Got a mill and 2 customers

[Ronnie]

 







I finally pulled the trigger on a new TK1600 after months of reading all the posts on the forum. I have cut up 2 old cedar logs and an elm that i turned into 1x1's for stickers, alot of them really bowed on me. I can see there is a lot to learn in producing good straight lumber with minimal waste. There is a cabinet maker in town who is very excited about my mill and he is impatiently waiting for me to cut up some walnut for him. Pretty nervous about this, I sure wouldn't want to screw up his walnut. I have been reading through posts about properly cutting lumber and plan to spend the day Saturday cutting cedar for myself practicing for my first real job from ( The Cabinet Maker). Almost wish nobody new I had the mill until I was ready to cut for others. Have another guy waiting too. Word travels fast in a small town! Any suggestions on handling my first job with very little experience??

[DanG]

Welcome and congrats, Ronnie!   It sounds like you got everything going for you right now.  You got a good mill, a clean slate, the desire to learn, and the best source of info around right here at the Forestry Forum.  I like your attitude, too.  That "Student" under your avatar is a good thing to remember for a long time. ;)

That walnut job shouldn't be too bad as long as the logs are good and the customer doesn't have unrealistic expectations.  The hard part is going to be his problem, so make sure he knows how to stack it properly for drying.  A good chat with him over a cold beer or cup of coffee will be a good thing for both of you.  Don't let him talk you into cutting it too thin, trying to get too many boards out of it.  The important thing is for him to have some good material to work with after it is dry.  Him being a "pro" probably means he knows more than the average customer, but don't rely too heavily on that.  Try to keep it as simple as possible and make it a fun project for both of you.  Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[ladylake]

  
You found out elm likes to twist and bow after cutting already, the smaller you cut it the worse it is..  Get as much practice in as you can beore going on a custom job, walnut cuts easy , at the first sign of a wavy board put a sharp band on, take your time but don't dwaddle. If you sawing by the hour nobody is impressed if you take 5 minutes to set up the log for the first cut, most likely best to saw by the bf untill you get real good at running the mill. Try not to run into the log stop right away, wait untill the afternoon.   Steve

[Magicman]

Congratulations on the sawmill and the customers.  Your life will never be the same.   

[Chuck White]

Congratulations on the new mill Ronnie.

I found that my best reassurance was when I (more than once) reminded the customer that I was a beginner!

You'll do fine and you have a good machine, just try to take your time learning how to run it for the best results!

[sealark37]

Don't worry about the walnut.  Worry about the iron imbedded in the logs.  The reason he is so excited by your mill is that no other sawyer will mill his logs.  Be sure to tell him that he pays for ruined bands.  He won't be so ecstatic about the whole thing then.  Walnut looks good however you saw it.  Have fun, and learn.  Regards, Clark

[mikeb1079]

congrats on the mill ronnie.  i bet that walnut will cut just fine.  your stickers probably bowed because they were thin and they weren't stacked and weighted.  as others have mentioned make sure to inform your customer that it's important to stack and sticker and weight promptly as i have seen boards move overnight.
good luck!

[ladylake]

You made a good choise, TK makes nice simple heavy duty mills without a lot of troublesome electric parts. I think the best value out there.  Steve

[5quarter]

Ronnie,

   A good source of stickers is reclaimed 2X material. rip it to 7/8" X 1 1/2" X 48" and (optional) run it through a planer to 3/4". Elm will dry really good with uniform stickers, weight and good air flow. Congrats on the new toy tool, BTW.

[WDH]

Saw the 4/4 walnut 1 & 1/8" thick and saw any 6/4 at 1 & 5/8" and any 8/4 at 2 & 1/8" thick.  Don't forget to turn the log often to get the best grade boards and to relieve stress in the log.  Level the pith before you take the first slab off and then level it again when you are cutting 90 degrees to the original opening face.  This produces boards with the straightest grain as you are cutting parallel to the pith.  Cut the widest boards possible, and when the grade runs out on a face, (knots, defects, etc.) turn the log to a better face.


I usually start with the worst face up on the mill when taking the first slab.  Once you square the log into a sawable cant, focus on the best quality faces.  If you cut any 6/4 or 8/4, cut these boards from the best part of the log.  The thick stuff is not worth nearly as much in low grade, and it is easier to work around defects in 4/4 boards than in the thicker cuts.

That is all there is to it!  (I wish  ).

[ljmathias]

Congratulations!  Great to have another sawyer-to-be describe his trials and tribulations (which you have to do, of course, with pictures).  My advice would be to put off the customers for a month or two while you practice.  Most important lesson I learned with wood is that every tree is different and every board has its own cutting requirements, and the only way I learned about that (besides reading about it here) was to practice, practice and then practice some more.  My mistakes would fill a barn (and too many pages of the forum) but without them I wouldn't be able to cut lumber that anyone wants to use...  :D

Lj