OldJarheads Milling Thread...

[Bandmill Bandit]

take a look at my last pictures with the umbrella. those pieces didn't cost me 10 bucks and they work very well and come off in a bout a minute when I don't need em


 



 



  



 
Think it mighta took me a half hour to build it. That is an 8 foot umbrella.

[Weekend_Sawyer]

I like the umbrella setup. I also noticed the leaf blower in the back ground. I started using one to clean up the mill after a day of milling. It works great and is not as much mess as using a water hose like I used to.

Jon

[OlJarhead]

 
Got started early today as it was going to get hot (I only saw 85F at the site when I left (in my truck which was shaded by then) but it got to 95F in Republic and as soon as I was heading out after 5pm that's what I saw (95)....glad I started early!


There were about 43 logs in the deck with another 40 or so to add to it and I milled up 19 of them today.

OUt of those I got just over 1200bf.  Wish I could have done more but those small suckers just don't produce.

 
Had an E03 error twice to called WM and they advised taking the cord off and blowing it out.  THat did the trick!  No more errors on the SimpleSet after that.


I finally got my CANT sizes down though and with a setting of 6 7/8 tall and either 5 5/8 wide or 7 3/8 (rarely) I was rocking!  No more guessing.

Thanks to MM for the tip on the band thickness I used a spreadsheet and just worked it down so I knew what to target.  Much faster this way!


I ended up targeting 5 1/8" tall after I ran out of bigger logs (ok none of these are 'big' by my book!) and it was just so nice to draw back, set the head at 5 1/8" and hit SS and down   Away you go!

I managed 240bf / hr in the first two hours of the day (bigger logs closer to the mill) but man that dropped off later on!  Small logs just don't make much lumber in a hurry.

Good thing this job is by hour! ;)  And with no help today I was happy with my production.

[OlJarhead]

Bandit I love that!  I'm going to do it!  Thanks!

So today was a good day if not as much production as I'd like with only 999BF but that's with 22 logs!  They were all small and shorter than previous days with some 12's and a lot of 10 footers.


Early in the day (about 10:30) and it was getting hot so I took a break (3 1/2 hrs into the day).


Took the band off and call it break time!


The log deck was getting down there so I called the logger and asked that he deck up the rest of the logs or I'd have to take a day off!


Not much shade with this umbrella set up but at least it kept the head cool (mill not mine) and gave me a place to hide from the sun.  It was in the 90's and I was downing water like crazy.  Drank about 140oz throughout the day to stay alive!


Took another break at noon for lunch and again around 3pm to cool off.  The log deck was winding down at this point but I left 4 logs on the deck at 4:45 and called it a day!

Passed the logger on my way out so tomorrow I'll have another 40 logs or so but they are all smaller.  I hope to get through half of them and may finish up on Monday.  It will be nice to finish this job and head home!  It's been my biggest to date with this being the 2nd trip out (last was four days, this one will be 4 or maybe even 5).  Customer hasn't come by so I've been milling alone.  Funny thing though, I'm not minding it at all other than the heat and running out of room to stack the slabs.

I've gotten the cant sizes for dimensional down now too (I guess a week of milling like this will do that) and though I sometimes have to drop down to 5 1/8" instead of my preferred 6 7/8" it's nice to just draw back, flip the cant and set the head at 6 7/8 and 5 1/8 and hit Simple Set and down and away I go   Makes like so easy and I know get what MM was saying about knowing what the can't will be on the first opening!  So easy really once you understand.

[Peter Drouin]

Nice job , I use to turn the slabs the other way. I would ramp the things so I could walk up them and drop the slab off the far side.
Just have to watch for them sliding around when walking up them.
But after a while you find a way to lock them in so they won't move. ;D

Where you put the pile in the pic is good. 

[OlJarhead]

Thanks Peter.  Nothing like 100+ logs to get it down on.

Something kept ringing in my brain today, two things really.  1.  A WM rep told me an LT40HDG26 should cut a foot a sec on 18" logs.... I've counted and never got there.  2.  Someone here said "I run it till she bogs a little.

Hmmmmm...so I cranked up the feed rate on a 12" can't and she cut true at about a foot a second.  This caused me to try o. Smaller logs and sure enough it seemed to like it.  The dial is about 1 o'clock at that point t and I'm turning out the short logs much faster I think. Might even get 26 today which would leave me one more day of short logs to do :)

[OlJarhead]

I found that was a little too fast for the bands and bigger logs and had to back off.  8 to 10" tops and I can run just past 12 o'clock, maybe even 1 but found it wasn't best as the bands got hot and I started seeing wavy cuts on bigger logs.

In the end I did 25 logs for 950bf for the day.  These were mostly 8 footers.  Pics later....also got a vid of the first log (most of it) but I'm beat now!

[OlJarhead]

https://youtu.be/aXbZ2V4rhcU
First log of the day so I'm not yet in the swing of things but this is how I'm doing it these days

[OlJarhead]

Last day I only produced ~816bf but that was with few 8 footers, a dozen or so 6 footers and even a half dozen or so 4 footers! 

