Winter sawing tips

[ARKANSAWYER]

  I have been to Alaska and 65 below is cold and I could not find 2 sicks big enough to rub together.   I stepped off the plane in Fairbanks it was 25 below and I could not breathe.  This poor Southern boy froze the 3 years up there.  I did like the 23 hours of daylight in the summer and the fishing and hunting but those 6 months of winter killed me.  If I come to visit it will be in June.
ARKANSAWYER   ;)

[Jeff]

My dream Vacation would be to Alaska and Kiwi Charlie land. My wifes dream vacation wood be to the bahamas or some place with a beach. I would go to Alaska in the winter if I had the chance, but would probably prefer summer.

[Minnesota_boy]

Jeff,
My wife and I went to Alaska last summer and found that they have spruce, yellow birch, aspen, and cottonwood.  Not much other wood that i saw there, pretty boring place.  :D
The scenery was nice and we watched people catch fish, I even caught a Dolly Varden while fishing for King Salmon.  You should go look for yourself.

[Minnesota_boy]

ARKANSAWYER  
You should come to northern Minnesota, at least we have sticks to rub together.  

[ADfields]

Fairbanks IS VERY cold but I live in Palmer and it's not that bad here, nothing like northern Minnesota!   We have sticks a plenty around hear to get worm with if it ever gets to be winter that is! ???  
This AM at daybrake in this part of Alaska!

The coldest it's been at this house in the 6 years we have had it was last December 14th, -13 but down in town it was -32.
June is the alaska summer for shure!  8)   Bring your bugdope :
The best time I think is first week of September, hunting! 8)
Or February for the Fur Rondy and Iditarod start,  Alaskans hoopen it up 8)   You cant beet the ugley truck and dog contest!
Not much to do in June, July and August but combat fishing and watch the RV's by the thousand slowing down the cars  :-/
Andy

[Bro. Noble]

I just came in for dinner after sawing this morning in the frigid weather we are having.  Had a really close call and learned something new.  Thought I had better pass this on right away and maybe save someone some grief.

Winter Sawing Tip:
When you are sawing in frigid weather and in addition to wearing normal togs you have long underwear, vest, coat, sweatshirt, tightfitting insulated boots, and insulated coveralls: when nature calls, you don't necessarily want to wait until you finish sawing the log you are working on.

Noble

[whitepe]

My winter sawing tip is to store your mill
in your father-in-law's barn until it warms up
in the spring.  One of the benefits of this being a hobby.  ;D

[WV_hillbilly]

 About the middle of Nov. I put the chainsaws away for at least 4 months, pull on my insulated Cabela's gloves and wrap them around one of my Ruger rifles and chase those deer up and down our hills. Some days the deer are smarter but not always. ;)

Hillbilly

[Norm]

Winter is when we do most of our logging to supply our mill. Actually it is one of the few times we can get into the woods because of the crops being in during the rest of the year. I really enjoy getting out when it is cold but the wind is not blowing real hard, a lite snow falling in the woods is one of the prettiest sights. We have been working a site that is mostly black locust, real tall and skinny but very straight. Another tree that is in this tract is honey locust, full of thorns but some of the nicest wood to work with once you get it sliced up. My logger friend has been bringing me some leftover cherry and walnut crotches that they would usually just leave in the woods. I slip some cash in his pocket and supply him all the figured wood he can use, keeps us both happy.

We only saw when it's above 32, keeps the machinery happy and me warmer, I bring the water bottle in each night and keep it full as possible. Really don't use that much when the logs are frozen.

[Minnesota_boy]

If I only sawed when it was above 32, I'd miss out on the best half of my sawing days.  I finally dicided to shut down for the winther though.  The walking on the frozen ruts while carrying the slabs and boards about done me in.  Besides, the lakes have good ice on them this year and I need to liberate some of the fish from that frozen jail.  :D
Yesterday I went out on the ice of a deep lake, with some trepidation, until I checked the ice and found 10" already.

[bull]

Its been warmer in Alaska than it has been here in Massachusetts.. Send us some heat... Can't stop sawing have to keep the money coming in So I can buy some more toys for the Mrs so I have something to use!!! :D  We keep the shop at 70 degrees and have the mill set up right out side so as soon as ya feel a little chill you step in and warm up. No off site milling at all... I have a heating pad on the water and the accusett. seems to work pretty good

[Jeff]

I just came in for dinner after sawing this morning in the frigid weather we are having.  Had a really close call and learned something new.
Noble

Noble my first thoughts as I started to read this is "why didn't he put this in the health and safety section?"

 :D :D :D

[GarryW]

Ahh, such fun after a month on the road, I can finally get back to sawing. Notice the nice organized pile of logs the customer left me.  :D

I ran all day without using any blade lubricant, so logs built up and others didn't. Strange, it was all white pine and all cut about a month ago. The real reason is that I have not replaced the fuse in the Lubemizer yet. :-[




More tomorrow, I hope that they get the logs organized so I can get the other 20 cut.

garry

[woodmills1]

It was 11 degrees this morning when I started.  cut two trees and stretched 4 16 foot logs plus 2 eights.  Picked up a nice standing dead to burn in the stove this week.  was home early enough to cut 16 pieces of 1x6x16 and should get 14 more tomorrow, plus I will cut up the eights I have been collecting all these weeks.  It actually was kinda nice out once the sun broke thorugh.  Hope the cutting tomorrow goes well because I still have some dirt to dozer work on while it is not yet frozen hard.  Lets hear it for workin in the cold.  two shirts and long underwear. :D

[ARKANSAWYER]

Garry,
  Add about 1/2 inch of ice on every thing and your pictures would look like here.  The snow is not bad but the ice is a killer.
 Minnesota_boy,
  I have been up there and the Mississippi was not muddy and people talk funny.  I went Ice fishing in Alaska and the ice was 70 inches thick and it was -25 degrees.  The fish froze to death so we had to keep every thing we caught.
   Winter sawing tip,  COVERALLS.
ARKANSAWYER

[Scott_R]

Garry, Your customer is sure going to be surprised by his cutting bill. The sawing charge plus 17 move charges is going to make for some expensive lumber. Scott

[ADfields]

Ice last may 5th on the Matanuska river in Alaska.

The blocks are about 5 foot thick and 30 foot round.

This year we have NO ICE at all in this part of the state and around Fairbanks it's real thin and people keep faling in and most are not found, 6 or 8 so far.   The good side is thay are still water sking on the lakes hear and no deaths so far from himarking this year, cant himark with no snow.
Andy

[GarryW]

Well, he did say that he was going to use his tow truck to move them last night. I'll wait and see. At least I can pack up and move the mill in 5 or so minutes.

And I definitely prefer the snow to the ice. I keep waiting for all of the snow to pack down into ice and then I'll be sliding around a bit.

The one thing about the snow on the logs, is that you cannot easily see things like rocks embedded in the base. Fortunately the one that I found came out easily.

I cannot wait to see how the ants are doing in one of the butt logs. It has some really nice honeycomb in it.

[GarryW]

One winter tip -- sticker your wood as soon as you can. The reason is that they may freeze together and then you'll have a heck of time getting them apart. I just put some in the kiln that were frozen together but I was able to separate them but they had a lot of ice on them.

[Minnesota_boy]

Sometimes they freeze together right behind the saw.  I've had to beat the board off the log so I could stack it a few times.

[Geoff]

We do that here.  Great idea is to cruise the trash bins at your local building supply store, and scoop up their used softwood lumber wrap.  Take it and put it over your stickered piles to keep the melted snow or rain from seeping down into your piles.  Free & easy....

Geoff