# The search is over...Lumbermate 2000 23HP V-Twin (soon to take possession)



## TraditionalTool (Jan 25, 2010)

Ok, it seems I've been looking forever, which amounts to about 2-3 months in internet time...lol I was so intent to get the Mobile Dimension saw I posted about recently, but my mentor and master craftsman, Tim Bullock, talked me out of it. As much as I wanted to buy it, I took Tim Bullock's advice as I put a lot of faith in him, he has helped me do everything up to this point. The reason he doesn't like circular sawmills is that it is a lot harder to cut grade material, opposed to boards to sell. By this he means that cutting a 14x16 cant is possibly, but requires an entire log and harder to accomplish. Building log homes requires a lot of grade material.

I have found a mill to buy, and have talked to the seller and we're going to be doing the transaction very soon.

I'm getting a Lumbermate 2000 which I'm told has low hours, not sure how low but it looks in good order. The person I'm buying it from is a logger who is basically going out of business and sold his loader and skidder a while back. This sawmill has the 23HP V-Twin engine on it, which was important to me.

The mill has a custom bed made for it and it will cut a 25' log with the current setup. My plan is to extend it another 10' so that I can cut a 35' log. That will handle logs for the current size log home that I'm building, which is 28'x32'. The seller told me that he had this bed made custom for it, and it is much heavier than the bed which came on the Norwood 2000, and that I "WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH IT". I will be driving up to see it and do the transaction soon, but the seller asked if he could mill up a few logs he has left on his property before I get it, so he'll be milling for the next couple days.

Also, as an added bonus, the seller might have some Doug Fir to sell me, as well as line me up with a couple people that do logging so that I have a source for timber in the future. I need 10 cants that are 6x10 (20' long) for my roof rafters, and another 30 pieces of 3x12s for the porch rafters, a bunch of 2x6 t&g for the ceilings and flooring, etc...many of you know exactly why it starts to make sense when building a home in getting a sawmill of one's own...

Per the inet rules, I'm posting a pic from the seller so that others can't say, "no pics, didn't happen". :biggrinbounce2:







Hopefully more pics to come, but my camera is on the fritz unfortunately...I would rather buy the sawmill than get a new camera right now, so that will have to wait.

Cheers,
Alan


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## redprospector (Jan 25, 2010)

Glad you found something Alan.
If you're going to be cutting for grade you probably will be happier with a band mill. The MDsaw will produce more, but if you're sacraficing grade for speed it might not be a good fit. 
You can saw for grade on a MD, but it's a lot slower.
Good luck with the new mill, and you need to get a new camera too cuz we need pic's. 

Andy


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 25, 2010)

redprospector said:


> Glad you found something Alan.
> If you're going to be cutting for grade you probably will be happier with a band mill. The MDsaw will produce more, but if you're sacraficing grade for speed it might not be a good fit.
> You can saw for grade on a MD, but it's a lot slower.
> Good luck with the new mill, and you need to get a new camera too cuz we need pic's.
> ...


Thanks Andy, and yes I think this will work out ok for me.

Tim Bullock really knows what he's doing, and builds some of the finest log homes on the planet. I was so fortunate to be able to learn from such an accomplished craftsman, Tim Bullock is up there with the finest of them. His most famous home is "Gideon's Cabin", which was built by the owner of a race horse named Gideon...the horse was injured in a race and the insurance companies payout was what built the log home.

Being able to mill faster is not as much of a concern for me as being able to mill what I need...I'm pretty excited to have found one finally...:biggrinbounce2:

Cheers,
Alan


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## Coalsmoke (Jan 25, 2010)

Well, very happy that you finally found one to suit your needs. Did you manage to stay within budget or did that get stretched out a little? Sawmill shopping has a habit of doing that.


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 25, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Well, very happy that you finally found one to suit your needs. Did you manage to stay within budget or did that get stretched out a little? Sawmill shopping has a habit of doing that.


Coal,

I think it's a fair price, $4k. The list was $5890 as I posted in the other thread, but it has the longer and heavier fabricated bed. I went to the bank today and got the cash. The seller seems a nice guy, and pulled the ad off craigslist for me.

He will mill up some logs he has over the next couple days before I take possession. I'm pretty excited to be getting it.

To SawyerRob, I put my money where my mouth was. I mentioned I didn't think the new MX34 was a good value for $1000 more, and certainly not for the $1700 it ended up being...but that didn't mean I didn't like the Norwood mills, quite the contrary, as I ended up buying one that is probably similar to what your using. That said, I don't hold it against you that the features were compelling for you. Do you think they are worth $1700 more?


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## Coalsmoke (Jan 25, 2010)

Well Tool, you got a real good deal on that mill. We'll expect lots of pictures. Send me an email if you've got questions. I look forward to seeing what has been changed on the bed rails.


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 26, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Well Tool, you got a real good deal on that mill. We'll expect lots of pictures. Send me an email if you've got questions. I look forward to seeing what has been changed on the bed rails.


Coal,

I will certainly get pics of the bed rails and/or what it comes with. I am having problems with my camera, and a Nikon D90 is in my future, but first I wanted this sawmill...

