iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

what prompted you to start sawing?

Started by Tim, April 12, 2003, 05:23:06 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

firefighter ontheside

My good friend Andy was a member here.  His name on here was gfadvm. Some of you may remember him.  He had a sawmill and I loved to see what he cut every day.  I went to visit him in OK and brought some logs with me to mill on my visit.  I visited him several more times.  Andy was diagnosed with brain cancer and had many surgeries, therefore he was not able to mill anymore.  Long story short, I inherited his mill and try to carry on his style of milling.  Andy has since passed, but I remember him well.  Every time I use the mill I think of him.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

RAYAR

Always had an interest in rural life and spent lots of time at my uncles'. He had a 100 acre property with 90 acres wooded. Started at an early age helping him cut and load logs onto a woods trailer and haul them out of the woods. I was always quite observant in things that interested me and eventually started to use his powersaw. After I was done with schooling, I pursued logging jobs. I cut pulp, studwood, and logs and also got into operating skidders and a porter.

The cold weather is not something I am fond of so eventually got a job working year round inside. Kept that job for over 30 years 'til I retired in the spring of 2019.

I do not own a wood lot. My buddy bought a 65 acre wood lot about four years ago to build on. Since retirement was getting near, I started looking at bandmills. Inquired about one that seemed along the lines of what I was looking for and found out it was a shop built one, that's why I couldn't figure out what brand it was before inquiring about it. It was a three hour drive away. That was in the fall of 2017. In the summer of 2018, my buddy with the wood lot saw this mill for sale but couldn't afford it at that time and showed me the add. It was the mill I inquired about the fall before and at a fairly reduced price, so I called about it again to go see it, but didn't tell him I had inquired about it the fall before. I think he had other pics of it this time around and I was interested in what I saw. My buddy and I made the three hour trip and I bought it. Got it for almost half the price he originally advertised it for the previous fall. Of course joining and hanging out on the FF didn't help ;) .

It's a manual mill, well built but quite basic. I've since made many upgrades to it to make it easier and more fun to operate and improve its functions. Still have many more plans and improvements for it to come. You can see it here in this thread I have on it:
Ray's Portable Manual Mill Mods & Additions
mobile manual mill (custom build) (mods & additions on-going)
Custom built auto band sharpener (currently under mods)
Husqvarna 50, 61, 254XP (and others)
96 Polaris Sportsman 500
2006 Ranger 4X2 w/cap, manual trans (430,000 Km)

kelLOGg

In the early 80s we pasture-boarded our neighbor's horses. They put up electric fencing and tended it but occasionally the horses would get spooked by storms and get out. At the time was no big deal because we were so sparsely populated then but I still didn't like it. I thought "If I had a sawmill I could up wooden fencing" and minimize escapes. The boarding endeavor didn't last but the idea of sawmill did. I had built a large barn on our property so working with wood was natural for me. I thought about a mill for 8 years, visited sawyers but delayed pulling the trigger because I was still in a job I enjoyed. Finally, in 2002 I bought it - wish I had done so earlier and am still enjoying sawing. 







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

moodnacreek

A long relationship with a neighbor, 20 years my senior, shaped my life. Hunting, fishing, trapping ,camping and sawmill stories. So when I was 33 I ordered a bellsaw that came in bent so they sent another carriage and left me the old one. What a bunch of junk. But I cut and welded and learned, Sawed out trailer planks nights and weekends. In '94 I bought 3 old sawmills and made one good one, poured footings and set up a proper sawmill with building. Started with gas, found an edger, log turner, then diesel, then electric, green chain, slabwood saw,sprial roll case, live log deck, etc. In 1999 I closed my small auto body shop and went full time sawing and not making any $ until about 6 years ago. At 70 I am slowing down. It has been a long road. Have more business than I can handle. My greatest profit is the good friends that have been made along the way.

