One Man Sawmill Operation

Milling pine with a Wood Mizer sawmill and a Kubota tractor.
Every now and then, I set up and mill on halves for a friend. He clear lots for mobile home installations and brings logs back to his property. It's a good setup for both of us. Equipment used is a Wood Mizer LT15 mill and a Kubota L4701 tractor with grapple.
All of the logs are southern yellow pine. All of them are 13-16 feet long. Blades used are a Cooks Dura Tooth Super Sharp and Woodmizer doublehard.
Follow us on Facebook!: / falllineridge
Contact: [e-mail]

[@falllineridge]

Correction: I said in the video that most of the boards were 16’. The longest were 16, but they were all 13-16’.

[@canalolenhadorvaldir]

👏👏👏👏

[@garykostalek9273]

P

[@CB71SS]

It's good to see those logs being used instead of being burned. There is too much waste in this country now days as is. Keep up the good work.

[@timothywewege6651]

I loved the lunch break,never get to see that😀,he is always working but never eating😀

[@DonnaMSchmid]

What a blessing it is to finally have a tractor to help you -- and the older you get, the MORE you will appreciate it! Great video!

[@kwaminax]

Wow, can only imagine how much more you could do with a second person. Great vid!

[@MrFHLH]

That's what I call a fun day out, all that wonderful timber. You did very well on your own, that tractor is the best thing since sliced bread, does all the grunt for you with ease.

[@jdub229r]

Orange Tractors for the win! Appreciate your hard work!

[@fredbrooks6488]

Enjoyed the video,been 50 yrs since I was around a saw mill.

[@trampster7306]

Another good upload Wes. Having the tractor sure has increased productivity and made life a little easier. Hoope you and yours are happy & healthy.

[@chaplainand1]

Thanks for the ride-along. Maybe you could share about operating costs, blade replacement costs, and blade sharpening. I really appreciate your skill and work ethic. Thank again.

[@grant0617]

Your videos have always reminded me of home.. now I know why. I used to work at St. Francis. I miss Columbus. Keep up the good work and God bless.

[@falllineridge]

Cool! Glad you're enjoying the channel.

[@jamesmaher5089]

Great job you made my day. Good to see that lumber being used and not burned...

[@petedavis8701]

I wish I lived closer to you, I’d get rid of my silly expensive gym membership and give you some help! Trouble is I live in England!

[@doctormaddix2143]

Pete Davis same, except I live in Germany!

[@ron.v]

Pete and Doc, why don't you guys hope on a bus and head on over here to the U.S.? Haha. Nice of you fellows to say so. I feel the same way and I live close enough to help him but I'm a 73-year-old disabled veteran. Cancer and heart disease have taken their toll. Bummer.

[@abramwalker9273]

I had a grapple for my tractor and switched to using just forks I feel I’m easer on the mill setting logs. Love the set up be safe!

[@BryanKilbourne007]

Happy 4th of July From: Wasilla, Alaska. Great 77 deg. today... Not a Cloud in the Sky.. Happy 4th to All.

[@appalachianmountaindesigns7713]

Still think you'd come out ahead hiring someone to help set it on the mill and stack it. You just run the equipment but that's added labor cost too. Great video love watching the cuts. Thanks for sharing. *Chris*

[@bigredracer7848]

1.4K+👍's up guys thanks again for taking us all along with you for the great show 😊

[@bigredracer7848]

How did I miss this one I have no idea but I got a little late 👍's up

[@earlsmithson4749]

Hi Wes, let me say your choice of tractor was perfect. Hopefully the future holds a LT35 to protect your back as you primarily work alone. Another great video

[@falllineridge]

Hey Earl, not sure I can justify that one just yet! This one is just fine for my needs.

[@DBOWDEN56]

I really liked the little snippet of footage in fast forward where as the mill progressed it jumped to the next board and gave a little 'stair-step' effect,

[@steveadams99708]

It's good to see you cutting lumber from logs that would otherwise be wasted. Good video as always.

[@falllineridge]

Thanks, Steve.

[@philmosley6373]

love your videos. glad to see that pine put to use, and not going to the burn pile.keep safe phil m

[@paulstan9828]

There is something peaceful and relaxing watching a log being cut into wood planks. 😁

[@karencary3312]

Some really nice logs. The boards look real nice, too. Happy July 4th. Land of the free and home of the brave.

