Black Oak Logs

[farmfromkansas]

Moodnacreek was talking about those cracked logs.

[barbender]

Ahh I see. For some reason I thought you meant you wouldn't want to saw with a Detroit power unit. 

[handhewn]

The oak logs were cracked on the outside layer to just inside the sapwood. Here in Northern Calif. it is dry enough that the logs don't rot so quick. I lost just a little wood on the outside but the logs produced lots of good clear sound wood. I do tend to avoid cutting my live trees. I much prefer cutting the dead trees and leaving my live trees alone. They are free in either case and I don't lose much if I get them soon enough. I do like reducing my fire danger through removal of dead wood. Also, when your cutting for flooring two inch strips allow for easy avoidance of bad wood pockets. In the end I scored some 700 bd. ft. when oak is selling here at $4.00+. Logs such as those have supplied all the window casings (23 of them) and door casings (12 of them) plus many stair treads. I suggest not passing up those salvage logs.

[Walnut Beast]

Very nice! Lots of good wood in the dead trees 👍. I like that. Not going to waste 

[barbender]

I live salvaging lumber from dead trees! Sure, sometimes the juice ain't worth the squeeze but with those big Cali logs I don't think that's a problem😊

[Walnut Beast]

The dead standing walnut trees and blown over ones off the ground over the creek are the first ones on my hit list to get out when everything is frozen up. These trees got some good size and there coming out. Even if they been there for several years 😂

[handhewn]

It Runs! Various little problems took a few hours to figure out but I got it. I only ran the 671 for about 15 or 20 seconds as there was no water in the engine. Tomorrow I will fill it with water and look for leaks before I dump a bunch of expensive anti-freeze in. Until yesterday it has rained less than 1" so far this year. Rained hard all night last night and 3 or 4 storms lined up for near future. Going to be a while before I can get a truck with logs up that road without destroying it. That includes the old army log trucks shown above. I didn't have time to hit the clutch to run the mill but everything seems OK. If it doesn't rain tomorrow I will run the sawmill for the first time in many years. Huge beetle problem here. Town is full of dead/dying trees (mostly Yellow Pine) that I can get for free. Yesterday a guy phoned me and gave me half a dozen loads (for the little army truck) of big pine and much D fir and Western Red Cedar.
I only need a couple pine logs to finish the 40 yr. cabin in the wilderness project. Things are coming together fast. Maybe time to find some workers as I am getting a little old to do this kind of work daily.

[handhewn]

The 671 started right up and ran nicely. I let it run awhile as I listened and looked. Picked up the RPMs and ran it some more. All looked well so I eased in the clutch and started everything in motion. Listened and watched some more, no problems. Tried all Hyd. functions, slowly as I couldn't remember which lever did what or how fast. I had a friend take a short video of this which I will post later. You will see how slowly I move the  Hyd. arms as I figure this out. Only one small problem encountered. The carriage drags against the Hyds. table. Easy adjustment tomorrow. Mill is ready for test log!

[dgdrls]

Just moved my 60" circular to property I live on. Not quite set up yet, close. I can't wait to send pictures of hyd. log turner; it is amazing. But I can't get pictures until I fire mill up!

Oh man, I can't wait to see a sawing video,
great post!
D

[handhewn]

 


10X with oak firewood. Load of seasoned oak firewood gleaned from tops of dead/salvaged oak logs.



 
"White" log truck next to last full load (normal truck) of logs I saved on wood mizer. All of this load was delivered to and stacked tight to the ceiling and walls in a 3 car garage. I told the absentee owner to make sure the doors were open for ventilation. He did not do this. So much moisture accumulated in the building that the composite roof actually slid off and all the wood was infected with powder post beetles. Total loss of all wood.



 
This picture shows me and my son, now 35 yo, before this cabin burned down in Californias then 2nd largest forest fire (1991). The new cabin, pictures in previous posts, is on the same foundation but is built with steel and masonry ONLY on exterior. All wood interior.



 
Before the conflagration.



 

White Motors log truck left in woods for a couple of decades. It runs great and will be the 'yard dog' to load the same sawmill it used to back in the day. I moved the sawmill and put it back in service. The log truck will soon be back in service, too!



 
Burned "Prentice" as described in recent post titled 'Fire'. Look closely. There is a person standing, touching, the grapple. The grapple is taller than the person. This grapple would be nice located near my live deck. I suspect it will go for scrap.
Notice the dying beetle killed pine trees behind the grapple. California has a Huge problem with beetle kill, climate change.

[handhewn]

This is the log roller discussed above. 


 

Under to lift log/cant to insert shim (for tapered logs) or just roll it away.



 

Over top to roll log/cant opposite direction.



 

"Pinched" or grated log/cant to pull it off carriage or just roll it towards.



 

Just testing log roller arm and flippers. Sometimes I use the arm to push the carriage back thus saving my arm and time.

Today I sawed my first log on this mill in 35 years.

[Walnut Beast]

Congratulations on getting in going 👍

[Quebecnewf]

I think we're going to need a lot more pics of this operation .

Great stuff

Quebecnewf 

[69bronco]

Somehow missed this thread, following now and like Newf said - we're gonna need more pictures! That mill is something!

[handhewn]

Spent the last few days setting up the 3-blade edger. I thought somebody had "borrowed" some of the edger parts laying out behind the barn. They'd been laying there so long they had sunk into the earth clear out of sight. I had to dig them up! I'll get some more pictures after the edger is installed. Only took sawing one log to remember how important an edger is.

[Anderson]

This thread is quite amazing! Thank you for sharing your stories and pictures.  smiley_clapping

Can't wait to see that big mill running!  8)

[Ljohnsaw]

 :P