This is for all the "city" folks.

[OCtoolguy]

I was born and raised in the city. Never got to be exposed to country life. I found this particular set of videos on Youtube and I have been watching them for about a week now. I'm captivated by what this young guy does with his saw mill. He does build some interesting things too. Anyway, there are so many videos to watch, I can't pick a particular link to suggest here but if you go to Youtube and search for "Fall Line Ridge Videos" you'll find them. Prepare to be entertained. At least I am. I'm watching this one right now.

 

[new2woodwrk]

I'm a city boy as well  - fascinating!

I'll never do it, but I do find milling fascinating and love waiting for the surprise grains that come from the center

[don watson]

Thanks for that Ray.

[TAIrving]

Very interesting!  Thanks for posting.  

Could not find one on eBay.  But they are available from the manufacturer:  https://woodmizer.com/Store/Shop/Portable-Sawmills/LT15-Portable-Sawmill  

Tulip Poplar, aka Yellow Poplar, might not be the best wood for scrolling.  https://www.wood-database.com/yellow-poplar/  

[jerry1939]

I spent most of my life farming in NE Iowa.  Dad had a sawmill as a 2nd occupation.  It uses a 48" diameter circular blade. Long before this type of band saws were used.  Belt driven by a John Deere 820 tractor.  People would bring logs & we sawed them & charged according to what the log "squared at" & the length.  Piled the slabs on a row. let them dry a year & start another row.  Cut from the year old row & sold as firewood.

The blade had round "tooth holders".  First the disposable teeth were sharpened with a hand file, later with an electrical grinder, the forerunner of the Dremel.

The worst logs were cut from in peoples yards.  We hit nails, hammock holders, horseshoes, rifle shells, etc.  The bigger things ruined every tooth.

Working around a mill was darn hard work.  Dad enjoyed it & I think that a big reason for doing it, was to keep my brother & I tired & our eyes burning from sawdust.  At the end of the day, we had NO DEISIRE to go out raising heck or courting the Ladies at night.

Dad split the income 3 ways, between himself & my brother.  That was our spending money.

[OCtoolguy]

2 hours ago, jerry1939 said:

I spent most of my life farming in NE Iowa.  Dad had a sawmill as a 2nd occupation.  It uses a 48" diameter circular blade. Long before this type of band saws were used.  Belt driven by a John Deere 820 tractor.  People would bring logs & we sawed them & charged according to what the log "squared at" & the length.  Piled the slabs on a row. let them dry a year & start another row.  Cut from the year old row & sold as firewood.

The blade had round "tooth holders".  First the disposable teeth were sharpened with a hand file, later with an electrical grinder, the forerunner of the Dremel.

The worst logs were cut from in peoples yards.  We hit nails, hammock holders, horseshoes, rifle shells, etc.  The bigger things ruined every tooth.

Working around a mill was darn hard work.  Dad enjoyed it & I think that a big reason for doing it, was to keep my brother & I tired & our eyes burning from sawdust.  At the end of the day, we had NO DEISIRE to go out raising heck or courting the Ladies at night.

Dad split the income 3 ways, between himself & my brother.  That was our spending money.

Thanks Jerry. Very interesting. Nothing wrong with hard work.

[bandaideman]

Thanks for sharing that Ray brought back memories like Jerry's. Farm in upstate NY. There was a farmer who also run a mill like jerry said but used a Farmal tractor for the blade belt. Used to go down there and watch a little but was more interested in watching. No interest in helping after seeing the farmer lost his arm in the belt when he was sawing at the elbow. Did not. slow him down doing anything. This new will would make it easier for sure

[Rockytime]

Interesting for sure Vern. That saw mill is might efficient. I just remember the huge circular blades and powered with the power take off on a John Deere. Loved all those things as well as threshing machines and steam tractors.

[Norm Fengstad]

The video was excellent , right from falling the tree to the mill process. my brother had a band saw mill this brought back precious memories

[jerry1939]

The Woodmizer style of saw would have a place in the world, but you would use bad words if & when you hit metal imbedded in the log and found out the cost of a replacement blade.

[OCtoolguy]

4 hours ago, jerry1939 said:

The Woodmizer style of saw would have a place in the world, but you would use bad words if & when you hit metal imbedded in the log and found out the cost of a replacement blade.

