Whatcha Sawin' 2022 ??

[caveman]

We did not saw anything today, but my youngest daughter (Aunt Madison) and my grandson did get to sit on an ipe board across a sawhorse for a makeshift seesaw.

 It was nearly dark, but the phone camera brought in a lot of light.

[cutterboy]

caveman, that's the way to have fun. Grab an old plank and make it a see-saw. That's the way I grew up...having fun with what we had.

BTW, good looking boy and mom too.

[caveman]

Thank you.  That is his aunt, my youngest daughter.   

[tule peak timber]

will it transform into a table base?

Hi Doc, 
This root will be squared up as just a solid cube for the customer who will use it as a coffee table or an end table. We cut these infrequently and it's always been a dilemma for me on how to charge for them. You can take a large diameter walnut log, that costs a fortune to bring in, and produce only one or two cubes that you have to charge a huge amount for that no one will pay. Or you can take the same walnut log, cut it into slabs, and sell the slabs all day long at a high price. We've done some Taiko drum mounts from giant chunks of walnut and various other architectural, artsey pieces, but there is no money in it. People tend to follow what they see in the designer magazines. Enter all of our hollow, faux stuff we produce. That I can make money on.

[jasonb]

No cutting today.  Might get some Christmas sawing done tomorrow.

Went outside 4 times yesterday with the intent of putting a blade on and do some sawing, only to be turned around by the freezing cold wind coming from the north.

32°F temps shut me down quickly.

[Magicman]

I have 9 firm jobs on the book but my goal/intent is to not saw before the third week in January no matter what the weather does.  The largest is an 80 mile away whole house SYP framing lumber job.  There is also a ~30 log ERC job with some stunning logs.

[Magicman]

I gots to learn to keep my mouth shut 'cause whenever I discuss slowing down, da phone rings.  The "Sand Box" customer wants me back in February.  :

[GAB]

I gots to learn to keep my mouth shut 'cause whenever I discuss slowing down, da phone rings.  The "Sand Box" customer wants me back in February.  :

If you do, Mrs. Pat will probably call the doc and make an appointment for you thinking you are sick.
Congratulations on a new inquiry.
GAB

[jasonb]

MM

It is better to let others figure out that you have slowed down than to announce it.

[Magicman]

True but I really have not announced anything to my customers, only you guys.  

Should we/I suspect that there is a mole here on the FF??  :D

Remember that you and I discussed this last week.  When the time comes I will either quit or croak.  

I have been sawing for the "Sand Box" customer since 2017, and it certainly is not hard work sawing one post from each log with no side lumber.  The logs are dirty/sandy so lots of wire brushing but brushing pays the same as sawing.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I still predict there will be a trail of sawdust coming from MM's casket on the way to the cemetery and I would not be surprised to hear the pallbearers saying "I'd swear I heard the corpse talking about something called ' Quartersawn' once we closed the closed the casket." Or maybe we could get hm a custom casket out of hickory and watch him jump out and say "Ain't no way I'm spending eternity in that!"

[Magicman]

Better than Sweetgum.  :D

[jasonb]

MM

The Lord hears everything.  And he will not be denied.

[E-Tex]

 

 

 


Prospect just sent me pics of this beauty to mill.  Perfect for the LT50 😬😬  Blue Stains included🤷🏻‍♂️

[Magicman]

Better you than me!!  :D

[doc henderson]

ugly on the outside, gorgeous in the inside.  

drying thin wood for coaster stock. in Drying and Processing (forestryforum.com)

[terrifictimbersllc]

I did a site visit yesterday to a beech log looked sort of like that.  Customer emailed that it was 26" dia.  

Turned out to be oval, 28 at widest on wide end, but across the center it was up to 48" wide.  Stubs sticking out all around, probably 4000 lb, on a sloping yard site.     

Felt much better immediately after emailing him that I couldnt do it. 

[doc henderson]

@YellowHammer is that considered a log?      :new_year:

[GAB]

@YellowHammer is that considered a log?     :new_year:

Doc:
I don't think so because in its present form it would take too much of a slope for it to roll.
GAB

[Magicman]

Felt much better immediately after emailing him that I couldnt do it. 

No is a very viable word.  

[YellowHammer]

That is definitely NOT a log. It's still a tree, and a dead zombie tree at that.  The good news in that is that if it was brought to you, it wouldn't even roll off the trailer.  

It's rotten and hollow in the center from the branch that broke off in the major fork, it's got more nails than Lowe's, it's got a lightning rip up the side to the void at the first fork, maybe a bee or hornet nest right there in the little hole, and well, it's just a 9.5 on the dontouchometer.  That's all I can tell from the black and white picture, no telling what would jump out if eyeballed in person.  



 

[WV Sawmiller]

 

 

 
I went to a repeat customer site 20 miles away. A year or so back I sawed poplar framing for a big shop. He evidently has that up now wants siding so he cut these small oaks from 6' to 14' long. He only wanted 3/4" X 8" boards so there was a good bit of waste but its his logs and his money so I'll saw whatever he wants that the logs will make. Many were too small to make cants so I did a lot more through and through sawing then edging flitches than usual. The customer is an excellent helper and his 13 & 16 y/o grandsons are doing well keeping a log on the arms. The logs were so spread out I moved the mill closer after we had moved/sawed 20 or so logs to make it easier and kept the logs cleaner. It was 28 degrees F when we started about 0800 and the logs were frozen to the ground. It warmed up to the mid 50's and the ground began to get muddy so I remembered and reminded the customer to lay a good track with the waste slabs to keep the logs cleaner and help them roll better. That is a trick you guys need to remember if you are not already doing it where the customer has no MHE to move the logs.


 10' and 8' boards. Rows are 10-11 boards wide and all boards are 8" wide.

14' on bottom and 12' on top
 

 
These are 6' boards end to end. I think there was 63-66 of them at closing which was all he needed per his cut list.

This was the look at the end of the day at sunset. We did not do a tally yet but I am comfortable we will finish tomorrow with weather scheduled like today. 

This is a vey good customer and I picked up a couple of good jobs this summer from his referral and referral from the referral. Best advertising there is!

[Magicman]

Prospect just sent me pics of this beauty to mill.

So what is it?  It's shaped kinda like a Pecan but the bark doesn't look right.  Surely not Live Oak?  

[Resonator]

the dontouchometer

Sounds similar to finding a piece of Leaverite in the woods. When you find one, you leave 'er right where you found it.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Oh yeah, I just remembered. My debarker was a lifesaver today with all the ice and mud on the customer's logs. I know many of you guys do a much more detailed cleaning of the logs with pressure washers or wire brushes and such than I do. I wonder how time spent doing so compares to the blade life expectancy and time used comparing with using a good debarker and maybe just having to change the blade more often? Anybody ever done a detailed comparison? I don't sharpen my own blades. Right now I have pretty good turn around on blade sharpening. Oh yeah, the LT 35 has the hinged blades covers so changing a blade is very quick and simple.