Whatcha Sawin' 2025 ??

[TimW]

Howard,
   Tell your gloves to lay off the down lever!

[terrifictimbersllc]

Things are heating up. Both outside and on my phone and email. Have only had four jobs this year so far probably because of glaciation, up here in this corner of the country, both real and imagined.

I'll be going out in several hours to saw some bracing for a several times previous customer who is doing another timber frame project. Maybe report on that later.

In the last month, I've done some long-awaited work on my 2001 F350 crew cab long bed truck. For sometime I have been afraid to haul anything heavy in it, because the bed was all rusted out. Here's a quick update.








The scrapyard gave me $18 for the old bed. Five cents a pound for 360 pounds a giant claw lifted it off and set it on the scrap heap.

I've got the new bed fixed up with some pressure treated 2x10 around the perimeter. Having almost 7 feet of bed width with no wheel wells is quite liberating and I really like the new set up.  I'll come back and add a picture after the sun comes up.

[TimW]

Nice flatbed.  I've always wanted a flatbed, but I think I would miss being any to throw small stuff in the bed without having to strap it down.  Suitcases, for one, comes to mind.

[Resonator]

Like the flatbed, can haul some lumber with that!
Did you ask if you throw in the passenger fender could they make it an even $20?

[terrifictimbersllc]

So here's the new bed configuration. Same as the old one but more space. I can carry all my 2x blocks In the back rather than strapping them to the sawmill table. Saves a lot of time and effort.  With the pressure treated sides and the blocks it weighs about what my old bed with tailgate weighed so my fear of having a light rear end has gone away.

The black plastic Contico boxes have fluids in the left one and a couple chainsaws, logging chains, and trailer hitch in the right one.

I might add under body boxes to eliminate one of the plastic boxes, so that I can put sawmill's spare tires in the front of the bed, as well as get some of the tools, spare parts, straps, etc., out of my back seat.






I need to add a backup camera which I've never had with this truck so I don't mess up my pretty 12 inch flatbed apron. It would also be nice for hooking up to the sawmill at the end of a job. My record is getting out of my truck 14 times to hook up.

[caveman]

I have about the same truck except for mine is a 2000 and a shortbed.  I've contemplated adding a flatbed over the years.

John (JMoore) and I sawed some 4' 2x4's Sunday for a couple of hours and I finished up the pallet load yesterday morning.  

This probably should go in the "I did something dumb" thread.  As I was lifting the pallet load of lumber, preparing to strap it down, I decided to play Jenga.  

We used some new old Kasco 1.5, 7/34, 0.050 blades that we've had for several years on this job and the last and they performed well.  I just sharpened several 7/39 Silvertip .055's, so the next batch will likely be the Kascos.  The last couple of jobs were mostly slash pine with some live oak.

[TimW]

I like the mini stake bed sides.  But I would need a hinged back for gooseneck hitchin.

[WV Sawmiller]

  Okay, today was an easy day for a change. I slept in and took a leisurely drive over to the client site and got there about 10:30 am.

The customer had these oak and hemlock beams he wanted sawed into approximately 5/4 boards. I was able to get him close with one true side he could run through his planer which he said was his goal. This took about a half hour on the mill and he was very happy with the results. I found I had to use a very slow speed in the hard, dry oak.

Here are the finished boards.

I sawed his remaining 5 logs into 2X4 and 2X6 and one small good looking log I sawed as live edge 1-3/8" live edge boards. He'll use them for shelves. I offered to square the backs but he decided to leave both sides live so his wife and daughter can pick which side the want for the front.

  I loaded up the truck and mill while his daughter fixed us a pot of soup for lunch, we ate and visited then we went and tallied the weeks worth. We were right at 8,000 bf. I had 5 trips, one was a bust because his tractor operator called in with the flu while I was in route and returned empty. He had no problems paying for the 5 trips. That was 3 pretty full days and a couple of hours today. I got a few pictures but not all including ones of the lumber he had stacked in his shed. Most of the lumber is down by the build site. The concrete guys are coming to pour the footers tomorrow and he plans to start building in a few weeks with the partly AD pine lumber. He says he will get it in the dry and it can finish drying in place before he puts the walls up. He is a builder and apparently he has done this before so I trust it will work for him. Permits and codes are minimal if any in Pocahontas County WV.






Here are a few stacks. There are other boards inside, other stacks and one load still on the truck.

    I love sawing for people who enjoy what we make. This guy has been calling me for over a year as he was planning to start collecting his logs and wanted to be sure I would still be able to saw it. Actually, he probably had close to 7,000 bf of the white pine cut this year. I just wish he lived closer. Those 76 miles one way get old. Watching those WV sunrises and sunsets from your truck is overrated

[Magicman]

Looks good Howard. 

Yup, I am trying and so far succeeding to end those long drive trips.  Thankfully I can pass them off to another sawyer without saying 'no'.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I started the morning earlier than I (and certainly my wife) wanted with a wake up call from a repeat customer who recently moved down here from New Hampshire. He lives 50 miles away and last time I had to do all the sawing, stacking and such by myself. This time he will be there to help and has a tractor with forks to help. Sounds like about a 2 day job.

    I've been trying to schedule a weekend job with a local Vet (critter doc) and we have not had a decent weekend since we started trying in December so he called yesterday and is going to take a day off during the week to get us started and his help can stay to finish the 2nd and maybe 3rd days. It starts with 9 - 20' long 7X7 beams. Those kind of cuts are stressful on my mind as they are meticulous to cut. We will see how that one goes and if the weather permits us to do it mid-week next week.

