Whatcha Sawin' ???

[longtime lurker]

I think I bought a new to me saw line today. Details aren't finalised but... I'm like 95% sure it'll be a done deal. I've either just done something really smart or really stupid, guess I'll know in 6 months to a year.

Thinking about all them zeros and what can go wrong seems to work better than laxatives for those of you bound up.

[Magicman]

I'm waiting....

[longtime lurker]

Lay off the popcorn Lynn: It's no good for your cholesterol. ;D

Things here happen on North Queensland time... I'll have to do some shed modifications to make it work, which means pulling everything out the shed first, which means a shutdown.  And builders and things.
I probably need to do a temporary shed so I can at least keep some small orders going through even if its just the Lucas Mill coming out of retirement.
Then start dragging this lot home and cranes and things to unload and position. And boilermakers to join it all back together.
Last will come the electricians with gold plated screwdrivers...  

Three months... i think it'll take three months between finalising a deal and feeding it a log. But I'm always an optimist.... could take 6.

[Magicman]

To heck with da cholesterol, it sounds like I may need a second bag.  ;D

I feel worthless today setting on my butt log and watching it rain.  Cold rain 'cause it's in da 40's.  Nuttin' doin' and doin' nuttin'. 

[Kwill]

My prize cedar tree. Can ya mill this one for me magicman?

 

[WDH]

This is why I do not custom saw . 

[Magicman]

 

 
I almost have the mate to it in Cherry.  ;D

[Magicman]

This is why I do not custom saw .

Well at least I do occasionally get a day week off.  ;D

[Kwill]

 
I almost have the mate to it in Cherry.  ;D

Distant first cousins

[Magicman]

I need to try to take a side view of it to show what all it does.  It is hanging on the creek bank so access to it is limited.  This picture was taken from across the creek.

[Kwill]

I need to try to take a side view of it to show what all it does.  It is hanging on the creek bank so access to it is limited.  This picture was taken from across the creek.

Cotton mouth perch

[WV Sawmiller]

    Well, I needed to get an ash log or two out of the way so I can move the mill so I sawed 3 before the day was over. Sawed them all into 4/4. I see I am getting some doty wood so I need to get the rest of my ash logs sawed or at least get them up off the ground - bad mistake to leave them in contact with the ground (although it is handy when I need to find a night crawler or two for fish bait). These logs had mushrooms growing on them before I ever felled or bucked them. I got to smelling rubber one the second log so checked the power feed belt - No problem. Checked the drive belt and evidence of slipping and some cracking due to age and use. Had 560+ hours on it and original belt. I bought a spare when I bought the mill. Had to make a couple of calls to WM Indy and Greg, Bob and Mike talked me through a broken bolt with a piece left in the shaft then how to adjust the tension. I had checked but never had to loosen it to replace the belt before. Those guys at WM are great. Finished about dark and moved the mill out of the pasture to get ready for a demo on Saturday. All looks good so far.


 Sawed 3 logs similar to this mushroom factory. Did not get a pix of the lumber or even a count yet. Just flat stacked till tomorrow am.


 This is the tensioner arm I had to remove to put the new drive belt on. You can see the broken bolt that went through there and the little piece that stuck in the hole keeping the arm from coming off. Replacement grade 8 bolt on lower right. 

   I know somebody started a repair thread somewhere for stuff like this but I'm not using the right search criteria and not finding it.

[EOTE]

Finished up the week early as I was rained out today.  However, got the 10 remaining Loblolly pine logs cut, making the total 2395 bf for the 4 trees.  Had time to cut a 7' hickory log the neighbor gave me as I need to make a new debarking spud handle.  Finished out by cutting one more of the red oak logs.  Got an additional 175 bf.  Had some nice quarter sawn grain and some interesting grain around the branch crotch.  Might make some interesting paneling.  We will see after it dries down.



 

 

I have to drop some standing dead pines this weekend when the rain stops.  I found about a dozen trees that died from the ground fire we had last summer.  It burned about two acres of the forest floor.  Fortunately the local VFD and Forest Service were able to stop the blaze quickly as I was offsite at the time.  I am hoping some of the trees will have salvageable lumber as they range from 10" to 17" in diameter.  

[Magicman]

You should be OK with the fire killed trees since it's been less than a year.  My past experience with them has been good.



 
Fire killed SYP that I used for framing lumber on my Cabin Addition.
 

[PAmizerman]

No sawing today!!


 

[Magicman]

Mine is all liquid.  :

I am very pleased that I postponed my road trip sawing until next week.  I would hate to be sitting in a motel room and watching this.  :-\

[Brad_bb]

WV sawmiller, did you get it fixed yet?  I want to know if that ash was junk or not?  Seems when in contact with the ground, Ash will go bad quick.  And with Ash, my experience has been once you start to see spalting, the wood has lost it's strength.  It's not like maple that can have spalting and still be strong.  That's my experience anyway.  Not much in between with Ash.

[Darrel]

EOTE, Ive cut fire killed ponderosas pine that had been dead for three years. It was worthless structurally but it sure made beautiful paneling and it also brought top dollar. 

[rjwoelk]

No sawing today!!

Yup i am in york right now getting a wiper fixed. Took 1.5 hrs to go from rutters in Hersey I83 to kenworth in york Pa  spunout semi on the hills.

[WV Sawmiller]

Brad,

  Yes, I got the bolt replaced and the new drive belt on and working fine. I cut it and the one on the mill actually had pretty good boards. On the other two I had some good boards but they had weak spots such that the ends were bad meaning I lost from 1-2 ft off them. It looked like a worm or such had bored into the log and weakened it at that point with good wood on either side.

[SawyerTed]

I'm not sawing anything spectacular but it's paying the bills.

Portable jobs are backing up because of the weather.  Getting off of an improved surface is a recipe for getting stuck.  Even some gravel roads present challenges.  

I have several large orders for barn framing, 4x6 posts and board and batten siding.  I'm fortunate to have a shelter to saw under now so if I can get logs to the yard, I can saw.

Saturday, I'm sawing big walnut logs for the owner of a local builders supply.



 
This is the first load of 12' 4x6 white oak posts.  I have another 40 white oak logs about 12" in diameter to saw into posts.  One post per log.



A repeat customer had some nice pines cut.  I hauled 160 16' logs.  I got the logs in exchange for cutting board and batten for his barn.  There are some firewood logs mixed with the sawlogs in this whack.
  


This is one of the medium sized logs.

 

 
This is about a third of the 1x8x16 for the board and batten.

[Southside]

You're putting out the wood there for sure Ted.  What market do you have for the jacket boards on those white oak logs you are getting the posts out of?

[SawyerTed]

Most of the jacket boards are being used for decking and railings around the firewood processor.  You can see my buddy's firewood processor in the background behind my truck.  If we ever get any break in the weather, we will be building a roof over the firewood processor.  We moved the firewood processor to an elevated platform back in the fall.  Once we get a break in the weather we will build a roof over it.

The white oak logs for the posts come from logs in his firewood pile.  He gets the jacket boards and I get the posts.  Slabs get snatched up for firewood.

I didn't mention that I have 25 big white oak logs ready to become something.  I just don't have orders right now for white oak.

[Southside]

There is an old guy, dresses really funny, who has been going around to the local mills buying up all the white oak he can scrounge up in this area, said something about a big DIY boat project, shows up with different critters in his van each time.  I can give him your contact info if you want.   ;D

[WV Sawmiller]

   Is white oak the same as Gopher wood?