A day in the Life at LumberJocks.com

Went to the lumber store today kinda

sw_iowa_sawyer — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:02:44 GMT

It has been some time since I posted anything. I haven’t done too much sawing lately just haven’t had access to many decent logs worth milling. I had someone call me and ask if I would cut up some red oak logs for them. I was kind of missing sawing logs so I packed up the saw and headed out!
The red oak logs were cut by a tree service due to oak wilt or so they thought that was the cause of the decline.

The logs were pretty big for my mill but she handled them great.
It took some doing but I was able to man handle them onto the saw.

The logs were nice for lumber logs wide boards that were pretty clear

I did manage to break my cant hook so I have ordered a Logrite cant hook and am looking forward to getting that. It takes some effort to roll this size log but it is possible.

It also makes a mess and creates a large amount of sawdust but that is all part of the process.

In the end we handled the logs and made some real nice red oak lumber with some clear boards in the 16”-19” wide range, really to big to work with but nice to look at.

All in All a nice way to spend a Sat!

How long are logs good for?

sw_iowa_sawyer — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:42:53 GMT

I have been asked several times by different folks two questions. The most common one is “I have this tree that needs to come down it is walnut and right next to my house. Will you cut it down, clean up all the mess, and pay me a premium cause it is walnut and that is worth big money. I get them the name of a good tree service!!!!

The second question I get asked quite often is “how long can logs sit on the ground and still be good”

Without a doubt in my opinion the best time to cut logs into lumber is when the tree’s are freshly cut. That sometimes is not always possible for whatever reason, so they sometimes sit for different amounts of time. I had an opportunity to cut some logs recently that had been down for quite some time. I would guess at least 2 or 3 years and maybe even closer to 5 years. The condition of logs that are in contact with the ground varies on many things, type of wood, location, weather, etc so it is a case by case issue. These old logs looked rough but I thought what the heck I would take a chance. The most I would be out is my time and some gas (which these days can add up) and a blade or two.
So I loaded up the saw and headed out, the site was really quite nice, the weather was cool and rainy not ideal, but not blazing hot which is always more difficult weather to work in. The scenery was very nice.

The log pile was stacked neatly for easy access even if the logs themselves looked rough it is easier to not have to jockey heavy logs if it can be avoided.

The saw was operating smoothly which is always a plus even if the logs are junky!!

The day spent with my kid and my nephew was a good time. I enjoy spending time with them, they are always full of energy and usually pretty funny.
The results were not as good as I hoped, but then that does happen once in a great while. It cost me breakfast for 3 ( with two college kids that can add up quickly), gas for the mill, gas for my truck, lunch for 3, and wages ( I should have deducted food expenses first) for two college kids. I had a good time and I did get a couple of decent boards out of the logs. Were a few old logs laying on the ground worth my time? UUUUUMMMMM YEAH!!!!

One trailer load of 8/4 clear walnut slabs, sometimes things really do work the way you hope!!!!

It seemed smart at the time

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:42:06 GMT

It has been a while since I have milled any logs so since it is spring I thought I would get busy. I have some walnut logs that need to be cut, mostly odds and ends that I will cut into 8/4 stock for carving bases I think. I also had a buddy ask me if I wanted a couple nice maple trees. I like maple for drawer sides so I thought what the heck. The big log the lifted with a crane and as they set it on my trailer guy said “how are you unload that at home” LIGHT BULB comes on unload it at home at that moment that was the first time I had even thought that far.
So after some careful thought I decided to split them so smaller log first

That was easy

So easy in fact I was foolish enough to think the second one would be just a easy. This one measured 32” at the small end so I began, after several hours later and after cutting and cutting and cutting it split FINALLY

It wasn’t pretty and running a saw that long beats you up pretty good but the end I guess is what matters!

That was a workout and what a mess!!

Now once I got that done I needed to wrangle a walnut log that is on my saw so I can mill it and get this maple cut up before the weather gets too hot and it stains.

Here is the log on the saw looks easy enough right.
Until you get a different perspective.

