help needed

joelmar10 · July 03, 2006, 12:32:15 AM

Hope your discussion goes better than mine! My wife wants to see a business plan...... :

bedway · July 03, 2006, 09:58:29 AM

well, heres the latest. wife saw me on here and read the whole thread. she says theres two sides to every story, of which this is her side. she starts reciteing a list of things that need done around the house, of which of course she notes havent been completed. gawd, i had to stop her at around #43,,,geez, did she have this stuff memorized? i need to mention at this point that a couple years ago this same senerio was played when i decided i needed a kubota. one day out of the clear blue, she said, if ya want it,,,(GET IT). this is my second wife,and combined ive been married to a woman near 40 years. i consider myself to be a fairly intelligent fella but my gosh i cant figure woman out. ;D on a serious note, one of her real concerns is that her father was a logger and was killed by a widow maker. any time im in the woods, especially alone, shes worried to death. this is actually my first real participation in one these forums and it really amazes me. ya throw out a question or an idea and all these perspectives and imput come back. its kinda like a big think tank, only were not all in the same room. do ya think shes useing this mill as leverage to get things done around the house,,duh! ya GOTTA love em!

Radar67 · July 03, 2006, 10:05:36 AM

How many of those things she wants done require wood? ;)

Stew

tcsmpsi · July 03, 2006, 01:21:45 PM

There are always projects, and there always will be. One never gets all the projects done.

I, also, am in my 'second stage' (and emphatically, the last, according to my darlin' little significant other) of marriage. Judge relates to her from time to time after he has seen me, that obviously things are going well, for I am still alive. ;D

Now, what worked for me, is that I had to go into overtime and work on some of those projects, with notable intent and conviction...and inspiration from which gathering a sawmill provided.

Cedarman · July 04, 2006, 09:16:56 AM

Bedway, if I was your wife, I'd make you give a lot of concessions to get this mill because once you have it her bargaining position won't be what it used to be. (As far as buying a mill is concerned)

gary · July 04, 2006, 09:35:23 AM

Just go get one she will only be upset for a short time and you'll be out running the mill.

DanG · July 04, 2006, 02:06:19 PM

Ahhhh, you're gonna be ok, Bedway. Ya just need to make a small down payment in project completions. ;) OR, just go ahead and get the mill. Ya really can't hear anybody talkin' to ya when you're running it. ;D :D :D

jkj · July 05, 2006, 08:48:30 AM

Quote from: bedway on July 03, 2006, 09:58:29 AM
...a list of things that need done around the house, of which of course she notes havent been completed. gawd, i had to stop her at around #43...do ya think shes useing this mill as leverage to get things done around the house,,duh! ya GOTTA love em!

Well, are you going to tackle the list or sit around and moan about it? ;D Moving to a farm a few years ago with a house and property that had been neglected for years, I had a very similar list, probably longer than yours! But in my case she had everything written down and prioritized. I too got the Kubota right away (absolutely needed to even start on the property) and had a sawmill on my wish list.

This is what I did: I tackled the projects with unstopable energy, starting at the top of the list. She checked off each one when completed. If the next project seemed too overwhelming for the moment, I skipped down the list and found a quick one to check off. I continued to talk about the sawmill over the next two years but didn't press the issue. SWMBO was floating on air at all the progress and sometime after the refinished floors, new kitchen, lighting, garage door opener, landscaping, and new entranceway, the sawmill was in place. And the two years of extra time allowed me to easily save up the cash for the mill.

Another thing I did for continued harmony: the first fruits of the sawmill went towards items on the eternal list, including new shelves for the walk-in closet from yellow poplar and new front steps cut from 4" thick white oak slabs. Life is good for both of us.

BTW, a written list with a bunch of projects checked off is a real help, both a reminder of all that has been done, and an unspoken assurance progress will continue. We add new projects to the bottom of the list - as someone mentioned, there will ALWAYS be projects!

JKJ, with 36th aniversary this past weekend

Max sawdust · July 05, 2006, 09:24:32 AM

Quote from: bedway on July 03, 2006, 09:58:29 AM
on a serious note, one of her real concerns is that her father was a logger and was killed by a widow maker. any time im in the woods, especially alone, shes worried to death.

Welcome to the forum,
Address her concern. Use all safety equipment available study up on the OSHA stuff see link
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/mainpage.html
Take a Game of Logging course. Be safe ;)

Having a Sawmill will keep you in the yard more than in the forest, cause you will be milling and stickering and processing lumber, all much safer activities than logging :D What kind of logs are you going to process if it is mostly under 22" and you are milling for personal use with an occasional for hire job then a manual mill and a good cant hook may be all you need. My suggestion is to start small see how you like it if you like it alot upgrade
8)

Max

jpgreen · July 05, 2006, 09:57:29 AM

Build her some beautiful slab patio furniture, so she can sip some lemonade and supervise... ;D

Phorester · July 05, 2006, 11:09:37 AM

Tom, that's the justification I used when I bought my "new" used 1999 F150 a couple years ago. Mint condition, 10,000 miles on a 4 year old truck. Didn't need it, already got a '77 F150, just wanted it.

bedway · July 08, 2006, 11:45:30 AM

well,,me and the better half havent had more discussions on a mill in the last few days. all the posts up to this point have been great food for thought. im tending to believe as tim stated, a small simple mill and a cant hook is the way to get started. now geting to that point is still a work in progress. the theory of working on her list of projects seems to be the avenue which will show the most rewards for yours truely :D. needless to say id love to have one of the big mills with hydrulics etc.,,,,but in reality,,i dont need that. at least not for now anyway. i seem to recall haveing these same feelings when i decided to get into woodworking,,,you know,,a few tools.. well years and thousands of dollars later!!!!!!!!!! . as has been stated so elequently by many of you this becomes an addiction,,woodworking and or sawing lumber. its in my blood so bad that when someone goes to throw a piece of wood on the bonfire i have to measure it first and check the grain to see if i can use it for anything.

i know im sick! i guess im not getting any progress done towards that list in here yaking away.. but trust me,,i will check back. i have found this forum to be an addiction also. :D

fat olde elf · July 08, 2006, 11:55:47 PM

Yes, the Forum is a positive addiction, just like sawing..... I was 65 when I got my Cooks mp-32. Never had some much fun...............

