And the learning begins...

[OlJarhead]

Once we were up and moving Saturday morning we got busy assembling the Mill.  It was 0, yes ZERO, overnight and pushing 10 when we started at 9am but we were too excited to care

It took us all day to get the mill set up -- newbies and all I guess -- despite two neighbors coming out and helping a little.  Of course with the cold we were moving a little slow and kneeling in the snow and ice kinda makes you need to warm up now and again, but we managed to get the mill assembled anyway and ready for milling the next day.

And then we began....learning.

First log went on around 9am and at about 9:00:01 the water froze in the water lube system.  Woodmizer says to use only water even when it's freezing...ya?  How about when it's 10 degrees in the sun?  One neighbor suggested a little windshield washer fluid, another antifreeze.....we gave it a try and hope it won't stain the lumber...but hey, it stopped freezing after the 3rd mix!


We found the log clamps have to be just right or they will lift the log off the deck a little.  So not to tight, and not to loose (or they come off)....still figuring that one out a little but it didn't hold us back at all!


Once we got going we got going!  It was easy, accurate, fun and productive....I'm hooked!  And so is my son who did 99% of the cutting.  Not sure how that worked out but he seemed to like it.


The 5th log was going to be a 4x4 just because it was small but then we milled it into 1x4's instead ;)  It was just too easy to do!  Notice my son wearing a hoody again...shade = 10-20 degrees....sun = 20-30 degrees....30 seems warm when you start in 10 degree weather!


Haven't done the math on how much we milled exactly, but we milled for roughly 5 hours and most logs were well below the limit of the mill (8-14 inches on average).  We also had a tough time rolling them in the snow -- they were frozen to the ground -- and have plans to fix that for the next trip.

All in all, we couldn't be happier though


So now the cabin sits for another week or two and the mill waits for us patiently...and we realize we forgot to do a few things in our rush to get home after a 3 day weekend of working!  Like, should we have taken the blade off?  Loosened it's tension?  Lubed it?  We read the book a couple times and realized we needed to read it some more -- so we will.

But most of all, bravo to WoodMizer!  This mill is awesome and we love it....and plan on milling a bunch of lumber with it.

Cheers
Erik

[clww]

I like all the pictures!

[isawlogs]

  8) 8)  Great , ya got er done .

Yes you should release some the blade some I never take my blade off , release tension is all I do.
For your logs sticking to the ground, put them up on skids ( I use four inch tree tops ) and it will be much easier to roll them to the mill.

   I would sugest putting the mill higher off the ground, 24 inches comes to mind. Would be much easier to work the log and the boards as you are sawing, guess you will find a height that is good for you  ;)

  I use windshield washer when sawing in the winter, it has all you need in it , light detergent to keep the blade clean and it wont freeze and it is fairly cheap, you dont need to run it all the time , but a drip and if there is a build up in the making, open it a little more and should clean up well.
 
   Nice whack of lumber you have there ...  What is the plan if any for it ???

[jdtuttle]

Great job, welcome to the sawdust addiction. That mill will be lonley sitting for a week or two. Congratulations.
Jim

[Tom]

Be ever thankful that your son is interested in the milling.  Take every opportunity to introduce him to the knowledge on the forum and the books that have been suggested for research in the past.   Knowledge of sawing is a wonderful thing.  It helps to keep one in spending money by decreasing what he has to spend.  It pads the pocket with weekend work and sales when you need a little "mad" money and it puts food on the table if you lose the day job.  It is also quality time that one can spend with his father that he will cherish when his father is gone.  You are a lucky man.

[Magicman]

I enjoyed your pictures and reading about your experience.  I will echo the Father/Son statement.

I always remove my blade at the end of the day.  The blade will rust slightly, plus I always like to start the day with clean B57's.  A gallon of -34° windshield washer fluid per 5 gallons of water will prevent freezing.  10 oz of Cascade automatic dish liquid will clean and lube the blade, and it doesn't make bubbles.

I look forward to following your learning curve.   

[Hilltop366]

Great stuff!

You must be getting more lumber out of those small logs now.

Nice post with nice pictures, thanks.

[ErikC]

 Looking good. Nice to meet another Erik spelled the right way (with a "k").

[CampD]

I'll be watching with much interest.
This mill is on my radar.

[thecfarm]

Happy now ain't ya?   ;D

[OlJarhead]

Very Happy

We plan to use the 5/8x9 1/2 boards to make T&G Pine for the interior of the cabin.  The rest will get used in various other 'farm/homestead' buildings

The issue with the logs is that we fell the trees to get more sun to the solar panels and then bucked them into 8 foot sections (a little longer for errors) and left them sitting where they were for a while.  Then dragged them into a 'milling' landing with my Jeep for milling with the CSM...the weather never got warmer and they froze to the ground.

Eventually we got the mill and got started

The next plan is to drag the next two trees worth of logs up to the landing and stage them on boards (I like the idea of using flitches for this of which I have plenty from CSM days). 

I also plan to level the mill.  The books says it doesn't have to be level as long as the rails remain straight and true but I found you can have one rail 'dip' away from the level plane and still be straight.  Seems to mill fine like that but I'd rather raise the mill bed a bit and level it out.

My biggest challenge will be moving the mill and making enough stickers!!!  We cut up a bunch of OSB scraps to sticker the first bunch of lumber we milled with the CSM and the Woodmizer but I'm thinking we'll have to mill a ton of pine stickers and let them dry for future use.  I don't want to add stain to the unstained stuff since we plan to use it for paneling. 

