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Reminiscing about an old circle mill sawyer

Started by Jeff, April 21, 2015, 03:31:08 PM

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Jeff

I was sitting here reading, and started remembering back about three decades ago.

 I had an old friend named Albert Heinzleman that lived around 5 miles from here. Al is long dead and gone now. His mill was made from several old scavenged mills, a manure spreader and other odds and ends and was powered by the cut off front end of an Olds Toronado. He used the cruise control to set the rpm and it worked like a governor. He had some old rusted out or wrecked Toronados he had acquired in the edge of the woods that either had been old power sources or were going to be future power sources.
 
 He'd come around every once and a while to the big mill and pick through our old worn out saw teeth we had in a big steel mixing bowl saved for scrap and find some that were suitable for him. He'd spend the time that we didn't have to make them good enough to saw lumber again. He could saw twenty footers on his mill where in our big mill, we were only set up to saw a maximum of 16ft. This was before the amish mills really arrived in our area in mass, so he had a pretty good sideline for those longer boards for fixing up and building barns and such. 

I learned a lot from that old fellow. He had found away to put junk together and make really decent lumber. It was from him I learned that making a circle mill run wasn't rocket science like I thought early on as a young know it all. It was all figured out years ago by guys like Al and the guys he learned from.  :)
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Hilltop366

You did well to pay attention to the old guy, there are lots of examples on here that shows you learned well!

47sawdust

Jeff,
That is a great story.Here in Vermont I've had the pleasure of knowing a couple mechanical geniuses.They always seemed to have a picking pile somewhere on the property,never seemed to get to town much.Hopefully there are some up and coming.
I can think of a few right on this forum that fit the bill.
Mick
1997 WM Lt30 1999 WM twin blade edger Kubota L3750 Tajfun winchGood Health Work is my hobby.

Nomad

     Great story Jeff.  It's a shame more younger folk aren't picking up on things like that today.
Buying a hammer doesn't make you a carpenter
WoodMizer LT50HDD51-WR
Lucas DSM23-19

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Al probably forgot more than we'll ever learn. ( old saying ).
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

boscojmb

Jeff,
Your story reminds me of several old timers I have known.
Thank you for sharing,
John B
John B.

Log-Master LM4

rooster 58

I'm fortunate to have a mentor like that. Bill is a great source of information and knowledge ;)

brb

Great story, it makes me appreciate the people I have met like this. They tend to teach you a lot before you even know you are learning. I love seeing the engineering that has come from them and what can be possible.  Brian

longtime lurker

I think this has been linked to before, but it's relevant and well... inspiring... in its own way.

Link

The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

justallan1

Thanks for the story, Jeff.
It makes me think of my stepfather and my foster parents son-in-law, Larry. While neither of them were genius' in the words they picked to use, they were both masters of any project that they tackled.
My stepfather got me interested in building and fixing things and planted the idea in my head that if it was built once, it can be built again. He also taught me the art of re-purposing things. To this day I can start needing something to fix something else and know exactly where in the scrap iron pile I can tear a part off of one thing to fix something else. This far away from anything, that's worth gold.
Larry was a millwright most of his life and we've worked together a bit and to see what the man can build could build was amazing. He taught me to always look at the finished product and think back, every step.
Both of these guys are definitely my idols and have certainly taught me things you won't learn in any school.

sealark37

To my young mind, a sawmill was a place to drop logs, then later pick up the lumber.  My eyes were opened when I left the logs, and two months later, they were still on the ground.  I knocked on the door and inquired as to why my lumber was not ready.  The elderly sawyer explained that he was unable to work a full day, and he could not get help for half a day during the week.  I told him that I needed my lumber, so I would help him to mill it at his convenience.  He suggested doing it right now.  We sawed my logs in less than a hour, then worked for two more hours on his log pile.  Jack called a halt at noon, and said he was worked out for the day.  I was standing there with every stitch, including my socks, soaking wet from sweat.  As I loaded my order by hand, I inquired how much I owed for the lumber.  The sawyer asked me when I could come back.  As I was working the third shift, I told him "any day he wanted".  He said "tomorrow".
This half day of labor as a sawmill hand set me on a path of months of morning work with him.  We not only cleaned up his log pile, trucks started dropping logs at a frightening rate.  Jack gradually showed me how a sawyer approached a log, and how to maintain a circle mill.  He even offered to let me saw a few logs. "If you will go slow for me to off-bear".   Over the months, the logs dried up and Jack said he needed a break, "to rest up".  He is resting now for thirty-eight years, but I can still hear that old 3-53 wind up and the saw bite it's first log in the morning. 
Saw dust entered nearly every crevice of my being, and is still there.  Jack never charged me for my lumber, or offered to pay me for my labor.  I guess he noticed that I was having more fun than work.    Regards, Clark

