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Sawing Full Time

Started by Deese, April 14, 2019, 01:00:58 AM

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Mfrost459

Glad to hear you are feeling better. Be sure to take care of yourself first. Your body is the most important asset you have.
Grandenburg makes one of the best chainsaw mills. I have one and it has worked great. One man can handle it fairly well. Get it with the winch. Only cost about $100 and it is worth every penny. I have the 72 in that will cut 56 in wide. We run a Stihl 880 power head. They have a chart on the website that will tell you what size mill will fit your power head.
These machines are now where near as fast as the Woodmizer so pricing out these jobs are a bit different. Check out some of the threads on pricing there is some good advise here.
Wood-Mizer LT50 Wide 2021 - LT-40 - 1992
EG-200 board Edger - New Holland Skilsteer - Kubota SVL95-2 skidsteer
Nyle L53 Kiln -  Nyle L200S Container Kiln


Have a great day milling!

ladylake

 
 I'd buy a wide bandsaw mill instead of a chainsaw mill. Quit working those 18 hour days, you'll get burnt out.  Steve
Timberking B20  18000  hours +  Case75xt grapple + forks+8" snow bucket + dirt bucket   770 Oliver   Lots(too many) of chainsaws, Like the Echo saws and the Stihl and Husky     W5  Case loader   1  trailers  Wright sharpener     Suffolk  setter Volvo MCT125c skid loader

WDH

On the Magnolia log, tell the customer to take it to Gasawyer or Nomad. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Good advice from Dennis, Steve and Danny.  Concentrate on your present sawing and pass odd jobs that would require more equipment, time, and expense.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Nomad

Good advice on the slabbing job.  A chainsaw slabber like the Grandburg has it's place, but only in very limited terms.  If you want to cut really big slabs, get a really big slabber.  But don't try to be everything for everybody; it'll always come back to bite you on the backside.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

Bruno of NH

Deese
Please take care of yourself first.
Take it from me the long hours and no down time take a toll on your health.
I enjoy working it was the only thing I was ever good at.
It very painful when that's taken from you.
You best insurance in life is your health more so when you are self-employed. 
Bruno
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

terrifictimbersllc

You could offer to split it in half or quarters with your chainsaw and then mill it on the band mill.  I would start such an offer by asking if they are sure they want it that wide, the widest containing the pith, how would they machine it for example, thick wood takes a while to dry,  wide slabs like that will be heavy and the slabs might not have a pleasing shape if the log is tapered etc etc-keep in mind you are presenting all this in a very positive light, Especially since cutting it in half and putting it on the bandsaw can avoid all these problems.😁 As well as giving stable quartersawn wood with one natural edge which they can book match into a 4 foot wide table with riftsawn legs, none of this sounding heavy or slow anymore. 😆😆Your goal being to score a nice job for a day that you can take in stride with your other jobs, and make it home before dark not feeling like you've been stepped on. And giving the customer excellent results at a great price for both of you.Just another way to think about it.
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Magicman

 

 
Cypress butt too big to saw so let's split it.


 
Making the cut.


 
Successfully split.



One half loaded onto the sawmill.


 
A few of the boards.


 
Bookmatched and stickered.


 
Another view of the whack.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

YellowHammer

I was going to echo what others have said, the most important piece of your equipment is yourself.  I used to push real hard, and then while I was laying in the hospital with my new titanium total hip replacement I calculated that in that one year alone I had lifted, toted, carried or otherwise hefted a little over 1.14 million pounds of wood.  I had burned out pretty much every piece of equipment I had, including myself.  There's a topic I started in the Business section about it called "Change of Business Plan."

Anyway, don't worry, you will get all the work you can possibly do, but you can't do it stuck on your back.  

So keep up the good work, but also realize as I did, that you, as a piece of business equipment, are a consumable, will "depreciate" and wear out.  So, as I learned the hard way, managing and rationing my physical work was one of the most important parts of managing the business.  Work hard, work smart, and "Take steps to save steps."  

Congratulations on your business, it's taking off.
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

Bruno of NH

Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Southside

Agree completely with YH there, and I can add that it only takes a moment and one wrong step to put you at a complete stop for a long, long time.  We break fast, but heal slowly, even at your age.  
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Lawg Dawg

I've been working 5 or 6 10 to 12 hr days for 8 years now sawmilling and woodworking...my grandpa is 87 yrs old and still farms about 50 acres (500 in his hay days)...he told me to make sure I EAT GOOD everyday the way I work...best advice EVER   :D 



 
2018  LT 40 Wide 999cc, 2019 t595 Bobcat track loader,
John Deere 4000, 2016 F150, Husky 268, 394xp, Shindiawa 591, 2 Railroad jacks, and a comealong. Woodmaster Planer, and a Skilsaw, bunch of Phillips head screwdrivers, and a pair of pliers!