I'm curious if the original 16' bed comes with the sawmill I'm buying or not. AFAIK, Norwood only sells it with the 16' bed rails. It sounded to me when I spoke with the seller that he had this entire bed fabricated for him. Would be nice if I get the original as well. The main thing for me is the 23HP engine, as I need a mill that has at least a 20HP engine. I hear it makes quite a difference in the performance of this mill, and I believe you have the larger engine, right?

I'm also not sure what type of dogs/clamps are incorporated into this, so I will get some pics when I get it. It looks fairly clean in the picture, but not a very high resolution pic, and very hard to see the bed/rails. The gent I'm buying it from is quite knowledgeable about the logging industry and had various reasons why he purchased the Norwood specifically. 

News at 11:00pm as they say...


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## Coalsmoke (Jan 26, 2010)

Yep, I have the big Honda, works real well, cuts fast and steady. I can't imagine having any less power, and I'm sure if I had twice the power I'd still say the same thing


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 26, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Yep, I have the big Honda, works real well, cuts fast and steady. I can't imagine having any less power, and I'm sure if I had twice the power I'd still say the same thing


lol, isn't that always the case?  

When I was back at my friend's yard in West Virginia, his mill has a 30HP diesel engine on it, He told me if I was to use a small mill with a 5HP engine on it, I would soon realize the meaning of patience. 

The lube system was just excellent with a tub that the blade traveled through with some type of small pump to keep the blade lubed, but it was totally enclosed. I did get spoiled using that mill. It was stationary, but the bed was raised about 1-2 feet off the ground, and solid as a rock. He had a CAT loader, so it made quick work of moving the logs around, we used mostly slings to lift, and flip the logs. But slings are better suited for 2 people, as one needs to walk with the log so that it doesn't swing all over the place...

At my humble (i.e., small) yard out west that I'm setting up, since I have been mostly working by myself I tend to use the forks mostly, rather than slings, but I did get some slings as that seems like it might work better as the courses start stacking up higher. Also I didn't know if I would need them to unload or not, but I was able to get all the logs off by going at the trailer from both sides. My son was home on break from college so he was a big help on the trailer while I worked the forklift.

This is all kind of an education in progress, in most aspects of log home building. I do heed his advice closely, as he is without a doubt one of the best log craftsmen breathing, and I owe him a great deal for teaching me everything he has so far. I was very lucky to have someone so skilled teach me the basics.


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 29, 2010)

redprospector said:


> Good luck with the new mill, and you need to get a new camera too cuz we need pic's.


Andy,

Ok, I was able to get some pics, as my camera seems to work with the smartmedia card, but not the compact flash...I have a couple 32mb smartmedia cards, I get 34 pics on each one...so was able to get some pics.

DISCLAIMER: the bed/rails are a tad dirty as they haven't been painted and been sitting out for a few years, but it is solid as a rock. Toilets are not included...lol

This was purchased 03/2005, so not sure if this is the latest model or not, but it is pretty clean. I picked up all the manuals and such today, he gave me a whole pile of stuff including the shipping/freight invoice.

This is what the bed/rails look like. It is 30' long, and the cross members are double layers of square tube. The seller told me this is an exact match to the original bed/rails, dimension wise, and will hold a 32" log with 24" cut just like the originals.






You can kinda see the dog system, it attaches to a support that is between the cross member.






Front of carriage:






Side of carriage:






It also has 3 or 4 of these attachments, which are used for edging. They fit on the cross members and snug the boards up so they can be edged.






Can anyone tell me anything about this model? IOW, is it the older or newer model? I've seen another one that didn't have the 2 1/4" tubing on the carriage, but not sure how many models they had.

The drip/lube system works ok, and there's a separate tank for the gas. He told me it was sitting in the box for about 1 1/2 years before he and his son assembled it in their living room which drove his wife mad...lol He has never added any oil and it was full, he said he really hasn't used it much and the carriage looks it. He's giving me all the blades he has, most of which were used though, but I will sharpen them. A few of the blades are new.

He only opened the bed/rails to copy the dimensions from, and sold it to a friend of his that has a lumbermate 2000. This bed/rails are pretty hefty, not sure how much they weigh, but his friend has an big truck with a flat extended trailer he's going to bring it on, along with some Doug Fir and Ponderosa Pine.

I'm buying some Doug Fir from him for $300/1000bf (2000bf) and he's throwing in some Ponderosa Pine cants he had left from a project he cut.

Cheers,
Alan


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## Andrew96 (Jan 29, 2010)

I've been following along. I'm envious. Good for you...I can only wish and enjoy your new BSM along with you. 
I know the guy didn't include the toilets..but did you get the fish?


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 29, 2010)

Andrew96 said:


> I've been following along. I'm envious. Good for you...I can only wish and enjoy your new BSM along with you.
> I know the guy didn't include the toilets..but did you get the fish?


Thanks Andrew, he didn't include the fish. He dragged them out to show me when I told him I started to learn how to carve with chainsaws.