[@07negative56]

We’re not free & there aren’t very many brave any more.

[@deaddy57]

it looks like you have a lot of sawing ahead of you from that pile you passedover, wow. Love the videos thanks for making them

[@DrJohn493]

Glad to see you got a tractor and grapple to work those logs!

[@Zeke-yv3nw]

The amazing thing is all this wonderful wood use to be burned and now your using it!

[@sipzter]

Good choice of music and nice editing! Really enjoy your videos. Makes me wanna get out there and work. Even though I know it's hard work, it's real peaceful to watch. Thank you. Paul

[@falllineridge]

Thanks, Paul!

[@kyletango]

When I was a youngster I remember my dad building hog pens using the pine slabs like I see here.

[@natehill8069]

Love the grapple. Want!

[@Tomhohenadel]

Good looking pine lumber. Hard work by yourself. Be well, be safe.

[@canalolenhadorvaldir]

Froon BRAZIL applaud this hardworking guy 👏👏👏👏👏

[@mariowickel456]

Happy to see you wearing a mask while operating that Mill, often ask myself why everyone who has a Mill doesn't wear one. Seen to many folks end up with lung issues from the dust

[@falllineridge]

Yeah, I figured it was time to save my lungs some undue stress.

[@mariowickel456]

@@falllineridge and your a respiratory tech. My tech who comes n checks my O2 concentrator and CPAP machine were talking about the dust dangers . He also has a Mill LT35

[@trampster7306]

@@falllineridge Good move Wes. I was a smoker for many years, and used to do a whole lot of metalwork as a hobby. Welding fumes, grinding dust etc. Developed an unrelated heart issue 18 months ago, had some breathing difficulties ever since, and now been diagnosed with COPD. We all think it is OK to do these things until it is too late.

[@ibfgarage9365]

Nice little operation. Enjoyed the video. 👍

[@falllineridge]

Thanks!

[@zell9058]

I am just learning to saw, broke my first blade on my ‘92 lt30 yesterday, and it scared the tar out of me!

[@natehill8069]

Since you are apparently new to loaders I thought I would mention this. I notice you lifting logs on a bit of a slope. Be careful. The front axle of a tractor swivels in the center and as you lift a load, you move the center of gravity forwards. And when you are sitting or moving ACROSS a slope, you move the CG outwards on the downhill side at the same time, even more so if you steer towards uphill at the same time. Once the CG passes across an imaginary line running from the outside of the downhill rear tire to the CENTER of the front axle (not the outside of the front tire as you subconsciously expect), you will tip over. It will be sudden and gain your full attention. I recommend you keep something heavy (I use a box blade mostly) on the 3-pt hitch while lifting - ESPECIALLY on a slope; this will keep the CG farther back where the triangle is wider. I have an L4600 (the direct predecessor to yours) and I was loading sand into a trailer on a (I thought) minor side slope and discovered this in person; luckily I had my hand on the lever at the time and was able to pop it down into "freefall" which eliminated the "tip" effect instantly and plopped me back down on the tires, but it made a REALLY loud "bang!" when the bucket hit the steel dump trailer I was attempting to load. Filling the rear tires helps too, I have 50 gal of washer fluid (beet juice is better) in each of mine.

[@David-fv7zg]

Ill get that grapple significantly improves the production, if anything saving your back. Nice operation here, well done.

[@falllineridge]

It was a wonderful investment.

[@Bass2010]

Looks like you got some work cut out for a couple of days and some nice wood 👍👍👍👍👍😉

[@tonyn3123]

What a day's work! I would have loved to have had a bandsaw mill when I was your age. I worked on major highway construction in the 70's until recently and saw uncountable trees just burned because no one wanted them due to the cost of milling. I did retrieve some beautiful large red cedar and walnut trees and had them milled years ago. Using some of them even now in my little retirement woodshop. Question....I noticed you had to slab a couple in the video more than once. I can see where its hard to know exactly where the blade will exit. Ever thought about a cheap laser level that would project a line down the tree to show you exactly where the slab would clear and not have to make two passes to slab? Enjoy your videos. I love to see trees used where possible.

[@falllineridge]

I believe some of the higher end mills have that very thing built in...but I think that's a brilliant idea. I could just level it on the blade. Thanks for the tip!

[@frankbollotino2270]

Boy that tractor is sure a back and time savor !

[@falllineridge]

It's amazing how much effort it saves me.

