Logs to Lumber

[Bill Wilson]

Certainly a lot of hard work, but that has to be one of the more satisfying things that a woodworker can do.

[TGW]

Holy cow, that must be a fully automated mill.  Got any photos?  
(......)
John

It is an approximately 10 years old Kara Master cirkular sawmill. Powered by an approximately 100hp VolvoBM tractor.
The sawyer is part time professional and with 3-4 helpers (supplied by the customer) it is pretty normal to saw around 100 up to 120 logs in an 8 hour shift.

He moves his sawmill around the area from one village to the next every spring and early summer sawing for the locals. It is up to the customer (owner of the logs) how many helpers you supply. One helper is possible but then the sawing goes slowly and the rather expensive sawing hours add up qickly. 2 strong helpers can keep the sawmill running at full speed up to two hours before they become too fatigued or a full day at reduced speed. 3-4 helpers can run the sawmill at full speed for an 8 hour shift.
Here is a film of a very similar setup though not this particular sawyer and sawmill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Jw_6MxnMw


Our logs were not very thick even by our standards. The largest one was only around 30 cm (12") at the butt end. However most of them were rather long at between 5.5 and 6.5 metres (18-22 feet). Windfallen trees from the storm last winter. Most of them from our own woodlot and the rest from a neighbour's woodlot.


It would be fun to have a sawmill of my own like you have it is just not economically feasible. However as I have access to several of those portable cirkular sawmills there is really no need.

[jteneyck]

It is an approximately 10 years old Kara Master cirkular sawmill. Powered by an approximately 100hp VolvoBM tractor.
The sawyer is part time professional and with 3-4 helpers (supplied by the customer) it is pretty normal to saw around 100 up to 120 logs in an 8 hour shift.

He moves his sawmill around the area from one village to the next every spring and early summer sawing for the locals. It is up to the customer (owner of the logs) how many helpers you supply. One helper is possible but then the sawing goes slowly and the rather expensive sawing hours add up qickly. 2 strong helpers can keep the sawmill running at full speed up to two hours before they become too fatigued or a full day at reduced speed. 3-4 helpers can run the sawmill at full speed for an 8 hour shift.
Here is a film of a very similar setup though not this particular sawyer and sawmill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3Jw_6MxnMw


Our logs were not very thick even by our standards. The largest one was only around 30 cm (12") at the butt end. However most of them were rather long at between 5.5 and 6.5 metres (18-22 feet). Windfallen trees from the storm last winter. Most of them from our own woodlot and the rest from a neighbour's woodlot.


It would be fun to have a sawmill of my own like you have it is just not economically feasible. However as I have access to several of those portable cirkular sawmills there is really no need.

Pretty cool, indeed.  Thanks for posting that video.  I liked the hydraulic log loader and especially the tarp roof over the working area of the mill.  That would be great for keeping both the weather and sun off the operator.  I'd like to have that on my mill.  I'll have to give that some thought.  

John

[ianab]

Yup. when you can pump ~100 odd HP into a big circle saw it's a whole different level.


But that's hard to justify for a "hobby". A ~13hp sawmill like John and I have costs less than a decent boat to go fishing in. 

I tell my buddy I've sawed more boards then he's caught fish 

[jteneyck]

Yup. when you can pump ~100 odd HP into a big circle saw it's a whole different level.


But that's hard to justify for a "hobby". A ~13hp sawmill like John and I have costs less than a decent boat to go fishing in. 

I tell my buddy I've sawed more boards then he's caught fish 

Too true Ian.  I sawed what must be the equivalent of about 50 fish yesterday.  Three mostly nice ash logs yielding about 310 bf.  I cut the first two in the typical way of making a cant and then plain sawing that, rotating as necessary to get the clearest wood.  Pretty easy.  Most of the boards were 7 - 12" wide.  The last log however, was the biggest and clearest looking on the outside, so I decided to try quasi quarter sawing it similar to this Woodmizer method.  I had help which made it easier, because we had to take the first side off the mill then put it back on after cutting the rest.  After removing the one side I was able to cut two full width cuts around the center, then rotate the remaining side up vertically and saw it into rift and QS boards.  I did the same with the side we had to put back on.  Many of those boards had bark on one edge so they got put back on the mill to get removed.  The two full width center boards had to go back on, too, to cut out the center pith section in each.  So you are making a lot more cuts and the boards are more random and narrower in width (about 4 - 7" for this log) but the linear grain of rift and QS ash is very nice IMO.  And of course it's more stable, too.   Here's a photo of some of those rift/QS boards:



The pile of logs has dwindled to two, and the slab wood pile is growing:




A guy I milled some slabs for last Fall stopped by to look at the mill and then we went to walk a piece of property he and his brothers own only a mile from my house that they are developing into housing lots.  There were several very nice walnut trees and some others I had no clue about but had nice clear trunks at least 25 feet long.  Lots of poison ivy to avoid, too.  They have 9 acres more we didn't even look at.  We haven't struck a deal yet on when the trees will come down to be cut, or who gets how much, but I joked that if we cut all those trees into lumber I'll need to get a hydraulic mill to do it all.  An LT-35 hydraulic unit is "only" about $25K.  Who knows?  

John

[Tapper]

Very nice looking Ash, John - nothing like rift and QS wood!

Doug

[Bill Wilson]

Sweet!

Sounds like you could be getting real busy.