Hi, folks,
I've been lurking around these pages and researching mills for almost a year now and finally pulled the trigger on buying one today. I just wanted to say thank you for all the info y'all put out here for folks like me to read and learn from.
I'd like to especially thank my neighbor KelLOGg for allowing me to visit him so he could show me the ropes and try out his MP32. One of the best things about this site and the folks on it is how freely everyone gives information to newbies. It is so unlike the fishing forums I frequent where even telling the general area of good fishing, let alone a honey hole, is taboo...or maybe I just don't know enough yet to know you guys are holding back on me.
Thanks to all of you, and talk soon.
Mike
Mike
Welcome! Great group of folk here. So what flavor mill did you buy?
Welcome and congratulations. 8)
I've got to ask...what's the story behind your Forum name?
YH
Mike.....explain your member name. :)
I trying to pronounce it. :)
Welcome to the Forum, from South Carolina. I'm down in Rock Hill, S.C.
Get a chance, come on by. smiley_thumbsup
David
I get that question a lot. Cichlids (sick'-lids) are a family of fish that are popular in the aquarium hobby. The popular ones are primarily from Africa and Central/South America but they are all over the world. The most common one that even nonaquarists have heard of is the Oscar. Almost everyone who asks me that question thinks it is a misspelling of those square little pieces of gum...anyone over 35 or so will know what I am talking about.
In about a month I will have brand-spanking-new Timberking 1400.
Mike
Welcome Mike
You don't know it yet but the first time you post that you just tried to cut a backstop, or a clamp, or tried to back out of a cut and the band came off there will be thousands of people on here snickering about it. And every one of us has tried at least one of those things once or more. We'll be asking for pics to prove it too!
What did you get for a mill? A Cooks? Got any pics before you dust it up and knock the "new" off it?
Okay, I was a little late. TK makes a fine mill, and they're a quality company too. (But the comments about cutting parts of the mill still stand.) ;D
Read all you can in the next month or so. You'll have plenty of chances; you'll have some sleepless nights in there when it gets closer to delivery time. 8)
Very nice! Got a red one, or at least one of the the red ones. I struggled with the name too. Once you explained it made sense!
Welcome, and I hope you get more sleep in the next month than I did waiting for my mill to come in.
Nomad is right about trying to cut a part of your mill off. Don't worry about it, it will not take long till you pass that very important time in your milling life. What is your plan for the lumber you will be making?
Quote from: Cichlidgoob on January 02, 2014, 08:30:28 PM
I get that question a lot. Cichlids (sick'-lids).
Mike
Thanks Mike....there's a bunch of Sick Lids down here. :D
Congrats on the TK. Post some pics when you get it. :)
What's my plan for making lumber?? Do I need an actual plan? :-\ I'm gonna learn how to make good lumber and then practice like crazy. I have plenty of wood from my yard and from friends and neighbors who are begging for folks to cut down unwanted trees or pick up trees that have come down in storms. I turn bowls as a hobby so that is where my wood working interest began but I have always loved trees and this new hobby is a way to make them live on as some really cool furniture or a simple little bowl that I can throw my wallet and keys into. The only long term plan I thought of was to make bowl blanks and then sell them or give them to folks - seems to be a market for them but sawing ain't about the money for me. I read somewhere, "if you're buying a sawmill to make money, get ready to be disappointed." I'm sure lots of folks make a good living with a mill but I have no visions of that for myself. There is always a need for lumber and I already have some "orders" for unusual sized beams that my buddies can't buy at the lumber store. They seem really excited even though I told them I am gonna waste some good wood learning how to do this and they will have to wait a long time before the lumber I "make" is project-ready.
So, my plan is to make sawdust, and enjoy the heck out of it, and maybe make some decent lumber along the way.
It won't be that long... just long enough to dry... welcome aboard... and don't worry about folks holding back info... it just don't happen here... Banjo
Welcome aboard, I always say this is the best place on the web,
Great folks & sponsors, all very generous with their time, knowledge and products.
DGDrls
Cichlidgoob,welcome to the forum. Finally a new guy that did not believe the dollar amount that can be made sawing. You will enjoy sawing.
Welcome to the family, Cichlidgoob. You're going to love it here.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Mike!
Welcome Mike! (That's so much easier than the fish thing). You're going in with the right attitude -- just go out and have some fun making sawdust. Best of luck to ya!
