FWIW, you can often see black staining of iron oxides on the butt end of the log if there is iron/ steel in it. I learned that from a Sawyer friend a few yeras ago. No guarantee, but if I see it, that log goes to firewood.
Looks long! We're you spraying the Shellac? I imagine wiping it it would be dry by the next pass The debarker on the mill is a nice upgrade. Looks hardly used!
Yes that's true! But me and Scotty Overkill cut down a 32" diameter mature walnut tree for a guy and it looked beautiful no oxide staining at all. He called up my cousin because he has a portable band mill and wanted him to mill it. He hit metal like crazy in the tree. Not sure why the blue streaks didn't show up on the walnut when it was full of metal? Does anybody else have an answer?
Oooo pick me! (Cue collective groans from FHC peanut gallery) Depending on the tree and location of the metal in it, vs where you made the cut, you just might not be close enough to see the staining. The walnut at my sister's house was full of metal too, but you couldn't tell from looking at the butt end of the log. But I expected to find some as it was a yard tree and I've never found one that didn't have metal in it somewhere. It's just over 8' long, and 2' wide. I don't have a spray booth or equipment. The shellac was wiped on, about a 1-2lb cut, and yes it was dry to the touch literally instantly. Although once you put 3-4 coats on in 10 mins, you can start to feel a little stickiness, so at that point I'll take a 10 min break and allow it a little longer to cure. Yes much like the fore mentioned ketchup bottle, it sits for 4 days doing nothing. "My stuff" is the only thing we'll be working on here - ain't nobody else dragging logs thru my yard. This guy is my neighbor just around the corner; he works full time and also raises cattle. So the arrangement is, we're going to work on it mostly evenings after work. Friday was the first mutual opening in our schedules. As far as I know, I'm the only milling job on his horizon, and he's just gonna park the mill here till we're done.
Lookin great Shawn! If I find one of them wood mizers at auction for 50 bucks, should I grab it for ya? seriously though, thats the kind of thing auction houses will give away, sell for a buck, or pay you to take, cause its just too albatrossy for most.
My friend who runs a large production mill up in NW Pa always says "Never bet against metal in walnut." An he has an log sized metal detector detector at his mill.
Shawn that looks great. Almost the same machine that used to come in to the neighbors and a bunch of us would get together when sawing day came around. Most of us had a few logs we wanted milled so it worked nicely. I don't remember how many board feet we cut in a day but it was amazing for such a small mill. It did a nice job of milling too.
Last guy I had in sawed about 1500 bd-ft in 8 hrs. That was at a very relaxed rate with just me helping off-bearing and stacking on stickers. I've gotten as much as 1200 bd-ft in 4 hours before which was not optimal conditions. That comes to anywhere in the ball park of 2-300 bd-ft/hr. I know an LT40 plus 2 helpers can do more than that, especially if you aren't stacking and stickering straight off the mill.
Every year at the big fairs around here in Deerfield and Fryeburg that have a bunch of these rigs that I just stand there and drool looking at them.
When are those fairs. I have friends in Tuftenboro and in Newfield. I get up that ways multiple times a year. Maybe time one to catch a fair Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
That is great to get that much done that quickly. Seems we usually had 4 guys working plus the sawyer.
My old sawyer was really quick with his saw and he sawed by the hour. One time he worked me so hard I literally puked. We slowed down a little after that. He's retired now. The last guy I had in was more laid back and charged by the bd-ft because he said he didn't want to be rushing and getting anyone hurt. I respect that. He wound up a little more expensive in the end, but that was because he is a young guy working to put food on his table. The old guy was long retired and just out for funs.
