First Saw Log to head towards barn...

[Dad2FourWI]

I attended the Wood Mizer open house in Mosinee, Wisconsin on Saturday and had a blast!

They did a great job and took their time to cut and explain every model band saw...

I am towards the "lower end" of their mills (OK, I am at the bottom!) but I enjoyed seeing each mill and listening to people who actually know what to ask and the answers given!

It was a great day... and an extra set of bed rails and a 60" cant hook came back to the farm with me!

Seeing all that fun, it inspired me to get out today and pick up a bunch of firewood logs and one log for the mill.

Here is my cheering team... they are as excited as I am!

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and here is my main "helper" decked out in her protective gear!

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When we finished mowing the remaining trails, we took a nice ride on the tractor to run by some of the other trees that are down and are "tagged" as saw logs... I have my work cut out for me! (I can't wait!!!)

-Dad2FourWI

 

[brookpederson]

Lol - your helper looks like he wants to lift his leg on a log. Nice pics, cute kids! I brought my 10 yr old on deer stand tonight, little fawn came in @ 10 yds. He thought i was crazy for not shooting, i laughed. Son I said there would only be about 25# of meat after i got done butchering.

 

[Jim Timber]

Funny looking truck you have.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

@ brookpederson, too funny! I remember the same conversation I had with my father (and that was some time ago!) along the same lines!!!

@ Jim Timber... ouch! Yea... my vehicle died about a year ago now... (one of the reasons that my LT-10 sat at the dealer for so bloody long...) but things are a little better this year and I have my eye on a new (used) truck... now, if the "boss" (aka my wife) says "yes", hopefully I will have a happy truck back in the barn.

I cannot complain... we are still living on the old farm that my dad and I spent so much time taking care of ... and so what if we don't have any plumbing, no running water, no toilets, only two bedrooms for six people, and old wood stove for heat, a kitchen that makes it difficult to feed a family of one - much less a family of six... Hey, actually this is getting depressing!<grin>

We have a roof on the new cabin and we are working every day on making these things something of the past and I want my kids to enjoy the farm!!! I am used to the old farm house (I grew up like this!) but they are really looking forward to the new cabin!!! (ok, me too!!!)

The wood that we mill from these logs will be going on the floors, walls, and ceilings of the cabin... sooooo, yes, we will be living on sub-flooring and looking at OSB for a while until the lumber that we cut dries!!... but some day....

As always, we are _very_ welcome to any input... ideas and suggestions are always welcome!!!

Take care,
-Dad2FourWI

 

[Jim Timber]

I was just ribbing ya. My wife drives a mini the same color as yours. Of course, I wish she'd take the tahoe so I can get an extended cab with a box, but she likes the "room" and I don't have the money for another truck anyway.

Her mini will hold far more crap than my truck does, and it gets better mileage, unless it's icy - then it stays in the driveway, because sometimes it can't make it up to the house from the street (we have a little hill).

Good work on the cabin! I'm right behind ya with the same plans. I've been holding my tongue while we "camp out" in the in-laws cabin, but after spending every weekend of the entire summer with her folks, I need out! I'm building a shack out in the woods next spring if it's the last thing I do. I have to have more space (to breathe) and her parents are nuts.

 

[Dad2FourWI]

No worries! <grin> yea, those little mini-vans really come in handy! - when we completed loading both loads of logs... we actually hooked the running gear up to the mini-van to pull back to the farm yard!

Your cabin ideas sounds like a good idea... I remember the "fun" with the out-laws (er, I mean in-laws) all too well. LOL!!

My father always said that you cannot have two women in one kitchen for very long without some tension - wise words...

Take your time and come up with a plan for your cabin and go into great detail on your plans... it will save you in the long run!!!

I remember when we had the foundation poured... I told the contractor that I needed the anchor bolts to follow my "plan" and gave him a detailed drawing of where the bolts needed to be embedded in the crete (so they would not interfere with any of the floor joists and support squash-blocks).

He looked at the drawing and laughed and then proceeded to hand me two boxes of anchor bolts and said "go knock yourself out"!... but I also remember how much fun and how quickly the the floor went up since we never needed to create any "work-arounds"!

Remember to take pics and enjoy (and share the pics too!)

-Dad2FourWI

 

[Jim Timber]

My get away spot will be substantially more rustic than my future house will be - both will go on the same property. That's part of the issue. I don't want and can't afford two mortgages, so I can't just get a construction loan and go to town on building my retirement house.

My wife grew up on that lake, in the former "rustic" cabin, which has since been replaced with a 1200sf modern single level home. The problem is she, her mom, dad, and very autistic 41yr old brother are all OCD to various extents, and there's not enough room for the four of them + me.

When we first started dating, I hated going to the lake. HATED it! And of course, since it'd been tradition to spend every weekend up there all summer long since she was 8, I was the weirdo for not wanting to go. I don't fish, and I don't boat. That leaves sitting around watching tv as the only thing to do up there - and I'd much rather do that at home than with three adults who annoy the piss out of me.

So move forward 4 years, and I bought the land across the street. Now I have a reason to suffer through the in-laws, and actually want to be up north with them. I actually want to be up north in my woods more than I want to be at home in my living room - my living room is obviously in the wrong spot now. lol But, since I'm spending more time with them again, I'm reacquainted with why I hated being there in the first place. Time to move out!