Welcome !! You cannot do better than spending time with Bob K. Watch for another attempt to have a meeting of Central Carolina sawyers. Weather killed our first attempt in December. It is called Tall Trees and Blue Skies. NC Diesel volunteered to have an event at his place. Say your prayers. Paul R
Ok, I'm new on here too. Can you make decent money doing custom cutting? Or even just cutting dimensional lumber and stacking it for sale? Is the money good?
dan
Welcome to the Forestry Forum.
A lot of happy sawyers on this Forum, and many, many levels of income generated from their feedback and posts on this Forum.
Lots of reading to do, but in general it will be up to you to find the niche markets (likely not the 2x dimensional lumber waiting for people to walk into your yard vs. to the box stores) in the custom sawing arena.
Fire away with what you think your limitations are, if any, and you should get some great feedback from many of the members.
But pull up a stump, and chat awhile. Nobody will lead you astray or let you get into trouble without some specific warning that you might be heading toward thin ice.
Hi Dan and welcome. I hear Memphis has some great BBQ...can't be worse than Detroit. ;) ;D
Mike congrats on your new mill...No plan required. Kinda like asking my son what the plan is for those new Legos. ;)
Sawmills don't make money, btw. People make money. Somebody can make a lot or a little running a sawmill. that's not half as important as enjoying what you're doing, whether its sawing or something else. it sounds like you've got the right idea Mike. Looking forward to seeing all the fun stuff you'll be doing with your new saw.
Mike, welcome to the FF and congrats on the mill! Look me up sometime. I live just up hwy 87 north of Pittsboro. My mill is located just off of 64 to the west of Pittsboro. Again, welcome!
Dave C
Welcome to you as well there Dan. I am about 100 miles due east of you just off hwy 72. Your bound to come this way ever now and again... drop me a pm if you ever want to see my set up. Banjo
Yes, Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Dan!
This is a great place to hang out! 8)
Yes , Welcome aboard to both of you. A great place to learn. My partner have been at it about a year now and we are still get a wack of information.
Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Cichlidgoob, and also to you dant1969. :)
Welcome to you too, Dant1969! You're going to love this forum!
You asked about making money doing custom sawing. You're in a completely different part of the country, of course, but I'll share my experience after doing JUST custom sawing for about a year and a half now. Don't rely on it! A fellow local sawyer here suggested I'd have all the business I wanted, because, while there are mills around, a lot of them don't advertise. I think he was sincere in his advice, but it still takes time to establish a client base and to "get your name out there". Business is growing, but I certainly couldn't feed a family on it at this point. I'd suggest holding a "regular" job and custom saw on the side, until you get a feel for the amount of business out there.
The other thing I've learned is that a lot of business doesn't come to you -- you have to go out and get it. Most people with urban trees have never even thought about converting them to lumber. So I've established contacts with local tree services. I check Craigslist about once a week to see who's selling trees/logs, then give them a call and let them know I have a portable sawmill. I'm working on a couple of local cabinet shops to use local lumber rather than "importing" it from big mills. And I keep my website up-to-date and make sure that someone who Googles "sawmills" in the area sees mine high on the list. In other words, my experience says you'll spend a lot of time early on NOT sawing, and investing in advertising of many sorts (in addition to machinery).
The other thing is make sure you know what you want out of it. Mike (cichlidgoob) just wants to go out and have some fun. My "mission statement" is primarily to keep urban hardwood trees out of landfills and/or firewood piles (by doing what I love), and to make a little money (to supplement a pension). If you're going to make a living at it, I agree with those above who suggest you'll have to find a niche market and not compete with the big-box stores. In any case, I'd suggest in your business analysis, make sure you are still financially happy if you get 1/3 of the business you originally assumed.
Just my 2 cents -- sorry so long-winded! And again, welcome!
Pete
Welcome to the both of you. Some people don't understand that working with wood is a pleasure to a person. You don't have to make money at it to have some fun. I do that and it takes money out of my wife's and my bank account in some way just about everyday. I cant tell you how much I have spent on my little operation which is just a hobby, but thats ok. I have only made a return close to 3 or 4 times in the five years sense that I built my little bandsaw and kiln. The cost of sandpaper,finishes, stains, tools, blades, electricity, fuel aren't cheap. Some do repay for supplies. :) I just like doing it and see people with the satisfaction on there face when I give them what they asked me to make or just make them something which they didn't even know it was going to be just a gift. Making money would be great and it would help but its not everything to this guy. Good luck to the both of you and hope it makes you feel good at the end of the day for what you have done. bg
As I have a lot of hats....some of which are "sick lids" , I get it, but what's the goob?