He had a redwood stump sitting on a pallet that was about 4-5' wide, and 8-9' high that he was going to have a bear with a salmon carved out of.

The fish is a school that is on the other side of the fence, but only some are on the fence at the moment. He did mill up that fence material with the mill. He all types of cedar and ponderosa pine saying around in stacks with tarps over it.

He's selling me 2000bf of doug fir at $300/1000bf, which is a great deal, and he's gonna toss in some ponderosa pine cants as spice. I should have enough for my rafters.

I'll tell you something...it was hard to find a mill, it seemed there wasn't too many listed which fit my budget and/or were powerful enough, but this will do just dandy. Persistence paid off in the end, and craigslist came through again. The bed/rails cost him $1500 to have fabricated.

Cheers,
Alan


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## Coalsmoke (Jan 29, 2010)

Very interesting bed rails. I think you may find the dogging system to be a bit of an aggravation, but no reason you couldn't buy some LM2000 dogs and backrests and put them on. Mill looks in good shape though.


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 29, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Very interesting bed rails. I think you may find the dogging system to be a bit of an aggravation, but no reason you couldn't buy some LM2000 dogs and backrests and put them on. Mill looks in good shape though.


Right you are Coal, I'm not doing flips over the dog system, but the bed/rails are not bad from what I saw...I need to check it out closer when I get it.

The other thing is that there is no toe board system, and that would definitely be nice...as it stands I will need to raise/lower with a block on the cross beam.

Do you know how many different models of the LumberMate 2000 they made? I've seen this one for sale in Arizona that looks like it's possibly older as it has smaller tubing on it. Maybe it's the same and my bad eyes. My manual says "REVISED 12-10-2004".

Also, for extra credit, the 1 1/2" blade system only works with the 23HP engine per the old pricelist. Is that just a matter of replacing the bearings, or do you know if that involves the wheels also when you buy it?

Cheers,
Alan


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## Coalsmoke (Jan 29, 2010)

That mill in that link is very clean looking, should make someone happy. It is a new model mill. I don't know how many different models there have been, but I can think of a couple. Like the Lumbermate Mark IV. Was a mid 90's platform.

As for toe boards, I keep at my mill a 1", 1.5" and 2" board, 24" long and 4" wide. They are manual toe boards and work fine. I generally don't toe up the big logs, just stuff up to the mid twenties. If a log is 30" with a lot of taper, like a big cedar but log, I probably don't want to bother sawing it anyways, so I tend to not let that stuff into my yard.

EDIT: Why do you want to run 1.5" blades? Everything out here can be sawn very well on 1.25" blades.


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 29, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> That mill in that link is very clean looking, should make someone happy. It is a new model mill. I don't know how many different models there have been, but I can think of a couple. Like the Lumbermate Mark IV. Was a mid 90's platform.


Yes, it is and he has just about every option available. IMO, he wants too much money for it and in my talking with him the least he would come down to was $7800, but I only offered him $5k and told him I wasn't sure if I would go to $6k, even so we were still $1800 apart so no use in discussing any further as I wasn't even sure I would go the $6k. The $9800 is close to the list of everything, and IMO, it would be stupid to pay list, especially for all the options...most of which the majority of folks will not buy. The shingler does me no good as we can't use wood shingles if we want insurance in Cali. Some of the other stuff is marginal.


Coalsmoke said:


> As for toe boards, I keep at my mill a 1", 1.5" and 2" board, 24" long and 4" wide. They are manual toe boards and work fine. I generally don't toe up the big logs, just stuff up to the mid twenties. If a log is 30" with a lot of taper, like a big cedar but log, I probably don't want to bother sawing it anyways, so I tend to not let that stuff into my yard.


Kinda my thinking right now, but I see it being useful for logs to build homes for where you want the pith in the center of the wall log, if possible. 


Coalsmoke said:


> EDIT: Why do you want to run 1.5" blades? Everything out here can be sawn very well on 1.25" blades.


I don't, I just wanted to understand what it is they provide for the cost of the option. I kinda agree with what you say, but just want to know what is provided for the $159 and if it was just bearings or were there other parts?

I went back to your site and was looking around and saw you had quite a bit of trouble with the Honda GX, but it seems resolved. Did you ever determine what caused that? This one I'm buying has the B&S, but was just curious. If I was given a choice I would probably pick the Honda, as I like Japanese product (lived there for 5 years and my wife is Japanese).

Cheers,
Alan


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## Ted J (Jan 29, 2010)

Alan,

Congrats, It looks like your getting a good deal there, looks stout.

Ted


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 30, 2010)

Ted J said:


> Congrats, It looks like your getting a good deal there, looks stout.


I think it is Ted, getting it moved is going to be a chore, as the bed/rails are 30' in length, so it won't fit on a 20' trailer easily. Working on getting both the mill and a couple thou bf of doug fir moved down to the yard now...

Cheers,
Alan


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## TraditionalTool (Jan 31, 2010)

*What a day...whew...*

Ok, the plan today was to go down to the yard and get things organized so that next week when the mill and more logs come, I would have space and be ready...

