Orange streak story.

Jim_Rogers · October 28, 2020, 01:15:42 PM

Some of you may know this but I haven't officially said so on the forum, but I'm retiring (somewhat).
I have sold the sawmill yard in MA and I have sold my house in southern NH. And we are having a new house built in NC.
My wife has three grown children with husbands and wives and 5 grandchildren all living in NC within 15 miles of each other. And our new house will be right in the middle of all of them.
So, if you were on RT 495 in MA or RT 290, 90, RT 84 in CT RT 91 or 95, Rt795 in NC, Rt 70, 258, 24, 17 or 210 this past Sunday, you saw an orange streak pass by you.
That was me and my Woodmizer sawmill.
I hauled the sawmill some 900 miles south. And when I get set up down there I will be only doing on site jobs, following in the footsteps of Magic Man, in that the customer will have to provide a helper to carry away the lumber and slabs.
Many years ago, I purchased a 6' bed extension to use to make long timbers and lumber. I needed to take that with me, as well. I could have taken all four legs off the extension and slid it into my pickup truck but that would mean very little room for anything else to go.
So, I decided I'd place it on the sawmill itself, after taking off the legs. Well, I managed to set it on the mill with the legs still on using my bobcat forklift.
shown here:

And after blocking it up with a 1 1/2" thick piece of oak, I strapped it all down so it would not wiggle around and the legs won't rub the ground coming in and out of gas stations.
Here are some of the photos of the straps:

Except for the fact that it was raining from Baltimore, MD south the ride went ok. The mill bed extension is still on the mill bed as the bobcat is in MA with me to use to clean up the sawmill yard of all old logs and lumber. Once that is done then the bobcat and I will be traveling south again.
Jim Rogers
PS, I made a stop in CT on the way north yesterday.

Southside · October 28, 2020, 01:44:34 PM

Congratulations Jim. What part of NC?

Sedgehammer · October 28, 2020, 01:53:20 PM

Yes, same here. Congrats! Enjoy this time.

Jim_Rogers · October 28, 2020, 01:54:27 PM

Quote from: Southside on October 28, 2020, 01:44:34 PM
Congratulations Jim. What part of NC?

Near Jacksonville, a little spot known as Sneads Ferry.
Jim Rogers

Magicman · October 28, 2020, 02:41:25 PM

Congratulations Jim!! 8)

I was wondering about that 900 mile trip with the sawmill and also visiting Logrite?? ??? Also congratulations on the new business profile. It sometimes has challenges but none that can not be overcome, plus you just saws um and leaves um. ;D

I am having to decline jobs because I can not get to them within the customer's time frame. I had to say no to what would have been a very nice Cypress job last night. That one hurt because it was only 15 miles from the Cabin, plus being Cypress.

51cub · October 28, 2020, 03:04:35 PM

Congratulations Jim! Enjoy it!

Southside · October 28, 2020, 03:05:40 PM

That sure puts you a lot closer to Jakes place come spring!! You pass by about 30 minutes east of my place when you are at the 295/95 or 85/95 convergence south of Richmond if you need anything during your travels.

Tom the Sawyer · October 28, 2020, 03:35:20 PM

Congratulations Jim. Slowing down is nice, you'll be able to set the pace that works for you and your family. Being near family will be a benefit, and moving 900 miles south should mean much nicer winters.

Jim_Rogers · October 28, 2020, 04:51:43 PM

Quote from: Tom the Sawyer on October 28, 2020, 03:35:20 PM
and moving 900 miles south should mean much nicer winters.

In NH my wife drove a school bus. She parked it in our driveway. If it snowed at night, I'd have to go out in the morning and use a roof rake and take all the snow off the roof of the school bus. She would get a ticket if any snow fell on a car following her. Not the bus company.
I won't miss doing that at all.
Jim Rogers

Don P · October 28, 2020, 06:00:47 PM

I haven't been through there in years but mighty close to some good fishing. Dad was stationed in MA and got stuck there doing work after he got out, same opinion of winter. We packed up, headed back to NC and never looked back :D.

Sedgehammer · October 28, 2020, 07:00:53 PM

Hate winter. Should've mover further south, but here is far better then in WI. Can't even remotely blame you for moving.