Glad to see another bowl turner joining the gang. Check out the General Woodworking thread and show us pics. You know the bowl turner's "Squaring the Cant" , eh? Deep cut, flip, deep cut, flip, on edge , deepish cut, flip, and again. Out of the four slabs, measure width, cut that length. You'll get 40 or more turning blanks you can cut round on a regular band saw and then Anchor seal the edges. It's good to mark diameter, type and source, and date. And you get to turn the best of the lot!
Oh yeah, you can make some good lumber out of the cant and no edging by the way. Not the greatest board foot producer, but a functional technique! 8)
Welcome aboard to both of you!
Hey, Lud,
I have absolutely no idea what you just said to me. :-\ I know you explained how to get a mess of bowl blanks from a cant but I did not follow it. Please elucidate - I'm intrigued.
The goob is just one of those synonyms for geek or nerd...it's all good. Everyone understand the difference between geek and nerd...right? That could be a whole new thread!
Quote from: Lud on January 04, 2014, 08:57:22 AM
As I have a lot of hats....some of which are "sick lids" , I get it, but what's the goob?
Been a while since I heard the term, but in my younger days, goob was a pretty common nickname. A variation was goober, remember goober on the old Andy Griffith show ?
Been a while since I heard the term, but in my younger days, goob was a pretty common nickname. A variation was goober, remember goober on the old Andy Griffith show ?
[/quote]
Shazzam, I sure do! Maybe that was Gomer ...
Goober was Gomer's cousin, I believe.
Mike, welcome to the Forum... looks like you are in with both feet... ;D
Welcome to the forum both of you.
Hey Mike,
Glad you made your decision on the mill. In addition to sawing when you visited, I remember sitting around the table sharing great conversations and I hope we can have more. You sent me an e-mail with a pic of the cichlid so I was sotra prepared for your member name ;D
When do you tkae possession of the new mill?
Bob
dant1969, and Mike
Welcome to the Forum. The best site on the web! Everyone here takes great pride in being able to help others with information and suggestions on any subject you may have questions about. Bill Gaiche said it best about enjoyment of this kind of work. I am about to complete my first project that I am taking from log to finished product using my own mill. The cost of something like this can't be measured in dollars, because if it were, I would have to take a mortgage on my place to pay for the privilege. Good luck with the new mill, and remember... We like lots of pictures!!! Andy
A peanut is also called a goober.
Bob,
The mill shows up sometime in February. I'm trying to get stuff organized so I'm ready for the big day. I have some big logs ready to go but I need to check for nails. I thought there would be some sawyer-specific metal detectors, and there are but it seems that many folks use a regular treasure hunting type detector. That surprised me but sounds like the way to go if I wanted two new hobbies at once!
I've read some posts on the forum about some blades cutting right through a nail or bolt, does that just require sharpening and setting or is that blade trash? If I am worried about nails do I need a certain kind of blade that is more robust?
What kind of detector do you guys use?
Howdy Mike, welcome and congrats on the mill, an old friend use to do the fish thing, I remember that name as well, been 30 years ago, funny how things stir the memory, looks like you have plenty of neighbors in that area to pick for info, take care, david
Mike,
If you hit a nail at 90° you can usually keep on sawing although not for long and the cut is not as smooth. If you hit a nail on the slant it will change the set on one side of the blade more than the other and the blade quickly dives or rises. I have never broken a blade on a nail; it can usually be reset and sharpened and is then good to go. (My breakages occur due to metal fatigue after much use.)
Are you getting a sharpener/setter?
I have a $39 HF wand type metal detector which I highly don't recommend because it is not reliable. You can spend an enormous amount on a metal detector and there are lots of threads on the FF on the subject. Many agree that the best detector is a bandmill :D ;D
Quote from: kelLOGg on January 05, 2014, 08:59:30 AM
I have never broken a blade on a nail; it can usually be reset and sharpened and is then good to go.
I send all my blades back to Woodmizer for resharpening. I'd guess about 1/2 of the blades don't come back (they're replaced with new) after I hit a nail ... or something metal on the mill ... :D
My plan is to get a bunch of blades to start and try sending them to TK for sharpening and setting as needed. Based on the frequency and cost I will do whatever makes sense. It seems as if there is a good many folks who send them back to the MFG and since that sounds better than doing it myself, it is my starting point.
I'm still struggling with the metal detector choice though because many of my logs come from places where posting signs, barbed wire, and holiday decorations could have been used.
Quote from: kelLOGg on January 05, 2014, 08:59:30 AM
I have never broken a blade on a nail; it can usually be reset and sharpened and is then good to go.
I should add that I have ripped off as many as 10 - 12 consecutive teeth and the band still saws (for me, not a customer)