randy d

I stopped taking my medication and started losing my mind again now I have my pole shed full of lumber and lumber stacked out in my yard and still want to saw some more think I better start taking my meds again. Randy

curved-wood

As a teenager I've worked all my summers as a helper on construction. Since then I was always dreaming of building my own house. After university, we bought a farm with an old house on it and a bit of forest. I logged my trees and transport it to a stationary circular sawmill with my pick-up with no loader...very physical job.  While skidding I flipped with the tractor, got a skull fracture, walked 3/4 mile on a blackout to get to home. Was still alive and on my feet 6 months after with no sequela, thank to my angel. So got the house built. Set up a small woodshop to do the inside finishing and the furniture with wood bought from different mills.
 For 15 years I was a ceramist/potter and I was ready for a carrer change. I've heard of portable mills and I thought it was genius to carry the mill instead of the logs . I spend an afternoon sitting on my truck tailgate watching a young man operating his bandmill.  Before buying a bandmill I wanting to rent his service and cut my own logs just to test. The owner of the mill was always changing the schedule. So I made him a purchase offer depending of the production . Finally the deal was to spend 1/2 day with me and give me a crash course. He had stayed with me 1/2 hour just explaining the few hydraulic fonctions and ran away ! The young man sawmilling was an imposed idea of his father. His father suicide himself so the kid didn't want to see the mill anymore. So I  bought the Enercraft mill and got on the road to do custom sawing.  Several years later I  sold the mill for few hundreds dollars less han I paid for . Got a new LT40 and install it stationary on my farm. The rest is history : loader +  4 face planers + kiln + few sheds+ good tractor + winch + etc. Pass my million board foot and got my watch from WM. Still sawing but now I am getting more involve in building curves with wood structure and still need the mill to do my custom sawing.

Nebraska

I love trees and hated to see them pushed out for irrigated farm ground development growing up.  I like wildlife ...I think sawing now is an outlet for me to try to make something useful from waste mostly.  My logs are salvage.
It also give me an outlet when my career gets old and my when kids occassionally do stupid stuff. The hard work is therapy.

Brian C.

It started when I had a few trees taken down. They were walnut and ash. I found a guy that had a portable mill (WM LT40) and hired him to saw for me.  This was back before 2000. I started looking, but was afraid about laying out that much money and only using it once or twice. I didn't know if there was a market and where do I store the logs? I only have an acre of property at my house. I started to really investigate portable mills. I do some wood working and wanted more wood. Then the Emerald Ash Borer struck. I lost another three or four trees as did a couple of neighbors and again I had logs for lumber. I tried to get a hold of the guy I had before, but he had a stroke and sold his mill. I found another and had them milled.

The bug was set. My friend and I came across an auction and there was a mill for sale. He brought it to my attention. So we went to the auction and bought the mill. An LT 25 gas all manual mill. We made a few upgrades, then with business getting better a year and a half ago upgraded completely by purchasing a LT40 hydraulic. It is something to watch a log open up and the grain patterns found inside.

We then found the forum and what a blessing. What information you guys have put here can't be found in a classroom, and I know, I am a teacher!