The old deadfalls that have lots of Blue Stain we intend to use for cabinets and flooring   I think that will make a nice looking cabin in the end

Cheers
Erik

[tyb525]

Don't you love how much faster it is to cut that amount of lumber ;)

Oh and a tip, it's a good idea to put the log stops as close to the ends of what you're cutting as possible ;) it helps support it better.

[Buck]

Sure is a nice place there Erik. Congrats on the progress and quality time with your son.

[Chuck White]

Looks and sounds like you guys are just having a blast!

Nice pile of lumber you have there.

[Peter Drouin]

nice job ,there are all kinds of ways to cut wood .try them all a little to see what works for you. but most important is you are having fun, its work but have fun. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) ;)

[fishpharmer]

Erik, great pictures.  Congrats on the new mill.  Man I wish my dad bought a mill when I was a teenager.  Lucky kid.  Great dad.  Like Tom says, get that boy to join the forum.   8) 8) 8)

[Busy Beaver Lumber]

OlJarhead

So do you think that Ty and I advised you in the right direction to get the LT-10.

It has been a great little mill for me and I really don't see myself wanting anything bigger. It keeps me supplied with all the lumber I could ever need, plus keeps my customers happy with a large assortment of wood turning blanks and bowl blanks. I make and sell segmented wood bowl turning blanks, and with the exception of the purpleheart wood that I buy for them as accent colors, all the rest of the wood I use to make them come off my woodmizer. To date, I have sold over 204 of them at an average cost of $22 each.

Here is a picture of one such blank




A lot of guys raise an eyebrow at the small mills like these because they take a bit of muscle to run and don't have all th fancy hydraulics, but that pile of lumber in the picture shows that even a greenhorn can make quite a pile of nice lumber at the end of the day and not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to do it. Well done Erik.

Fred

[MotorSeven]

I too went from a CSM to a Woodmizer(LT15)......what a difference eh? When the weather warms up you will get a lot more milling done. Winter seems to have faded quick here & I have been out milling almost every day. Nice rig you have there!

RD

[bushhog920]

be careful I started like that a year ago with a $2000 norwood, now I have over $20,000 in a bobcat, cooks sharpener, 24 x 36 and 40 x 100 pole barn.

[paul case]

looking great there.
good looking lumber from a good looking mill. the snow makes that orange wm really standout. its good that your son is taking to the new toytool. pc

[terrifictimbersllc]

Nice to see you having fun and with your son too.  Remember your first day!

[WDH]

Now you are off and running!  The sawmilling is great.  It is all the stacking and moving and stacking and moving that is a pain  ;D.

[Brucer]

One neighbor suggested a little windshield washer fluid, another antifreeze

Windshield washer fluid is good. I use it a good portion of the year, diluted as needed. I used to add soap, but found it didn't make much difference for the species I was sawing.

Antifreeze is bad. It's fatal to animals, even in small quantities, but it tastes sweet to them and they'll drink it right up. The amount you spray onto a log isn't a big deal, but sooner or later you'll forget to turn of the valve and a puddle will accumulate.

We found the log clamps have to be just right or they will lift the log off the deck a little.  So not to tight, and not to loose (or they come off)

Same thing on my hydraulic mill. You've already figured out what you need to do.

Watch out for frozen cants when you're clamping. They can slip out easier.

All in all, we couldn't be happier though

;D

... We read the book a couple times and realized we needed to read it some more -- so we will.

Lots of stuff doesn't register until you've actually used the machine. Then it all suddenly makes sense.

[carykong]

Hey Jarhead,thanks for sharing. Your experience reminds me of my first days with my mill.  By the way,when you level your bed,I like to have a little downward slope,less than 5 degrees,meaning I twick the rail upward so the cutting head is going downhill as it cuts into your log.  Kinda like cheap power feed with some gravity helping you push the blade thru the log.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks all.

Josh actually seemed to enjoy the milling and didn't seem to see it as work   He's 20 and unemployed and having a difficult time finding a career so I'm hopeful this might be of interest.

However, the beauty of it is I need a ton of wood for the homestead :D

Anyway, we love the mill (thanks all who suggested it!) and the possibilities are only now starting to dawn on me!

[kderby]

Oh boy, I am glad I am not twenty and choosing my path.  That was thirty years ago for me and the 'kids" can have it.  I did not get myself "operational" until my mid twenties.  I never caused any harm.  Usually I was working.  I just spent a lot of time spinning my wheels.  It's called life, now go live it!  Heres to ya Josh. 

[tyb525]

He's a year ahead of me but a couple years behind experience wise, I'm sure he'll catch up plenty fast, I know I would ;D

[customsawyer]

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up either. Not even sure I want to grow up.

[Magicman]

Not even sure I want to grow up. 

In 20 more years you'll KNOW that you don't want to grow up.   ;D

[Slabs]

Congratulations Erik.  That pile of stickered lumber is something to tip one to.

I did that for you.

[OlJarhead]

Thanks all

Josh (my step son) seems mostly interested in doing more with the mill but I doubt he'll come on the forum.  He's an introvert who generally doesn't chat much.  However, my son (Kurtis) called me last night (he lives with his mom in BC) and asked about the mill.  Seems he is interested in coming down for a month or two and giving it a go   He enjoys woodworking and is looking for ways to earn college money and seemed generally excited about the idea of dragging the mill to remote places to mill lumber for others ;)

Maybe I'll get them both hooked!  After all, the two of them together are pretty amazing.  Kurt is 18 and an extrovert who loves to work, Josh (20) is an introvert who doesn't mind working but enjoys hanging out with his brother (step) no matter what they are doing and the two young bucks are strong as oxes!

Erik

[paul case]

good deal erik
2 boys who are interested in wood working/sawing and strong backs too! what are you going to do while they are milling up all your lumber? pc