iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

When to stop cutting for the season

Started by OffGrid973, November 17, 2017, 07:15:48 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

OffGrid973

Hi Forum,

So I was closed down for the season but this just showed up this morning and is for one of my suppliers.  I was curious what the official cutoff "rule" is for everyone on the forum.

The reason is ask is one year I had the LT-10 out in the elements and both springs went on the head lift (yes the worst). So I vowed never start up again once the first frost hits and then of course cedar and some maple show up, and 3 little walnuts. 

What is the best strategy weather wise?

Thank you for the replies I am 75% chance of cutting tomorrow in 45 degree NJ temps.

  

 
-Chris
Your Fellow Woodworker,
- Off Grid

starmac

I am a fair weather cutter, but the guy that owned mine for years had heaters on all the hydraulic cylinders.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

WV Sawmiller

   I stop for the year at midnight on 31 December and start again at 1201 AM on January 1st if the situation allows.

   I will saw throughout the year if we get a few days of acceptable weather and I have logs that need sawing or a customer comes by.

   Tyler delivered my mill from the NC office on January 8th 2015. It got down to zero the night before but had warmed up to 5 degrees by the time he got here. We pull it to the site through 6" of snow. The lube tank was a solid block of ice even with windshield washer fluid in it. Hard to crank with the oil so thick and it backfired and blew the spark arrestor 50' but I later found it when the snow melted.

    One trick I have learned here on the FF and follow is when I finish sawing any time for the day during the winter months is that I raise the loading arms and feet off the ground so they don't freeze and break the lines or fittings. It only takes a minute but could save me lots of time and expense.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

TKehl

If it's 15°F or less or snow and ice I shut down and just work in the shop.  It's rare for snow or "real" cold weather to stay more than a week or so here.
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Dave Shepard

I saw whenever there is sawing to be done, but I don't saw in the rain, and I try to avoid sawing when it gets below 20° F. Too many things that don't like to cooperate at those temps. If I had to routinely operate in cold weather,  I could certainly make some changes, but I don't often have to.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

bags

I shut down for Jan. and Feb. The night temps get down to -10 to -20 those months and its hard on equipment and my old bones. I have enough lumber stacked in the fall to keep me nice and warm in the shop build'in furniture.

When clients call--- I tell'em to wait and see what the groundhog says.lol.

Kbeitz

I think I sawed my last log today for the year. I have some more ash but
I think it can wait till spring. I can't see it rotting away sitting another 4-5
months. If we get some real nice days I might not wait. I did get all cut that
I really wanted to. I hoping next year slows down a bit.



 
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

YellowHammer

I go through the winter.  I will not saw when it is mid 20's because it seems hard on the mill, and prefer 30° and warmer.  Generally, we won't get more than a few days of cold weather, so it's not too bad.  I am under a shed roof with two wind walls. 

I much prefer heat over cold. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

killamplanes

I'm just the opposite, I cut more in winter than summer. I have more time in winter. I'm a believer a person can add more clothes than take them of. I run electric mill so I just kick the hydros on, fire up forklift or other support equipment by the time blade enters the log everything's warmed up including me and ready to roll. I agree below about 20 degree with any wind gets counter productive.
jd440 skidder, western star w/grapple,tk B-20 hyd, electric, stihl660,and 2X661. and other support Equipment, pallet manufacturing line

4x4American

I go by the old loggers rule of thumb..Below zero degrees I feed the woodstove and sharpen blades.. Above zero degrees we make frozen sawdust.  45 that's t-shirt weather lol
Boy, back in my day..

Brucer

Two criteria, whichever comes first ...
1) Snow is 2/3 the way up my boots (in other words, 10" deep on the ground).
2) Temperature below -10°C (14°F).
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

starmac

4X4, the loggers here would have no use for sharp blades if they went by your temps. lol They do shut it down at negative 25, even 20 sometimes, but a few hardy soles target -30 to take the day off. A lot of the places we log, you can't even get to till it has been below 0 for several days. Some places much colder, if across the river, we have to wait till we get enough ice to hold up the trucks.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

Crossroads

I tentatively scheduled a job for 12/30 tonight, so I guess I don't shut down for the winter. I'd rather work in the rain than the freeze. Good thing I live on the Oregon coast, we typically only have about a week a year of freezing, the rest of the time it seems like it's raining, except of coarse in August ;)
With the right fulcrum and enough leverage, you can move the world!