So, I got all my logs in a stack together, and had 3 large cants for the main floor posts (8x8s) and one piece of the ridge beam (2 piece ridge beam which will be keyed into the post top). That piece is fairly large, 8x14. Well, this really forked up my day, for lack of a better term...






After a lot of swearing and spinning the tires, the forklift ran out of propane, so I suspected, so I got the backup tank but it wouldn't start. I started getting very frustrated...so decided to go fill the main tank...when I got back it still wouldn't start, and still stuck of course...when my buddy the log craftsman called from West Virginia...I explained what was wrong, he said go home and come back tomorrow, that often the log fairy fixes things overnight and maybe it would start again...after I was off the phone with him I called a friend who said he'd help me tomorrow...but we still needed the forklift running to have a chance of pulling it out, after all it weighs over 10,000 lbs. I went over and thought I would try one more time before I left, whola, it started. I tried to dig it out some, but still, tire would just spin...I tried putting the 3 8x8 cants on it, to weight the front down, no luck...so called another buddy that had gone up to Tomales Bay and was getting me some oysters...(NOTE: if you like oysters and visit SF Bay area, Tomales Bay is a must go, you can BBQ them right on the beach...and what do you know, his little Suzuki Vista could get it out...this is what I ended up with also! 






Here's what I really wanted to post though...on the right side of the shed at my rental yard, there is a garage style door. It is kinda short, but tall enough for the LumberMate.






My plan is to keep the mill inside the shed, and cut the bottom of the right side door so that it will fit over the bed and close when not in use. I have 15 feet from the back wall of the shed to the front framing. So the bed/rails will extend out about 15 feet in it's current setup.

It is just about 6-6.5 feet tall when open, as I recall, which is enough for the LumberMate.

Here's my stack of logs to build my log home with, doug fir coming next week for the rafters, which I will mill into 6x10 cants (20' long). The two top front logs are already fitted, and are the top course (5th). You can see the tags on them. In the very back of the yard (in front of the truck graveyard) is where I will stack the doug fir logs when they come next week, they will be the first ones I'll cut on the mill.


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## Backwoods (Jan 31, 2010)

Nice spot to keep a mill tucked away in, and plenty of room for logs. I have a 11,000 lb forklift and it like hard surfaces like asphalt or it will stick it’s self so bad that it takes 3 ½ hours with a 1 ton truck, 35 ton jack, two shovels and a whole lot of blocking to get it out. It don’t go out on the gravel this time of year.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 1, 2010)

Backwoods said:


> Nice spot to keep a mill tucked away in, and plenty of room for logs. I have a 11,000 lb forklift and it like hard surfaces like asphalt or it will stick it’s self so bad that it takes 3 ½ hours with a 1 ton truck, 35 ton jack, two shovels and a whole lot of blocking to get it out. It don’t go out on the gravel this time of year.


Yes, I agree it would make a nice spot for the mill, I have been looking at it and thinking about it for some time...

As this all started out, I felt intimidated to find a place to finish the log home build, and after looking for a while, the rent people wanted for small pieces of garbage lots was outrageous...keep in mind I live in the heart of Silicon Valley.

I finally found this place which was a real mess, but I spent $1500 to have a guy come in and clean it up and grade it for me. It's not perfect, but not too bad...it's just a tad small to build log homes, but big enough to build the one I'm building right now.

Honestly, what happened as I started getting more involved in working with logs is that I realized you must have a mill to do anything. Let's say I wanted to make fireplace mantels on the side, which I had thought about creating hand hewn mantels. Still need a mill for that, even once you get the logs.

Since I have the forklift, a sawmill was really a missing piece.

Also, I started pondering...I wonder if I could find logs...so I started to ask around and low and behold, loggers are really hurting in California, just like they are back east, people can't sell logs to save their life. The white pine I bought back east was close to $700/1000bf, which I thought was a pretty good price...my friend can now get it for $300/1000bf, and I can get Doug Fir out west for about the same price. Still, one needs a sawmill to do anything useful with those logs, at least without a lot of manual labor using an axe...

I don't know where this goes from here, but in order to work with logs you need to be able to have a place with a mill, be able to move them around, have a source for logs, as well as knowing people that can freight them...

I'm still putting the pieces together, and this is a hobby. But the intention was that aside from having a hobby, maybe there is some $$$s in it for someone that is ambitious. More so, if I needed to, I could try to make some money and eventually the logging industry might turn around and/or the housing market so that there is money to be made, if that makes sense. My industry is in the toilet like many others, so having more than one means to generate income sure can't hurt.


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## Ted J (Feb 1, 2010)

Alan,
You could also just built a small "bumped out" roof on the side of that shed to keep the mill end out of the rain and in the shade, giving you full length access if ya need it. That way ya don't have to clean out that "napping shed"......


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 1, 2010)

Hi Alan, yep the Honda runs like a dream now, it was a couple little things, design flaws if you will, that was boogering up the system. I'm happy now though.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 1, 2010)

Ted J said:


> Alan,
> You could also just built a small "bumped out" roof on the side of that shed to keep the mill end out of the rain and in the shade, giving you full length access if ya need it. That way ya don't have to clean out that "napping shed"......


