Whatcha Sawin' 2020 ??

[Bruno of NH]

My first of 4 loads of black locust logs came in today.
I'm hoping to capitalize on the shortage of pressure treated lumber in my area.
Post,fence post and decking
.

 

[Bruno of NH]

Oh ya,
There was 2 poplar logs on top to finish a order for barn repair.

[Don P]

The American Teak 
Check this out Bruno;
https://robidecking.com/

[terrifictimbersllc]

Good for you Bruno!!   8)

Is this the first time? When buying  does one deal with the hidden heart decay that sometimes happens in locust- sometimes hollow full of ants in my experience? Not trying to be negative.

[Bruno of NH]

Dennis,
They brought me 3 one ton loads 2 weeks ago.
The hartwood was all solid in that stuff. 
I didn't get a chance to look the log truck load over very well yet.
This stuff comes from a lot on the Connecticut river.
I have my fingers crossed that it's all soild  :D
What's not good I will sell as firewood.
Educating my firewood customers the right way, I can see getting $340 a cord for the black locust. 

[Bruno of NH]

Don,
I had seen that site before.
I'm going to try the same approach with my marketing of this lumber. 
Folks are always looking for an alternative to the chemicals in PT lumber. 

[terrifictimbersllc]

That's a good strategy for the slabs and any nasty stuff -good luck with it.

[Larry]

Good for you Bruno!!   8)

Is this the first time? When buying  does one deal with the hidden heart decay that sometimes happens in locust- sometimes hollow full of ants in my experience? Not trying to be negative.

At least 40% of what I logged in north Missouri had hollow hearts.  Just cut around it and go on your way.  When buying, deduct for the heart.

I would be in seventh heaven if I could buy loads like that.  Besides the green aspect there are other uses.

[Bruno of NH]

The land owner got told by a logger that black locust logs had no value.
Some folks around here just don't know what it is, I guess.
My brother in law is a logger and I have many friends in the business. 
So loggers don't take offense to this please.
But some guys only want to cut veneer grade logs .
Everything else isn't worth it.

[Don P]

Ours are similar to Larry's so they are typically firewood value. I think I notice they seem to do better on sweeter soil.

[teakwood]

@Magicman       , happy birthday old man! enjoy the day and slow down a little bit, enjoy life.

[SpaceBus]

Dennis,
They brought me 3 one ton loads 2 weeks ago.
The hartwood was all solid in that stuff.
I didn't get a chance to look the log truck load over very well yet.
This stuff comes from a lot on the Connecticut river.
I have my fingers crossed that it's all soild  :D
What's not good I will sell as firewood.
Educating my firewood customers the right way, I can see getting $340 a cord for the black locust.

Locust is basically the best firewood, but it takes forever to dry. Do you have a lot of Tamarack available locally? Another good rot resistant wood. I made a post of out the top of one I cut down and it is still growing after driving it top down into the ground about a foot. A truck load of black locust would definitely be appreciated at my house, we burn mostly softwoods for heat and cooking for 3/4 of the year. 

[alan gage]

Finally attacking the spruce pile. This will be board and baton siding for my house.



Alan

[Hackeldam Wood Products]

 

 
More Pine. Have a order for 15 1X13X8 and 15 1X12X8.
Also 200 1X10X8 but I have run myself out of logs. More coming next week.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I had a very long but productive day. My neighbor kid/helper left me hanging but I muddled through. Loaded up yesterday and got to customer site 17 miles away by 0700. I had to slow down for a big male peacock in the road about 2 miles from the site. Beautiful location on top of a mountain and many layers of mountains available. He says he can see mountains in Virginia over 100 miles away on a clear day. He lives in a tree house about 10-12 feet above ground. Neat arrangement for the house to flex when the trees move. He says on a real stormy day you can almost get seasick. Great level, graveled spot in the shade ! Wow! His dad came about an hour later and helped stack and load logs. Very good client help.


 

 Good log pile - mostly ash. His buddy showing off. Some bad checking like the log in front by the cant hook but still got a good return of 2"X 3" strips he wanted.


 

 I am pretty sure these 2 pix are box elder. If you can confirm or correct me please chime in. This is the first box elder I have sawn and it sawed really good.


 A 16' ash with lots of curve became 10/4 LE for benches on his deck. I sawed a small 8' ash into 3X3s for posts.


 

 Assorted pieces including 2- beams (6X12X15 & 2X10X 12) which pump up your bf return pretty quick.


 And the Box Elder boards.

