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Tuesday Morning!!

Started by macurtis, March 04, 2002, 07:51:14 PM

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macurtis

Been sawing, grabbing wrong levers,scratching head,
scratching --s, bitting knuckles and pulling hair on new
mill. Ihave first job in the morning to cut about 5000 bf
of pine. I hope I don't end up buying this lumber if I mess
it up. I probably will not sleep a wink tonight.  Bud man
coming down from Memphis tomorrow for a look see.
It will probably be like two monkeys with a football, out
in the middle of a cow pasture. Did I spell that right?

Tom

Mike,

Just don't get in a hurry !

If you feel yourself gettin stressed, confused or tired, stop and have a cup of coffee or visit or stack wood or talk with the customer. The important thing is "steady". Speed will do nothing but get you in trouble. Speed comes with experience  and I mean experience with the mill. Even an experinced sawyer needs to go slow on new equipment.

Many of the old coffee pot mills took 5 men to produce 1000 feet a day.  Don't be ashamed of anything you get out of the log and just make the customer happy.  He is going to be looking at the end product a long time and will care less whether you made a mistake when sawing.  It'll get better by leaps and bounds if you give it time. ;D

To keep it simple:

Level the heart (not the bark) This lets one board contain the pith.

cut your log on one side wide enough to provide a face that will make a board you have on your sawbill.

When you turn the log the first time, turn it 180.  That gives you a parallel 2nd cut. (these 2 cuts will form the width of your widest boards.

Turn the cant 90 degrees and Level the heart. The two parallel sides will help insure a square cant and square boards.)

Fly by the seat of your pants.  Like many tasks, there is more than one right way and very few wrong ways.  Just because someone doesn't like the way you are doing it doesn't mean that he is right or "righter"

above all Have Fun

J_T

 Havent had that problem with mill yet but am sure i will. It is worse if someone is watching. Talk about wrong leaver ,should have seen me the first time i loaded a load of logs with a knuckel boom loader . Did same thing you discribed, took me half day one load. Good Luck
Jim Holloway

macurtis

Tom, let me see if I understand leveling the heart===
Small end of log to me, do not raise with toeboard,
make cut , turn 180, make cut, turn 90 ,use toe board
to raise to level heart and cut.

Thanks,
Mike

Bud Man

Mike - I'm leaving at 3  ETA  9  That'll give you  -1-  hour to run the owner off -- I'm bringing  the coffee and football.  Between your 4 months of reading and learning and my 7 weeks of dreaming and this sound advise from Tom we'll do fine. Sure wish those instruction manuals hadn't got lost in the mail, we could of used em for a shim to level the mill.  Oh by the way, which direction is Mississippi from Tennessee, do I go left or right when I pull out of the driveway ? :-[ :-[  The missy said I should stay at least 3 days and learn everything. :P :
The groves were God's first temples.. " A Forest Hymn"  by.. William Cullen Bryant

Bibbyman

Just remember one thing:  

"You can't make an omelet without breakin' some eggs!"
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Tom

Mike,

Keep the heart level.  That means that you will probably have to use the toeboards to raise the small end of the log  until you are able to lay the cant on a flat side.

The picture in your mind of a log should be of a Cone.  keep the center of the cone horizontal so that when it is finally squared up the pith  will run down the middle.

JoeyLowe

I ought to send my father-in-law over to help.  He is in Pontotoc, Ms.  He can handle a Woodmizer, has used a Stihl 066, and has been known to offbear a board or two. 8)
--
Joey Lowe

"Working towards perfection has to be a part of anything one does.  You've got to put yourself into it." ... Sam Maloof (chairmaker)

Tom

I'll bet Mike will be ok.  The learning curve is pretty steep once you start sawing for someone else. :D

Texas Ranger

One last point, when your off bearer starts looking at you funning, your wasting wood on fat slabs. 8)  Trusses are expensive.
The Ranger, home of Texas Forestry

Frank_Pender

I wish I could afford a ticket to this game.  I would love to have a seat on the 50 yard line.  Take pictures guys and share.  We all want to learn from the "New Pros".  Slow and easy wins the race.  The best of luck to the both of you. 8) 8) 8)
Frank Pender