Ted,

I hadn't thought about it like that...lol Was thinking more in terms of trying to keep the sawmill secure and inside when not in use. My mentor has a similar setup where the sawmill carriage gets locked up in his shed while not in use and/or when they go home at night, to keep people away from it...people have a way of poking around things when they are left unattended.

There is a small piece of concrete on the side of the shed where I think something might have been placed on previously, I'm not sure what...but it's a bit small...I think it might hold the carriage portion of bed ok, I'll have to look at that and see. The shed itself has 15'-16' of concrete which would support about half of the bed. I don't have too much in the shed, 'cept my chainsaws and a compressor, and a few hand tools. I do like having the shed though.

There's a rundown cargo box next to the shed also, and another small area between the shed and cargo box that is covered. My plan is to let wood dry in there, I think the area is about 14' deep, and 10' wide, with a smaller room in the back. There is yet another ratty cargo box with a bunch of tile in it...the previous guy was a tile and cement guy...but there is some very usable tile in there...some of that could find it's way to my house...lol


Coalsmoke said:


> Hi Alan, yep the Honda runs like a dream now, it was a couple little things, design flaws if you will, that was boogering up the system. I'm happy now though.


Honda makes good stuff, I like their equipment, cars, etc...when I lived in Japan I had a Honda Acty, which is a minivan with a 650cc engine in it (very much like a motorcycle engine), but it had plenty of power to drive on the expressway and would go about 100 kilometers tops...I hauled many many vintage guitars in that little minivan, and it was one of the few cars I've made money on in my life, due to the exchange rate change. I drove it for 4 years and sold it for a $200 profit, mainly because of the exchange rate. They call those K cars in Japan, and because they are fuel efficient you don't need to show proof of a parking spot...but I did have my own parking spot anyway...You occasionally see the K car/trucks being used as farm equipment in North America, but they don't meet the requirements with door beams and such, so rarely are they seen (Subaru, Honda, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi).

It rained again last night, and supposed to rain more in the next couple days. I'm gonna leave the yard as-is until Sat., when the mill and logs are supposed to come. Hopefully I don't have too much difficulty unloading, there's some very soft areas of the yard...and after getting the forklift stuck, I'd rather wait and let it dry...I got most of the logs moved together to clear enough space in the back of the yard where I can store the logs/cants that are coming...I HOPE!


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 4, 2010)

*Sawmill and logs being loaded up, will be here tomorrow it looks like!*

Whooo-weee....my sawmill and Doug Fir logs are being loaded onto the truck as I type and it looks like it will be here tomorrow morning...

I am giddy like a kid in a candy store...

Hopefully unloading goes smoothly when it gets here, after getting the forklift stuck last week I am going to be cautious...still kinda wet out west, but the rain has been light the past couple days, not sure what the weather will be like tomorrow, I need to check that.

:rockn:


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## Backwoods (Feb 4, 2010)

Set them forks wide and get the stickers ready so you have a place to set everything, and be gentle with her.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 4, 2010)

Backwoods said:


> Set them forks wide and get the stickers ready so you have a place to set everything, and be gentle with her.


Naturally it's raining...AGAIN...doesn't want to let up on us. I will try to be gentle with her, you can bet on that. I'm not sure how the seller packed it on the trailer and/or if the carriage is separate or not. Yeah, my forklift has a single/double on it, so the forks widen out to 84" with the 4th control.

I hope the yard ain't too muddy tomorrow, 60 percent chance of rain...

I'll figure it out...


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## Ted J (Feb 4, 2010)

All I can say is you better take pictures......!!


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 4, 2010)

Ted J said:


> All I can say is you better take pictures......!!


That I will Ted, that I will...


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 5, 2010)

So, you get your wood all cut yet?


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## Backwoods (Feb 5, 2010)

So are you asking if he fired up the mill and milled a log or two before unloading the mill from the truck?:camera:


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 5, 2010)

Backwoods said:


> So are you asking if he fired up the mill and milled a log or two before unloading the mill from the truck?:camera:



He seems pretty eager, I wouldn't put it past him :biggrinbounce2:


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 5, 2010)

*Now we're Logging!*

Coal, nah, I didn't cut anything and was lucky to get the stuff off the truck safely, my yard is pretty muddy, but I got the carriage inside the shed so it would be out of the rain, and left the 30' bed on top of some fitted logs, to keep it out of the mud. More rain coming, will most likely wait until it stops and the yard can dry up some.

Ok, here's some pics for 'yall...

Arrival:






First I unloaded the Doug Fir logs:






Here's the logs after I got them unloaded, not the neatest stack, but I need to get the bark off and bunk them, even before I got them.






Seller gave me these Ponderosa Pine cants for free, he had them laying around in his yard and had no plans for them, I gladly accepted them.