That's true Jerry but this fellow has purchased the necessary equipment to sharpen his blades and is pretty adept at it. 

[lawson56]

That brought back some memories from my youth, When we lived here in Tenn, back in the 70s I worked the sawmill in Crump Tn, I got to be fairly good with those log hooks. But I soon got a job on the Ohio River on a Barge  Line.

[stoney]

My dad set up a Belsaw mill on our property in 1952 and it was powered by a Buick straight eight engine.   I was only 8 years old at the time.   My two older brothers and I worked in the logging operation.   At first I was an official brush dragger,not to technical a job.  We had a Doodle Bug made from a 1937 Chevy 2 ton truck that was used to skid the logs out of the woods to a landing where they were loaded on the 1949 Studebaker log truck by a set of skid poles and a hand operated wench.  Almost all the work was hard manual labor.

In 1956 my dad paid to have 480 volt 3 phase power run in to the Mill.   The sawmill was converted to run with a 40hp electric motor.   Man was that an improvement.  We were all happy we didn't have to listen to that Buick motor anymore.  Several machines were added too because of the electric power, a gang saw, cutoff saw, an edger, a planer etc.   It was also the year I was promoted to a sawmill hand.   My pay was 25 cents an hour.   By my senior year of high school I had worked all the way up to $1.50 an hour.  I had to work afternoons when I got home from school, most Saturdays, and of course summers.   I never did forgive my dad for my life growing up mainly because I believe my brothers and I missed allot that most kids of our generation got to enjoy.     

[OCtoolguy]

5 minutes ago, stoney said:

My dad set up a Belsaw mill on our property in 1952 and it was powered by a Buick straight eight engine.   I was only 8 years old at the time.   My two older brothers and I worked in the logging operation.   At first I was an official brush dragger,not to technical a job.  We had a Doodle Bug made from a 1937 Chevy 2 ton truck that was used to skid the logs out of the woods to a landing where they were loaded on the 1949 Studebaker log truck by a set of skid poles and a hand operated wench.  Almost all the work was hard manual labor.

In 1956 my dad paid to have 480 volt 3 phase power run in to the Mill.   The sawmill was converted to run with a 40hp electric motor.   Man was that an improvement.  We were all happy we didn't have to listen to that Buick motor anymore.  Several machines were added too because of the electric power, a gang saw, cutoff saw, an edger, a planer etc.   It was also the year I was promoted to a sawmill hand.   My pay was 25 cents an hour.   By my senior year of high school I had worked all the way up to $1.50 an hour.  I had to work afternoons when I got home from school, most Saturdays, and of course summers.   I never did forgive my dad for my life growing up mainly because I believe my brothers and I missed allot that most kids of our generation got to enjoy.     

Unfortunately, that sort of thinking is what is missing in our youth of today. Not saying to make slave of our kids but make them work for their spending money instead of just forking it over. 

[Scrappile]

Hummm... I always gave my kids a dime to go to bed without supper.... Charged them  a quarter for breakfast!!  Teach them a lesson....

Edited May 3, 2021 by Scrappile

[OCtoolguy]

15 hours ago, Scrappile said:

Hummm... I always gave my kids a dime to go to bed without supper.... Charged them  a quarter for breakfast!!  Teach them a lesson....

I'll just bet that is true and not a joke Paul. lol.

 

[Joe W.]

On 5/1/2021 at 11:48 AM, jerry1939 said:

Working around a mill was darn hard work.  Dad enjoyed it & I think that a big reason for doing it, was to keep my brother & I tired & our eyes burning from sawdust.  At the end of the day, we had NO DEISIRE to go out raising heck or courting the Ladies at night.

I know what you mean.  We recently had 10 trees taken down from our property around out house (terrible drainage problem, but that is another story) and last Wednesday a friend and I got a rental log splitter for the day and made a huge pile of firewood in the front yard.  I slept like a baby that night.  Next day was spent imitating an old man with arthritis.  Saturday and Sunday found me getting my steps in, moving the wood to the back yard and stacking it.  I didn't have any trouble sleeping those nights either.  Worked out to 3 cords of wood, 6 alieve tablets, and knowing I don't want to do that again.