Friday Sawing

[Cedarman]

Has anyone checked with WM to see if they use any kind of blade machine to take out crown at their resharp services?

[chevymetal]

Has anyone checked with WM to see if they use any kind of blade machine to take out crown at their resharp services?

They don't.  As a matter of fact if you push the issue with them (like I did) they will basically tell you that it is not necessary and it's a waste, but they don't run a sawmill for a living either!
I'm like gmmills, my roller has become an invaluable tool for me and has saved me much more than the $795 investment.
P.S.  I looked at the Cook's site, but I couldn't find the roller.  You can call them and they'll send you a free catalog.

[Kirk_Allen]

Well sense I started this Spruce on this thread I thought it would be best to end it hear. 

I AM DONE CUTTING ALL MY SPRUCE 8) 8) 8) 8)

After some quick tallying I have enough to build one whopper of a shop 8) 8)

Thanks for all the great input on cutting this stuff.  I am pleased to be done with this sticky stuff.  I have to say it was truly an experience and I am glad I got to cut so much of it to broaden my horizon ;D

[chet]

Kirk,
If ya would have saved a few logs 'till da temp was in da 80's yer horizon would have been much wider.   :D

[tnlogger]

chet i dont know about wider  :D but i bet he could stick um on the shed and not need nails. ;D

[Kirk_Allen]

No thanks Chet.  It got in the mid 70's today and you can see the sap dripping from the stacked lumber.  Not my idea of fun by any means!

[Minnesota_boy]

Did you find any pitch pockets in that spruce?  Sometimes the spruce will have a pocket inside the log that is just pitch.  I've seen ones that held at least  a quarter cup of sap.  When you turn the board on edge, the pitch will run out leaving a void.  The temperature will determine how fast it runs out.  Below zero and it will just creep, at 80 it runs more like maple syrup.

[Kirk_Allen]

LOTS of pictch pockets.  One was about 6 inches long, 1/2 inche wide and almost 1/2" deep.  FULL of nasty sticky stuff :D

This was truly an experience.  I enjoyed the challenge of getting straight boards. Made me pay close attention to my sharpening and cutting.   I was able to cut ALL of this stuff using a total of 9 blades, not counting the two early on that I could not get a straight cut with.  Those two blades only cut one or two passes then it was garbage time for them.  I think 9 blades for close to 9000 bF is pretty good wouldnt you say? Two of the nine broke but both of them had 8and 9 resharps.  They were due! 

I did notice that those older blades were more like 1" blades becuse they have been sharpened so many times and I had to feed slower with them than a 1 1/4 blade.  I didnt think 1/4 inch would have made a difference but it did.  I wonder how an 1 1/2 blade would have worked.  I asked WM about that before I started and they steered me away from them.  Said they recommend more HP than 25 for the 1 1/2 blade.

It cuts lots easier frozen, but I dont work so well when frozen ;D



 

[JP]

Hi all I bought a welders leather apron from northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company for 9.99$. I put it on inside out to hide the pockets--( Im going to cut them off ) any time I cut softwood. keeps the pants and shirt pitch free-also need to make some leather gontlets for the sleeves--may try to make them outof the pockets :D
the wife likes the apron very much ;D  JP

[Vermonter]

The big old pines around here have pitch much worse than our spruce.  I had one pocket that held at least a gallon.  We had to stop sawing and shovel it into a bucket.  For clothes, I soak them overnight, and they usually wash right out.  For the mill and chainsaw, hose 'em down, let 'em sit, and then spray with simple green, full strength.  The pitch will then come right off with a scrub brush or a 3M pad.  If you are interested in big old pines, I just uploaded a photo to my gallery.  ( I haven't figured out how to tag it into a reply yet, but I'll get there.)

[Kirk_Allen]

Well its been a busy spring around here.  Lots of wood to cut and things to build and the full time job is keeping me way to busy, which is not all bad.

Did go out Friday afternoon and cut up some cherry.  I have One more LARGE mulit branched cherry but log to cut and I will have all my cherry cut, except for the few in the woods I still have to skid out ;D

Some nice bookmatched boards! 


Got to love the figure of Cherry! 

[Kirk_Allen]

Well this was Fridays customer.  They had 6 Silver Maple logs they wanted cut and they were ALL OVER the front yard.  Took me about an hour to get them lined up so I could set up the mill.  Roger, the guy in the photo makes tables from slab wood and sells them for as much as $5000 each.  He showed me a walnut coffee table from boockmatched slabs that was sold for $2500.  They are beutiful but I cant imagine paying that much.



He wanted to get as much crotch wood slabs as possible.  I have to say, for silver maple, the grain was awesome!




We ended up with just over 600 BF and lets just say this couple may soon be mill owners!  They are hooked!  Spent at least an hour talking about all the things to keep in mind when making that decision.  If Roger has it his way, its a done deal!  Maybe he can then take care of the customers I have up north.  I dont care to keep going up that far but the calls keep coming so I try to schedule it when I HAVE to be up there. 

The next photos are from Saturdays job on several Bur Oak logs.  The butt log was 36" outside bark.  Had to do some widdling but did end up with some 12" wide q-sawn boards that looked awsome. 

[beenthere]

Kirk
Great pics.

Now, what is there to keep that big Bur oak from rolling across, and off the back of, the mill?

Obviously it didn't as shown in the next to last pic.  ;)

[Ianab]

I thought I'd seen that Oak log on your mill before Kirk.  ???

Looks like you have a happy customer there.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=1617307&page=6&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

Isn't the net a small place  :D

Cheers

Ian

[Furby]

 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
If I didn't know better.....I'd say Kirk "barrowed" some pics to give us a tall tale.  ;) ;D

From the sounds of it Kirk, you need to raise your prices! ;) ;) ;D

[Kirk_Allen]

Now Furby, you no better ;D  I will have to contact him and have him send me the board pics he took.  What a small place.

Raise my price? At .35 bf for q-saw white oak I think I cam out OK and besides, I had a blast that day.  Great family and down to earth!  Unlike most of the uppity-up suburbanights I know.

Beenthere: On BIG logs like that that are pushing the limit I keep the back supports lower so that the curve of the log sits farther out, thus giving me more space on my outer blade guide.  That whopper took some time becuase as Chuck mentioned on the other thread, I pushed for the most wood possible for him. 

[Kirk_Allen]

Furby you wont make a good CSI so stick to anything else ;D  You see, a trained EYE would have noticed that those are two separte pictures.  The one on Woodnet the guy is holding a drink glass while in MY photo he is not!  More importantly, the guy in the woodnet photo is the owner of the log while the guy in MY photo was the helper ;D

Thus, a good investigative reporter would know these photos WERE NOT barrowed :D

[Furby]

Barrowed AND doctored! ;)