A new home for a very special mill

[scsmith42]

Long time members of the Forestry Forum are well versed with the very special contributions made by long time member Tom Cadenhead of Florida.  Tom was one of the earliest members of the Forum, and when I first joined back in 2005 he took the time to reach out to me and thank me for some of the initial  thoughts, perspectives and contributions that I shared on the Forum.  As a new member (and not knowing how my contributions were received by some of the older members), Tom's act of kindness made me feel not only welcome, but appreciated, and I remember them to this day. 

Those who knew Tom recognized that he had a rare gift of clarity of thought combined with intelligent – yet down to earth perspectives.  Coupled with a gift for writing and a penchant for kindness, he was a special person that everybody wanted to spend time with.  He just had a unique and thoughtful manner about him, and his death in October of 2011 was a tremendous loss for all of us.

A long time miller, in 2007 Tom received a new Baker 3638D mill while at the Sawlex show in South Carolina.  This mill was a surprise to Tom; it was a replacement for an earlier model Baker that his wife Gael and the folks at Baker arranged for him to receive and he had no idea that this extraordinary gift awaited him at the show.  I had the good fortune to attend the Sawlex Show and to not only meet Tom, Raider Bill, Ivey, Metal Spinner, Jeff and Tammy as well as some other members; I also got to see Tom's new mill in person before Tom was aware that it was going to be his.  The size and features of it were impressive, and I never forgot it.

Fast forward to October of 2013, when an opportunity to increase my sales arose which necessitated the expansion of production, so I started the process to acquire an additional mill.  From the time that this opportunity first arose, I thought of Tom's mill and wondered if Gael had ever sold it.  I reached out to Tom's brother Charlie, and he kindly put me in touch with Gael and I learned that not only did she still have the mill, prior to my call it was only within the last week or so that she had reached the decision of being able to let it go to a new home.  For Gael, the mill was a daily reminder of Tom and through it she felt his presence after his death.  Fortunately for me, Gael wanted the mill to go to someone who knew and appreciated Tom, and my contact was quite timely for both of us. 

My brother in law and nephew live a few hours away from Gael, and they traveled to her home to take some photos and provide me with some initial information about the mill.  The mill was a little bit overgrown, but not too much.



 



 


Subsequently a deal was struck between Gael and I, and during the last week of October my brother Jeff and I traveled to Florida to do some maintenance; bring the mill (which I call "Tom) back to life, load it up and transport it back to my farm in North Carolina.   

Tom was a little "set in his ways" so to speak, and if you look closely at the photo you will note that initially he didn't want to leave home....



 

Fortunately he relented, and we were able to get him loaded up on my trailer.  Due to the unknowns about his condition, I felt it best to trailer him back to NC as opposed to towing him.  It's a good thing that I have a long trailer; my deck length is 37' and Tom is over 35' long; filling up the entire trailer!



 



 



 



 



 


On our way home we stopped by the Navy Cemetery to see Tom's grave (in the forefront of the photo) and say a prayer, and it was an emotional moment for all of us.



 


After spending several days going over everything, cleaning off rust, resetting tolerances and replacing a few  parts that had deteriorated, this afternoon I fired "Tom" up and together we milled a couple of southern yellow pine logs.  It is great to see him back in action after his long rest.



 



 

Although technically I am now the owner of the mill, in my mind and in my heart it will always be "Tom's Mill".   My sincere thanks go out to Charlie for putting me in touch with Gael, and to Gael for allowing me to become the new steward for "Tom".  Additionally I really appreciated the assistance from my brother Jeff (RockingJL on the FF) for helping with loading and transport (and his grading skills too!), and my brother in law Kevin and nephew Chris for doing the initial recon.

[Nomad]

     I was fortunate enough to run that mill, and I'm surely glad to see it's gotten a new home with someone who appreciates both the mill and the previous owner.  Congratulations on your purchase!  I'm sure it'll give you many hours of great service.

[OneWithWood]

Very glad the mill found a home with someone that appreciates its history.
Use it well, Scott.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

This is one of the most touching stories I have ever read, Scott.
Talk about keeping memories alive....you are very lucky my friend.
Let the sawdust fly in the name of Tom.
I'm proud of you and so are the rest of us. 

[Dave Shepard]

I'm glad to see Tom's mill has a great new home.  8) I think Tom would be happy to know the mill was off on a new adventure as well. 