Percy · July 09, 2006, 06:29:09 AM

What a good thread!

Bite off more than you can chew......and just chew it....... ;D

red · April 01, 2022, 11:07:26 PM

Tom reply #1 is a Classic !

wink · April 02, 2022, 04:26:52 AM

No sense being the richest guy in the cemetery just spend the money and get what you want.i tell myself and my wife that about every day.

DanMc · April 02, 2022, 09:47:52 AM

I had no idea that a thread could be this therapeutic, and this ramble will continue the therapy. Sorry, I did not intend to write a book. Just get the mill. :

:D

8)

At age 63, our 4 kids are grown and on their own, and two are building their own families. Six years ago after being frustrated by having money sitting in an account that benefits only the bankers and doing nothing for me, I thought it might be good to put some into land instead. We picked up 28 wooded acres with an off-grid house on a hillside in Conway, NH. One of the best things I've ever done, and the seller threw in a war-torn JD4600 43 hp tractor (after about $3k of parts and new plastic, it runs and looks like new). When we cut some trees for a better view, that left about 10 nice white pine logs. But what to do with those?

I pondered and talked about a small sawmill. How do I justify that expense? Am I crazy? When a used HM-126 showed up nearby, it somehow ended up on my trailer and made quick lumber out of those logs. When I tell people about my mill and the lumber I produce, the first question they ask is: "what are you going to do with the lumber?" That question infuriates me just a little because I don't need to have a project in order to justify making the lumber. Once the lumber is on hand, then projects will come along. Lumber opens doors.

With a couple small stacks of lumber from my first logs, the mill sat idle while a large garage was built in NH for the tractor and other stuff. That small stack of lumber provided some nice 2" thick planks for pump jack scaffolding during construction. Those planks ended up as stair treads for the garage and a nice big workbench. Some of the wider 1" planks ended up as a big heavy 10 foot sliding door to cover the storage area in the MA place.

The limitation of the manual mill created frustration because the best lumber comes out of the larger logs, but a 22" 16 foot log is so heavy that only the tractor can turn it once it's up on the mill deck. Additionally, a heavy log like that could change your life permanently if something unexpected happens and a body part is in the wrong place. Big logs are great, but a PITA to mill on a manual machine.

The milling infection resumed when the garage was completed, and the wife wanted a garden shed. I realized that I could turn the back lawn in MA into a mill yard during the winter, without tearing up the frozen grass. After milling the wood for this project, the mill has more than paid for itself. I don't get any compliments for the huge stack of timbers and lumber in the MA storage area, just complaints about all the sawdust on the back lawn. Once the garden shed construction begins, attitudes will change, and the sawdust might be appreciated. Probably not.

Over the years, every time we have gone to a fair and there is a Wood-Mizer machine being demonstrated, I would stand there in awe, but never even dreamed of owning one. But after making the final payment on the house, it became more of a possibility. As my employer is being acquired by another larger company, and as people started to scatter, they came out with a 30% retention bonus – for doing nothing. A new LT35 came into focus. The company is buying me a mill for doing nothing! But how do I justify spending this kind of money? What will I do with all that lumber? And why wouldn't we put that money into remodeling the kitchen instead?

I'm 63, with 4 grown kids and no way to retire unless we sold the big MA house and lived in a trailer in the back woods of NH. But a hydraulic mill could generate some additional income over the pittance that social stupidity will give us, and it won't kill me like sitting in front of a computer will. The moderate exercise will keep my body stronger, and at this age I can say that I feel like doing it. I'm a little less focused on trying to "justify" everything I do and can say that it's what I feel like doing. Many people ask whether it will ever make enough revenue to make the expenditure worth it. A lot of our friends are announcing that they are retiring. When I ask them how they will spend their time, I'm getting a lot of blank stares, shrugs, or ambiguous answers. People in retirement don't last long when they have no plans. I have great admiration for MagicMan and hope to be following in his path into my 80's.

Magicman · April 03, 2022, 08:34:20 AM

Well I was reading along and up popped my name. Thanks for the undeserved compliment.

I was 'downsized' at age 51 and was doing carpenter work when I bought my (used) sawmill at age 59. I had no actual business plan and was sorta intending on sawing and selling lumber, I guess. :

After my first year of sawing and selling (which paid for the sawmill) I decided to only offer a portable sawmilling service. This was the best possible decision, in my case, that I could have ever made.

Yes, I work hard and I was dog tired yesterday after sawing and setting my all-time daily sawing record (3060bf) even though I never put a hand on a log, slab, nor lumber. Looking at, reading, turning, and adjusting the log for your targeted yield is intense. Yes, I ride while sawing, but I still make many steps to the back of the sawmill insuring that the log is exactly as I want it.

Portable sawing allows me to saw, not saw, and adjust my schedule as I choose. When I tell a customer that I can't get to him for another three weeks, it my business whether I am sawing or simply off. I am looking forward to 'not sawing' for the next couple of weeks.