Finished 1207 bf by 1:00 pm then drove about 1.5 miles to his neighbor (a repeat customer) and sawed till after 7:00 pm on an hourly job. Many small scrappy logs including locust posts to saw into 4"X 4" and 2- 6"X 10" beams (the first out of a 15' crooked ash - I felt like a magician to pull that one off!)


 Pretty rough looking logs - yes that's the same dog. This customer and previous are friends and dad is partners in a business with this client and his dog came with him when they brought the big Branson tractor they co-own. No completed picture as client stack on the tractor forks and hauled them away as soon as he had a load so I billed it as an hourly job. Total for the 2 jobs, using my average sawing rate and engine hours for the 2nd job, was just under 1800 bf for the day.

I loaded up and took the mill to another site about 5 miles away where I will saw 4 nice walnut logs tomorrow then move again to saw some for me. I swapped the lady a 5X8 trailer load of short slabwood pieces for kindling for a walnut tree about 16" dbh and 3-4 logs. I'll unload the kindling tomorrow and saw the walnut and load on the trailer then pick it up this weekend when I go to the flea market.

The first job was a guy who met me and got my card at the flea market earlier this year, his partner piggy-backed on the sawing while I was nearby, the one tomorrow I met at the flea market and is a repeat customer and the lady who swapped the walnut for the kindling met me at the flea market a few weeks ago. As I have mentioned those trips are mostly advertising but they pay off in such work in the future - sometimes near, sometime far.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well it looks like you had a pretty productive day. Considering the healing hand and some other aches and pains, that is pretty impressive.
 Those flea market contacts seem to be paying off! 

[teakwood]

I have the same type of dog and he does the same thing. always stand on the trees, preferably the highest one

[doc henderson]

looks like a blue healer.  they like to be in charge, and are one man dogs.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Another long day although I did not start/meet the client till 10:00 am. He had 4 walnut logs to saw. One small 10' and the rest 8'. First I sawed some old dry barnwood for stickers and found one nail which knocked the set off a tooth.


 This was the butt log. Got some 16" wide boards off it.


 351 bf total yield
Turned out my next job was 2 doors down where a lady swapped me a load of slabwood kindling for several walnut logs. It was about 2:00 pm and just too hot to work so I unhooked and set up the mill then took a break till after 5:00. Spent way too much time unloading and stacking kindling.


 Here's the kindling.


 Here are the logs in the tall grass. I got them all sawed except one plus I will cut about 30" of the stump which is still standing. There were some very pretty 2" LE 8' & 10' slabs here. The small pieces I cut into 9/4 square stock for bench legs. It was too dark for a picture of the finished cut. I'll finish and bring the mill home tomorrow.

[Magicman]

I would be replacing the grip on that Logrite.  

Replacing Logrite Grip

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

   I keep thinking about that and I remembered reading your write up where you did one. Its on the to-do but not urgent list right now.

   One of the biggest hassles with this walnut was it had been down long enough for the bark to keep slipping. It was late and I was tired and ruined/devalued one slab with bark on the rail even after I checked it by raising the toeboard and wiping the rails clean. When I lowered it a thick piece of bark I had not seen slid back under there. I recut that slab to a thinner piece.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I went back after 5:00 pm to finish my last log and the stump. The log returned 4-5 total 8/4 LE slabs with a nice crotch on one end. Then I cut the stump off about 30" long and about 18-20 inch diameter. Easy to roll but too heavy for one old banged up sawyer to lift by himself so I used a magic hook trick with a couple of 6' long 1/4" chains with the clamp and one loader arm and eventually got it in place and barely across the rails. Got it level and clamped with a scrap piece between the side support to hold then cut a couple of slabs, skimmed a support enough I figure I knocked the set off then changed blades for the last 2 cuts. It started to rain then so I packed up and hooked up in a downpour and brought the mill home, unhooked and washed and covered it, then unloaded the tools and equipment, then came in and got a real welcome shower. I could not take a picture of the wood because of the rain. I will go back Sunday and bring the trailer load of wood back after my flea market shopping trip. I will cut the slabwood up into firewood and dump the sawdust in a stump hole and once the wood is stacked and stickered I will be done. It will turn out to be a very profitable trade but will take a while to realize all the return. I estimate 250 bf or so of walnut which I sell for $5/bf or 3-4 times that if I make them into benches.

Edited for clarity for our Mississippi brethren.

[Magicman]

....then came in and got a real welcome shower. I could not take a picture....

I really didn't want to see a picture of you taking a shower anyway!!!  

[WV Sawmiller]

Lynn,

    I think that last piece of birthday cake had gone bad on you and it is messing with your mind. :D Stay safe, stay cool.

[Magicman]

My mind??  You wrote it, I just read and quoted it!!   :D :D