DaveinNH

So books can be really dangerous to me. Over 20 years ago I started with the company I am with now and was down in NJ for a couple of weeks. I went to a bookstore and bought a book on timber framing that featured a 12x18 foot building. I really needed some storage, so I bought a 36 inch bar for my 460, a Granberg rig and a few ripping chains. While my intent was to mill everything, I quit after the post and beams and bought the siding to finish it. Fast forward a few years. As some of you know, my wife works as a wood artist but all of her work starts as a turned piece. She had just started turning, and a club she was involved with demonstrated at a fair in MA. Hudson was there just down the hill, and a guy I literally just met and I were looking down the hill at the demonstrations. He said he would love to have that little 18 inch mill, and I said so would I as my wife and I were out growing the under the house 2 car garage shop, and would love to build a barn. He said he had just bought a Lucas mill, but lived on small lot outside of Boston, and could not run it. So I made a joke to this guy I had known for 10 minutes. I said I have 6 acres, If you buy that Hudson mill I will buy a set of extension rails for it. You can bring your Lucas mill to my place (I had no idea what a Lucas mill was) and I will have the slab for the barn I want to build poured to put the Hudson mill on. Completely a joke! He said lets go talk to them. Two hours later we came back, and my wife said "where have you been". I told her we had just bought one of the smaller mills, plus he had another sawmill, and we were going to put them behind the house and start working on a barn for here. She never missed a beat and said Cool. I paid 600 for the extension plus a second box of blades and he bought the mill. So after a couple of years of hauling pine we found on craigslist, and sawing it (we split the wood 50/50) we built my wifes 28x40 two story barn workshop. She does let me use a little of it. Fast forward a few years more, the mills are gone and I am cutting wood for her business with chain saws. We decided we had to get a mill. I did my research showed her a larger Hudson, a Norwood which could have hydraulics added later and finally the LT40HD. She saw the price and I heard the loudest intake of air I have ever heard. Told her I would leave it up to her, and the next day she said she wanted the Woodmizer. Her work has started to take off in sales, as well as paid demos and workshops across the country. Last August we went to Ireland where she was a featured demonstrator.
Wood-Mizer LT40HD26     Polaris 6x6 Big Boss
Ariens 34 Ton Splitter       Stihl 460, 261, 70

Cjross73

In '98 I was setting up a runway in the neighbor's farm field.  Had to take down some edge row pines and the neighbor mentioned a local guy had a portable sawmill.  It was pretty new then, a 96 WM LT40. He killed the pines and it nearly framed my hangar. I caught the bug then watching and off bearing for him but was a broke overworked F15 engine mech so never thought about it much after that.

Fast forward 21 years and my new wife and I  bought some land that had been timbered. They had dropped and left quite a bit of hardwood trees.  I built a CSM and after the first try I really had the bug but knew the CSM wasn't going to cut it. I remembered the guy with the band mill from way back and went to talk with him.  He's in his 90's now and thought he might not use it so much anymore so we made a deal we are both happy with. That was in Sept 19 and I'm learning that I have a LOT to learn but I'm enjoying the process.

The plan is to build a  timber frame house on our land, then all the shops and barns. In between that and working on angio/cardiac cath lab machines maybe I can do a little milling for others. I  have learned (usually the hard way) the Lord's plan will always trump my ideas so I'm just enjoying the ride and thankful for it. There's something addicting about opening a log and seeing what it can become 

Chuck 
LT40, Stihl saw, Old green tractor

longtime lurker

I grew up with a mill either side of my parents business, and  I was always fascinated by the saws... guess nothing has changed at all. :D

As an aside am I the only person here with no interest in woodwork or carpentry or home renovation whatsoever?  I love sawing logs.... no interest at all in what happens once its in board form.
The quickest way to make a million dollars with a sawmill is to start with two million.

Sixacresand

To salvage lumber from beetle killed pines.  Got it done with a lot of sweat and a WM LT10.  As a sawyer, I was greener than most of the logs I milled. 
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

AK Newbie

The Air Force brought me to my dream assignment, Alaska... Joined the local Police Department.  Needed a place to recharge when the reality of how humans treated each other got too tough. Found a remote cabin on a lake with trees.  Always loved making things with wood. Now I had nearly an unlimited supply.  Pulled a LOGOSOL mill out to the property one winter with a snow machine.  Put it together, bolt by bolt in 10 degree weather, relishing every minute, and dreaming of the things I could make and build.  With the help of the many fine people on the Forestry Forum learned the basics of making good lumber.  Started turning that lumber into furniture for the cabin, wood sheds, gazebos etc...  The physical work was rewarding, and the study of the process fulfilling.  Dreamed of one day owning a WM mill.  Retired from the PD and got my WM.  Now continuing the sawmill journey.  Making beautiful lumber for myself and others who love trees.
LT28, Logosol M7, Husky 385XP, Stihl MS 250, Echo

donbj

Quote from: AK Newbie on February 15, 2020, 02:54:32 PMJoined the local Police Department. Needed a place to recharge when the reality of how humans treated each other got too tough

