I had a relapse

[DR Buck]

I spent Saturday sawing a whack of oak and maple logs I had here for a customer.  Mostly 1x6 x 8 ft stuff.   I was moving along pretty good until I had to re-learn some things. They were almost back to back re-learnings.  ;D

1 -  No matter how many metal detectors you have (I have 3) a new out-of-the-box blade is better at finding metal in a log and it will do it on the first pass of the mill.  :(

2 -  Never, I mean never start into a cut without first giving your backstops a glance to check their height.  Otherwise that new out-of-the-box blade is a goner.  :

The number 2 re-learning event is the first I've sawed into any of the mill parts in a very long time.   I think the last time I did that was when I ran my debarker blade into the turning claw about two years ago.   That was quite spectacular and somewhat traumatic.    ;)

[Chuck White]

I've learned the "bow to your sawmill" procedure over the past couple of years!

It pays off, (knocking on wood) to sight down through the uprights everytime!

Soon as you drop your guard, you'll probably find some iron.

[Left Coast Chris]

One other likely occurance is when you do saw through a nail the head end is left in the unsawn part of the log so when you try to get it out it makes a really good sized hole.   I had one last week that just would not come out so I went and got the makita drill and had to swiss cheese around the nail and then it finally came out head and all..........

[r.man]

Some days it just seems as if bed was the place to stay. Sorry about your luck Dr.. 

[OneWithWood]

Chalk it up to sweat in your eyes!

If your weather has been anything like ours Saturday was very hot and humid.

[bugdust]

Just so happens my buddy and I were talking about this very subject yesterday and I reminded him of the red oak we sawed last fall and hitting a "mystery" object about 6' down the log. It was a picture perfect oak, or so I thought. Everything went as planned until I heard that dreaded sound of a blade hitting metal. The mill came to an abrubt hault and some of the teeth were round off. I had to cut off the slab, to my surprise was a TV insulator. :'( These are porcelain insulators that are nailed into the tree as a wire hanger. I then remembered years ago my dad using them when he ran the wire to the top of the mountain. What I forgot was the tree had grown completely over the insulator and healed without a sign it was ever there. A metal detector would have probably helped but who would have guessed the perfect tree would be cursed from years past. What's bad is I had forwared my son to be careful which trees he cut along the old rail fence line. I guess I learned my own lesson, at least until I can't resist cutting the next "perfect" tree.

[Magicman]

That's just part of the joy of sawing.  ;)   Dig it out, put on a new blade, and keep on sawing.   

[DR Buck]

Chalk it up to sweat in your eyes!

If your weather has been anything like ours Saturday was very hot and humid.

Recored 106.9° on the high-low thermomiter today.  I'm not going anywhere near the sawmill.

[OneWithWood]

Who says we don't get smarter as we get older? 

:D