[thecfarm]

That was nice gesture that you stopped in to show Tom his mill. Need more men like you in this world.

[samandothers]

Scott
Great Job!

I did not know Tom but gather from others posts he was a fantastic person!  Your posts I have read indicate his mill is in great hands.

Great story, great job! 

[nk14zp]

Congrats.

[kelLOGg]

Congrats, Scott. I know Tom would be pleased to have you as the new owner.

Bob

[Peter Drouin]

Good job 

[Holmes]

 It is great to hear Tom's Tom has a new home.  8)

[isawlogs]

Félicitation,
   I am so happy to hear that Tom's mill has a sweet new home to call home.   

[ddcuning]

Awesome story Scott. Glad so see a mill like that go to someone with such an appreciation for it.

Dave C

[Bill Gaiche]

Oh man, what a story. If this won't bring a tear to your eye then nothing will. The photo at the cemetery did me in. Glad that you are the one to take Tom on a new journey for I know Tom will be smiling every time the sawdust starts to fly. bg

[beenthere]

A very heart warming story, and a great feeling that "Tom" is back on the job. Many thanks for your pursuit and success.

[Magicman]

Thank you Scott for sharing this bit of history, present, and future.  I am certain that you will be the proper caretaker of this piece of FF antiquity.  Tom would be proud.

[Ga Mtn Man]

 :'(  Here's to many happy years of milling for you and Tom.

[AdamT]

This is just great! Thank you

[WDH]

I have wondered about Tom's mill, and I am very pleased to see that you now have it, Scott. 

[ayerwood]

Awesome story!  That's all I can say.  Awesome story!

[Texas Ranger]

well done

[Texas Ranger]

I saw "Tom Cadenhead" on the mill, wonder what the whole thing said.

[sprucebunny]

Congratulations, Scott. I think Tom's mill has gone to the right home.

[customdave]

Scott                                                                                                                   Good  job, I would have liked to have met Tom in person, but just conversing through this form with tom on a few occaisions, I'm sure Tom is proud his mill has a good new home! Take care of Tom & God Bless Scott....                                                   Dave

[mikeb1079]

  8)

that's a fine story and mill to boot!!

[Dave Shepard]

It looks like it says "Sold to Tom Cadenhead, Jacksonville, FL" I think I remember that.

[Chuck White]

You done good Scott!

Definitely brings a tear to a guys eye, especially at the cemetery and on Veterans Day!

Thank you so very much for posting!

Chuck

[Bibbyman]

I love a good story with a happy ending.    :P

Say, anyone know where his firts mill is?  He sawed a couple million board feet on a Wood-Mizer LT40.  Last I remember he loaned it to someone that needed a mill.

[schakey]

Wonderful just wonderful  smiley_clapping  thanks for the story.

[customsawyer]

Good story. Congrats on the new mill.

[submarinesailor]

Scott,

Job good!!!!!

I too have been wondering what had happened to Tom's mill and I'm very happy to see that it has gone to a new "good" home.

THANK YOU for letting us know about this.

Bruce

[slider]

Well done Scott,nice mill.

[wwsjr]

I had the good fortune to be at Sawlex, meet and talk with Tom the day the mill was unveiled. He was one happy sawyer. Just to sit and talk with Tom was something I will never forget.
Willie

[Jemclimber]

Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. 

[Happycamper]

Scott,
  A heart warming story, you are very fortunate to have the mill and I can only imagine the pleasure you will have using it.
                                       Jim

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I also have thought about Toms mill from time to time.
I am glad it is in good hands and back up and running.

Jon

[Dad2FourWI]

What a neat story!!!!

... and yes, I admit that both my wife and I both shed a tear reading this!!!!

-Dad2FourWI

[scsmith42]

All:  Thanks for the kind words.  Hopefully Gael will be able to log in and share some thoughts of her own. My brother and I really enjoyed our time with her; we did a little road work while we were there and she fed us like kings and regaled us with stories about her and Tom.  Clearly, like Tom she is a very special person and I'm sure that Tom's life was never dull!

To answer some questions..

TR: the mill is labeled "Sold to Tom Cadenhead, Jacksonville FL", which I intend to leave in place.

Bibby - I recall that Gael mentioned that Tom's old Woodmizer went to a local fellow that used to mill with Tom. 

All:  Gael still has Tom's Kodiak flatbed truck which she would like to sell. It has a Cat Diesel, and I think that it's either a 5500 or 6500 series truck.   

