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

[TraditionalTool]

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!

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!

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:

 

[Coalsmoke]

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.

 

[TraditionalTool]

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.

 

[Andrew96]

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).

 

[SilverBox]

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??

 

[Coalsmoke]

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

 

[TraditionalTool]

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...

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!

 

[Coalsmoke]

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.

 

[Backwoods]

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:

 

[Coalsmoke]

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.

 

[TraditionalTool]

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.

 

[TraditionalTool]

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

 

[redprospector]

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

 

[redprospector]

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

 

[TraditionalTool]

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...

 

[gemniii]

Just build it up with a lot of clean sawdust.

 

[TraditionalTool]

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.

 

[TraditionalTool]

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: