Whatcha Sawin' 2024 ??

[firefighter ontheside]

Well, I went out and milled today.  When I started the tractor I realized I wasn't gonna be milling a lot.  I had a bad hose on the loader and couldn't use it.  So, I milled the cedar log that has been on the mill for several months.  Then I milled a little one that was closeby and able to be manhandled.  I did that without using my left arm too much.  It was a customer log that has been here for several months.  It was supposed to walnut and turned out to be rotten red oak.  I called the customer to tell him his "walnuts" were actually rotten red oak and not worth milling.  But it felt good to get back at it.  I'm sure dad was smiling when I realized the log mis-identity.  Then I went to Napa and got a new hose for next time.  

[Nebraska]

Glad to read that! 

I milled for a bit and the stupid predator blew the oil cooler hose and spewed oil all over the rest of the little Ash log I was trying to mill...For the record I don't like this motor..

[TimW]

My customer picked up his 8 foot Pine 12x12 live edge mantel yesterday.  I mentioned about putting it in a kiln before sanding.  In his broken English, he stated he is gonna age it outside and also do some kind of physical aging.

[TimW]

Super repeat customer is adding a roof over his barndominium garage door opening.  Twenty foot full size 2x10s for rafters and 20 foot full size 2x8s for purlins.

I'm tired of cutting 20 footers, but I need some full size 2x12s.  So whatever day next week that it doesn't rain, you will know what I am doing.

[Magicman]

Nice Tim.  I am hopeful that our rain will be gone by Friday so I can saw. 

With the rain plus my deck/porch project, I have not sawed since February 28th. 

[TimW]

Lynn,
Do you want me to ship you some SYP sawdust so you won't have too many sawing withdrawal pains?

I also finished redecking the trailer.
 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Those dark boards look purple from here.

   Good job.

[TimW]

Them'er racin' stripes

[RetiredTech]

With the rain plus my deck/porch project, I have not sawed since February 28th.

MM, Your a "little" older than I am. Do your projects seem to take twice as long as you anticipate? Mine never seem to run on schedule.

[Magicman]

Absolutely, it's not necessarily what I can do, but rather what I want to do.  I am an early starter on almost everything, but 4PM starts to look good.  I very seldom set deadlines anymore. 

When a customer asks "when?", I generally say "lets work through it and the job will tell us when".  They understand before we finish.  If you try to push sawing a log, it will often push back.

[SawyerTed]

If you try to push sawing a log, it will often push back.

Very good advice!  True for more than logs!  

[doc henderson]

Finally got a few logs on the mill.  My "customer" who has an axe throwing venue asked for another 30 boards.  2 x 10 x 48 inches in cottonwood.  8 bucks each. 



hit this.  it was rainy and getting dark and it barely made a sound and made this happen.  artsy!



still got some good boards.  had some rot in the wood.  I have a fresh cut log you saw the other day.  looked good on day one but has revealed ring shake so sawed an older log I had.  it (the one with ringshake)was a limb that fell on a house. 



got 19 boards, and some stock to make into skid bottoms.







some will go to firepit wood!

[SawyerTed]

Doc, are you cutting the 48 in the cant while on the mill?  I see the vertical chainsaw kerf.  

It didn't take but a couple of times of cutting green poplar 2x10x12, stacking them and later cutting the 48" pieces to decide I needed a better way.  

[TroyC]

OK SawyerTed, I'll bite. What better way did you find? My neighbor wants to know.......

[doc henderson]

Well, I knew there were some defects in the log, and the thought was cut the log at 12 foot 4 inches. and have the ability to cut around and in-between the defects that reveal themself.  they are heavy and too big for the chop saw I leave out by the mill.  so, I would remove the cant in mass after cutting.  make marks on the top board, and keeping them lined up, cut through all the boards.  of course, the bottom two were art projects... abstract art projects.  

