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Thread: Saw Mill - Does anyone cut their own lumber?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Weston, CT
    Posts
    473

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    I bought a Woodmizer LT10 nine years ago. Its bare boned manual but I love it. Much like you become intimate with your trees when you only tap 30 or so trees ( you have a name for each one after a while ) you also become intimate with a manual sawmill. You learn what cuts well and what cuts poorly and why it does that. Many factors involved in this from type of wood, to how dry it is, to how dirty/muddy it is, to how frozen it is.

    Over the past 9 years I have cut Spruce, Hemlock, Eastern Juniper/Cedar, Ash, Cherry, Walnut, Black Locust, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, White Oak, Red Oak, Hickory and Ginkgo( non native )

    Most of the time after a day of milling, I am OK with the fact that I have a manual sawmill. Besides, I now have two older brothers who no longer dare wish to tussle with me.


    Most of my milling is done on hardwoods, but have done some dimensional structural lumber from spruce and hemlock. Over the past several years I have made many home furnishings. Attached are photos of two things made entirely off my sawmill lumber using Ash, Cherry and Walnut. O yea, the drawer decking was made from recycled Pac Basin Cedar from an old swingset. ( ripped it on the tablesaw only )

    IMG_6131.jpg

    IMG_6148.jpg
    If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.

    Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
    Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
    Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
    Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
    40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
    1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Nashville, MI
    Posts
    939

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    Very nice work.
    2004 - 2012 2x3 flat pan 25 to 60 taps
    2012 2x3 new divided pan w/draw off 55 taps
    2018 - didn't boil surgery - bought new evaporator
    2019 new SML 2x4 raised flue high output evap. 65 taps
    made 17 gal. syrup
    2020 - only put out 53 taps - made 16.25 ga.l syrup
    2021 - Didn't work out
    2022 - 25 taps on bags / 8 taps on 3/16's line - late start

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Rock Creek, OH
    Posts
    430

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    We picked up our sawmill trailer!

    https://youtu.be/MyMJHfm3lJY
    Make sure you check out our YouTube Channel.
    https://www.youtube.com/bissellmaplefarm

    www.bissellmaplefarm.com

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Freedom, IN.
    Posts
    184

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    We have a Woodland Mills HM126 that we got last Fall. Didn't get much time to use it last year, but we did manage to cut the lumber needed to build a shed for it... got it stacked, stickered, and covered waiting for spring construction. It's a manual mill, but so far it's milled great and been a lot of fun. Looking forward to putting it through its paces this year.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Rock Creek, OH
    Posts
    430

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    That's awesome! Did you go with the 9hp or 14hp? Also, are you having issues with the blade tracking? Jumped a blade yet?
    Make sure you check out our YouTube Channel.
    https://www.youtube.com/bissellmaplefarm

    www.bissellmaplefarm.com

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Freedom, IN.
    Posts
    184

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    We opted for the 14 Hp with one bed extension. Thus far we haven't thrown any blades, but we also don't run any lube. We're cutting tulip poplar and sugar maple, ( I know, but when they blow over what can you do!) if we decide to cut anything with pitch or resin in the sap, I would imagine we will need to revisit the lube thing. I can tell you this, in our limited experience with the Woodland Mill, I've found milling to be just as addictive as sugaring!
    We placed our mill on a permanent foundation, setup was straightforward, and dare I say even enjoyable. Have you given any thought to how you are going to get the logs loaded on the mill? We have a set of quick attach forks for our loader tractor, it works pretty well. Be prepared for a lot of off cuts from the mill.... they build up quickly! We didn't get our off cuts cut into firewood for the evaporator this season, but that's the plan for next year.
    I remember when we used to collect sap in buckets, and there was always that moment of anticipation when you lifted the lid and took a look at how
    much you had.... I find milling to be much the same... take that first cut and see what's inside!
    Good luck with your mill, I'm sure you will love it. If I can help with anything, feel free to ask!

    Almost forgot... love your videos on YouTube.


    https://www.facebook.com/groups/291062919452339/

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Rock Creek, OH
    Posts
    430

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    You are the second person to tell me don't worry about lube for hardwoods. I really appreciate the feedback. I was going to make a rack like Sandy from Sawing with Sandy YouTube channel.

    And yes, I can see the similarity and comparisons.

    I'm having fun making videos. It is a lot of work! But I'm hoping we can grow the audience to better promote the maple industry.
    Make sure you check out our YouTube Channel.
    https://www.youtube.com/bissellmaplefarm

    www.bissellmaplefarm.com

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Weston, CT
    Posts
    473

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    Quote Originally Posted by OneLegJohn View Post
    You are the second person to tell me don't worry about lube for hardwoods. I really appreciate the feedback. I was going to make a rack like Sandy from Sawing with Sandy YouTube channel.

    And yes, I can see the similarity and comparisons.

    I'm having fun making videos. It is a lot of work! But I'm hoping we can grow the audience to better promote the maple industry.
    It took me a while to recognize it, because it was not one of those things made clear by any of all the other sawyers out there or saw manufactures such as "Woodmizer".

    Water being dropped on a sawmill blade pre cut does not serve the purpose of a "lube" or lubricant. It is a solvent or dilutant and only helps facilitate the clean cut by keeping pitch
    ( which generates tremendous blade friction ) from building up on the blade by diluting it or solving it. A negative side effect is that the additional water creates more friction for the blade. It is a trade off that benefits the cut however when wood still has moist sugars and pitch still infused in the cellulose of the stumpage.

    The dryer and less pitch in stumpage ( the two are infused together in green stumpage ) the more you want to keep additional water off the blade when cutting it. Across all types of stumpage. Mark my word on this. The dryer and less pitch lumber has in it the more you want to keep additional "water" / "lube" off and out of the cut.

    Dry logs with dried up pitch will cut like butter on a band mill. If you add water to the blade in this scenario you will make the blade want to grip the wood more, just like one needs to lick their dry hands when trying to swing a cold dry maul handle in the fall so that their hands grip the "wood" handle better.

    Sometimes sawyers add Pine-Sol to the water to make it a more effective dilutant.

    Hot water works better for the purpose of "dilution" too. That has been my approach and use it as needed.

    Lubricating the blade in band saw milling is an inappropriate term. There is no need or purpose for it.
    If you think it's easy to make good money in maple syrup .... then your obviously good at stealing somebody's Maple Syrup.

    Favorite Tree: Sugar Maple
    Most Hated Animal: Sap Sucker
    Most Loved Animal: Devon Rex Cat
    Favorite Kingpin: Bruce Bascom
    40 Sugar Maple Taps ... 23 in CT and 17 in NY .... 29 on gravity tubing and 11 on 5G buckets ... 2019 Totals 508 gallons of sap, 7 boils, 11.4 gallons of syrup.
    1 Girlfriend that gives away all my syrup to her friends.

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