So close and yet so far...

Nova · March 24, 2006, 07:27:26 PM

They say that confession is good for the soul but I think this may be closer to venting is good for my frustration... Received an e-mail Tuesday night that my mill arrived by rail and was being sent to the customs holding warehouse. Contacted my customs broker Wednesday and completed the paperwork, paid the taxes, fees (and more fees and more fees and more... >:(), lined up a truck and headed for the warehouse...missing one piece of paper from customs. They let me in to measure the crate so I can make sure have right sized vehicle. I surreptitiously fondle the crate when they are not looking. Cancel the truck, rearrange truck for next morning. Next morning (Thursday) comes, call broker and warehouse to see if paper work finished and get told I won the lottery, unfortunately it was the random inspection lottery and I have to wait for a person from customs to open the crates the mill comes in to do whatever it is that customs people do. Cancel the truck, told that I am lucky not to be paying a cancellation fee by rental agency. After that, decide to use my own truck. Line up a buddy for next day to help me tear crate apart and load mill onto my half ton. Today called broker and warehouse - customs guy went thru crates yesterday, tells me to wait for a phone call once they release the mill so I can take home what I have already paid for. Two o'clock rolls around, my buddy has another commitment, so I lose my help. Call warehouse, mill still not released. I ask warehouse worker "Suppose you're not open on the weekend when I could get twenty guys to help me unload the crate?", he says "You're right." I say "See you Monday >:(, I hope :("

sprucebunny · March 24, 2006, 08:24:04 PM

How frustrating !!!!

Good luck on Monday 8)

jon12345 · March 24, 2006, 10:07:28 PM

Where was your mill comin from? Does everything gotta go through customs? ???

getoverit · March 24, 2006, 10:13:35 PM

I had sort of the same experience, Nova..... took customs what seemed like an eternity to release the mill from L.A. customs. Once this was done, there was a rail congestion issue in California.

I know how antsy you are to get to smelling sawdust, and I truely feel your pain. The good side is that you are getting an awesome mill, and trust me, the wait is worth it. I have been extremely pleased with mine.

Be sure to take some pictures when you finally do get to load it in the truck and take your new baby home.

Nova · March 25, 2006, 06:43:13 AM

Thanks for the encouragement SB. I was hoping to make the wood chips fly this weekend because next week is fairly full already but I suspect I'll carve out a little time to use the mill once it finally comes home ;D.

Jon, I bought a Peterson 8" WPF from New Zealand which was held in bond as it came across Canada from Vancouver, British Columbia by rail once it was landed from the freighter. Now it is about 15 miles from where I live. Go figure, a journey of 15,000 miles (give a take a few miles) and the last 15 are taking the longest. Even things I purchase from the U.S. have to clear customs.

GOI - Rex and Part_Timer have already talked to me about pictures. I'll take the IQ test and see if I can break the code to post pictures after I get the mill...

Nova

sprucebunny · March 25, 2006, 07:33:06 AM

Nova, you better practice the picture posting before you get the mill because if you get stumped with the computer stuff we know you're just gonna say 'heck with it' and go make more sawdust :D

Nova · March 25, 2006, 08:10:28 AM

Sprucebunny, I think you are on to me... ;D. I have had the "pleasure" of in excess of 10 years of "hi-er edjumakaashun" and trying to post pictures leaves me sounding like a babbling idiot by the time I am ready to quit. When I REALLY want to post pictures I'll use DanG's excellent tutorial and eventually I'll learn.

sawguy21 · March 25, 2006, 09:53:32 AM

Ya gotta love Canada Customs :

They can be very frustrating to deal with. Good luck.

jpgreen · March 25, 2006, 10:53:53 PM

Well that sucks Bernie but remember good things come to those who wait.. ;D

Percy · March 26, 2006, 10:58:26 AM

Quote from: sawguy21 on March 25, 2006, 09:53:32 AM
Ya gotta love Canada Customs : They can be very frustrating to deal with. Good luck.

Yep. Them and Canada Post share the same wheelbarrow. When the tire goes flat, ya got 17,000 employees sittin around waitin for the "union" tire dude who shows up at quittin time and drives home withoput doing a thing.....been there... :D :D

Nova · March 28, 2006, 05:33:02 AM

Well, it's finally resting in my garage. Got a call late yesterday afternoon that customs was finally thru with it and was able to get in just under the wire (closing time). The warehouse lacked a ramp and without help I would not have been able to get the crate on my half ton so I found out thru an acquaintance that a local car carrier company will use their rigs to carry freight. The truck had a 29 foot long tilt bed and the driver delivered the crate inside my single car garage with the bed. That's a skilled driver in my books handling a 29 foot long bed better than I can drive a pick up. Pulled the crate apart and finished 10 minutes before a number of people from our church arrived for the evening. It's still in pieces but at least now it is home. In addition to this week being already too full of things that can't be turned off, I have been getting over a cold and in one of my coughing jags I 'popped' something in my side which is now slowing me down. As soon as I can clear some time, get this thing together and lay it on some wood I'll have a go at the pictures.

Nova

Ianab · March 28, 2006, 05:53:55 AM

Arrrgghh
That must be the worst, you finally got the Dang contraption and you are layed up

Get a couple of those friends of yours to help lay out the rails, set things up and get into it ;) :D
"A true friend helps you set up your new sawmill when you put your back out ". That must be in the book someplace...

Good luck with the new mill

Ian

P.S. Taking pictues important too ;)

Nova · March 28, 2006, 06:38:22 AM

Thanks Ian, I have a few friends like that but both are working overtime this week because of looming deadlines. Now if I could only pry my boys away from their fiancees...have no fear, I will be making sawdust at the earliest opportunity...once the narcotics are out of my system smiley_dizzy.

sawguy21 · March 28, 2006, 04:44:34 PM

You must be like a kid on Christmas morning right now. ;D At least you got it home.

Nova · March 28, 2006, 05:54:01 PM

Kid on Christmas morning yes 8) but about an hour before it is time to open the presents :(. My side is settling out so if it continues at this pace I may be able to set the mill up around a spruce that was dropped a while ago in our back yard. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Had a hurricane blow thru here 2 years ago that took out about 100 of our trees. Wished I'd thought about getting the mill then. That spruce was the last tree dropped because of the hurricane. It lifted the root ball and I decided the tree needed to be dropped before it fell on kids playing around it. Just finishing up the last of the hardwood that was cut for firewood...yellow birch, rock maple, red maple as well as fir and spruce.