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milling events/trade show in wisconsin, minnesota?

Started by JP Wazz, February 08, 2025, 09:46:36 AM

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JP Wazz

we bought  the sawmill last year and my wife and i have done pretty good so far learning our way around the machine sawing some elm and poplar logs that will become pallets for drying.
 since getting the machine last year though we have stacked a lot of logs from friends and neighbors that are waiting to be milled and I'm wondering is there anything like a threshing bee or industry trade show near me in northwest wisconsin where we can talk to and maybe be a bit educated by people that have done this for a while. 
 when i search the internet for "sawmill club" or "sawyer group" i get lots of health clubs and law firms.
 just yesterday we hauled home some black walnut,  1 log in particular is 20" diameter 13' long with a really nice looking deformity/crotch at the top end that likely has some neat looking grain inside and i would hate to just mill it into boards.
 

Old Greenhorn

I'd suggest doing a lot of reading here and going back through older posts. There is a LOT of priceless information to be found from some terrific sawyers. You just have to sit back and read. We've seen a lot of innovative and instructive ideas pass under a sawblade here over the years and it's all still there for the reading.
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way.  NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

WV Sawmiller

  I suggest you contact the manufacturer of your and other mills and ask if they have any upcoming shows or demos in the area and try to go watch and ask questions there.

    See if there are other mill owners in the area and talk with them. You may not know this but many sawmillers love to talk. :wink_2: Maybe go off-bear for them and watch and ask questions.

    Visit the Woodmizer.com site and look at their Find a local sawyer. (They are the only manufacturer I have found that offer this service.)  That's a good source to find other millers nearby.

    Check the internet for mills near you and see if you find others you can go watch.

    Watch videos of others milling and look for tips there. Yellowhammer, the Old Jarhead and others have many on the web available.

    Watch for little things such as log placement, material handling and set up steps the sawyer takes. Little things save you time and energy. The dumbest miller out there may have some labor saving tip that helps make your life easier and more efficient. Look for such because often they are just part of the sawyers daily routine and he never thinks to mention it but you can see how it helps.

  Even if it a different type mill the process is the same. Loading with hydraulics is easier than a manual mill but it still is just getting the log on the mill, turning, leveling and clamping it so the end result should be the same.

    Good luck.
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

Stephen1

You really have come to the right place. All really honest and good info here. No, yahoos chirping about do this or that. Just solid info. Spend time here, get involved on the posts and ask questions. If you have a specific question step up and ask it, You'll have an a few really good answers by tomorrow. 
Because you're new to sawing and your mill, try to mill with a purpose for the wood, not because it might have good figure in it. 
The walnut log sounds great, but what will you use it for? 
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

Resonator

As said, tons of good info on the Forum here to learn from, and some good You Tube videos to cover the basics. 
I don't know of any shows in northwest WI. I know there is a big logging expo in Escanaba MI in September. I'm located in central WI, and I know there are band and circle mills set up in Edgar at the tractor show in August. 
I know there are few different sawmill businesses in the twin cities that do urban forestry. Could also check with Forum members FluidPowerPro or Barbender if they'd have any info, they are in Minnesota somewhat close to you.
Independent Gig Musician and Sawmill Man
Live music act of Sawing Project '23 & '24, and Pig Roast '19, '21, & '24
Featured in the soundtrack of the "Out of the Woods" YouTube video:
"Epic 30ft Long Monster Cypress and Oak Log! Freehand Sawing"

Proud owner of a Wood-Mizer 2017 LT28G19

JP Wazz

 i had lurked on this forum for years before buying my sawmill and i have read and transcribed lots of information into a notebook to keep handy for when I'm sawing now, including some notable input from my wife(!?) while we are working at the sawmill. 
 
20 years ago a coworker borrowed a book to me that was really interesting, it was a manual published in India during the British colonial period to instruct native workers there on forestry related topics, I've since found fragments of that on the internet but these have been translated a few times now and are somewhat hard to understand, what really stood out from this textbook was the incredibly detailed drawings and descriptions of sawing to get the best grain pattern from the wood.

 as for the walnut that i got a few days ago, if i hadn't cut it down to mill it, it  would have been cut down and split into fire wood, that's been the case for most of the logs stacked out back, but lacking the time and quite frankly the confidence to not mess up(?) a good piece of wood I've gathered quite a bit of timber behind the house.

  a birch log 20" diameter, 10' long. 

  a basswood log 28" diameter, straight as an arrow and 30' long before any branching.

  ash trees, oak trees, elm trees, some quite large, all removed for being in the wrong place and wrong time.

  a few logs I've gathered would have been chipped/shredded, huge beautiful trees that would have been carbon sequestered  as decorative mulch in a housing development.

  ive done what i believe is best and within my means to keep the logs in good condition for when i can saw, all are up off the ground on cribbing and I've gone through gallons of latex paint from previous color schemes in the house to seal the ends.

 i will definitely come back here with my questions and search for anyone nearby that can help me out, thanks.
 

 
 
 

barbender

While not discounting learning from experience (and there's more of that here than anywhere else on the web) the best way to learn is putting the blade to the wood- even if that means screwing a few logs up. Besides, there may be a few logs I didn't get the best recovery, or maybe grain pattern from, but they still yielded usable lumber. 

You have to do some sawing to even know what you need to learn, for when you get a chance to spend time around a more experienced sawyer. Things will make more sense if you see a smarter way of doing them. 

As far as trade shows and such, there is the big one that alternates between Escanaba and maybe Osh Gosh (Great Lakes Timber Producers, maybe?). We have the North Star Expo the weekend before in Grand Rapids, MN. I've only been to the North Star Expo, Woodmizer usually has a booth and sawmill on site but it's just set up for demo purposes, not really teaching anyone how to saw. I would expect the same at the other show. 