[@jimmowers7675]

Good morning from Yukon. Happy 4th. Too bad some can’t use all the slabs you cut off. I could make a lot of bird houses out of them. To bad I don’t live closer to you. Have a fantastic weekend. Go bless you and your family.

[@falllineridge]

Wish you were closer, I'd give you all you wanted.

[@terryclouse6390]

great video your cat didn,t go keep up the work

[@buddycarroll9665]

I worked up a sweat just watching you work.....😂

[@K-FOREST_Original]

It's great to operate so many of those equipment alone. As always - with safety at the base, I hope there will be wonderful works. ^O^

[@jimmyanderson1744]

great video.Enjoying here in Northern Illinois. We do not see this type of operation

[@jimmyanderson1744]

I hope you keep producing these. They are very informative

[@bwillan]

Quite a productive day for a 1 man operation with a tractor.

[@jerrylittle8922]

Just stacked some old growth Southern Yellow Pine from the Herman Talmadge Plantation. Long Leaf. Some of the logs had over 100 growth rings. Beautiful lumber. Storm blue some of the trees down around the house and i was able to get a couple trees. 🇺🇸

[@egraham9049]

Jerry Little I would love to see those logs

[@falllineridge]

That sounds incredible, Jerry. With I could have seen those.

[@tectalabyss]

Liked,shared. Happy 4th. All my best.

[@67fastback23]

How do convince my wife she needs a saw mill for her crafts. :)

[@TripleTRanchAndSawmill]

That was a lot work/production! Love your kubota but miss the ford

[@dwightvarney6215]

Good morning from Ohio Wes. Always love the videos. Looks like you have a nice setup there, but that's a lot of hard work. Where's your little beagle Cricket she's a cute pup. Happy 4th

[@falllineridge]

Thanks, Dwight. Cricket is still doing great. I'll let her know you asked.

[@kenjett2434]

The tractor is not only a back saver but also a time savor. Great job sawing liked the pace not to fast just steady. I am sure you could push and saw more but at what cost? That is how mistakes get made you wear yourself out and it's no longer a fun project. Just keep up the steady pace you will just naturally get some faster as you develop a routine. But in these small logs your never going to saw large amounts of board feet in a day. Not sure what rough pine lumber sells for but you had $200 or more worth of lumber in your pile that's not bad for a days work one guy.

[@iain1969]

Great video as always. Thank you.

[@richardsabean5781]

Picking 2 logs close to the same size,, would save trips to the log pile & saw them at the same time would save travel time for the milling head.. Aloha

[@bruceharvey8810]

How about if you prepare several cants the same size and then mill more than one at a time?

[@ThirdTimeAroundRanch]

you cant mill 2 logs at the same time, there is no way to clamp 2 logs onto the bed.

[@ThirdTimeAroundRanch]

@@bruceharvey8810 That would create more work because you would have to remove the cant's then put them all back on to mill them together. It's much easier just to start and finish 1 log at a time

[@richardsabean5781]

@@ThirdTimeAroundRanch B//S

[@richardsabean5781]

@@ThirdTimeAroundRanch i watched 3 different youtubers,, do just that,, & one of them did 3 at a time.. maybe you can't ,, i've seen it..

[@timgiles9413]

13:59 is a great log for my log cabin. Two cuts and done, 8" thick (wall thickness) Debark top and bottom, notch the ends then stack :)

[@roberto.peterson9917]

Recommend 2 things put dunage on trailer before stacking board on them place stickers between each level for drying the dunage would allow unloading with fork lift

[@falllineridge]

Not a bad idea.

[@dawndippery9277]

I noticed you need to figure out a way to mount an umbrella to your mill that moves with the blade. The shade would help tremendously! Also could you cut the logs 2 at a time? That would speed up the work.

[@falllineridge]

You're not the first person to suggest an umbrella. I think it's a great idea.

[@donaldtrabeaux5235]

awesome job nice lumber

[@David9523]

Thanks for posting - I have the same tractor and it's a back saver for sure. Question from an outside observation- but sawmill seems strong enough, why not cut 2 logs at once, side by side, and double production? Thanks again and love the channel.

[@stedder8436]

Nice video bud

[@falllineridge]

Thanks!

[@markb1487]

That White Tshirt didn't stay white long... 😂😂😂😂

[@erikleorga]

With the stacks of boards on that trailer of yours I'd figure you would have enough to build a whole 2nd house.