I'm way off topic but thanks for that. I'm Canadian and have great respect for our law enforcement and yours. Tough job!
I may be skinny but I'm a Husky guy

Woodmizer LT40HDG24. John Deere 5300 4WD with Loader/Forks. Husky 262xp. Jonsered 2065, Husky 65, Husky 44, Husky 181XP, Husky 2100CD, Husky 185CD

WLC

I've always been in the woods for one reason or the other.  Been cutting trees down for one reason or another for years.  Mostly firewood or hazard trees.  When we moved to AK I continued having to cut firewood and hazard trees.  It almost pained me to see the beautiful wood and possible lumber in these trees being cut up into firewood.  Fast forward a few years and I finally convinced myself that I "needed" a sawmill.  Now I cut what I can into lumber and the rest to firewood.  I only cut for myself and not for a job. It's hard work, but very therapeutic.  I'll use some of my lumber in our new house for various projects and more of it to build my shop at the new place.  I hope to, at some point, start making some furniture and other things to sell on a part time basis.
Woodmizer LT28
Branson 4wd tractor
Stihl chainsaws
Elbow grease.

mtoo747

When i retired from almost 40 yrs in the machining field i started spending more of my time in my berry patches and vegetable garden. I found that the spot i had been using for vegetables was much too wet too late in the spring so i moved it to higher ground in 2018 and decided to put up a small garden shed (8x12) using rough cut lumber. So i went to the local circle mill and bought lumber for the shed. Now i had bought lumber there a number of times for different projects but for some reason this time was different! I became fascinated with sawmills and started watching all the videos about milling that i could find. I especially liked the ones on the bandmills and was thrilled with some of the beautiful grain being exposed for the first time  when the log was opened up! Dang! I had to have one!  I couldn't really justify buying one as i have very few trees on the property and went back and forth with it for a few months. Finally in Sept. of 2018 i was talking to my brother (who happens to have a tree service) and told him how i felt. He asked me if i could afford it and i said i could... and he said "buy the(admin edit) thing". So the next day i ordered my Woodland Mills hm126 with trailer and extension! Been loving it since i got it..just wish i had done it sooner.
mike

Poquo

About 6 years ago a friend from work hired a sawyer with a woodmizer LT40 to cut his logs to build a barn with . I worked as an off bearer for a few weekends , that's when I got bit by the saw dust bug . A few years later I found the Forestry Forum , spent some time sawing with Southside then in August 2019 bought a used LT40 , life is good !!
2015 Woodmizer LT40HD26

ManjiSann

I wanted some firewood and didn't want to pay $50 for half a pickup load so I bought an axe and brought home 4 pick up loads of free wood, mostly willow. Turns out willow is terrible to split so after a day of that I asked my wife for permission to buy a chainsaw. Had so much fun with the chainsaw that I wanted to try felling a tree. Neighbor had a willow he needed gone so I helped remove it. All the while I was reading how to do this stuff on this forum and other places. Kept helping neighbors remove trees and also picked up a nice maple log that was just too nice to turn into firewood. I grew up doing woodworking but never had the money for nice lumber. Figured this was my chance so tried free hand milling the maple with mediocre success. Decided I wanted to see what all the fuss was with pro level chainsaws so pinched my pennies and bought a used Husky 390xp, put some work into it and welded up an Alaskan style jig for it. I keep an eye on the local listings and pick up trees where I can. In the end I do it because I love running a chainsaw and turning a log into useable lumber. It's an education and a heck of a lot of fun!

Brandon
Poulan Pro 5020AV, Husky 390XP

millwright

I was a millwright for a couple different places, an older gent was trying to set up a circle mill down the road, so I helped a lot with that and when he was up and running I worked with him a lot  after he passed away I still wanted to saw ,so I bought an LT 30 and ran that for several years. Put about 6,000 hrs on that, then sold it for what I had paid for it. Then bought a LT 35 hyd. I retired several years ago and wanted to saw part time, but usually I have way more work than I want, so now I get real picky on the jobs I take, can't let it get in the way of fishing and hunting. 

Thank You Sponsors!