Knot Trimmed

[Magicman]

Yup, YH says that if it won't roll it ain't a log.  We are getting down to the trashy stuff on this job and I told the tailgunner to "bring um on".  I would deal with it on the sawmill:







Yup, three of them and I whacked um off with the sawblade and made 1X12's out of the logs.  Yes, knotty logs make knotty lumber.  As much lumber that this customer has, I would never have sawed them, but I only get paid to work there. 

[Sixacresand]

Sometimes, it works out.  What I hate is having to chainsaw a stub off after it is on the mill.  If it is a cedar, I'll make the half inch thick cookies out of the limbs.  

[Old Greenhorn]

I don't have a lot of things that I refuse to work with, but logs with horns are one of them. I trim them off flush as I roll that log up to the arms on the mill. The horns catch the debarker, toe boards, and stop the head from passing or whatever. It's just better and easier to take them off before the hit the mill bed. I'd rather have a log up, good or knarly, that I can just focus on getting the best lumber out of. Trimming them on the mill bed after you see an issue is a huge PITA. The other day I filled a box with the horns I cut off one EWP log, but I got a lot more lumber out of it then I ever thought I would.

[Magicman]

Yes I agree but in this instance I easily handled them.  There is no cant hooking on this job.   Each log is brought and set down at the sawmill loader and he positioned them so that the stubs would be a 12 and 3 o'clock.  The first pass took care of half of them and the second pass got the others.

If we were cant hooking the logs, the stubs would have to go. 

Out of well over 100 logs that have come across the mill on this job, I have only pulled the MS261 out once and that was to buck off a fence wire butt end.

[paul case]

Glad to see you are still trimming knots!

[Magicman]

And good to see you around and about my Friend. 

[Ianab]

Yeah, I don't get to fussy about logs if they are salvage ones. On a swing mill you aren't trying to roll the logs, and some stubs on the bottom can act as supports.  So if you are setting up around a large log, a couple of runs of 4x4 converts the stubs into firewood size chunks. Balance the time it takes to go and get the chainsaw and lop them off, vs lopping them off with the mill.  Knots also get smaller as you go into the log, so a 6" knot on the surface might only be 2" after a couple of inches, and it will be a "live knot", not a dead "black"  one that falls out.