2017 LT40 wide, BMS250 and BMT250,036 stihl, 2001 Dodge 3500 5.9 Cummins, l8000 Ford dump truck, hr16 Terex excavator, Valley je 2x24 edger, Gehl ctl65 skid steer, JD350c dozer

Peter Drouin

I stop when the logs are so frozen It's like cutting granite. Too hard on the blades,
Have to grind a lot off the blade to get the point back.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Bruno of NH

I lost my snow plowing job this year so I will be sawing any day over 20 degrees that allow me to make good lumber.
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Chuck White

I don't saw in the rain, or when it gets too cold to be comfortable in a light jacket, and the 1st of November, I shut down for the season!

I usually start up again around the end of March or 1st of April!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

4x4American

Starmac we're in New Yaaak not Alaska we're not as cool lol...But no I had heard that from some old pulpers they claim that below zero its too hard on the equipment and you break more stuff than it's worth.  Sounded good to me. 
Boy, back in my day..

Cedarman

We saw all year round.  If the help can get here, we saw.  We have a warm break room to keep gloves warm.  Roof keeps rain and snow off.  We wear rain suits if operating the loaders in rain.  One time we rented a skid steer with enclosed cab.  Had heat and AC.  On my list.  We have 25 different orders from a few boards to several truck loads to get out.  As long as we have logs and orders, we saw.
I worked a winter in northern BC, so know what real cold is like.  Since Ian is in charge of the mill, he has to put up with the weather.  I have been know to stay in the house doing paper work.
The one thing I hate is marking logs when it is 20 degrees or colder.
If we know a big freeze is coming, we grade the log yard smooth.  Then it is like working on smooth pavement.   If you let the ruts freeze solid, you hate every bone jarring minute.
I am in the pink when sawing cedar.

whatwas


this is when I know its time to call er' quits
life is good

bandmiller2

Macho crap aside, temps below 20 degrees are hard on machinery and the fella pushing it. Some parts of the country and if a banker is your partner you must keep milling. Myself I'm old and done my time, I mill for hire but don't have to, can still buy my beans mill or not. The prudent sawyer should find other things to do when  its real cold or snowy outside. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

YellowHammer

Quote from: bandmiller2 on November 18, 2017, 07:18:31 AM
The prudent sawyer should find other things to do when  its real cold or snowy outside. Frank C.

Yep, deer or duck hunting.  For some reason I don't get cold when I'm walking the woods or quacking over decoys.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

drobertson

When I was sawing, there never was a cut off date per say, sawing was based on weather conditions, on a daily basis.  Usually snow or ice was the shut down trigger.  Not having a covered roof did change many things in the early days of having the mill. Seemed like rain was caused as many issues as the snow. Having a wind block is a very good thing.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

starmac

The reason that loggers here have their respective temp cutoffs is because of machinery concerns, especially the hydraulics.

I did get tickled at one older logger, his cutoff was 30 below for many years, went to 25 below and then to 20 below the last three years before he retired. I ask him if it was the equipment was getting more tempermental to cold weather as it aged. lol

The last year the sawmill ran their own logging crews here they upped the cutoff temp to 20 below. The crew didn't like it as it took too many days off of their work week.

For my part (trucking) it really does not matter, I put my truck in a heated shop at night, so everything is nice and toasty, unless I get in too late to unload, then if it is too cold I usually let it run all night.
Old LT40HD, old log truck, old MM forklift, and several huskies.

Downstream

I saw all year round, but normally the temps are 20 degrees or warmer.  We rarely go into a deep freeze that lasts more than a few days or a week.  My sawmill is on a paved area so I can clear snow  and get running my manual processes.
EZ Boardwalk Jr,  Split Second Kinetic logsplitter, Granberg Alaskan Chainsaw Mill, Stihl 660 and 211, Logrite 60" cant hook, Dixie 32 Tongs

Bandmill Bandit

I saw year around too but dont saw on the real cold days below -15*C. I am thinking of a new mill with a deisel and then will set up seat with heater and a "heater house" around the leg area and a heated seat. But that is a wish list item at the moment.

I am in the process of adding a motorcycle heated clothing system right now. Have insoles for my boots and a pair of heated gloves. The heated pants and a vest on the wish list for christmas. My son installing a magnetic jack that will connect me to the mill 12 volt power to make sure that break away and connection is reliable and trouble free.       
Skilled Master Sawyer. "Skilled labour don't come cheap. Cheap labour dont come skilled!
2018 F150 FX4, Husqvarna 340, 2 Logright 36 inch cant hooks and a bunch of stuff I built myself

Thank You Sponsors!