All that for some run of the mill maple I will wager I will never ever attempt to undertake that effort again for SURE…unless it is a walnut log, or maybe a cherry one or perhaps a curly maple log or maybe even a nice red oak…I need help serious help I think I may have sawmillidis
Enough for now I will continue this later…........

Finishing up the Red Oak adventure

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 23:23:53 GMT

Since several of you folks asked I will show you the finishing up of cutting the red oak logs. The story continues from the end of the last adventure with the 7 logs cut up and ready to go. The first three whole logs went pretty uneventful a little hard to roll as they are heavy but it worked out all right. Here is the last of the whole logs with an action shot during the cut. The saw is running with me pushing it I just didn’t want to be in the photo.

I use my mills hydraulics to turn the logs, funny they don’t seem to work as well as they did a few years ago.

I didn’t want to be in that photo either but I feel like it is my civic duty to save you folks who think it would be fun to have a sawmill (does that look fun?)
The other 4 logs were bigger and I decided to quarter them all down to a more manageable size.
This was typical of the quarters as you can see they have some spoilage from being down for awhile

They were not as good as I had hoped but sometimes that it the way things work out.
Here is the way I cut the quarters up into lumber. This is what the log looks like on the saw.

So the saw is run down the log to remove the pith and hopefully most of the spoiled wood. Which is a pretty color of green so maybe this was irish oak and not spoiled at all.

Then the log is rolled 180 degrees and you take another slab to remove the bark.

Then the slab is rotated 90 degrees and you start cutting lumber.

As with any group venture someone is always trying to be the boss.
Here is my business partner complaining about low production rates and offering advise

I cut my own lumber but I have it graded by someone else. The inspector claims they have some new age method of listening to what the wood tells them and then grade it based on that. I have always suspected I was being cheated and this new method was bogus. I had the feeling that based on the amount of time it took to grade a load something was a foot
NEW AGE my foot caught sleeping on the job !!!!! This clown is a free loader looking for a easy mark. I gave him his walking papers, let him go loaf on somebody else’s dime.
So with all the grief with my business partner, and being forced to fire my lumber grader, and having to work outside in such harsh conditions.
Was it worth all the work? That is a tough one

Yep, enough said…....

Red Oak adventure

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 22:54:13 GMT

I am not sure anyone even reads these things but I thought I would post another one for those that like this kind of thing.

I have been looking for some red oak logs for quite a while and have been unable to find any.
I finally have found some with the help of a friend. The owners are having some timber work done and have allowed me to get a couple blow downs. They have been down for a year or maybe two but still should produce some good lumber. I pulled 7 logs from the timber with the help of a local farmer and his tractor. The logs were moved to a landing. The 7 logs that I brought out were lined up in a row and then I scaled the logs for the owner so we can settle up.
Of the 7 logs 4 were to big to saw on my mill the biggest being 42” at the butt end. The mill will cut 30” but it is time consuming and difficult to handle that big of a log.
The view from the front the three on the right are small enough to mill. They run 27” and hopefully will produce some good lumber.

The remainder of the logs needed to be split so I went to work with the Stihl 066. If you look close you can see some of the defects from being down this long. Hopefully these can be removed and will still have good quality red oak lumber in them.

I am going to quarter saw the 1/4’s so hopefully they will yield some good lumber as well
I had to have all the lumber inspected by my business partner for her OK

She seems happy with the quality of the lumber so far.
Here is the row that I will mill when I bring in my saw

This was at the end of a long day of rippin red oak logs but running that saw on a perfect spring day was pretty sweet I won’t lie to you!

I was done and just sat down and enjoyed the quiet peaceful surrounding until it was about dark.

It was just a reminder to me to appreciate all the beauty that God created all around us.

Done with the expensive white oak log

sw_iowa_sawyer — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:49:42 GMT

I was finally able to get back to the white log that has been on the saw for a while. It has been a while so I will back track a little. Here is the log it ran 32” and had to be trimmed to even start with a chain saw.

So the process is simple enough find your best side and slab then rotate and slab etc until you have a four sides cant. Well this logs runs about 3500 lbs so that presents a problem.

Three sides cut need to roll it.