The customer asked if we could mill the rest of the 'small' logs despite the time and I said "of course, but it's your dime so you let me know what you want done and we'll make it happen!"  He was happy with my answer I guess as we began live sawing stuff for shelving and benches and posts etc....it was nice to have him there even if it was only for a few hours at the end of the job.

[Jim_Rogers]

How are you getting the mill to gig back automatically? is there a new setting on the newer mills? my mill doesn't do that. You have to hold the lever down.
or is it coasting?

How are you dealing with sawdust removal? I didn't see much there.

Jim Rogers

[venice]

Beautiful workplace! Thanks for sharing.

venice

[OlJarhead]

Jim it just worked out that way! lol it was slightly, despite my best efforts, downhill to the front so if I hit the return level quickly the head would coast back towards the front (and I lube the rails twice a day which may help)....sure made life easier ;)

[larrydown60]

Wow looking like an old pro running that mill lol Nice video thanks

[Bandmill Bandit]

How are you dealing with sawdust removal? I didn't see much there.

Jim Rogers

I keep a plastic 24 inch snow shovel handy (when not filling totes to order) and just shovel into a pile off the end of the mill about 8 feet and too the left most of the time. It works good and doesnt take extra time and is easy to get at with a FEL as a rule. BUT when you have people competing for the saw dust dont often have to move it.

[OlJarhead]

Sawdust?  We make sawdust?

Actually I keep a yard rake and a snow shovel handy and rake and shovel the sawdust out of the way a few times a day.  However, I also spread it around the work area.  If you look  closely you will notice it's half way up the fenders ;)

[OlJarhead]

Wow looking like an old pro running that mill lol Nice video thanks

Ha!  Thanks ;)  I'm trying to get a system down so I can produce a decent amount of lumber, of good quality at a decent rate that pays me for the hard work ;)  It's a challenge but thanks to folks like MM and Peter, Chuck, Bandit and so many others here I'm learning ;)

Mill turned 150 this weekend too I think (have to double check)! 

[OlJarhead]

Out of the frying pan into the fire......

Seems just when I think I'm going to relax a couple weeks I was asked if I could go mill up 14-16 decent sized logs this weekend.  I can't but offered the following weekend instead.

I'm almost at my goal for the year and that will put me over (and I won't be stopping, just like meeting my goals and breaking them).

Talked to an accountant today (a friend and former coworker so he didn't charge me   8) ) and he pointed out that I'm not making any money this year :D  8) :D :D ;D ;D  Gotta love accountants and how they think! 

[Czech_Made]

Nice video, thanks for sharing 

https://youtu.be/aXbZ2V4rhcU
First log of the day so I'm not yet in the swing of things but this is how I'm doing it these days

[OlJarhead]

  Thanks for watching ;)  I do those as much for myself to see what I was doing as well as for others who can give me pointers etc.  I enjoy milling and the vids just allow me to relive some of it! lol

I visited one of my customers to see the barn they built today



The boards on the 6x's in front are to keep the sheep from gnawing on the posts! lol


They were told they overbuilt the barn but I told them that just means it will last longer! Their builder put the 'clothespin' ends on those beams.  Looks kinda cool and I guess is a signature.


Shot of a log on the mill on my last job


Just a wack of lumber that came off the mill

Got more jobs in the works and am just a short job from reaching my annual goal :D  8)

[Brucer]

 smiley_clapping .

[Bandmill Bandit]

You are doing real good Eric!!  8) 8) 8)

[OlJarhead]

Thanks guys

Broke down and bought a new chainsaw (also posted in the chainsaw forum).  After much research and debate I went with the Husky 576XP instead of an Echo CS800p.  The Husky is slightly smaller at 74cc vs the Echo's 80 but I think I'll be happier with another Husky since I love my 455 Rancher.

Can't wait to go out and buck up a big dead Fir I have.  Tried to buck it up with the 455 but man that was taking too long!  Cut one side in minutes (yes), then moved to the other side (again minutes) and then time to sharpen the chain and let the saw cool off since it was working too hard!  Now I'll tackle it with a bigger bar and 20+ more cc's of power

Can't wait!

[OlJarhead]

New saw assembled and ready for work


Not a lot of difference in the two saws though the small one is the 'home owners' type saw (455 Rancher) vs the 'pro' saw I just bought


Now to get the big saw out and cut some logs up with it!  (and to order another bar and chain (or two chains for that matter)

[Bandmill Bandit]

IF the need for 20 foot lumber is very limited what don't you have them buck to 10's = 2 logs and 12' leaving an 8'. I don't know what their cut list looks like but seems there would be a lot more usable lumber if they did that.


This post is a ghost that I lost awhile ago and wondered where it went. Well now its here but dont ask where it came from cause i dont know where it went in the first place it supposed to back up by the logging and bucking job you did. Think it was your first or 2nd job

[OlJarhead]

Oh I tried but it took me 3 days of work to convince them.  Finally on the last day they started bucking the logs down to 16 feet -- I still don't get it but I did my best

The barn is what they built out of it and they are build shade sheds for the goats with the rest.