I do this with my thin stock for coasters and use a skill saw to cut about 5 thicknesses at a time to get 2-foot lengths.  Might be from a 10-foot log.



you can see about every 5 boards, some from a different part of the log.

[SawyerTed]

When cutting short length boards out of longer logs, I cut the part way through the cant vertically at the lengths I need.  Then I saw boards.

For example to produce 2x10x48 (like Doc was making), I cut a cant 10" wide and 16" tall, 12'-6" long.  Using a speed square to guide the skillsaw I cut partway through the cant at 0" (to square the end), 48", 96" and 144". Then I saw with the mill in 2" increments - three 2x10x48 come off each pass.  No need to handle the 12' material and 24 2x10x48 come off the mill.  Setting the skillsaw to cut through the top layer and score the second layer allows eliminating the tape measure and speed square on subsequent layers, 

The photo below is how I make stickers in a similar way.  I stack boards or flitches like for edging.  Cut vertically with a chainsaw or skill saw at my sticker length but not all the way through.  Then saw with the sawmill.  A batch of stickers cut to length come off with each repetition. 

[TroyC]

Thanks! The poplar I did was cut 8'4" to get out of the woods relatively easy with the grapple. Milled the boards 2x10x8'4", loaded on forks and transport to RAS. Squared end, then stop block to cut 48". Handling 8'4" wasn't bad but I can see the advantage to 12' log. My customer was pleased with the nice square ends and Anchorseal on the target boards. I expect I'll hear from him again soon.

[doc henderson]

that makes sense and kinda the reverse of what I am doing.  

[PAmizerman]

Like Howard, scanning YT for sawmill info and ideas is much better than turning into a mental vegetable by watching Netflix.
Well, ok. . . maybe a little less of a vegetable.
Do you guys find that there seems to be three broad categories of this content?
- The "Entry Level" footage that manufacturers publish, so that the new folks can get an easy start and brag about their stack of lumber to the family. It's got that justify the purchase tone.
- The "Click Bait" content that has one purpose only. To get you to give a thumbs up, comment and subscribe. If it takes nubile cleavage and spandex to do it, well, then that's what they'll do. Entertainment, yes. Informative, nope not for this wood butcher. They're in it for the money, honey.
The gals at Lumber Capital operate at the higher end of this grouping, but the yoga poses and dance moves pretty much lock em into the eye-candy category.
- My personal opinion: the very best "Masters Level" YouTube series, for stay-at-home millers, are put up by our very own @YellowHammer. The David Letterman of band sawmill YouTubers. Young Robert has found his on-screen voice, which is detailed and logical while being humorous at his own expense. "Well, I probably solved your insomnia problem with this video." Another personal preference; @PAmizerman has really good workflow videos that show how a single person can process lumber without breaking their back. Funny, I've never heard him say a single word on a video, he's similar to Jimmy DiResta that way.
There's a bunch of FF members that produce great video content. All of them contribute to the collection of skills and knowledge required to remove the sawdust from between high quality lumber.
The ones that appeal to each of us probably relate to where we are - looking to make ourselves better sawyers.

I'm not much of a talker. I think there is one video I talked in🤣

[firefighter ontheside]

My son wanted to go out to dinner with friends last night.  I said, do you have money for dinner?  He said no.  I gave him $40 and told him he could earn it today helping me mill some cedar.  That worked out well for both of us.  

[doc henderson]

well at 5 buck and hour, at least you got a full day's work out of him.  just tell him what you made at his age.     

[Old Greenhorn]

Man I long for days like that!

[firefighter ontheside]

We only worked for 2 hours.  I'd say did pretty well.

[SawyerTed]

Sawing poplar 2x6x14.  Working by myself and made 18 in about an hour!  

Shew buddy! I gotta slow down! 

[Nebraska]

My dad suggesting I go cut a pickup load of firewood in the morning is what probably  started me down this road. You know that sawdust thing ....(There was no pay involved, just payback from not being home on time the night before and causing him heartburn.)