100,000 bf club member
Pro Sawyer Network

Southside

Dawg - I did't realize you were partially retired now. Good going.   :D
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Deese

Thanks my friends. Excellent advice. Worn out but felt like I needed to at least type a quick response before bed. I will discuss other options with the customer. If he insists on slabbing it, then I will put him in contact with a forum friend who can handle it better than I. Dangit guys! I was kinda excited about sawing it! I see it as a challenge but I do have plenty of work at this present time...Anyways, Just now finished setting teeth on a bunch of my resharpened 7° 1 1/2" .055's in preparation for tomorrow's bald cypress portable job. Setting up at 6AM. It's only a 20 minute drive so I'm good. I've never sawed b cypress on the LT40 so we're going to see just how fast the 51hp diesel and .055's can blow through them. I AM Excited. Put your seatbelts on. 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Deese

Oh yeah forgot to mention that I got this on Sunday. Only 200 hours on machine. Man oh man...


 

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Bruno of NH

Nice score on the bota 8)
Lt 40 wide with 38hp gas and command controls , F350 4x4 dump and lot of contracting tools

Ianab

Like others have said, don't work yourself to death. 

One of my part time gigs is helping a friend with her rural mail run. It's one of the bigger routes, not so much in mileage, but the number of mail boxes. She initially thought that she could do it single handed, but realistically that would mean 6 x 12 hour days every week. Lady on another slightly smaller run tried that, and basically had a breakdown. 

Now she basically has a team of 2 of us part timers to handle the sorting for the next day, and a "relief" driver that drives for 1 or 2 days a week. Sure it costs some wages, but it keeps her work hours down to 50-60 a week vs 70+

Sure we can do 12 hours days, and 7 day weeks, for a short while. But long term you are going to burn out. 

Find some reliable folks you can palm some of the work off to, and you should live a lot longer. Someone with a Swing Mill / Slabber is just the thing for that oversize log. Palm that work off to him, and keep the jobs that suit your equipment. 
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

thecfarm

And that little boy of yours will remember the fishing trips and the camping out with his Father. He will also remember the sawing days that kept you away. Which one will he remember the best?   ;)
We have all had good times and bad times,meaning money times. But even in the bad money times,we still get by. Yes,it's hard,but we made it through it. Enjoy that son of yours!!! Family too.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Andries

All the comments and advice given sounds like lessons learned Deese. 
Hoping that you take it to heart, and more importantly, into making your daily work plans.

Good to hear that you're back in action,
and that skid steer really is looking great!
LT40G25
Ford 545D loader
Stihl chainsaws

Tom the Sawyer

JFD,

Don't spread yourself too thin.  

Famous quote, "A man's got to know his limitations."  (Inspector Harry Callahan, 1973).

;) ;)
07 TK B-20, Custom log arch, 20' trailer w/log loading arch, F350 flatbed dually dump.  Piggy-back forklift.  LS tractor w/FEL, Bobcat S250 w/grapple, Stihl 025C 16", Husky 372XP 24/30" bars, Grizzly 20" planer, Nyle L200M DH kiln.
If you call and my wife says, "He's sawin logs", I ain't snoring.

Deese

Finished the job in 12 hours yesterday. Small logs 10'-12' long. Then 3 nice hickory logs. 63 total. 


 

 

 

 

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Magicman

And you also learned to take three extra steps away from the sawmill before starting your slab pile.  ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Deese

Quote from: Magicman on May 24, 2019, 09:04:03 AM
And you also learned to take three extra steps away from the sawmill before starting your slab pile.  ;D
Haha yes sir! Still have so much to learn. Spent the day today fetching syp logs from a nearby property for 2 beam orders due soon. 12x12x21's and various other dimensions. I've had enough headache sawing 20' timbers, so fitting a 21' just right on the mill will be tricky with these big logs. But the skidsteer will help tremendously. Anyways, all natural growth (no plantation pine) and good, tight growth rings. Creek bottom stuff. I had to drag them down the narrow roads in reverse with the skidsteer. I could only fit 4 of them on the trailer, and it was a heavy load easing home. About to head back to get the skidsteer. It was a great day! 


 

 

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

Southside

Deese - the State of Alabama called - they want their forest back.  :D
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Deese

The skidsteer is changing everything. Went and got this fella last night. Just unloaded it. Meeting customer to pick up an order in 30 minutes. I know of a sweet little boy that will be super excited about daddy's new skidsteer. Picking him up within an hour. No work and all play for the next few days. I need it as bad as he does. Have a great weekend everyone!

 
2004 LT40 Super 51hp w/6' bed extension
Cooks AE4P Edger
Cat Claw sharpener/Dual Tooth Setter
Kubota svl75-2 skidsteer w/grapple, forks, brushcutter
1977 Log Hog Knuckleboom loader/truck

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