Then once you have all fours sides square start cutting your best face for lumber.
This log and been down a while and was hard and dry I used a lot of water to help the blade but still used 3 blades. So it was time for a blade change

It was slow cutting but this made it worth it over 20” slabs

Here is a shot of the saw in action

Once I reached about 10” on the cant I turned it and started taking smaller boards off of that
Had to roll it first

The lumber was perfect

I stacked the boards off to the side to be edged later

Here is the straight line process

I also try not to waste any wood if I can help it so I put the first slab back on and cut a few more boards from it.

Finally the finished pile stacked and stickered. I have cut a fair amout of lumber but this size white log was tough on a manual mill, I think I like 24” ish logs better.

The high cost of the log had something to due with a new truck and a teenage son but that is another story.

It didn't seem that big laying on the ground

sw_iowa_sawyer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:59:00 GMT

It has been a long winter for me. I have not done any sawmilling and although I have some great red oak logs to pickup they are laying in the snow in the timber perhaps with what promises to be a wet spring forever.
So since we had a nice (well better then the last 90 days) day I decided to get ready to start sawing again.
I have had several good white oak logs since late last summer and I decided (spring fever) to load one up to saw.
These logs were blown over in a storm at some point and have been down for awhile so the bark is gone on a couple of them. The one on the saw is a 2000.00 dollar white oak log (I hear the skeptics out there already) trust me it is an expensive little log. So for all you arm chair sawmill operators out there I will take you on a little journey so you can have the fun of milling a log without all the headache.
Step one loading a log

So we slowly load it up rollin rollin rollin

After a few minutes it is loaded into position

With the log loaded the operator (me) makes a visual inspection of the log to make sure it is securely on the saw ready to be sawn up.

Everything seems in order…. wait let me measure the log again (did it once on the ground already)
Yikes +/-32” butt end hhhmmmm that may be a problem it looked smaller on the ground so what to do now?

Stay Tuned I will get back to Ya

Spring is in the air (I feel the fever)

What Logs?

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:07:47 GMT

I have a guy I know who has from time to time asked me to cut up a few logs for him. In the past I have always asked him what kind of log and diameter. I have cut some red oak for him and I cut a big walnut log that was filled with nails but, produced good lumber (minus the nails). He recently asked me to cut up some mulberry I asked him how big were the logs he said approx 20” in diameter which is a nice log size. I had never cut any mulberry so I agreed, and he said he would drop off the logs sometime, and then as often happens I forgot about it.
Well they showed up the other day. There are about 17 “logs” rough dia of about 16”- 23” there is just one little snag.

They are all a little on the short side. That makes milling them a major pain in the backside. They are hard to load, and hard to dog in, and keep from being thrown sideways by the blade. Oh well that is what makes life interesting. I would probably have had a different plan had I known this in advance. He is a good guy so I will bite the bullet and get er done!
This is the log with one side flattened

The crotch had a split in it so I knew the wood would not work as a normal crotch log like walnut.

It is ok to cut but the wood is pretty yellow as you can see by the sawdust. I think it will change color to a redish tone. It has at least on the cut log ends or should I say loglites…... I think he is going to use it to build some kitchen cabinets. Here is what it looked like after a took a few slabs.

Here is the stack so far I normally cut the live edge off but he requested I leave it on if possible. I told him leaving bark on a board is asking for a visit from every wood bug in the county and surrounding area but I am guessing he will probably remove it on his own.
It has been interesting so far and I will be curious to see if the color indeed does change.

I think I need to add, “how long are these logs” next time he calls!!!!!

"Walnut Cliff Hanger Wrap Up"

sw_iowa_sawyer — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:46:18 GMT

Sorry it took me so long but it has been a busy week or so.
For those who are keeping track still no turkey dinner they apparently are smarter then they appear.
Here is how the log sat when I returned to finish it last night.

I decided to turn the log over as the first side had a couple of knots and I thought the other side may yield better lumber. I like to try and cut it as wide as the log will allow as you can always cut a board smaller but glue ups are time consuming when building a project.
The first thing I did was remove the flare at the log end as it was hampering the guide as I rolled by.