The tractor shows I've been to I usually cringe at the sawing going on there, other than the show in Rollag, MN (the WMNSTR). Those guys have a big circle headrig with a topsaw. The sawyer rides on the carriage, and those boys make that rig sing!

Theres a book available for free download that I found very helpful for hardwood grading etc. I'll try to find the link for it and post it here. 

Basically, I've never came across what you're looking for. What I know I learned on this forum, from books, and by good ol' trial and error. 

If there is an experienced sawyer around you that would let you tail boards for a day, you would learn a lot right there. I've had guys do this at my little setup and they said they learned a lot. I'm by no means touting myself as an experienced sawyer but I do know enough to teach a few things to someone else that is new to it.

Too many irons in the fire


barbender

This book was publicly funded by the USDA so it is available for free download.
Too many irons in the fire

GAB

Adding to what BB wrote:
When you mess up sawing a log you can call it designer firewood and chalk it up to experience.  Sometimes you can use your designer firewood boards for concrete footing forms and support posts as they usually aren't too long or wide.
From personal experience: 
I was lucky while being held captive in IN I met up with two individuals that had LT40"s and I spent time with both of them.  I learned a lot from both as their operations were totally different.
Also, while in IN we went to numerous shows and spoke to different manufacturers reps about their products.  One rep turned me off to his employers products because what he said about the competitors product proved to be a lot of tall tales.
One mill on paper looked good, we went to see one in operation and within 5 minutes I knew that that mill design was not for me.
GAB


W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

WV Sawmiller

   I don't know what other logs you have access other than the ones you mention but as BB said experiment. My first cuts went to build a lumber stacking shed of my own. Not fancy and lots of mistakes but the boards worked for what I used them for.

    Also you don't even know what questions to ask until you run the mill a while and made a few mistakes and such. 

   After you gain some experience you will learn to have a plan about how to saw every log. You may not be able to finalize that plan till you get it on the mill and in some case once you make a couple of cuts you may have to change your plan if something unexpected shows up. What messes me up is when I am sawing for a customer and maybe have a plan to make all 1X10's and suddenly after my final turn the customer says "Oh this is so nice let's make 6/4 of of it." Since I start on a mark to end on a finished board that throws me out of whack but it is his wood and I just adjust my plan and tell the customer "Okay but the last board may be a little thick or thin." and continue sawing.
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

nopoint

As Barbender said. Hands on experience is the best. Either on your own or get out and saw with others. Find others in your area with a saw and volunteer to help out. You can watch a bunch of idealistic videos and read about theory for years but nothing compares to experience. Roll a log off the back of the saw. Saw into the uprights, perhaps more than once in the same day. Hit a rock, nail, bolt, entire fence.  Put the blade on backwards. Break a band. Have a log that turns into a banana. Drop an entire unit of lumber. Hopefully none of these end with a trip to ER. Probably best to saw with someone that has a mill similar to yours. Could learn about the ins and outs of that particular style machine. I've been sawing off and on for 10 or so years with a Woodmizer, put me in front of a circle saw... not a clue what to do. Even a different colored band mill I would be lost. With all that said, I'm in central Wisconsin, stationary Woodmizer lt40 if you want to come and saw sometime it could be arranged.   Although I don't saw when its too cold as it just seems to lead to more problems. Best of luck, be safe

SawyerTed

Besides reading and learning here, finding others locally to exchange ideas with is helpful as other have mentioned.   Facebook Marketplace is a way to find them.

Your county Forest Service ranger will also be worth getting to know if you haven't.  I've been fortunate enough to saw lumber for our Forest Service ranger and his father on occasion.  Your Agriculture Extension Service can be a source of information as well. 

Dr. Gene Wengert and others associated with USDA Forest Service have written extensively on sawmill operations, air drying and kiln drying lumber.  

He and his associates have written some excellent publications on small milling, sawing techniques and much more.  Lots of science of logs and lumber interpreted for sawmill and kiln operators. 

Occasionally, there's something among the writings that's "too academic" but most is written and understandable for practitioners.  

YouTube has two or three channels worth watching (not fluff or clickbait), one notable one is Hobby Hardwood's channel which is recorded, directed, produced, edited and stars our own Robert Milton, aka Yellowhammer.  Out of the Woods by 123Maxbars, Nathan Elliott, is another worth watching as is Old Jarhead's channel (even though he's ventured into some other interests of late).  I enjoy Lumber Capital Log Yard as well because they are young people who are motivated and out there trying despite some errors and misinformation.  They are improving with experience. 

There are others in YouTube that feature sawing but either lack substance, have an agenda or otherwise waste bandwidth.  
Woodmizer LT50, WM BMS 250, WM BMT 250, Kubota MX5100, IH McCormick Farmall 140, Husqvarna 372XP, Husqvarna 455 Rancher

TSAW

Like a couple others have mentioned experience is a great teacher.    I have been at it several years and still feel like I learn stuff all the time, primarily how inefficient my set up is and the things I am constantly working around (those things I will get to fixing soon as I always tell myself).  Also, don't be afraid to cut logs, I have found that I hesitate thinking I will wait to cut this log or that because someone might want something specific, then I go to pull that log and it is riddled with bugs or has rotted because I never got it off the ground when I told myself "I will get to it next week".  

Try checking with one of the colleges near by that has a forestry program, near by me (a bordering state PA) they have several programs dealing with forestry - grading lumber, arborist work and drying lumber.  It might cost you a few $$, but I found in the course that I took on drying lumber lots of information about the cellular structure of wood that can affect greatly the end product, and it wasn't even a how to class on sawing.  

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