Lucus dedicated slabber and the results.

[customsawyer]

Had a customer bring in some live oak from Louisianan yesterday for me to slab. The base we made some big cookies out of but I didn't get any pictures. The next cut up the tree had me at max height of the slabber due to the fact I don't like to bend over so have 12x12 blocks under the log.













These next ones are a red oak table that was built from slabs cut about 4 years ago. The base is some white oak. I think the customer that built this done pretty good.

[YellowHammer]

That's big hunk of wood.  How long did it take to slab to up? 

[Southside]

That was a big turnip for sure. 

[customsawyer]

I only made 3 cuts on it yesterday. Have the rest of it to do for breakfast this morning. The customers wife videoed the last cut in the picture and it took 6 minutes for the whole cut. I thought that was pretty good in live oak due to how hard it is.

[Runningalucas]

Thanks for posting the pics, can't wait to see more of this.  I really want the slabbing bar for mine, but I just don't have access to logs large enough to justify the expense...  Nice to see this.

[Stephen1]

I have a neighbour up the road that I take any extra large logs too. He has a peterson swing mill he puts the slabbing bar on. I wish it was a dedicated slabber. What he ends up charging me always make me think I should buy my own dedicated slabber. I understand they are geared different so cut faster than a swing mill with a bar on it.

[customsawyer]

Here is a pic from each side of the trailer to show how many slabs we got. All in all it I don't think it was to bad. It took a total of 3.5 hours and 5 saw chains as 3 of the chains got introduced to a dog chain including the clip/snap at the end. I probably could have done it with 3 saw chains if it hadn't been for the metal. The largest cuts were 68"x8'.

[Peter Drouin]

Did you charge for new chains?

[customsawyer]

Depending on how bad the strike is. 2 of these I'll be able to just sharpen. 1 is garbage so he got to buy it.

[Crossroads]

I wish you were closer, I had a customer a few weeks ago that had a black walnut that was about 8’ long 45” on the butt and 63” at the crotch. I told him we could quarter it and get it on the mill, but it would destroy the value. 

[Peter Drouin]

Depending on how bad the strike is. 2 of these I'll be able to just sharpen. 1 is garbage so he got to buy it.

 

[customsawyer]

Well like the old saying goes. Give a lazy man a job and he will figure out a easier way to do it. Since I'm short handed around here and having to do a lot of different task by myself. I had to come up with a easier way to get the Lucus through the log. I added a boat trailer winch to the top of the frame by the engine. Then ran the rope through a pulley tied to my tractor and back to the frame opposite the engine. It's not perfect as I probably won't be able to use it when the mill is all the way up, but it sure saves the back when you can use it.

[burdman_22]

What diameter is this log and how thick is that slab? Looks awesome

[customsawyer]

That log is 46" diameter on the butt end and 36" on the small end. These slabs are being cut at 3 inches thick. 16' long.

[mike_belben]

Awesome.  I like the first guys spartan concrete kitchen studio man camp kinda place there. 

How do you like that small mouthed grapple rake?  Does it grap all size logs well enough not to drop any?

[Southside]

Ha Ha HA!!! Mike - you need to make a trip to Jakes - there is no small equipment around his place.  Optical illusion from the size of the log. 

[customsawyer]

That is actually the largest grapple rake I have found for a farm tractor/skidsteer. I have that one and two others for my skidsteers. The one in the picture is made by Work Saver and is the best one I have found but it is to tall to work on a skidsteer due to its height interfering with the doors. I had to weld in some bracing and added longer stroke cylinders so get it to close all the way. I got it in 2006 and have worked the devil out of it. I saw them this past year at the Ag show in Moultrie Ga. and they make a little shorter one for skidsteers but don't recommend this model for them. I think I could make it work as you would just have to tilt it forward to get in and out.

[customsawyer]

Mike if you look in the last picture you can see that it is almost as tall as the front hood on the tractor. The tractor is a 6415 JD at 85 HP 4x4 so it is bigger than any of the 5000 series tractors.

[mike_belben]

no no, i dont mean the size at all, i was referring to the shape.  banana versus boomerang.  it is very much like my little deere grapple blade.  most people run a grapple that is more like a skeleton bucket, which i have never used. the type where one log just floats in the opening.   they fit a big mouthful of brush or several logs but dont look like theyd rootrake as well as the banana curved frames that keep the chisel tooth pretty close to the pivot point and front tire.   how many 12" logs will that grab without spilling any and will it take a huge wad of brush or will a lot fall out as you try to close on it?

[customsawyer]

It will grab all the tractor can pick up.