Today was a good milling day; we churned out a couple of thousand board feet or so of pine siding with Tom and a few hundred bd ft of white oak for a customer with the Peterson.  Milling a 36" SYP was fun too!  Mainly we took our time in order to get a good feel for the controls and not bend/break/strike anything.  Tomorrow we plan to mill some more siding and I might even experiment with some band mill quartersawing as well as experimenting with the setworks.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

You may have snow on the ground in the morning Scott. 

[red oaks lumber]

well done sir, well done! thankyou

[coastlogger]

What a great story. I hope,when my number comes up,that my "stuff" gets even a fraction of the appreciation and love you have bestowed on Tom's prized mill.Well done,and thanks for sharing it in such a thoughtful manner.

[fat olde elf]

And the legend lives on.  Good job Scott..... Only on the Forum......God bless us all.

[CHARLIE]

Scott, thank you for this post.  I certainly appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness.  I also appreciate all the help you and your brother gave to Gael while you were there getting the mill ready for the trailer.  I can't think of a better place for Tom's mill and I'm sure Tom is smiling knowing that the mill is back in operation.  I am grateful that you took the mill to the cemetery before you left for home. I know that helped Gael a lot and was very meaningful to her.  Scott, you are a good man.  I know the mill is in good hands and will be cared for and worked hard.    I like that you call the mill Tom.

[Gael]

Scott -  after speaking with you the first time you called in regards to purchasing the mill I knew that you would not only take care of the mill but respect the history and after reading your story as Tom would say "good show!"

Some of you might remember a story that Tom wrote about the time Baker showed up and pulled his first mill back to Missouri for repairs and he stated that he wanted to chase after the mill as it went up the driveway and not let it go.  I now know how he felt as when it went out in a cloud of dust all I could think was "NOOOOOOOO, what have I done, come back!"



 



 

Then we went by the cemetery and as Scott mentioned it was an emotional moment but it also felt right.


 



 

The numbers on the back of his stone are the location, section nine, plot 631.

Scott and Jeff met the family that adopted Tom and I, Bobby, Allison and her boys (she has 4) still talk about Tom and miss him also, in this picture is Allison, a truly wonderful person and the daugher we never had or as Tom would say "the son I never had"  she is one of a kind like him.



 

It was a very poignant moment when the mill crossed over the FL/GA line for the last time



 

Tom enjoyed sawing in Folkston and surrounding areas in Georgia and northern Florida.  Every now and then when business would slow down he would start to worry and I would tell just get in the truck with the mill on the back, have lunch at the Okeefeenocce restaurant in Folkston and come home, sure enough by the time he would arrive back the phone had already started ringing. 

The pictures of the mill running and piling up sawdust did my heart good, I know that Scott is the correct person to have the mill and will take care of "Tom" as he deserves. 

I appreciate all the time and effort that Scott and Jeff did in helping fix the driveway, when Kevin (Scott's brother-in-law) showed up to take pictures of the mill and I joked with him about it was an adventure to get to the house and gave new meaning to the saying "over the river and thru the woods to the Cadenhead house we go"  :D  then Scott brought equipment  (a land scrapper, I have got to get me one of these!) for Jeff to work on the driveway while he worked on the mill, the generosity of their time and thoughtfulness of working on the mill there so that I could hear her run one more time on the property will always be remembered. 

It was a great three days, once Scott had the sawmill running and Jeff was running dirt on the backhoe all felt right in the world for the first time as these were the noises I was used to hearing and had missed. I regret that we were not able to take pictures of you both at the Holey Oak tree (still need to find it)

Thought I would end this on a funny note:  the night that Scott and Jeff showed up they both have on red T-shirts and seemed like pretty nice guys but here I was with two men I have never met in the middle of the woods, I had informed my neighbors that they were coming and had stopped over at Allison's on my way home that afternoon to pickup up her shotgun which she had loaded with brass cased double .00 buckshot and had placed it on the floor by the bed.  So during dinner a neighbor called and wanted to know if the white truck with the trailer was them and if they seemed OK, so I went on and informed Scott and Jeff of the concerns that my friends had of me being there alone with them and told them about the shotgun at that time just for good measure.  The next morning at breakfast when inquiring on how they had slept and such, Scott mentioned that he had wanted a glass of water but decided to only go to the bathroom to drink from the faucet as all he could think about was if he went to the kitchen to get a glass I would come out of the bedroom with that loaded shotgun and it was just too funny

I know that Tom is telling me "You did good, Gael"

[scsmith42]

Gael, thanks for your great post and pix; it brought a both a laugh from my gut as well as a tear from my eyes!  Jeff and I really enjoyed our stay, and we both feel that we made some new friends.