kelLOGg

We bought our first house from a local sawyer in 1973 and kept up with him and his family until he died. Once for a rather large job he set up his mill at the site which was near my house so I paid him a visit. The mill and crew were in full production when I arrived but the first thing I noticed was a sense of utter peace and calm on his face as he was operating the mill. I don't know what I saw that conveyed that impression but I did see a person who was doing exactly what he loved to do and it radiated to all those about him. Those who have found their passion and pursue it are blessed and it also inspires those who witness it.
Bob
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

WH_Conley

An old fellow up the creek that is on his last legs now spent a lifetime "making do". I don't know as he ever bought teeth for his mill or a saw chain. A production mill where he sold cants saved teeth for him and a couple of local loggers would give him their wore out chains. Need another engine for the mill, cut off another truck.

Bill

Ocklawahaboy

Makes me miss the old sawyer that gave me the bug and taught me a whole lot of other things in life.  Almost 2 dozen combat landings in the pacific theater, a career fighting fires for the USFS, raised 13 kids and successfully farmed sugar cane and ran a sawmill.
A dying breed for sure.

Alligator

I had the good fortune of growing up in a dirt floor - production sawmill. There were a number of mentors of different types that came thru over the 30 years. The earliest memories I have of being shown "sawmill stuff" was old Mr Sollie Enfinger explaining to me about scaling logs and how he used the scale stick to tell how much lumber was in the logs. I probably was 6 or 7. Around that same period of time we had a planer man everybody called "Buckshot". I have no idea why, or what his real name was. Daddy had given him a little place in the planer building to setup a homemade table saw. He made cypress boat paddles and flat bottom boats from cypress. He always had about 6 or 8 paddles of varying lengths and 2 or 3 boats in various stages of completion. People were always coming for the paddles. Occasionally he would sell a boat. Cypress boats are funny, if you are going fishing tomorrow, you should  wet them a couple of times the day before or you will spend your day bailing water instead of fishing. I was impressed watching that little man make boats with nothing but a table saw. About 20" saw. My father was a mechanical wizard. I learned so much about machinery from him I can't even point to a single thing that I learned. When I got old enough to actually work at the mill I spent a good bit of time around the planer and the next planer man, "Mr Parrish". He would tolerate me asking questions, while he changed knives and eventually let me crank the bottom head out. After the knives were set he would start it up and run a piece. Then he showed me how to tell how good the knives were set, by taking some soot and smearing on the face of the board. If the knife marks were not exactly the same he would joint the knives and run another piece,and soot again, until they were perfect. My job in the process was to fetch another board. We lost him before I was actually on the payroll, but what I learned was valuable later on. I still cant resist sooting a piece of lumber to see how good the planer man was that was running the machine.

Over my life, in two careers I have be around some wizards, and some not so wizards, but I have learned that almost all have some wisdom to offer if you are willing to take it. The wizards you have to get their wisdom in a short amount of time, because everyone wants their time. The "not so" people it takes longer but its there if you look for it. Sorry for the ramble. I could go on a couple of pages about Mr Blackman, the blind saw filer, or Mr Benifield the welder, or Griswald the drunk sawyer, or Uriek the Sash Gang Technician from Germany. 30 years around a sawmill is a long time. A lot of interesting people pass thru.
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

thechknhwk

You should start a thread, sounds like some good story time. ;D

postville

My old mentor was Ted Sawle from Ridgeway WI. Some tips he gave me-
"Don't get dollar signs in front of your eyes." Interpretation- the lumber market has a cycle, don't think the high side lasts forever.
" Check your mill." That was his reply whenever I had saw trouble. More times it is the track alignment and carriage travel that causes heat than the saw. He did hammer my blade one time, just took it off the arbor , laid it on a headlock, and went at it.
LT40 25hp Kohler, Gehl 6635, Valby grapple, Ford 4600, Farmi winch, Stihl saws

Alligator

Quote from: thechknhwk on April 25, 2015, 09:05:35 PM
You should start a thread, sounds like some good story time. ;D

I started one, but I usually don't get started writing until someone else's post gets me thinking back. I am a full time IT project manager, with a lot on my plate. So, I tend to just babble when something strikes a nerve. Computers make you a little crazy after a while. Worse than sawmills.
Link
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

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