Whatcha Sawin' 2021 ??

[caveman]

It's kind of like petting a rattle snake.  I have learned to keep shuffling the blade until the center makes a circle and then it will flop out like it should without requiring you to get a transfusion.  Throwing them into the air and listening to them go boing boing helps you realize how much energy and potential for damage is stored in a coiled band.

[Peter Drouin]

I never have trouble with my 55 I open and close with my hands. But I have been doing this for a long time.

[terrifictimbersllc]

Ditto and Ditto. 

Heavy gloves and slowly control whatever is happening.    No "boing" when you're holding it.   
Final opening up is with both hands and the bulk of the band well away from yourself. 

[cutterboy]

Last Monday my brother drove up from Pa. with a trailer loaded with short walnut logs. Very short...about three feet long. He is a woodworker with a nice shop and got these logs for free. Other than being short, the logs were very nice.


 

 

 

 

 
My brother was really happy with the way the lumber came out and he now has a good supply of walnut for small projects.

Happy sawing.....Cutter

[York Woodwright]

Spent my birthday milling Eastern White Pine - a most enjoyable day. There are few sawmills in the Greater Toronto Area and I don't advertise my mill, but due to the unjustifiable lumber prices and word of mouth, I am busier than ever. The cant's edges are weathered as the logs sat for several years thanks to cancer. The mill is in a 40 foot hi cube shipping container. It is not optimum but it works reasonably well. When I get through my backlog of lumber orders, I'll install the stationary legs and remove the axle — the extra space will be appreciated!  Thanks for looking. Charles

 

[TimW]

Happy Birthday York WW!
        hugs,  Brandi

[Go-fer-wood]

I was considering purchasing a roller/block high-performance blade guide kit for my LT 40 with a 36 hp engine. I was wondering if anyone had some advice as whether you actually gain any performance from the upgrade, or is it something to waste money on?

[burdman_22]

Yay! Had my first customer today (first person paying me to mill for them). Milled 11 of these slabs, 2.5 inches thick. Customer even tipped me! Log was thankfully pretty short....still went through a lot of chain though!



 



 

 

[Crossroads]

As my week long road trip comes to an end, I have already picked up enough jobs to come back in September. The last 3 days were a lot of work, but enjoyable as I was milling for my cousins who planted these trees when they were in high school. We made lots of 2x6 Doug fir. 

[Magicman]

I was considering purchasing a roller/block high-performance blade guide kit for my LT 40 with a 36 hp engine. I was wondering if anyone had some advice as whether you actually gain any performance from the upgrade, or is it something to waste money on?

From what I have read there is no real advantage and is no better than a properly aligned sawmill with the standard blade guides.
The "high-performance" kit will reduce the width of your throat opening.

[Go-fer-wood]

Thanks MM great advice, I've had issues with wavy cuts in knotty yellow pine and uneven cuts @ the end of the log. I went through the sawmill routine alignment procedures per the manual this week and have also sharpened several blades from 10 degree to 7 and 4 degree but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. So I was sitting around on this wet weekend  studying about ways to increase blade performance. Thanks again.

[Magicman]

I do not know of anything worse than serious SYP knots.  Well there is seasoned/dried Hickory & Black Locust but you ain't supposed to saw that anyway.  I only use Turbo 7° blades.

[Southside]

Have you checked your drive belt tension? A slipping belt will sometimes not reveal itself until the band finds a hard spot, then the RPM'S drop and the band wanders in the cut. 

[TimW]

Today, my Grand daughter was playing on my sawdust pile.  It really shows how much I have been sawing lately, until this rain soaked last half of May hit.

 

 
hugs,  Brandi

[Go-fer-wood]

No I haven't checked drive belt tension but I will now. Thanks

[WDH]

Brandi, sawdust piles are magnets. 

[doc henderson]

Brandi, nice sawmill model.  looks like fun.  

[TimW]

Brandi, sawdust piles are magnets.

Did you mean to say sawdust piles are kid magnets?  Yes, they are.
hugs,  Brandi

[TimW]

Brandi, nice sawmill model.  looks like fun.  

Yep, she is a camera ham like her Momma.  The day before we had to hose her off after her flip flop got stuck in a mudhole.
  hugs,  Brandi

[terrifictimbersllc]

Does she walk on water too? I'd sink in to that sawdust I think.