WV Sawmiller · October 28, 2020, 07:07:37 PM

Jim,

Congratulations on leaving a grit deprived area for one of greater sustenance. My last tour was there at CLNC and we left July 1990. We still have several dear friends down there. One lady and her beau do the groundskeeping at CLNC and they were thrilled when they saw my mill and were wondering if there were any around them. He has retired but she is still working there. I will give them your contact info. Send me your contact info by PM when you get set up and I will pass it along to them.

Brad_bb · October 28, 2020, 08:01:57 PM

Wait... Jim was streaking?!... Oh, not that kind.... :D :D :D

Glad you made it. 900 miles with the mill is a long one. Did you have a spare for the mill with you? My 5th trip with my mill and I got a flat with no spare (I lived dangerously, but who'd have thought with so few miles I'd get a flat?). Found a great tow company late on a Sunday night in rural Indiana who fixed me up with spare rim and tire.

I hope you and locals will be able to understand each other through the strong MASS accent and the NC accents?! You know they are all going to ask where you are from..

Sounds like a great move. I hope when you build that you will get some timbers in that house?
Wishing you all the best.
Brad

samandothers · October 28, 2020, 10:34:06 PM

Glad you had safe travels!

You will be almost surrounded by Marines! We use to go to Top Sail Island quite often as our summer vacation. It is just a bit south of there. Away from the frozen stuff but now you can watch hurricanes more closely.

stanmillnc · October 29, 2020, 07:40:28 AM

I moved from MA to NC 16 years ago. Didn't mind winter in MA until I experienced the sunny south. Now that I know better, I would never move back up North. You'll love the winter here, it's pretty much just like a long New England fall season and you can work comfortably outside year round. As a New Englander, it takes some time to adjust to the South as there are many differences, but in my opinion it's all positive - congrats and enjoy!

thecfarm · October 29, 2020, 08:10:30 AM

Wish you luck Jim. Family is important!! I guess you won't be coming to the woods expo in Bangor in May? ;D

Patrick NC · October 29, 2020, 08:19:15 AM

Welcome to NC. I moved here from the north country of upstate New York in 1998. I'm in western NC, but I've worked around Jacksonville a good bit. I've got some cousins that live over that way. Enjoy your "retirement ".
FYI- we don't get much snow, but it's raining and the wind is blowing about 40mph right now. But it's 70 degrees

Bruno of NH · October 29, 2020, 08:32:32 AM

Jim
We will miss you in the area and your visits to my mill yard.
I know you won't miss the snow.
I'm happy for you.

Ed_K · October 29, 2020, 08:48:14 AM

Way to go Jim 8). Just remember there is no such thing as retirement :D.

scsmith42 · October 29, 2020, 09:52:45 AM

Jim, welcome to NC! Snead's Ferry is about 2.5 hours from me, so hopefully you won't be a stranger.

Are you planning to build a timberframe or go with a conventional house?

Scott

Wudman · October 29, 2020, 11:34:27 AM

Stop by and visit this Snead's Ferry wisteria vine. My wife and I get down there pretty regularly. She would live there permanently if I would quit the job and move. Keep you some high ground somewhere to the west. Those nor'easters can be a dog.

sprucebunny · October 29, 2020, 04:11:09 PM

Congratulations on making the move !!!

I was trying really hard to buy a house in W. NC in January but then there was this virus.

I gather the real estate market is as competitive there as here. Much as I wish I'd been able to move to somewhere with a milder winter, I have things going on that would have meant lots of driving back and forth so I bought a different house here (which is a competitive market also )

Enjoy the winter and new work plan 8)

tree-farmer · October 30, 2020, 05:46:17 AM

Welcome to NC. In my opinion that's the wrong end of the state but you're getting closer. ;D ( I'm a Western NC native so I may be biased)
Come on up to the mountains when you get settled and have time. However you should at least be able to get a decent bowl of grits and some sweet ice tea ever down there in the flat lands.
I spent (1) winter in the mountains of Western Mass. so I know you will find the weather down here much more agreeable. Water behaves much better down here.