[Magicman]

Thankfully it looks like this "weekend blast" will pass through and I/we will have good weather for sawing next week.  Weather has been my concern since we made our sawing schedule back in November.

[Wlmedley]

Woke the sawmill up today after a long winter nap. Couldn't remember if I left it with a sharp blade or not but it seems to saw good so I guess I did. Had four poplar logs on the deck and sawed up two today. About all I wanted to do. Both had a lot of sweep and although I didn't get a lot of lumber it turned out pretty good. Ended up with around 120bf of sheeting. Like to keep some on hand. Someone will be wanting some or I might use it myself.

[jpassardi]

Got the last of my needed 2x8 x 14' RO's cut for rafters and joists for my barn. That makes a total of 178 - need to stack/sticker these with the rest.

[Magicman]

That is a nice whack of framing lumber. 

After being off for two weeks, I am sawing SYP framing lumber this morning/week.

[Magicman]

I am back in the saddle again:


Eighteen 16' logs at the mill and twenty one 8' in the background on then right.  My customer and his wife in the background.  We got 9 logs sawed today along with a nail and a rock blade....two lost.   


Four 2X8's and the rest is 2X4's & 2X6's.  Customer with the red shirt, wife in the foreground was the sticker cutter with my Milwaukee Hatchet, and the other two are tailgunners.  I did not scale/count but we had a good day.  The stickered stack on the left is 800bf.

[Magicman]

Today was a successful day.  We finished sawing the 16' logs this afternoon and started on the 8'


The twenty one 8' logs that will all be sawn into 2X4's.


Ten of those 8' logs yet to be sawn including the one still on the sawmill.  I hit 3 nails in it so we quit for the day.  Destroyed a NEW fresh out of the box blade. 

The ERC logs are seen in the background.


This is all of the lumber that we have sawn/stickered in two days sawing.  I have not counted/scaled but I am seeing close to 3Mbf.  If all goes well we will probably finish tomorrow.

I have a 2 ERC log Goodwill "job" that I will probably saw at this location before I leave.

[Magicman]

Finished !! 




4328bf of 2X4's & 2X6's from ~39 logs in ~17 hours sawing.


And then I sawed ERC Goodwill for the neighbor.  This was from the logs that were on site when I got there.


And then my young friend showed up with his two ERC logs shown here with the tailgunner.


He and the neighbor are shown here strapping his lumber down.  This was also sawn Goodwill.


Before I left the foundation contractor showed up and started shooting the grade and building forms to pour the foundation for this customer's new home which will be framed with the lumber that I just finished sawing. 

While I was there a new customer called with 20+ logs wanting framing lumber sawed for his new home.   

It seems that it never ends but for now it's time for more time off.

[KWood255]

As per normal, lots of white spruce to saw this season. I have about 85-90 cords of 16' and several in 12' and 20' lengths in the yard now. A few more incoming loads like todays would be fine by me.

A couple logs are in excess of 30" on the butt. We don't get many of those around here.

Thanks to a logger friend who is always keeping an eye for premium sawlogs for me, the yard is becoming stocked again.

[TimW]

I got more good logs too.  36 Inch Butt log and it's 2nd stick, 17 foot long.  Gotta be careful with the metal detector as these are city logs.  I cut these in half on the trailer before unloading.  I have an order for 200 full size 1x10x8 feet.

[Magicman]

Wow Guys, nice logs. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I started off the day driving 53 miles to saw a whack of poplar logs we have been trying yo saw since December on a weekend. We have not had one good weather weekend since then so the customer took off today to get us started.



I think the guy said there were 87 logs plus the 9 facing 90 degrees to the others at the far end. I got out, took this pictures and inspected the logs then got back in my truck and nothing. I assume it was a computer failure of some sort preventing it from turning over. I unhooked and the customer towed it into place then started with a 4' sticker log (Front of the stack) and sawed enough stickers to get us started then sawed about 31 logs if our starting and ending counts are right. Tomorrow was a weather day anyway so I'll see if I can find a mechanic who will go to the site or someone to tow it in.

   We had a good day sawing and probably sawed around 3,000 bf but did not tally yet. Lots of framing lumber and even some 4X12X12 beams. Actually the beams slowed us down as I spent too much tine turning and trying to squeeze a 4th beam out that just wasn't there.

    The customer fed us all lunch (He had 4 relatives as helpers mostly stacking boards he hauled on a skid steer to them) or I should say his sister did then at the end of the day he took me to my son's house that was only a few miles out of route from his home. I borrowed a van from my son to use till we get my truck fixed. Fortunately he has 2 drivers at home and 4 vehicles available.

   I will resume sawing Friday and hopefully we can finish by end of the day Saturday.

[Magicman]

Very Nice Howard, that job will be a good one!! 

Yes, handling time dictates that the same bf sawing rate applies for beams/timbers as lumber.

[KWood255]

Nice looking poplar logs there WV! 

Your poplar is different than ours. We have white poplar, which generally has a smooth bark, except on the over mature trees. Those look more like our black poplar which are found in low/wet ground around here and don't typically grow very large. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Poplar here where I live is always Tulip poplar. It is a good wood to saw. Will sometimes have some tension but is pretty easy to saw. Soft wood and no sap issues. Sometimes on very mature trees with thick bark the bark is real stringy and will clog up the sawdust chute.

    Now if I can just get that dang truck out of the field! Nobody does on site repairs here and the wrecker/towing services want the vehicle parked on the side of the road. I guess they have been stuck too often to feel comfortable driving off the pavement.

[barbender]

Have you checked simple stuff like battery connections, voltage etc?