[@lialos]

It's a shame your new wood cutting shed isn't as portable as your sawmill. That sun looks oppressive!

[@falllineridge]

No joke!

[@abnerpalencia1209]

Que tal amigo soy abner Palencia Soy de poptun Petén Guatemala Que bonito aserradero cuanto cuesta unobd esos Y excelente trabajo el que haces no sé inglés Pero me gusta ese trabajo

[@don1031]

So many good and interesting things in the video. I do have a question. Do you ever consider sawing two logs at the same time? From my point of view it sure looks like the mill could handle it but I am sure there are considerations I don't know anything about. Thanks for sharing.

[@falllineridge]

I've never tried it. It could probably be done with two similar sized logs, I might give it a try sometime just to see what happens.

[@عبدالقادرالشرفاء-د9خ]

Good work

[@justintime2277]

Nice work!!

[@jamesdeery5377]

I know how you feel about the never ending remodeling of the house. 15 years and still at it.

[@bobclarke1814]

Hydraulic assistance dos make all the difference when ur on your own thanks for letting us watch

[@cynthiarogacion]

hardworking ...very indeed

[@aporter701]

Nice work.50-50 deal not too bad,huh?

[@falllineridge]

Works out great for me.

[@gregbrown1083]

If you lay down 3 4x4 s and 2 chains across your trailer, you would be able to pick upthe whole stack at once with your tractor. Good luck.

[@bruceharvey8810]

And if you sticker the load you would be all set to set it down and air dry it. Less handleing.

[@Liono68]

At a 50/50 deal with the land owner, the land owner is getting the better part of the deal. You provide the equipment, gasoline, and labor. Otherwise he would just be burning the logs.

[@TimLukeAnderson]

How and where do you dry all this lumber and can you get away with using them without drying ?

[@falllineridge]

I air dry them at my house. They can be used green if the project is a rough shed or something like that. But for interior use they have to be dried to prevent shrinkage after installation.

[@roberto.peterson9917]

#? What do you do with live edge slabs you cut off when squaring log I see potential for veneer siding to give building a log look

[@Donnie9by5]

They could be used for a lot of out door buildings!

[@oldschoolmachinist1938]

Hi Wes, I don't know if you had mentioned what kind of siding you're going to put on the house, if it's going to be vertical or horizontal. If it's lap siding have you seen the resaw attachment for the Wood Mizer sawmills? You can resaw the 4/4 boards and turn them into lap siding and with a different belt attachment you can also make shingles with it. Have a safe Fourth of July weekend, can't wait to see more of your videos.

[@falllineridge]

Board and batton on the bottom and lap board on the top. Just using the mill for my little projects I can't really justify all that fancy stuff. I'll just have to make do with the mill.

[@oldschoolmachinist1938]

@@falllineridge can't wait to see pictures of the outside of the house when it's finished.

[@russellbrackett2465]

Why do a 180 turn vice 90. I find in production milling the 90 turn to be faster. Just a thought.

[@tommyadams1897]

Great video as always. Do you cut for shrinkage for drying or just cut to the size you want and not worry about the drying shrinkage?

[@falllineridge]

I cut to get the maximum width board out of a log, then let it shrink while stacked.

[@frankcherry3810]

Im surprised the pulp wood haulers wouldn’t take it

[@OriginalMomo]

If u started with a brand new blade, how many pine 🌲 logs would you think it can eat before swapping?

[@falllineridge]

These were pretty clean, I went through 3 blades on 30 logs in 2 days.

[@natehill8069]

Once you have 2 logs cut to cants, could you mill 2 (same size) of them side by side?

[@kmarch6630]

I bet you sure were hot and tired after that long day.

[@jtfisrtbuild947]

Yeah just keep telling yourself that . Maybe it will become it .

[@robertrobinson6785]

Might be a dumb question but when you cut I notice you let the lumber stack. Isn't that putting a lot of drag and friction as well as heat on the blade shortening the life of it?.

[@falllineridge]

No. I have a video entitled "Could this technique destroy your sawmill." In that video I explain why it doesn't matter how much is stacked on top of the blade.

[@henryl3617]

Would it have been possible to saw log at a time? They looked small enough. I know pine isn't good for saws, at least at the sawmill I work for. So they don't saw pine. The sap gets everywhere, but those are different pine than what we have here.

