Actual Sawing Time

[Rhodemont]

I have been sawing the 8x8 and 8x12 red oak needed for my barn build.  Not even counting the logging part of it, working alone I spend a small amount of the time actually sawing. It takes me about 4 hrs to complete one beam.  By complete I mean prep mill, load, saw, stack jacket boards, cut up slabs for firewood and stack, clean up saw dust, and off load and stack the beam.  The mill run time is about 1 1/2 hours of which the blade is only in wood maybe 30 mins.  Initially I sawed a couple beams one after the other but the by products just built up and did not get cleaned up.  So one beam a day then some lunch and other things to do. 

[Ljohnsaw]

Sounds like me with my manual mill.

I spent the better part of two looong days cutting up one log. Albeit, it was 46" x 34'! Iirc, I got two 8x12, two 8x15, a couple 8x8 and a ton of 4x6 brace stock. Lots of shifting big cants and whittling it down.



 

 

[moodnacreek]

One man with just a head saw can't do much in most situations . To get any kind of production much support equipment is needed. A log in feed deck and a fast log turner, push button dogs and tapers on the log end and on the board end a surge deck for the edger, edger green chain or tailer or both. And a way to load the main green chain and slab kick off with another accumulator. With something like this set up you saw logs until everything is loaded and then start cleaning up.

[longtime lurker]

It's a thing.  Here to keep the saw working continuously... Sawyer, two guys behind the mill to dock stack and tally and keep the waste moving, another to keep logs up to it and generally float around wherever needed.  Do it with three in good logs but we haven't allowed for a ringing phone or an order needing to be packed for delivery. Haven't turned the moulder on either.

One day I'll get the back end setup installed and then it'll be more like 6 to keep it flowing through my plan isn't to run that hard. I just want more volume an hour so I can work less hours. I want my life back.

It's the elephant in the corner when mill manufacturers talk about production capacities. I tried to talk a farmer I knew into trading his D8 for my D6 once, I needed an 8 and for the work he did a year a 6 would have been plenty. His response was I get about a week in a year to sit on a dozer and I need a lot to happen in that week. I can't spare the extra week to do the same amount of work with a D6. If you can only fit in 3 hours of sawing a day how much wood do you want to make?

[thecfarm]

Working alone is hard work too!!!
I log, then saw, then build.
Don't worry about the ones that say, I could get that done in 2 weeks.  :
They will never show up to help.  ???

[taylorsmissbeehaven]

I too have an LT 35. IMHO, this mill is not made for production. It is made to help save the back a bit with some hydraulics!! I saw alone and have the same situation. Other tasks take much time and keep the band from being in the wood. At one time I became really frustrated with hourly production targets and trying to push for more. I make a small amount of money with my mill but it is not my main income. More like a hobby that pays for itself. I took a step back a few months ago and evaluated what I was doing. I have a mill because I enjoy turning trees into lumber. Part of that for me is cutting them down/ sourcing them and all that goes with getting them to the mill and so on. I set up a few roller tables to help my back out even more and went back to ENJOYING my saw mill and not worrying about production numbers. I found that this made me much happier and has increased the amount of time I am sawing. I understand that many folks on here do this for a living. Trying to keep up with an LT70, an edger and two helpers will make you crazy if all you have is an LT35. Understanding your limits and working within them will help keep sawing a job you enjoy. Keeping that in mind, its not so much like work anymore. JMTC 

[jpassardi]

I'm with you on that Taylor. You have to consider the end goal.
If it's a side deal you got into because you enjoy it, a pretty quick way to make it another job that frustrates you is to obsess over production. I have made numerous upgrades to up production, but it's driven as much by reducing manual labor. They're often directly proportional.
I have a comfortable cash investment that allows the equipment to sit idle until I want/need to use it.
I also mill primarily from trees that I harvest and process slabs for boiler heat.

[Magicman]

I never consciously made a decision to do it, but probably the best sawing decision that I made was to never worry or even think about hourly or daily productivity.  For me, sawing has to be fun or otherwise it's just a job/work.

If I saw 600bf in a day, fine.  If I saw 1600bf or 2600bf in a day, still fine.  I know that it will all average out in the end and all of the customer's logs will be sawn.

I am often asked by the customer "how long will it take"?  My response is generally, "let's see how it goes".  I know that we will saw 15-20 logs but production depends upon his log and lumber handling. 

I do not and will not ever keep production records.     

[WV Sawmiller]

   I tell the customer a range of expected production but clarify it nearly all depends on the logs, preparation and the help. Since the longer it takes me the more it typically costs the customer in help and time used he has incentive to be as efficient as possible. BTW - I am nearly always sawing by the BF so faster or slower does not return me more money.

[SawyerTed]

Sawing solo, stacking, clean up etc. does take time and lots of it.  It's hard work and getting in a hurry can be dangerous!  

I've rarely had customers expect me to saw solo.   But they do need to have some idea of what they get for X amount of time/money.  Hobby guys don't have to worry about those expectations.  

Sawing for myself, I do saw solo sometimes and I probably spend 3 or 4 times the "sawing time" stacking, loading logs, cutting slabs moving saw dust and clean up.  

[tmbrcruiser]

I'll be sawing solo for a while, my help (nephew) left me. I couldn't be happier though, he is enrolled in New York at Paul Smith Forestry Collage. 

As luck would have it the first logs I sawed solo were two red oaks one 36" on the butt and 18' the other 39" on the butt and 20'. A day and half later 1,380 bf, man I sure do miss him. 

[Rhodemont]

I am happy with where I am although should add some rollers to help handling.  The LT35HD, edger, and 20inch planer are enough.  This is a hobby for me using my forest land to turn trees into lumber for my own use.  The mill has more than paid for itself avoiding buying lumber and I do generate some cash selling fence boards, 4 x 4, and saw logs.  Upon completion of sawing the lumber for the barn build the mill will likely sit more unless I decide to generate more sales which I will do at my production rate.  

(PS:  Yikes Tmbrcruiser those are bigger than I like to deal with)