I'm headed back out to work more with Tom.  Today I'm going to experiment with quartersawing with him and perhaps explore the setworks too.

Take care.

Scott

[Weekend_Sawyer]

That was a wonderful post Gael.

Thank You
Jon

[fishpharmer]

Thanks Scott and Gael.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Great stories Ms. Gael. I see this is your first post.......so I just have to smile and say.....

"WELCOME TO THE FOREST FORUM!"

I love the pictures you posted......very, very nice. 


*****Scott....I believe I would have drank out of the toilet before I would have went to the kitchen!  :D :D :D*****

[Chuck White]

Great post, all the way!  8)

[thecfarm]

Well I can say one thing,Gael can tell stories just about as good as Tom could.   ;D  ;D

[moosehunter]

I've had a great day and this thread just made it better! Treat Tom like and old friend and you two will work together for years to come!

[MRowsh]

Outstanding.
I am happy for you.

[customsawyer]

Great post Gael.

[Magicman]

This entire story has a very nice ending just beginning.   ;)

[thecfarm]

How true Magicman,how true it is. 
I still can't get over how big those mills are. I saw them up close and was awed by the size. And strenght.Nice and beefy.

[Nomad]

     Gael, that was a great post.  I think I speak for many when I say I sure hope you stick around!  Don't let that post be an ending, but an extension.

[rockingjl]

I have not jumped in since I am mostly a lurker on this forum, but here goes.
This was going to be just another adventure with Scott for me, but I gotta tell you it will long be remembered. I will try to hit the high spots for me. We got in Monday evening at dusk and as we headed down the 1/2 mile tunnel and experienced the road we realized it was going to need some attention.(I don't think the sun hits the road anywhere between the pavement and where it opens into Gael's front yard) On arrival and saying howdy I though things were fine till I heard about the shotgun. Dinner was awesome by the way. After we turned in Scott was the brave one, big brother stayed in his room, I went thirsty. Tuesday Scott worked on the Tom's mill and I started on the drive, of course working any where with Scott is like working at Whispering Pines, just need to work a half day and doesn't matter which 12 hours we work. Did I mention the meals were awesome! Visiting with Gael, Bobby & Allison soon felt like we were old friends playing catch-up on what the others had been doing. I think when we stopped at the cemetery was a highlight for me while also emotional. Guys I don't think a lot of people realize the price our friends and relatives have paid for the freedoms we have. Take a walk thru a Veterans Cemetery sometime and read some of the headstones. I want to say thanks to any of you that have served our country. By the way Allison took that picture with the band saw blade on Tom's headstone. In the evenings while Gael was cooking and after dinner we heard stories and laughed and I realized how wonderful the relationship that Tom and Gael shared was. By the way Gael is a great cook, don't remember if I mentioned that. All an all a great trip, made some new friends, had a good time with Scott,(even if I did get him excited a little when the backhoe got a tiny bit close to his truck once or twice, really there was plenty of space between the backhoe and his truck) did not get to see the alligator or any large snakes but I am ok with not seeing them. I know Scott appreciates getting Tom's mill and will get good use out of it.

[Gael]

Thanks everyone for the kind words!
I spent hours composing that post both crying and laughing while doing it.

Tom and I believe that everyone needs something to call their own and the FF was his, even though Jeff had created me a user name when he sat up Tom's I never went on as the Foresty Forum was Tom's baby, he and Jeff would spend hours on the phone typing, tweaking, joking and cursing   teeter_totter when things would lock up, at one time the whole Forum was moved to our computer while Jeff maintained something on his end and they were up almost all night doing this but even though he would be worn out the next day you could see the satisfaction and joy in his eyes when whatever they were doing had worked.  Not sure if y'all are aware that Tom's professional background was computers but his true calling was as a sawyer.

I can still hear Tom calling from his office while I was in the kitchen asking "honey what word is it that means..." and it was always made me happy (and surprised) that I was able to find the correct word for him, he would spend hours composing post and on some of them would ask me to read before posting and he never failed to amaze me with his scope of knowledge.

