Sawyers Introductions

[Cody Colston]

I have often daydreamed about a run to Oregon for a trailer load ;-)

Make a run to East Texas and I'll load you up with Black Walnut.

[Jesse Busenitz]

I'm not a sawyer, but have had several thousand board ft milled by a friend. I grew up on a farm and we have a lot of creek ground and so I've been able to harvest some nice trees, some that were on the edge of a field that needed to come out or some that were just mature.... I had a 50"x22' White Oak log with only one small branch half way up, which was really fun to mill. I'm still toying with the idea of getting my own mill one day, but right now I'm still trying to move my cabinet shop so I have enough irons in the fire.

[glenn bradley]

Glenn, if you put your location in your profile it would help us understand where "my area" means. We are out there, we just need to be more proactive in helping clients find us.

Wow, thanks Tom. Somewhere along the line my location got removed. Surely a fat-finger on my part. I had not even noticed . That is embarrassing since I frequently ask others to add their locations . . . doh!

[Charles Randal Smith]

About a year ago, I fell into sawmilling. I had played at woodworking as a hobby for several decades but when medicine no longer called, retirement was a great opportunity to expand my activities -- the result is I am no longer retired. A local arborist was interested in donating (dumping?) trees to avoid landfill charges, and I wanted to get a ‘Certificate of Good Stewardship’ for the mixed forest on our farm near Toronto; this meant thinning the plethora of mature trees on the property, so I sought a sawmill to handle the logs which would result. The good folks at Wood-Mizer wisely advised me not to go entry-level, as my aging body would appreciate things like hydraulics and auto clutch systems. They were right!

I have a WM LT40 with which I mill my own wood, do some custom milling, and happily mill the wood which is donated by others. Felling uses a Stihl 441, and I move the logs with Deeres, a 2355 and a 4110. The workshop has the usual woodworking gear, including a 20 inch planer and 10 inch jointer. Branch crotches and burls find their way onto a Robust American Beauty lathe. The common hardwoods I mill are maple (sugar and red), ash, beech, birch, basswood, and cherry. Some large black walnut trees prompted me to get a chainsaw mill in order to handle logs of greater diameter than the LT40 will accommodate.

So far, I am air drying the lumber, but realize I will need a kiln at some point in time. (I think I could fit a Nyles L53 dehumidification unit in the barn.) And I haven’t yet figured out who will buy the thousands of bd ft of hardwood which I am accumulating. My business plan has a few deficiencies.

I don't yet have a large drying shed thanks to numerous provincial restrictions (e.g., historic property, environmental protection) which are delaying a building permit. I would like to build a timber frame structure, but have no such experience. To gain some, I am going to erect a couple of small timber-framed garden sheds. I have started felling and milling hemlock logs for this purpose. I figure if I can make a mortise and tenon joint in Shaker furniture, I should be able to fashion a M&T joint in larger pieces of wood.

As others have doubtless discovered, having a sawmill attracts those who would offer to help. A high school student spent one day a week with me during the school year to learn wood technology, and a college student studying furniture design occasionally takes over my workshop for his projects, in exchange for providing free labour when milling.

The workshop has a fridge and the coffee pot is located next to a supply of Starbucks beans. I love visitors!

Charles

[Anthony Whitesell]

I acquired a Wood-mizer LT25. Though it is all manual (no hydraulics) it has all the bells and whistles available (included winch based log loader, log turner, toe boards). I have been sawing mostly for myself and family, though for the right job and price I could be convinced to mill for others.

[Larry Copas]

Bought my first manual sawmill in 1994. A few years later I retired and sawed 3 days a week all winter long, every winter. I was sawing logs from a timber stand improvement project on our farm in NW Missouri. 80% was walnut which I sold wholesale green. Also had two kilns and dried small quantities for retail.

That period ended in 06 when we moved to the promised land of NW Arkansas. I brought the sawmill with me but mostly sawed for my own use. In 10 I bought a new hydraulic sawmill with all the features. Started limited custom sawing most of which is at home. I do saw for a couple of Creekers. I'm always up for an interesting tree, as I like adventures.

[Jim Andrew]

I have a Cooks MP32 bandmill, cut for myself mostly, and a little for neighbors, there are several mills in my neighborhood, including 2 home built. As for sharpening of blades, I called Cooks and asked if there is anyone close by who has a catsclaw sharpener, and they referred me to a guy about 30 miles away. The cats claw sharpener is about as good as you can get, and does a great job sharpening my blades.

[Dave Jensen]

Make a run to East Texas and I'll load you up with Black Walnut.

Cody -- I sent you a PM.

[Benjimin Young]

I'm a wanna-be Sawyer. For now I am investing a little money and time on some simple equipment to learn from some would that cam from a storm fallen silver maple in my backyard.
I have an Alaskan mk III and an Echo CS 590 20". I order a 28" bar.
My first 30" x 16 " short log was less than stellar as the 5/4 cuts came out twisted. My first-cut jig looked good when checked with winding sticks but I ended up with a 1/2" twist over 30 inches. I am now checking the Mk ii setup to see if I messed something up there. But I had a great afternoon !!!! darn, this thing can make sawdust.

All suggestions criticism and tips are very welcome.

[Benjimin Young]

I really can spell. ;-)

I'm a wanna-be Sawyer. For now I am investing a little money and time on some simple equipment to learn from some would that cam from a storm fallen silver maple in my backyard.
I have an Alaskan mk III and an Echo CS 590 20". I order a 28" bar.
My first 30" x 16 " short log was less than stellar as the 5/4 cuts came out twisted. My first-cut jig looked good when checked with winding sticks but I ended up with a 1/2" twist over 30 inches. I am now checking the Mk ii setup to see if I messed something up there. But I had a great afternoon !!!! darn, this thing can make sawdust.

All suggestions criticism and tips are very welcome.