And here's the carriage after we carefully unloaded it and get it into the shed to keep it out of the rain that is due to come this evening...like we haven't had enough rain, it's been raining for several week for the most part, constantly. Lucky I didn't get the forklift stuck, I did tear the yard apart pretty good but raked it and after it rains hopefully everything will be fine.






Continued in next message...


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 5, 2010)

*Still logging...*

Here's the 30 foot bed. It will most likely cut a 27' log, so not bad for now. In the future I would like to add about 10 feet.






The seller gave me these blades with the sawmill, they are Lenox blades. There's a couple new blades in the Norwood box. These Lenox blades are a tad rusty, but will clean up fine with some kerosene (easy on your hands also  ). They were stored in an open shed/cover, so the moisture in the air rusted them a bit...they are still sharp (ouch!, DAMHIKT).






All in all a good day, it wasn't raining, although it was a bit muddy, but we got 'er done...

Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain...


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 5, 2010)

Nice work, glad you avoiding getting stuck.


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## gemniii (Feb 5, 2010)

[slang]
You da Man!!
[/slang]
Way to go! Look forward to seeing some production pics.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 5, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Nice work, glad you avoiding getting stuck.


I was pretty proud of myself for not doing so...I screwed the center of the yard up pretty good, but just didn't stop in any one spot and just kept moving through it. Towards the end it seemed that the last couple big logs was going to get me stuck, but I just took it slow and steady, and dumped them at the pile...I drop a big log from about 8 feet in the air about half way through...no damage, and recovered fine! 

I will get plenty of pics when I get it all setup and going, not to worry geminiii, I was really bummed recently as I thought my camera was dead, but it turns out that a common problem exhibited on my camera seems to only happen with the compact flash. I love to take pics, but just didn't want to expense another camera just yet...a Nikon D90 will be in my future, but for the time being I am fortunate to be able to have a sawmill and some logs to go with it.


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 5, 2010)

I wonder if you could get a small set of cable chains for that forklift?


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## Ted J (Feb 5, 2010)

TraditionalTool said:


> I was pretty proud of myself for not doing so...I screwed the center of the yard up pretty good, but just didn't stop in any one spot and just kept moving through it. Towards the end it seemed that the last couple big logs was going to get me stuck, but I just took it slow and steady, and dumped them at the pile...I drop a big log from about 8 feet in the air about half way through...no damage, and recovered fine!
> 
> I will get plenty of pics when I get it all setup and going, not to worry geminiii, I was really bummed recently as I thought my camera was dead, but it turns out that a common problem exhibited on my camera seems to only happen with the compact flash. I love to take pics, but just didn't want to expense another camera just yet...a Nikon D90 will be in my future, but for the time being I am fortunate to be able to have a sawmill and some logs to go with it.



Cool..... congrats.


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## Backwoods (Feb 5, 2010)

I just unloaded four truck loads of oak with the forklift. I broke my leg on the third load and was still able to unload the logs off the next two loads with the forklift and a sticker. You can make a good stack of logs if you keep the face of the stack vertical and roll the logs down the back side, I can stack them about 8’ high, what’s more is the forklift can pick them out off a good deck with some runners under it. You can make the decks as long as you have room for. This allows you more room to sort your logs.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 6, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> I wonder if you could get a small set of cable chains for that forklift?


I have a couple slings that work pretty well, and in fact I did need to use those slings for lifting the carriage off the truck today, we were very careful as I didn't want to hurt my baby! 


Ted J said:


> Cool..... congrats.


Thanks Ted, you of all people know how many mills I was looking at and/or how far I was looking. Feels good to finally get my own mill...oh happy day! 


Backwoods said:


> I just unloaded four truck loads of oak with the forklift. I broke my leg on the third load and was still able to unload the logs off the next two loads with the forklift and a sticker. You can make a good stack of logs if you keep the face of the stack vertical and roll the logs down the back side, I can stack them about 8’ high, what’s more is the forklift can pick them out off a good deck with some runners under it. You can make the decks as long as you have room for. This allows you more room to sort your logs.


Funny, I will tell you shamefully that after I took my steel toed boots off, I was over with a cant hook leveraging the big log in from, when it came forward and I just felt it on my toes, I was standing on the cants in front...I said, holy moly, that's not that smart...and why one should ALWAYS wear steel toe boots when around logs. I did think about your leg...:monkey: Guarantee that won't happen for a long time...even though my toes were not wrapped around the front of the cant, I just barely felt the log as it hit up against the cant. :blush:


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 6, 2010)

Backwoods, you broke your leg:jawdrop: What happened?

Tool, I was actually thinking in terms of traction aids, if you could get a couple of cable chains made for it you might make out better in the wet months.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 6, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Tool, I was actually thinking in terms of traction aids, if you could get a couple of cable chains made for it you might make out better in the wet months.


Oh, that's a good idea actually...in reality an all terrain forklift would be better for the yard where I'm renting, but the thing is that normally we don't get rain very much past March time, and we'll go months without rain. Unlike when I was in West Virginia during May/June, it was just pouring every day. But different type of rain, where it was clear and then it would pour for about 30-45 minutes. You could see the rain coming in it was so thick...

