Looking good! Mill looks to be well set up and supported. That skidsteer is a great tool around the mill. Bet a grapple is on your wish list. You showed good judgement in stopping to figure out why the mill wouldn't push through the cut. Glad you had the sense to stop the blade before backing the mill out. If the blade is turning, you'll pull it right off the bandwheels & turn it into a pretzel (ask me how I know!). You might keep a logging wedge handy to open up the kerf to help back the blade out. When aligning the log for the second cut, I like to go just a little bit past square so that when I tweak it square to the blade, it pulls the log into the clamps for a better bite. KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY FROM THE SAWDUST CHUTE!!! Sorry, didn't mean to yell, but if the blade breaks at the weld (not common , but it happens), you won't be able to count to 10 on your fingers any more. Even with the engine at idle and blade stopped, if someone bumps the throttle, it could still happen. If you get a low bite on the log with the peavey and lift with your legs, instead of pushing overhand with your shoulders, you'll get a lot more turning force, and your back & shoulders with last longer. In all, you had a good run at it, and I love the way you worked together as a team to work through it. It is great to be reminded of the early days and all the frustration & learning that takes place on the first couple of logs. I'm sharing this video with Norwood so that they can get a better idea of how customers interact with the mill. Looking forward to watching more of your videos!
Norwood sawmill seem to be good sawmills we purchased one also, just subbed to your channel looking forward to more sawmill videos. Cheers from John and Audrey .
Thanks guys! I'm uploading some videos now. Pretty conventional log today. Mill cut great. I also uploaded a video on leveling the mill today. Enjoy and I'll check out your channel as well. Thanks for the sub. If I can answer any questions or help out, let me know.
Looking good!. After the first cuts, when you flip the log for the first time, I like to flip it all the way to the flat side down and cut the other parallel side. I find it's easier to support the log for the perpendicular cuts when it is balanced on both sides (and weighs less). As Dave said, stay behind the mill when cutting. When the blade breaks it can shoot out the side through the plastic a few feet. That could be fatal.
When you lamb always make sure you cut them tight to the bark on the log. It will make your life a lot easier as I’m sure you’ve already figured out. That’s awesome guys. Keep up the good work.