17° and making sawdust

[Crossroads]

With all the snow we've had already this year, business has been pretty slow since the second week of December. This week things have started to pick back up. I got a small order for some 16' 1x12 pine, so I fired up the mill in a blistering 17°F this morning. I think this is the coldest I've milled in and the slabs were freezing to the log as I cut them. My mill yard is a sheet of packed snow/ice, but that was no match for my calked boots. Sure glad I didn't throw them away in 1995 when I stopped logging. 

[Gary Davis]

sounds like fun

[moodnacreek]

That's good. I have sawn down to zero but not anymore. I put a hair dryer on the stick. Problem at that temperature the teeth work out of the saw.

[Crossroads]

Teeth falling out could be all bad. 

[barbender]

I was out sawing the other day at 0°. Everything fights you, and my cuts were getting packed frozen sawdust, making wavy cuts. It warmed up to 15-20°, huge difference. The dust clears out well enough, everything just works better. I could saw every day at 20° with no complaints at all.

[Crossroads]

Yeah, I don't really mind the cold, I just dress for it. The part I really didn't like was slipping on the ice. Now that I've dug out the calked boots, that's no issue. 

[mart]

Ten above is my cut off. This winter has been horrible for getting time on the mill. November and December were bitter cold and January has been warmer but windy. I'd rather saw in the cold than the wind. 

I did a small job Wednesday and Thursday. It was almost too breezy Thursday but I pushed through and finished it. Glad I did because yesterday  and today we have a lot more wind than Thursday. 

[Crossroads]

I agree, the wind will take the fight out of a guy pretty quick. By this time next year, I hope to be more prepared. 1) a mill shed 2) a kiln 3) a designated planner/moulder shed. That way I can at least do something productive in questionable weather. 

[SawyerTed]

Wind chill here was 14°.  My customer called off sawing.  I have to say I am relieved.  We've tried sawing below a 35° high.  It really isn't productive for us mainly because we just aren't accustomed to working in such cold. 

We can wait a week and it will be in the 50s. 

[Old Greenhorn]

There's no bad weather, just bad clothes. After I fixed the blown up lubemizer part (from freezing) I was milling a week or so ago at 15° and it was quite pleasant, I didn't sweat much and no mosquitoes!
That being said, there are challenges to working in those temps coming off those below zero nights. Logs frozen hard into the pile such that you can't break them loose with a machine (wound up using the Logrite 76" mega hook, that worked). long boards that freeze in place before you finish the cut, and sawdust wetted by the lube freezing into solid chunks on the mill are just a few of the fringe benefits.

I wish I had calks like Crossroads, and I have been tempted, but I would wear them so rarely I don't know if my cheap self could spend the money. Those Yaktrax seems to be working ok for me, glare hard ice everywhere. Now when the wind picks up, I am DONE. No questions, clean up and get out. ;D :D !5° with a 10 MPH wind puts the wind chill lower than I am willing to deal with. Ain't got no time for that.

[Crossroads]

I am pretty fortunate as far as wind goes while milling at home. I'm tucked into a bowl and essentially get no wind here. That same bowl also keeps the direct sun off of us from late November to early March. That combined with being at 3,400', we get snow first and are the last to see it go away. Some good Marino wool, a wool sweater and insulated coveralls and I'm pretty comfortable. Having the boards freeze down is an interesting challenge 

[mart]

I don't mind milling in the cold, to a point. I dress for it. I use windshield washer fluid and water mixed to a won't freeze mixture. I don't like to mill below 10 above. I don't like stressing the tractor hydraulics on big logs when it's real cold. Small logs I'll do if I have to and it's colder than 10 above. But it seems when it gets colder than that, everything takes longer. 

If I had to depend on mild weather I'd never get anything milled in the winter. We've had so much wind this winter I sometimes have to mill regardless of the temps is it's a calm day. I just don't do the big stuff on those real cold days. 

[brewdog]

i have a mill i built and not a fancey one at that. 15 hr and donut tires for blade to run on.used it about 5 years ,lumber for own use.i saw spruce ,fir ,juniper,some hard wood .what i saw when the wood is frozen seems to saw straighter than in warm weather.hardwood seems to do a better job also.berrings for guides.HELP PLEASE.

[Crossroads]

Have you tried different degree blades? My first thought is that the blades your using like the frozen wood and hardwood best. 

[ladylake]

 It's -26 here this morning.  Steve

[Crossroads]

It's -26 here this morning.  Steve

Dang, that's cold enough to keep me in the house! It's warming up around here, all the way up to 19° right now. 

[bags]

That's got me beat--- we had 12" of snow last night and its -22 at 0530 up here at 9200'--- might sharpen a few blades if the sun rolls out.

[boonesyard]

I can take the cold pretty good, but I think the mill is gonna sit for a few days till it warms up a bit.

On the way to work this morning

[Andries]

I wondered if you folks in the Dakotas were having the same cold snap as us in Manitoba. Wind and temp are at -45 F here this morning.

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I dont mind the cold....but thats North Carolina cold!! I had a first last week.
Frozen logs with a bit of snow on them.  :D Thank goodness for the woodstove in my shop. I dont know how you guys do in the really cold areas. Stay warm, Brian

[Crossroads]

I feel like a whimp not running the mill today after those last few posts. I did get out and move some snow and clear a spot for the self loader to offload a load of Douglas for that may be coming today. I also did another small finish project in the upstairs bathroom. I have 3 rooms that are ready for trim now, I guess I need to go to lowes and begrudgingly buy some dry wood to run through the moulder. 

[KenMac]

I just checked the weather channel a few minutes ago. 66F and raining. Supposed to clear off tomorrow and turn cold. 39 Friday morning with high of 42. That's cold enough for me.

[trimguy]

I have 3 rooms that are ready for trim now, I guess I need to go to lowes and begrudgingly buy some dry wood to run through the moulder. 


Wwwwhhhaaattt !!!😂

[StimW]

Hope it's not too offensive?

[Crossroads]

I know 🙈 I have I have 5 stacks of stickered 1x material that I would love to use for the trim, but it's pretty wet.