I have a couple sets of chains that were in the yard when I cleaned up, I'll have to check to see if they would fit the forklift. I don't know what they were from.


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## Andrew96 (Feb 6, 2010)

Alan, I know there are a lot of guys posting since they have something good to say to help you out. I don't. I've just been following along. However, I sure am enjoying your new purchase. I feel as though I'm getting a new Bandmill with all the photos you post and the comments you write. The photo of the truck coming up your drive put a smile on my face. It's here! I thought...even though it's yours. Good for you...keep up the photos even if it's not with your dream camera (I'd like 90 too).


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## SilverBox (Feb 6, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Backwoods, you broke your leg:jawdrop: What happened?
> 
> Tool, I was actually thinking in terms of traction aids, if you could get a couple of cable chains made for it you might make out better in the wet months.



I took it to mean his forklift leg??


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 6, 2010)

I never thought of that, I hope you're right.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 6, 2010)

Andrew96 said:


> Alan, I know there are a lot of guys posting since they have something good to say to help you out. I don't. I've just been following along. However, I sure am enjoying your new purchase. I feel as though I'm getting a new Bandmill with all the photos you post and the comments you write. The photo of the truck coming up your drive put a smile on my face. It's here! I thought...even though it's yours. Good for you...keep up the photos even if it's not with your dream camera (I'd like 90 too).


Thanks Andrew, I was pretty excited to get it, as I have been wanting one for quite a while. Without one it is hard to complete most tasks for a log home build, my main concern, but just having some hardwoods in stock will be a charm once I find a downed walnut or similar...

I like this camera a lot, it was recommended by a good friend that does a lot more photography than me, it's an Olympus E-10, an SLR with a non-removable lens, so it's pretty easy to use. It only takes 4 megapixel shots, but that's way more than big enough for the web. I've had it for about 7 or 8 years and when it was having some problems with the compact flash, I get really seeing how much I use it. Luckily I figured out that I could use the SmartMedia instead, so picked up a 128mb SmartMedia card for about $30 and so far so good. That gives me 137 shots on the card...believe it or not, that should be enough for not. Yeah, that D90 is in my future, but I wanted a sawmill more...


Coalsmoke said:


> I never thought of that, I hope you're right.


Unfortunately Backwoods had a log swing loose and pinned his leg against the forklift or truck and it fractured it. He's got it in a split, as I recall, and trying to stay off it. I know he milled a small order a couple days ago, but will be trying to stay off it from what he was saying.

Worse than the fracture, he's now on strict orders from his wife that she won't help him if he doesn't listen to the doctor! That could be serious!!!! 

Get better soon Backwoods!


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 6, 2010)

Damn, that's what I was afraid of. This is one of those jobs where injury is easy and it can really put a person out of commission. I hope you have a fast recovery Backwoods.


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## Backwoods (Feb 7, 2010)

Thanks for the concern.
I was loading some 16”-24” oak logs on the boom truck, as I was dragging in a log so that I could get two chains around it to lift it on the truck it came loose from its bed a swung in farther then I had room for it to and it smacked my leg against the step. I knew right then that it was broke and my wife was there with in min. She is a real trooper and got help finish loading the truck after dark and brought it home. We went over the next day and I just ran the boom and we got the last load out on time. Now you don’t think I am going to let a little thing like a broken leg keep me from milling, already milled up half a truck load, and played around with some smaller blocks today. I am have a load to haul in and mill up this next week, my boy will help with that. I was out herding sheep yesterday, all the kids left me to get thru the muddy gateway on my crutches, twice, and I made it thru with no muddy miss haps. Now getting thru the brush with the crutches is a whole other story. 

Seeing the truck come in is a good site to see.
I am looking forward to see how the mill is set up and how the milling progresses. Take the time to set up a place for storing saws so that you can sort the sharp ones from the dull ones, even if it is just a 2x4 sticking out into the room from the top of the wall that you can hang the coiled up saws on. And be safe around the logs as they can get you.:biggrinbounce2:


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## Coalsmoke (Feb 7, 2010)

Backwoods, you're farm tough, which is good, because in this economy a person can't always take 6-8 weeks off. Wish you were closer so I could offer a hand if needed. Take good care.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 7, 2010)

Coalsmoke said:


> Backwoods, you're farm tough, which is good, because in this economy a person can't always take 6-8 weeks off. Wish you were closer so I could offer a hand if needed. Take good care.


Yeah, I wish I was closer myself, although I am probably closer to him than most folks, still not easily commutable.

I think it's good for most of us to ponder, because I have nothing but respect for Backwoods, he's offered more help and is more knowledgeable than many sawyers who frequent here. This type of accident can happen to ANYONE, me, you, or any of the other folks that frequent here.

Backwoods is already trying to get back on the horse, even with crutches, and that tells me he's gonna be fine. IMO, the worst is having to own up to your wife in this situation, they are good at reminding stubborn guys like myself of such an incident for some time...There are things you can tell a woman and she will forget in 10 minutes, but something like an accident will be remembered for years! Maybe that is good, keeps stubborn guys like me honest. 

