Introduction

[Piston]

...  As a tip, you will find that sawmilling is basically a material handling problem with a headsaw in the middle.  Let us see your setup as it progresses.  Good Luck, and Regards, Clark

Clark,
That is a really good way to look at it!

[Alligator]

Hookpilot, Welcome! Your suppose to state your age :D. You might be a teenager or something? But my math says no. 23.5+10+ at least 18=at least 51.5. Just remember help is close by

[Hookpilot]

Again folks thank you for the kind words and encouragement. So in full disclosure I was looking at the LT40 Super but the LT50 was actually cheaper during their summer sale.  8) 8) 8) (Thanks Tim Horsley at WM) So I like the crew chief anology as well.

[ljmathias]

Son in law is Army National Guard- two tours oversees in construction, although he spent most of his time operating a rifle... go figure.  Anyway, while I was down with heart valve failure and replacement surgery, he learned to operate my LT40 hydraulic in half a day, then proceeded to cut up two logs till he had to go back to work.  You should be fine with your WM, but one word of advise- learn all you can from others first and as you go.  So here's the offer- if you are in the area (Purvis, MS isn't all that far from Huntsville and if you're on the road, you might be passing close on Interstate 59), stop by and practice on my LT40.  Glad to show you what I've managed to put together here so far- 50 acres plus a few barns and such.

Oh, and as to barns, bigger is better.  One thing you'll gather in reading about sawmill sheds and barns here is that you make your best guess on what size you need, then multiply by four.

Lj

[YellowHammer]

Glad you made it,  Hookpilot 8) and welcome.

One day this guy Hookpilot comes up to me and says, this sawing looks like fun, I want to learn.  So we chat for a little while and it seems he has an eye for this kind of thing, (I didn't know he was pilot then) so a few days later, on a rare laid back day when I wasn't pushed for time, we fire up the saw, and I show him a few things.  After a little while, I hand over the controls and before long he is sawing logs, listening to me, talking to himself, and moving all the little knobs and levers with a big ol smile on his face, ear to ear. 

We finished that day up, no problems, (and no crashes, thankfully) and a little while later he wants to come back and "learn" some more, and this time I had a nice whack of logs and was about to put the pedal to the metal, and said something like, "Uh, I'm not sure you want to, because we're fixing to SAW..."  Hookpilot didn't miss a beat, assumed the role as off bearer on that nice, extra hot summer day, and I did my best to keep the saw head flying and let the big diesel eat while keeping him and my other off bearer buried in boards. 
We finished a little while later, and I took this picture of Hookpilot in front of the stacks he helped saw.  A good day by all accounts. 


I'm looking forward to his membership and contributions on the Forum with his new LT-50.  Got to find a good place on the saw to paint some nose art, it's only fitting for a pilot.
YH

[Hookpilot]

Thanks to all of you who have served and or have family members serving. Lj part of how I got to the size mill I am getting is wanting to work this into a business and as I spoke with YH and others one of the constant messages was buy all the engine you can afford, well i dont know if I can afford it or not but i figure more HP will never hurt. I am planning on starting with a 40x60 barn when I get things going.

YH when I was reading some of the old threads and saw where someone said they had been to YH University I just laughed, it could not be more true. Thanks for the time you have already put into me and my learning.

Clark - I get the logistics thing. I am collecting layouts for different mills and will adjust from there.

Talk to you all later.

[scsmith42]

Hookpilot, welcome to the sawdust pile!  You're in a great part of the country in terms of support from fellow millers. 

Scott