Hey Jake - next time you and Lorane (sp) are thru Jacksonville, stop by, the drive is really in good shape  the gates stay closed but just call and they will be opened 

PS. the shotgun has been unloaded...

[Nomad]

     You see, Gael?  You've been a poster here for a long time; we just never knew it.  So don't be a stranger.  Nobody here knew Tom as well as you did.  Many people would like it if you'd share some of that.  He was pretty special to many of us, too.

[Red Clay Hound]

Great story!  I wish I had been able to meet Tom.  From all the stories I've heard, I feel like I know him we'll!

[RynSmith]

Thank you all for sharing such a great story.  From  :'( to  .

[Phorester]

This is bringing back fond memories of my visit with Tom and Gael in 2009. I had become friends with Tom over the course of a few years on this forum and a couple of others.  We were in FL to visit some of my wife's extended family.  Called Tom and said that I was a hundred miles or so from him and that I'd like to visit while I was down there if it wasn't too much trouble.  He said something like, You'd better! If I had found out later that you were so close and didn't come, you'd a-been in big trouble. 

We got to his house later than we had wanted; it was almost dark, it was a cool day for Florida, uncomfortable without a jacket. He was having knee problems, I believe, and it was difficult for him to walk. But he wanted me to see his property and the mill, so we scurried off through the woods to see all the sights he wanted to show us before it got too dark to see. Off we went, my son and my wife and I, while my mother-in-law visited with Gael on her porch.

Now, my MIL is not an easy one to please.  She is usually very uncomfortable alone with strangers.  I really was surprised that she didn't insist on waiting in the car while the rest of us visited.  :  But later after we had left and were headed up the Interstate, all she could talk about was what a wonderful time she had had with Gael.

Gael, you are truly an amazing person if you can make my MIL feel at home.  And, of course, Tom was just as I had expected; friendly, cordial, anxious to show off his property.  And of course the red T-shirt. 

I am really glad that his mill has found a new home and will be maintained and used. Tom would have wanted it only that way.

Very glad that I got to visit in person with such a man as Tom, and to meet such a woman as Gael.  Many thanks for the friendship and warm memories.  I will never forget.



The mill



What did Tom call this tree?



Wife, me, Tom, Gael in their house

[RynSmith]

Was it the 'holey oak'?   

[Jeff]

Was it the 'holey oak'?   

It sure was.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,17513.0.html

[Phorester]

YEP!  The holey oak. aka the mighty holey oak.  Thanks for the link too, Jeff.  I had never seen that thread and didn't know that the picture of my wife and me was there.   :  Proud to be a member of that pretty exclusive club.

[RynSmith]

And I completely forgot to thank you for sharing those pictures - thanks! 

[scsmith42]

I woke up this morning thinking about this post.  It's hard to believe that it's been over ten years since Tom joined our operation.  It brought a smile to my face to re-read all of the comments in the thread and think back to the start of our adventure.

Lots of sawdust under the belt since then (not to mention in my pockets...), along with rebuilt hydraulic cylinders, replaced hydraulic lines, a plethora of bands, two different radiator fans, an injection solenoid, drive chains replaced (more than once), carriage bearings - you name it! and a re-engineered roller guide system which increased the max cut width by 4 inches. 

But Tom keeps hanging in there and throwing sawdust out the side like he's just getting started.

Here is a recent pic of Tom with Maya helping me to adjust the roller guides.  It's been quite the adventure, to say the least!



 

[chickenchaser]

Scott

Thanks for kicking this thread back to the top.

Tom passed a year or so before my introduction to the Forestry Forum but that didn't keep me from learning to appreciate the man and his knowledge.

Your going back and reading the thread is similar to what I did early New Year's morning.
I read all the threads I started.
My appreciation grows for members now gone ( Danny) or unable to saw (Tom the Sawyer) only to name a few, plus current members and the administrators of this forum.

It helps me to know how much...and how little...I have learned.

Thanks again.

CC

[CCCLLC]

Thank you Scott. Love the update.

[caveman]

I'm glad to see you are still running it.  When I saw this thread pop up, I was concerned that you may have sent it down the road. 

[scsmith42]

I'll probably keep Tom until I'm too decrepit to run it!

[customsawyer]

Good looking pup. They sure keep it entertaining.

[Raider Bill]

I met Tom the day he got that mill.
We sat next to it and chatted a hour.
Great to see it still sawing.