OldJarheads Milling Thread...

[Magicman]

That is a fantastic sawing rate especially considering the fact that you still have a "real job".   8)

[ncsawyer]

Congrats on the "milestone"! My new mill has cut right at 100,000 bdft if I include what I've cut for myself, but I got mine in March of 2015.  So I have had mine just shy of 2.5 years, but I'm just a weekend warrior with a regular 9-5 job.   

[Bandmill Bandit]

Hey Eric you are doing well!
I know I didnt get that volume till in my 3rd year.

I am some where north of 400MBF just by the total hours on the mill but I don't know exactly because I didn't record MBF yield on a lot of hourly (most of my work). 1950 ish hours at 225BF per hour is 438MBF.

My mill is 10 years old this week.   

[grouch]

Bunch of slackers. I've only had mine 2 years and I'm already on my fifth blade.

[OlJarhead]

Congrats on the "milestone"! My new mill has cut right at 100,000 bdft if I include what I've cut for myself, but I got mine in March of 2015.  So I have had mine just shy of 2.5 years, but I'm just a weekend warrior with a regular 9-5 job.

Thanks   But I'm a 9-5er (actually more like 6:30 to 5) on a second job too! ;)

I mill mostly on weekends and the odd vacation day off.

[WDH]

Grouch, probably ready for the Dull Blade Hall of Fame   ;D.

[grouch]

Grouch, probably ready for the Dull Blade Hall of Fame   ;D.

The spalted maple spoiled me and the stinky oak enlightened me. Lumpy boards are not fun to use.

[Percy]

Looks like another two job in the works in a couple weeks   Still healing from the injury (shoulder is pretty sore from wrenching the log off my foot -- I guess) but confident I can get serious again.  It's been a slow summer this year due to injuries but I've passed 91,000bf on this mill :D

Thats great (91000+)considering you work a day job. You remind me of me, 20 years ago. Busted toes, sore shoulders, burnin the candle at both ends.....life is good.....Eventually I ditched the "real" job and mill steady to this day. I can see you doing that eventually as milling opportunities seem abundant in your area and you aint afraid of the work. I see a bigger mill with autoclutch and other features that make life easier in your future.... ;D ;D ;D

[OlJarhead]

I have autoclutch now   LT40HD

My day job is too good to retire from it anytime soon though ;)

Got a couple jobs in the works now but admit I've taken it a bit slower this summer and bought a boat to go out on the lake with instead of working ;)

[OlJarhead]

 

 
I think this is my favorite pic right now

It's from May but I ran into it today and thought "what a great shot!" :D

[Bandmill Bandit]

Hi Eric
That is real good pic.

My mill bought me a boat too. Its not a big one but it is all I need for a some peace and quite and some good fishing. Came from a customers hay shed and probably hadn't seen the water in 20 years but the price was very right and it was in good shape on a real nice trailer.

I enjoy them both a lot.

[OlJarhead]

A recent customer (spring) popped by today to give me this!  I milled up an old walnut for him (just one small log since he is a neighbor) and am thrilled to have this piece of it to put up somewhere


Nice guy who retired from he aerospace industry as a woodworker (yup, someone has to make mock up models of rockets I guess).

Pretty thrilled with this one

[Peter Drouin]

 
nice

[Darrel]

Wow Eric!  I'd be thrilled too!  That is really nice, and a really nice makers mark too!

[Bandmill Bandit]

That is some fine craftsmanship.

I bet there will be some competition in the family for that piece down the road. 

[Ljohnsaw]

That is a beautiful piece of work! 

Is it just me or does the mark play tricks on other's eyes.  If I look at it in the center, I see the mark being carved INTO the wood (stamped?).  If I look over at the wood plane, it reverses and I see it more as an embossed (raised) carving!

[grouch]

That is a beautiful piece of work! 

Is it just me or does the mark play tricks on other's eyes.  If I look at it in the center, I see the mark being carved INTO the wood (stamped?).  If I look over at the wood plane, it reverses and I see it more as an embossed (raised) carving!

Man, I hate to be the one to bum you out, but the 60s are over. Put down that pipe, dude. And stop Bogartin'.

[larrydown60]

Decided to have it checked out.  My no skyrockets in hospitals

I had to have 2 plates and screws put in my 2 broken toes after falling down some stairs 5 and 1/2 months later and still in pain, so I feel your pain I have since bought some steel toed boots I feel safer with them on good luck with the feeling

  

 

[Jemclimber]

Here we go with the ugly foot contest started by Magicman.  :D   And the winner is..........

[grouch]

No milling that ugly thing. Not even fit for firewood. Just toss it deep in the woods and let the wildlife figure out what to do with it.

[OlJarhead]

Headed out on my 131 mile drive to Mead WA (30 minutes north of Spokane) to spend a couple days milling.


Didn't get many pics of day one but this cedar came up on day two   I was milling all kinds of stuff from white pine to Doug fir and red fir to cedar and walnut!


After some 1" stuff the customer decided he wanted 5/8" x 8" and I started cranking those out.  This was for siding on a pump house and he was very happy with what was coming off the mill.


This big Walnut was the last log of the weekend.  It was over 30" at the butt and the small end was a crotch, the middle measured over 24" after the branch (which was cut flush) so it would be an unruly bugger to mill ;)


I had to pull out all the stops!  Lowered side supports, using the log clamp and claw to turn, holding the claw out so it would grab the log, gun barrelling (more or less) and more!  It was a beast but I got it done :D


After the first cuts it was still very tough to roll but with perseverance comes reward

 
I kept at it and later the customers son (about 30yrs old) said "wow!  You can really manipulate those controls!  I was watching you use the clamp thing and the claw thing like extensions of your hands.  It was pretty cool"


Not quite there but getting there, had to square things up here then could finish milling down to the heart.  The customer wanted a 4" slab out of the heart as wide as I could get.  We got just shy of 20" after coming under some damage from the big branch that came out of the tree when it was live which left a deep hole, once past that though we were golden.  They will use this for a mantel.

He also found some nice gun stock material and of course another 300+ bf of walnut to use for whatever (he planned to just burn some and I was like "what!!!")

Going back in two weeks to mill for another day as we just couldn't get it all done this weekend.

[crowhill]

Nicely done!

[WDH]

Looks like that you split the pith to get the 8" wide siding material.  Is side bend not an issue?

[OlJarhead]

Looks like that you split the pith to get the 8" wide siding material.  Is side bend not an issue?

I missed it by 1/4" but ya, I split it.  The lumber is for an old pump house and he just wanted either 8" or 10"....guess I could have done it differently but figured at worst only those right at the center would bend on him.  Maybe I'm wrong???

I usually always avoid splitting the pith (MM's advice was NEVER to split it) but in this case it seemed the way to get the most out of the log the fastest cutting 5/8" stuff.

Still got lots to learn -- I'll admit it! lol

[Magicman]

Oh I saw the split pith this morning when you made the post but I was not going to question your motive.   :P