One side done then roll the log (well cant now)

Then the other. That gave me a nice squared up walnut cant. It was now time to make a choice, the log had not yielded the crotch I thought it might (you really never know to you crack it open) so I compared all 4 sides and decided which side would produce the best lumber. I tried this way first but it looked to me that I would end up with wide boards with a couple of knots in places that would effect the practical use of the lumber.

So I ended up going at it from this angle.

And I just keep going until I get the the last board.

The boards end up narrower but the quality is higher since the knots end up at the boards edge and can be removed in the next step.

Edging always a pain but it makes good square lumber.
So what I ended up with is roughly a 150 bdft of walnut. I didn’t get the figured walnut I hoped for but several of the boards are 16” wide and I didn’t hit any metal with the doublesharp so that is a good day.
Here is the stacked walnut

Here is a shot of the one of the boards.

And a final close up

All in all not a bad log. It will air dry for a while and then go into one of my kilns, after that I have no clue but it will make good walnut lumber for some project.

I hope you all enjoyed the “Cliff Hanger Walnut Adventure”

OK back to the story

sw_iowa_sawyer — Wed, 06 May 2009 18:47:31 GMT

Well first off try as she might my hen turkey decoy was unable to attract a mate so the turkey hunting so far has been a bust. But on the bright side I have gotten to spend some quality time with my son which was worth the fortune I spent on camo gear!
So lets see where did I leave off…. oh yeah

Ok so to continue on I took the first pass down the log. On a normal log this would establish a flat reference surface and the the log would be turned and another pass taken to eventually get to a square cant and then I would begin removing boards. This log since I am hoping for some crotch lumber is handled differently.

As the process of removing slabs continues I discover I have a minor issue.

So out comes the chain saw for some log trimming to allow for a few more slabs to be removed.
And while I was at it I thought I would go ahead and get my metal detector out and see if the log has any metal in it.
That’s right a brand new Woodmizer double hard blade “The Worlds Greatest Metal Detector”

OK so I have my metal detector on and I have cut a few more slabs and here is what it looks like

It has a knot about 2’ down from the end of the log not a deal breaker but not exactly what I wanted to see.
So I decided to flip the log over and cut from the opposite side.

That is the story as it sits now when I finished cutting the log to the deck I will finish the story for all who are still interested.

Then maybe if anyone is interested I will start the great 2500.00 white oak log adventure!!!!!

The saga continues

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:23:26 GMT

Ok as promised I will pick up the story where I left off ala cliffhanger.
The walnut log is now on the saw and ready to make some decisions about how to cut it.
Here is the butt view of the log looks like about a 20” log not huge but a nice size to work with.

Now the hard part comes on the other end, normally you cut crotch logs with the Y or V laying flat on the saw like a pair of pants on a table. The two branch stubs look like the folks of a river and you just cut through and through and the crotch wood just show up. In this case it was a little different since I had a third leg so to speak. If the log was human he would make a good living in the circus.

I ruled out these two ways and 8 others…

After turning the log different ways I finally settled on this, it may not yield great lumber but I am hoping for a few nice crotch pieces and some good lumber too.

Ok now to start the sawing process the log is securely dogged down on the saw. The motor is running the water lube is dripping to keep the blade cool and it looks like this

Ok that is it for now it is time to go turkey hunting…...
Stay tuned

So you want to own a sawmill.....

sw_iowa_sawyer — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:04:00 GMT

When I was a kid I had a paper route and I saved up all my money and bought a little tiny black and white T.V. I would love to stay up late and watch old cliff hanger movies; it was always exciting waiting for the next installment to see what would happen in the story line. I thought I would try a cliff hanger of sorts for my blog, partly because I hope to make it interesting and partly because I have a regular job and have to fit the sawing in when I can. So I will start the saga now with how I ended up with the two walnut logs. It started when I got a call from someone who got my name from someone else and wanted to sell me these two logs. They of course were sure they were worth a vast sum of money because they after all were “walnut” a story I have heard before. I explained that I wasn’t interested and gave them a mill they could call and then forgot about it. Several months later I got another call from the same folks that was basically “please come get these logs out of our yard” I parbuckled them onto a trailer and took them home. That is how I ended up with the logs.
So that is where the saga will begin….
The mill I use is a manual mill so everything is done by hand, and sometimes is rather difficult, and can be downright hard to manage depending on the log size and species. I use two steel ramps, and a boat winch to roll the logs onto the bed of the mill. It works great most of the time….