[Magicman]

106 mile road trip sawing ~64 X 18' Longleaf Pine logs. 






And might fine logs they are with most being 16"+ top end.


 
A skidsteer e/w a grapple to move the logs to the sawmill.


 
Two college kids are the tailgunners shown here knocking some loose bark from the logs.

This will be sawn for the customer's new home.  Today's cut list was for 2X6's and 2X8's and after traveling and setting up I still managed 2500bf.  We will hold back the larger logs to be sawn into 1X4's & 12's for the B&B siding.  I will saw 1X7's for flooring, ceiling, and wall paneling.

I will saw this week and then due to some personal non-sawing commitments I will have to skip the next week and then resume sawing the following week.

Thankfully these logs have "seasoned" for a couple of months and are not as sticky/sappy but I am still having to lean on the LubeMizer.  I used 5 gallons of lube today which is very unusual.   

[TimW]

Does she walk on water too? I'd sink in to that sawdust I think.

That pile has been tamped down by 16 straight days of rain.  It would hold you up.  My feet sink about 3 inches into it.
hugs,  Brandi

[TimW]

106 mile road trip sawing ~64 X 18' Longleaf Pine logs.  






And might fine logs they are with most being 16"+ top end.


 
A skidsteer e/w a grapple to move the logs to the sawmill.


 
Two college kids are the tailgunners shown here knocking some loose bark from the logs.

This will be sawn for the customer's new home.  Today's cut list was for 2X6's and 2X8's and after traveling and setting up I still managed 2500bf.  We will hold back the larger logs to be sawn into 1X4's & 12's for the B&B siding.  I will saw 1X7's for flooring, ceiling, and wall paneling.

I will saw this week and then due to some personal non-sawing commitments I will have to skip the next week and then resume sawing the following week.

Thankfully these logs have "seasoned" for a couple of months and are not as sticky/sappy but I am still having to lean on the LubeMizer.  I used 5 gallons of lube today which is very unusual.  

Lynn,
      Is a LubeMizer a worthwhile addition?  I deleted it on my order and have no idea if one could help or not.
 hugs,  Brandi

[Crossroads]

That looks like a good job MM! I had 5 days scheduled this week starting tomorrow and when I called the first customer (2days) he said he wasn't ready and he wished I had given him a little more notice. I reminded him that we scheduled these 2 specific days 3 weeks ago 🙈. I called the people on my list who wanted to be considered for cancellations and they were all busy, so I guess I'll move some more dirt on my place tomorrow for the sawmill pad 👍🏻

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

   Sounds like somebody is slacking and I can't see why you don't just knock that order out by Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning and go back home. :D I still envy straight clear logs like that especially when it is cut into framing.

   I just returned last night from the land of the sweetgums, kudzu and SYP - passed through Virginia, NC, SC, Ga, Ala and into the panhandle of Fla about 40 miles north of Pensacola. I think my wife smuggled back several chiggers. We went down for an old HS buddy's wedding which was last Saturday. He was 68 and never been married. My wife did the wedding photos. Nearly everyone we met was super nice and lots of fun to be around and great to see so many old friends. My wife did leave her camera flash somewhere on our rounds. Hopefully it will turn up. Went to see some old HS buddies and we planned next years 51 year class reunion since we missed the 50 year one due to covid.

    We left yesterday and about 30 miles away she remembered she had left her cell phone so after waking the Hindu hotel owner and getting him to check and verify we had not left it in the hotel room we drove back to my mom's house and found it on her couch where we had been the night before. Cost us an hour and 50+ extra miles and we had to rush on to Charlotte (Actually Gastonia) to get there just as the Bernina sewing machine repair lady was scheduled to leave at 4:00 pm. Stopped at Sonny's BBQ in Mooresville then got home to WV about 9:30. We'd spent Wednesday night in Charlotte dropping off the 2 sewing machines and visited our daughter, SIL and grandkids. Our little 26 month old gd looks like a Shirley Temple model with such curly brown hair and a super sweet personality. We had a blast with them. 

   Now I need to start working on a composting toilet and catch up on some other backlog calls that came in while I was on the road.