Difficult Sawing Sites

Sawdust Lover · March 30, 2013, 10:55:18 PM

You have to take the good with the bad! Just shows you will go that extra mile to get it done for people. There's rewards for that!

woodNthings · March 31, 2013, 12:41:24 PM

Im looking forward to seeing where the mill takes me, and vise versa.
Last week I went to preview a saw job for a fella with 20+ cedar logs. After a few miles down a dirt road/path, he stopped and unloaded the 4-wheeler... ??? Two creek crossings and several miles of rain rutted trail later, we arrived at the log pile :

I said "think you misunderstood 'mobile sawmill', partner"

Ianab · March 31, 2013, 03:48:45 PM

Quote from: woodNthings on March 31, 2013, 12:41:24 PM
Im looking forward to seeing where the mill takes me, and vise versa.
Last week I went to preview a saw job for a fella with 20+ cedar logs. After a few miles down a dirt road/path, he stopped and unloaded the 4-wheeler... ??? Two creek crossings and several miles of rain rutted trail later, we arrived at the log pile :
I said "think you misunderstood 'mobile sawmill', partner"

Sounds like some of the places I've milled. :D

Difference is we hooked the mill to the 4 wheeler and got in there.
This IS the flat spot on this site.

Ian

rambo · April 02, 2013, 07:16:13 PM

Did you know what you were getting into on this job or was it like surprise, surprise, surprise?????? :D :D :D

Ianab · April 02, 2013, 11:06:13 PM

Quote from: rambo on April 02, 2013, 07:16:13 PM
Did you know what you were getting into on this job or was it like surprise, surprise, surprise?????? :D :D :D

I knew where I was going. It's actually about 100 yards from my old house, which was 1/2 a mile up a gravel road :D

But this is pretty typical of the terrain in that area. There is a semi-retired guy with a more remote forest block that runs a Lucas mill and gets the sawn boards lifted out by helicopter. He only cuts 3 or 4 trees a year, but can make a good living on that.

Portable sawmilling here tends to be more like WoodNthings experience :D

Ian

dgdrls · April 03, 2013, 06:05:13 AM

Quote from: Ianab on April 02, 2013, 11:06:13 PM
Quote from: rambo on April 02, 2013, 07:16:13 PM
Did you know what you were getting into on this job or was it like surprise, surprise, surprise?????? :D :D :D

I knew where I was going. It's actually about 100 yards from my old house, which was 1/2 a mile up a gravel road :D

But this is pretty typical of the terrain in that area. There is a semi-retired guy with a more remote forest block that runs a Lucas mill and gets the sawn boards lifted out by helicopter. He only cuts 3 or 4 trees a year, but can make a good living on that.

Portable sawmilling here tends to be more like WoodNthings experience :D

Ian

My dream sawmill experience!

DGDrls

rooster 58 · April 03, 2013, 06:52:00 AM

Hey Magicman, I bet WM would make one with 4wd forya :D :D :D

Klicker · April 03, 2013, 08:51:30 PM

I learned on one job it takes two Chevs to pull out my Ford and mill.

NMFP · April 03, 2013, 09:35:55 PM

Dont have any pics but 2 years ago, sawed on the top of a mountain where a natural gas pipeline went through. No access roads other than the pipeline clearing. Used a D3C Hystat to pull the mill and an International TD-9 to push. Slope up and down was approx 55 degrees. The sawing area was flat and level though!!!! ha ha ha 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)

Tom the Sawyer · April 03, 2013, 11:22:52 PM

Only a problem for mobile sawyers... if you end up sawing in an alley make sure it isn't trash day. Those big trucks don't like backing up. smiley_annoyed01

francismilker · April 04, 2013, 08:03:21 PM

This is about as difficult as it has gotten for me yet Magicman. It was in a back alley in town where a recent storm knocked over this magnolia tree. It tore down the customer's powerline, tv cable, and phone. They heard about me in the barber shop and gave me a call. It was very tight quarters and took some doing even to back my little rig around. All said and done, I was there a total of two hours to buck the tree, load the brush, and provide the customer with a few bdft of pretty good looking lumber. It paid well and I hope to get more business out of this from word of mouth advertising. The customer was extremely pleased to have the 4/4 wood in random lengths with some live edges. He's quite a craftsman and will do a lot with it.

With this small rig I hope to get more of these "one tree wonder" saw jobs as it's very manueverable and I enjoy it's quick setup and seeing the customer's reaction to the boards it produces out of their onetime shadetree.

WDH · April 04, 2013, 09:33:25 PM

That is a gnarly one for sure ;D.

francismilker · April 04, 2013, 09:55:23 PM

Quote from: WDH on April 04, 2013, 09:33:25 PM
That is a gnarly one for sure ;D.

That's kinda what I thought WDH but one man's trash is another's treasure. :D

No way I'd go through the effort to cut and buck that log if it were in the woods. Let it stand in someone's back yard for a few years and gain some sentimental value, and it becomes potential craft wood. It surprisingly yielded me no nails either. 8)

Ianab · April 04, 2013, 11:23:39 PM

And with the little mill like that you can take those jobs that someone with the bigger mill isn't interested in. One log like that, and a sawyer with big mill and a $400 minimum charge, it's not an option. Your little mill, and a 1 hour minimum change, you can get in there and git R done

Ian

francismilker · April 04, 2013, 11:48:35 PM

Quote from: Ianab on April 04, 2013, 11:23:39 PM
And with the little mill like that you can take those jobs that someone with the bigger mill isn't interested in. One log like that, and a sawyer with big mill and a $400 minimum charge, it's not an option. Your little mill, and a 1 hour minimum change, you can get in there and git R done

Ian

As far as I can tell, unless someone's sitting on an LT-40 that they keep hidden, I'm the ONLY mill in my immediate area. It has it's good and bad points though. I get the occasional call from someone wanting a 36" pecan tree slabbed up. When I tell them my capabilities, they scoff and wonder why I don't have a bigger mill. It's the bigger payment I don't want but would love to have a 40!! :'(

Magicman · April 05, 2013, 10:28:40 PM

I also had to have help leaving a sawing site once.

It rained big time after I set up and then I could not get out. I made the ruts on the right going to the sawmill that morning.

Magicman · April 05, 2013, 10:45:05 PM

I just thought about another site that was not really that difficult, but I did have to take down and move up to the next log each time.

(I was being paid hourly rate.) ;D

POSTON WIDEHEAD · April 05, 2013, 11:00:24 PM

This would drive me smiley_whacko

Peter Drouin · April 06, 2013, 07:15:33 AM

Hi MM in the last pic I see a houses on legs

why is that, or do they make them from the top down :D

Magicman · April 06, 2013, 07:43:59 AM

Those are lakeside homes being build on an oxbow lake between the Mississippi River and the levee. Here is a LINK to the thread.

Peter Drouin · April 06, 2013, 08:51:17 AM

I see MM , It's weird to see all the flat land, and knowing it can be all under water with one storm,

thecfarm · April 06, 2013, 09:30:25 AM

I first saw that in RI. They coverd up the "legs" with material that was designed to break away and let the water through. Some of those homes that I saw would be 300,000 homes in my area.