Jeff

The pitiful part of this is, is not a one of you are going to be wearing one of my Hats, although yer getting close :D  

Please get a marker and write forestryforum.com on each others backs ;)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

macurtis

End day one -Battled with the ugliest knotty logs-had to turn 10 times each to get cant and had 20-30% waste.managed to saw out little over 800 bd ft. Drew a crown of folks , a couple of which were sawmillers. One was third generation sawyerand all but wanted to take over , but had tons of knowledge and shared some short cuts.  Fellow said he'd bring the rest of his family of sawyers tomorrow, it ought to be interesting. will take pics and post .

Tom

That was written like a tired little puppy. :D

Glad you made it back in safe and sound.  Lots of fun, isn't it?

Sounds like you have no lack of advice, so I won't say anything.  knotty logs are a pain in the behind.  If you did a good job on them then you can cut just about anything.  800 feet isn't bad. you probably didn't get a full day of sawing what with setting up and everyting.

See why custom sawing can be so much fun?  You were the main attraction and everybody wanted to be in your shoes.  Wait till they bring the lemonade and sandwiches.  I've been on sites when you would think there was a Church Bazaar and a covered dish dinner on the grounds ;D

Wish I could have been there. It sounds fun.

macurtis

Tom, Iwanted to roll the knotty logs down the hill, but we put
them on the mill and worked them over. Started about 9:45
Went to lunch and started back about 1:00. Milled to about
5:15 and during this time had to take shields off to tighten
drive belt. Avery intresting learning day.

Tom

Attaboy....don't let a smart log out do ya. :D


Bibbyman

Great job!  Bet you feel a1000 times smarter now.    :P

Just wait until the next challenge shows up.  That's what makes sawing interesting is that every log is a creation of mother-nature and they are all different.

I got to say that took a lot of courage to start out sawing in front of a crowd – especially with sawyers in it.  I used our first mill on our farm with no one watching for the first couple thousand BF. ::)
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

macurtis

Gentlemen, Bud Man came down from Memphis and we
created quite a stir. It is now 5:50 and I dont know if Bud-Man
is alive or dead, we need to be on the road sawing.
The sawyer that came yesterday was very helpful. Had
lots of on the spot pointers. He said he will bring his brother
another sawyer, over today, I dont know if he is coming to
skid logs or teach us to saw. He is only 6'6 and weighs about
300+. Got to go get bud-man's --s out of the rack!!

Corley5

Sounds like you're having a good time.  That's the main thing.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

JoeyLowe

 8) Still in the rack at 6:00 a. m.?  Sounds like he's malingering.  How's that saw cutting?  Keep smiling and it will stay fun.
--
Joey Lowe

"Working towards perfection has to be a part of anything one does.  You've got to put yourself into it." ... Sam Maloof (chairmaker)

JoeyLowe

MaCurtis:

Here it is Wednesday night.  Thought I would check with you to see how it went on the second day. ;D
--
Joey Lowe

"Working towards perfection has to be a part of anything one does.  You've got to put yourself into it." ... Sam Maloof (chairmaker)

Bibbyman

Hummm.  Must still be out sawing,  celebrating or still in the emergency room! :o
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

macurtis

End of day two----  2000bd ft. good logs, bad logs and
some in between..Finally got bud-man out of bed this morning.
We feel we know 75% of everything after tomorrow
we will start on the new book----Sawmilling Perfection
In Three Easy Lessons----Still not sure about BUd-Man-
he is still carressing that football. Shooting for 3000bd ft tomorrow. I am fixing to carry my --s to bed.

Bibbyman

2000 bf is a pretty good day's work.  

Now, I'm trying to picture this:

Are you both running the sawmill controls at the same time?  Or are you running the controls and Bud Man is offbearing?  Or are you trading jobs?

What is the lumber looking like?  Is it coming out pretty true and consistent?  Have any new experiences like jumping the blade off, etc?

Keep up the good work and hide that football from Bud Man! :o
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

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