From the mill head looking forward

So then begins the difficult task of moving a heavy object that is stuck, back to a position that will allow it to be rolled back up and onto the saw. Sometimes the solution is easy, sometimes the solution is a fight against the principals and laws of physics. This time for the most part it was easy re-sling the log adjust the ramp location and bingo!

Here it is the correct location and ready to begin the milling process.

The log is not perfect I have cut much better but, I like walnut, and the three crotches converging interested me enough to give it a shot. What lies beneath the bark is a mystery even to me, figured walnut, a bunch of nails, who knows but we will all find out together.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of the story…
I have kept busy sawing so far this spring sawing basswood and butternut mostly so I needed a change anyhow!

Weekend Cuttings

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:53:53 GMT

The last few weeknds I have been trying to get the basswood logs that I have cut up. It needs to be done before weather get too warm and causes them to blue stain, a big issue for carving stock. I have gotten all but one log cut up and stacked and managed to cut a few butternut logs that were in the way cut up as well. They are stacked in several stacks and are air drying in my barn. I enjoy cutting butternut, and basswood, as it cuts easy, and is always interesting to see what is beneath the surface of the bark. I don’t enjoy hauling the slabs which can be as big as 10” wide and 5” inches thick around and stacking them up. I am glad I have strong kids although, it might be cheaper to hire day labor as kids are kind of expensive. I have a couple walnut logs to cut up next and then several big white oak logs after that. then just 5 more butternut logs and I will be all caught up. Until something else shows up, maybe some red oak as I am getting low the logging business is hurting now and it makes getting logs more difficult. I am glab I have a day job too.

I also managed to find some time to do work on two federal card tables I am building (got the bug from the t-chisel forum) and finished the bricking glue up on both tables. Building one out of walnut and one out of cherry. Since I caught the bug I figured I start several federal/shaker tables as well. They are out of ash, coffee bean, qtr sawn sycamore, and walnut. They did a crazy leg table with a fan inlay and I am excited to that to the walnut table not sure what I will do on the others.

Oh Red Cedar how I hate thee

sw_iowa_sawyer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:23:11 GMT

I have enjoyed visiting Lmberjocks so much I thought I would try the blog feature. I own a small portable bandmill and cut logs for myself and from time to time for other folks. I had a guy that I carve with ask if I would cut up a couple cedar logs for him. Since he is a friend, I said yes in a moment of weakness. Why you ask do I say that, it is because I hate red cedar. I hate the smell, and I hate the mess they make when you cut them. Why people line a perfectly good cedar chest with them has always been one of life’s greatest mysteries to me. I mean who wants their clothing, blankets, and priceless family heirlooms to smell like that? In addition the touted properties of keeping bugs out apparently is a marketing ploy started by cedar lovers as it was also a lovely home to a bazzillion carpenter ants you have now frozen to death as I detroyed their home. In addition to those facts of why cedar should be burned in the fires of woodworking Hades is I think I have an allergic reaction to it. So I have to make sure I am wearing a respirator (which I always do anyhow and long sleeve shirt). So back to the logs, they were nice as far as cedar logs go, straight and big and they came with as warranty, I was assured “ABSOLUTELY” no metal in them. In fact I was assured that no metal object had come within 1 mile of this tree. Now of course it was in an old farm homestead’s yard about 10 feet from the house but since I was assured of the 1 mile no metal guarantee I starting cutting. So here is the process which I used to cut the logs.

Loading the logs is a labor intensive process.

Log loaded and ready to cut

First slab off the log and my job supervisor in the background

So much for the 1 mile metal free zone around this log!

It is really pretty wood from a vile weed tree isn’t it

The finished product a big heavy pile of red cedar. Oh by the way the metal free zone tree and about 20 nails in it, I think it had some sort of magnetic properties that attracted nail from nearby counties as well. All joking aside it was really pretty wood and my friend was happy and the mess is cleaned up and the wood is gone so I am happy. Next up maybe some basswood or butternut