Smelled like pine today

[Mike Van]

These logs came last fall, the first one I grabbed is a 9 footer, about 30 inch dia. My coffee cups in the first pic for a little scale.

Some of the bark came off nice, the part on the ground is still froze solid ice. The first cut gave off that 'zing' sound we all know, crap. It was small, #6 at least. I know right where these came from between two buildings down town.

It's just about 36" on the butt.

I'm going to make mostly 2" thick planks out of it, as my supply is about gone. 3 cuts down, I turn the log. This time the metal detector gets used first. BZZZZZ well, start chopping -

Down in almost 2" there's another nail, same as the first. At about this point, the good daylight is fading fast, this'll be here in the morning -

 

[mtngun]

Too bad you have to fight nails. Hope it's worth it.

What kind of bandmill do you have ?

 

[DRB]

Nice to see pine with out blue stain for a change. It's getting hard to find here. Look forward to seeing the rest of the job.

 

[BobL]

Sure is nice looking wood.

This time the metal detector gets used first. BZZZZZ well, start chopping -

In this photo I don't understand why you need to chop away so much wood with the chisel?

 

[isaaccarlson]

beautiful log.....love it. can't wait to upsize my mini mill.

 

[Mike Van]

BobL - the metal detector is an old [25 year?] Whites, big flat head, it gives you a pretty good idea where something is. I started with a hatchet, just chopping some bark off. Sometimes there's a sign in the wood, abnormimal looking right above the nail. Nothing here, chopped some more, nothing. Finally took a chainsaw, cut both sides of where the detector showed, and chopped that waste out. Then saw the head of the nail, it was almost 2" below the bark, pretty good for a detector that old. Slab cut ay least, I didn't have to chop up good lumber. Those little #6's aren't bad, but you don't know, it coluld just as well be a #20. Or one of those flooring nails the surveyors use. I'd like to give some of those back someday, right where the sun don't shine on a surveyor. :censored: They will ruin a blade in a hurry.

 

[Mike Van]

Too bad you have to fight nails. Hope it's worth it.

What kind of bandmill do you have ?

I built my own, almost 20 years ago. 10 hp 3 phase electric.

 

[BobL]

BobL - the metal detector is an old [25 year?] Whites, big flat head, it gives you a pretty good idea where something is. I started with a hatchet, just chopping some bark off. Sometimes there's a sign in the wood, abnormimal looking right above the nail. Nothing here, chopped some more, nothing. Finally took a chainsaw, cut both sides of where the detector showed, and chopped that waste out. Then saw the head of the nail, it was almost 2" below the bark, pretty good for a detector that old. Slab cut ay least, I didn't have to chop up good lumber. Those little #6's aren't bad, but you don't know, it coluld just as well be a #20. Or one of those flooring nails the surveyors use. I'd like to give some of those back someday, right where the sun don't shine on a surveyor. :censored: They will ruin a blade in a hurry.

Thanks for the explanation. Yeah those hardened twisty nails keep me awake if I think too much about it - the other ones that worry me are tensile steel bolts.

 

[Mike Van]

Finished this log up this morning, all done by 10:00. Two issues slowed me up, one was another nail

That I found with the detector, then chopped out. This one messed up a nice plank, but I got it in the edge at least. The second issue still hurts, I fell. I have to step back & forth over the bed of the mill, and just didn't step high enough. Dinged up my left knee & both wrists, catching myself before I met the cement floor face first. Amazing, as I get older it seems to take longer to get from point A to point B, yet gravity seems to work faster.

Here's an action shot [trust me] of the blade in the cut.

A nice 2x20 plank.

Not much sawdust with the bandmill, when the winds really blowing, you can see it going about 40 or 50 ft away.

Here's the finished product, five 2x20's a 3x19 two 2x18's one 2x12 and a 1x12, 1x10, and 1x8. Tomorrow I'll deal with this

Not all from this log. Not much of it really, as the nice straight logs have very little waste. This'll be fuel for next years maple syrup season.

 

[BobL]

Nice photos Mike. It's good to see other photos besides wood (although wood is good!) like the sawdust picture.

Sorry to hear about your fall. I'm long past being a spring rooster and make point of just taking things slowly but stuff happens no matter what one does and it also takes longer to heal. Hope you get better soon.

 

[Can8ianTimber]

Ahhh, Sawmill pictures are like therapy as I am trapped in an office on a beautiful spring day.

I have not yet decided if this forum helps cope with the mundane of pushing paper and clicking mouse buttons or if it makes me more discontent. hmmm

Anyways, thanks for posting those pictures, Looks like some great boards, also good to see more shots of your home made mill.

 

[Mike Van]

In the sawdust pic you can also see a black tub? They would scald pigs in it after butchering, as it made the hides easier to scrape. Late 50's was the last time it was used. It's cast iron, must weigh 2000lb at least, filled with water, they'd get fire going all around until it was boiling. Life was hard in those days.

 

[BobL]

In the sawdust pic you can also see a black tub? They would scald pigs in it after butchering, as it made the hides easier to scrape. Late 50's was the last time it was used. It's cast iron, must weigh 2000lb at least, filled with water, they'd get fire going all around until it was boiling. Life was hard in those days.

Bet the pork tasted real good though.

 

[Mike Van]

Big, fat hand cut bacon, no chemicals in it!