Thankfully it wasn't worse, as it certainly could have been. As I said, I think it's a good reminder for many of us that logging is dangerous work.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 15, 2010)

I still need to clean this up a big, but got the bottom middle section of the right side door on my shed framed for the most part and have the opening cutout. I stuck a piece of plywood on the back for the time being until I can get the sawmill bed in the shed and leveled.

Called the excavator today that graded the yard for me and he sent one of his guys out with a probe to test the ground around the yard. I think we're gonna get some base rock and use a compactor, but I need to talk to his boss tomorrow. At the same time they might be able to level out the front of the shed and/or help me setup the sawmill bed so it's level.

Here's a pic, still a bit rough on the left side, I didn't have a lot of tools to work with today, so had to improvise on some stuff...lol


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## redprospector (Feb 16, 2010)

Backwoods said:


> Thanks for the concern.
> I was loading some 16”-24” oak logs on the boom truck, as I was dragging in a log so that I could get two chains around it to lift it on the truck it came loose from its bed a swung in farther then I had room for it to and it smacked my leg against the step. I knew right then that it was broke and my wife was there with in min. She is a real trooper and got help finish loading the truck after dark and brought it home. We went over the next day and I just ran the boom and we got the last load out on time. Now you don’t think I am going to let a little thing like a broken leg keep me from milling, already milled up half a truck load, and played around with some smaller blocks today. I am have a load to haul in and mill up this next week, my boy will help with that. I was out herding sheep yesterday, all the kids left me to get thru the muddy gateway on my crutches, twice, and I made it thru with no muddy miss haps. Now getting thru the brush with the crutches is a whole other story.
> 
> Seeing the truck come in is a good site to see.
> I am looking forward to see how the mill is set up and how the milling progresses. Take the time to set up a place for storing saws so that you can sort the sharp ones from the dull ones, even if it is just a 2x4 sticking out into the room from the top of the wall that you can hang the coiled up saws on. And be safe around the logs as they can get you.:biggrinbounce2:



Backwoods,
I feel for ya having a busted leg. I did a similar thing back in 01. I was unloading logs off a gooseneck with a canthook, I got a case of dumbutt and climbed up on the front of the trailer. The smallest log on the load decided to chase me off the trailer. That's when I learned that it is real hard to out run a log off a trailer. Shattered my left knee, and tore up a bunch of tendon's & muscle damage. I was down for 9 months with that one. Bought a dump trailer shortly after I got back on my feet.
Hope you heal up fast, and don't over do it.

Andy


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## redprospector (Feb 16, 2010)

TraditionalTool said:


> I still need to clean this up a big, but got the bottom middle section of the right side door on my shed framed for the most part and have the opening cutout. I stuck a piece of plywood on the back for the time being until I can get the sawmill bed in the shed and leveled.
> 
> Called the excavator today that graded the yard for me and he sent one of his guys out with a probe to test the ground around the yard. I think we're gonna get some base rock and use a compactor, but I need to talk to his boss tomorrow. At the same time they might be able to level out the front of the shed and/or help me setup the sawmill bed so it's level.
> 
> Here's a pic, still a bit rough on the left side, I didn't have a lot of tools to work with today, so had to improvise on some stuff...lol



Alan,
It may be just me, but I really don't like base rock or gravel around a mill. I'm always having to drag or roll logs around, and the rock will just cling to the bark on logs. It seems like the rock I don't find is always right in the path of the blade.

Andy


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 16, 2010)

redprospector said:


> Alan,
> It may be just me, but I really don't like base rock or gravel around a mill. I'm always having to drag or roll logs around, and the rock will just cling to the bark on logs. It seems like the rock I don't find is always right in the path of the blade.
> 
> Andy


Andy,

Don't have too much choice right now as this is the only place I can keep the sawmill. 

I have a couple options, at least realistic ones right now...one is to use the 8x8 cants as runners under the bed. The other would be to lay a slab of cement out of the shed. I could still use the 8x8 cants as runners under the sides of the bed, even if I lay some cement. I don't have to roll the logs around too much, and use a forklift for that. We'll see how it goes...


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## gemniii (Feb 17, 2010)

Just build it up with a lot of clean sawdust.


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## TraditionalTool (Feb 17, 2010)

gemniii said:


> Just build it up with a lot of clean sawdust.


Yes, I will after I get it in place and cutting. I'm still waiting to talk to the excavator, my biggest problem is solving the soft area around the temp. building area.


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## TraditionalTool (Mar 17, 2010)

*Some better pics of my mill and it's setup...*

Got some better pics today of the sawmill and how it is setup in the yard. This is how it stows away at night.






Cut a filler board to keep animals and/or rodents out of the shed.






This is the log rest and log dog setup, there are 3 of these cross bars welded in place out of square tubing. Each fitting is made up of 2 pieces of square tubing each with a hole and nut welded to it for the bolt to secure the cross bar or dog/rest.






This is how the clamping setup is right now, 3 of the cross bars each with a dog and a rest.






Opened up and ready for use:


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