A day of firsts!

Nomad · April 23, 2012, 09:41:18 PM

Got to the current jobsite this morning and found out my mill had somehow been rotated about 30 degrees overnight, knocking it off a pad supporting one side to level it. ??? It needed a shoehorn to get it in there. No damage, but it took us more than an hour to get it leveled out again. Couldn't see any evidence or possible way that could happen, but it did.
Up til now I've taken great pride in having good situational awareness and never having sawed into my mill. This morning, (with 6 witnesses!) I tried to saw through a backstop. :-[
I've also never rolled a log off the backside of the mill. Until today. An hour after I sawed the backstop, In front of the same 6 witnesses, I did just that. I said things like "My Goodness" and "Dear Me." >:(
Well, tomorrow is another day. I just hope none of those same people come by to watch the show! :D

pnyberg · April 23, 2012, 10:23:31 PM

I've ruined a blade on a backstop several times. So far, I haven't rolled a log off the back side of the mill, but in one case it was only because the log wasn't round enough to roll that far. I've worked hard on establishing a habit of putting the backstops all the up and the clamp all the way out before lifting the loading arms. Once in a while something interrupts the flow...

--Peter

cypresskayaksllc · April 23, 2012, 10:32:50 PM

That fair I demonstrated at couple weeks ago I had a log roll off the back side. with about 20 people watching. 1st time thats happened. I had to laugh myself on that one.

fishpharmer · April 23, 2012, 10:38:15 PM

Nomad, don't worry........

you probably won't hit the backstop ever again, until you have at least seven people watching. ;) :D

At least that's my luck.

Are there cows or any other large animals with access to your mill? They may have bumped it, If not, must be some haints

WDH · April 23, 2012, 10:39:05 PM

Haints or hogs :D.

Sawmill Man · April 23, 2012, 10:47:22 PM

Maybe my day wasnt as bad as I thought.

thecfarm · April 24, 2012, 08:19:19 AM

I always say,just want to show you want not to do. :D

Magicman · April 24, 2012, 09:32:50 AM

I have had cattle to do some bad things to the sawmill at night. :-\

The other bad things were mine. ;D

Bogue Chitto · April 24, 2012, 09:50:14 AM

I rolled a log off the backside of my mill. 2000 lb log. It was after Christmas, my son left his new Christmas gift bike by the mill. Never the less I had to run to the bike store to get the 4 yr old a new bike. The log made it look like a pancake. :

. By the way son was no where near mill while it is in operation.

Chuck White · April 24, 2012, 10:08:35 AM

I have had (if I remember right) 2 logs roll off the back side of the mill since I've owned it.

I figured that during the milling of over 300,000 board feet of lumber, that's not too bad!

Last week while sawing on a White Pine job, the back stops weren't down as far as I thought they were and I ticked the point of the first one, just enough to remove some set, but the blade cleared the second one and finished the cut!

Just a few of those things that "come with the territory"!

customsawyer · April 24, 2012, 05:49:33 PM

Nomad that is all just part of being a good sawyer. You have to show every one how you can deal with difficulties. ;D

Nomad · April 25, 2012, 06:40:14 AM

Yeah, this particular job is not one of the easy ones. Lousy log pile, nails, etc. This time it seems as if I've either got Too much help or not enough, but the only one worth his salt is a retired West Virginia coal miner. (At 73 he's working the logs' owner into the dust.) :D
No critters around at this place, although I've had cows get curious about the mill in the past as well. I still haven't figured out what moved the mill. No tracks in the sawdust around the mill except mine, so I have no idea.

TreeWinder · April 25, 2012, 07:05:58 AM

I'd figure a way to chain it, maybe early attempt to steal it.

pineywoods · April 25, 2012, 11:32:55 AM

UFO :

WDH · April 25, 2012, 10:05:51 PM

I am still with Phish. Must have been haints.

okmulch · April 25, 2012, 10:18:11 PM

I figure you might as well get it all out of the way in one day! Hopefully it is smooth sailing now.

nas · April 26, 2012, 02:06:34 PM

95% of band sawyers say they have hit a backstop.... The other 5% are liars :D

bama20a · April 26, 2012, 02:32:14 PM

Quote from: nas on April 26, 2012, 02:06:34 PM
95% of band sawyers say they have hit a backstop.... The other 5% are liars :D

Had my mill for several weeks now & havn't sawed the first log yet :'(Did order blades yesterday,So the first thing I'm going to do is,Raise the back stop up,saw it with a brand new blade & get that over with ;D 8)

Nomad · April 27, 2012, 09:38:29 PM

Fish, Danny, maybe you're right

Got to the site today and there's an estate sale in progress. Turns out the owner passed away a month or so ago and this is his kid moving in. I didn't know that.
He was only in his 60s and had health problems for awhile. He died in the house. He REALLY liked his trees. According to the old coal miner he was also a practical joker!
I'm not real big on haints. But now, if nobody minds too much, I'm gonna break out my Ouija board and maybe think about sacrificing a chicken too (just in case...) :D

Dave VH · April 27, 2012, 10:30:12 PM

I have a home made track under my mill, and I have probably rolled a dozen logs off the wrong side. Most of the time my boys are watching, and laughing at me. Oh well my track is only 4 or 5in off the ground, so no big deal

Magicman · April 27, 2012, 10:40:12 PM

I had another "first" today. I have had many blades to break, and some of them in two different places. Today's break was in two different places, and an 18" section of blade landed on the ground to the right of the loader and probably 10' from the sawmill. I had just engaged the clutch and was about a foot from the log end when it broke.