th with 192 hours on it , only mill on my 1 day off per week and have 245 hours on the meter now. 

love my LT 35 Hydraulic with debarker!

[chinaberry]

VW,

I was sawing from the small end.  I like being able to "see" the ant size better.  I was trying to adjust the debarker out as I progressed thru the log, but you really can't see how much bite it is taking.  So, yes, I think it is worthwhile, for the debarker alone to saw from the big end.

On throwing money around... I certainly don't just throw money around.  My money is earned the hard way and I try to be sensible with what little of it I have.  Getting logs to mill is not so easy where I live in Plaquemines Parish, LA.  I only have roughly 75 trees that I can harvest off my property, so I want to be judicious with cutting them.  I have a full time job as an owner/operator truck driver... so I don't have a lot of free time chasing free logs.  Think about it... if I go into town 60 mile drive load 5 logs from three places, I've burnt a day for $100 dollars of "free" logs.  I could have spent that day driving and had an opportunity to earn $500.

I purchased 14 logs for $296, or about $20/log.  I got them from a wood products reclamation yard.  They get varying types, sizes, and species of logs and if they are decent logs, they put them aside and try and sell them.

The thing about this, is I go right by this place, 3 or 4 times a week driving my hotshot 36' gooseneck trailer.  90% of the time, I pass by deadheading.  So I just swing in off the hiway, choose what I want, they load me up, and I'm back on the road, having made good money on my truck run.  Pretty good deal.  As I progress, and learn more, I hope to make a number of good contacts for logs.  We will see.

Chuck,

Why didn't I think of that?

Durf,

Brought my mill home 8/14... have 38 hrs on the clock.  You guys kill me, always tinkering, and modifying your mills. I want to keep mine stock!  I will get the WM fao's.

[chinaberry]

WV,

I almost forgot... the "cheat sheet".  Thank you so much for sharing it with us.  That took time and a lot of effort... koodos!

[Magicman]

The debarker keeps throwing the circuit breaker... frustrating.

I'm not sure that I would like that style Debarker's rotation direction.  It's "diggin in" where mine is "climbing out".  There is a disc that can be added to prevent the blade from digging in deep enough to trip the breaker.  I also seem to remember that some have reversed the blade direction, maybe not??  Anyway, I would call Wood-Mizer and talk with technical support.

[richhiway]

Good Luck with the new mill.
I think he was kidding you about throwing $ around.

You don't need to "jack up the mill". They are supports not jacks. Like above you use the head to take the weight off. The mill should still be sitting on the tires, but level.

That may not apply in W.V. 

[Banjo picker]

They already have Howard, it's just on a Cooks.  Tim

[GAB]

The debarker keeps throwing the circuit breaker... frustrating.

I'm not sure that I would like that style Debarker's rotation direction.  It's "diggin in" where mine is "climbing out".  There is a disc that can be added to prevent the blade from digging in deep enough to trip the breaker.  I also seem to remember that some have reversed the blade direction, maybe not??  Anyway, I would call Wood-Mizer and talk with technical support.

There was a thread about reversing the direction of the debarker not too awful long ago.  If memory serves me correctly it involved changing some wiring.
GAB

[WV Sawmiller]

Banjo,

   That was fast! When are they going to send me my check? :D :D

[terrifictimbersllc]

TT,

  Did most of us just get insulted there? Are you trying to incinerate sumpin? :D :D

Amended and clarified above..... feel like I pulled a Bilbo Baggins at his going away party..... :D :D :D

[BandsawBen]

I hit my backstop yesterday,  ive hit it before but this time i hit it hard.  Almost all the way through

 

[trimguy]

It's ok, the shiny was wore off the bolt, you need a new one anyways. :D :D

[WDH]

That blade will make the Hall of Fame :D. 

[Magicman]

You need to use a harder grade of bolts.  :

[Southside]

Replace it with a carriage bolt, just need to round off the shoulders, it works perfectly and gains you over 1/4" more forgiveness room. 

On the advice of counsel I must invoke my 5th Amendment right and can not speak to how many bolts may or may not have been modified in such a similar manner before the carriage bolt mod was completed.   ;D

[terrifictimbersllc]

Maybe try a wood bolt.  :P

See Here

[Cedarman]

Those teeth gave their all trying to get through that bolt.  But, alas, no success.  Maybe next time.

[Stephen1]

The debarker keeps throwing the circuit breaker... frustrating.

I talked to WM about my debarker always tripping, they asked if the disk was on? yes. 
Next they sent me a new circuit breaker, reason being a circuit breaker trips to often, they get weak and then trip easier each time. 
I put on the new CB and the debarker is running all the way down the log. I also keep my finger off the toggle, I stopped holding the debarker into the log.. 

[teakwood]

If you make 25 passes on the sharper you can maybe address that band again!  

[Banjo picker]

If you of been going just a little bit faster........Tim

[YellowHammer]

It'll buff out.  

[WDH]

Probably will cut better backwards .