[@falllineridge]

Two logs at a time could probably be done, it might be more trouble than it's worth though...I might try it to see what happens.

[@henryl3617]

@@falllineridge It'll be easier with the tractor. The thing I think you'd have trouble with is bark against bark. Because it'd be uneven.

[@rkeround2itindustries892]

How is scooter doing. Becoming better behaved?

[@falllineridge]

Scooter?

[@fredjohnson9692]

When you saw on halves, who pays for the fuel? And with that many logs to cut, what are your thoughts on building a log deck that you can load 4 or 5 logs at time with the tractor?

[@falllineridge]

I pay for my own fuel for sawing/hauling/tractor work. He pays for his own with cutting/loading/hauling. It all comes out in the wash. It would be tough to build a log deck for on site milling on a temporary basis.

[@oldschooldiy3240]

Still not leveling your pith, huh?

[@WilliamWBG]

How are you drying the wood before using it in your remodel? How long does it take to dry before you can get to use it?

[@falllineridge]

Air drying. It takes 6 months to a year to dry a 1" board. If the moisture content isn't low enough after that (about 7%), it has to be brought inside to acclimate for several days.

[@highwood18]

Heard you can make some good money with that sawmill??? But how

[@falllineridge]

I think it would require large volumes of plain lumber sawing or some kind of specialty like slabs. For me, it saves a lot of money on projects around the house.

[@rubberneckrides5940]

The hydraulics on that Kubota seem very on or off. Issue with the valves?

[@falllineridge]

No, the grapple is literally on or off, no in between. If the rest of the loader looks jumpy it's probably just me try to get used to it.

[@chetthejet3896]

19:00 I think they are longer than 16 inches. ;--)

[@brucewelty7684]

He caught the mistake and showed FEET on the screen.

[@kmarch6630]

Most of us knew what he meant anyway.

[@bluethunder1951]

I notice you turn the log 180 deg after taking off the first slab cut, if you have the log stops up why not just turn 90 deg and save from having to make all those extra log rotations?

[@kenjett2434]

As a Sawyer myself in most cases it doesn't increase the amount of log rotation. By doing the 180 makes the log more stable to cut. Once the opposing slabs are cut and you dog the log for third slab. The log is now thinner lighter and a flat surface to dog against. Once third slab is removed you can begin taking your lumber before taking last slab. Often this is more efficient because last thing you cut is last slab actually saving having to make a thin cut for waste. It will just go off with the slab making your lumber cuts nor efficient.

[@bluethunder1951]

I’m a sayer too, I see your logic, and I agree it would make the second cut more stable, but regardless you lose that stability on the third cut while having to rotate on extra 90 deg, so, why not be unstable for second cut and only rotate three time instead of four especially on large diameter logs that you would have to work hard to turn with a cant hook.

[@kenjett2434]

@@bluethunder1951 you must not be very experienced if your a Sawyer or you would know you don't lose stability on the third cut. As I stated when you rotate for the third cut you now have a flat side to set your dog plus the cantilever side of the log is lighter with that slab gone thus less strain to hold it up. This makes the log more stable and there is no extra rotation or extra cut. It's an efficient way to saw. But every Sawyer has there own style and ways they do things they are comfortable with. The only thing that counts is getting most you can from a log accurately.

[@bluethunder1951]

Ken Jett five years of sawing, but hey, at least I know how to count, log is 360 deg, take off first slab, three sides with bark left, rotate like you say 180 and take off second cut, two sides with bark left on, turn 90 degrees bark is on the bunk and flat side on the log stop, so no matter how you dog it, its still no more stable then having turned 90 deg after first cut, and if you count turns its four 90deg turns your way and three mine. 🙄

[@kenjett2434]

@@bluethunder1951 you may understand how to count but your missing the physics. Everything we do involves science in this case we are talking about gravity and mass. Yes the bark is on top and on bottom when ready to make third cut but your over looking the fact there is alot less weight hanging on the side of that log. It's thinner and thus less mass pulling down by gravity trying to force it to turn. This along with the flat side to dog against makes the log more stable. Guess you didn't understand when I used the term cantilever. The log is far more stable in this method than trying to support the log for a 90 degree second cut. Because you have more weight/mass hanging on the side giving gravity more pull making harder for the dog to hold it stable against the log stops. Plus your anchoring the dog into bark which isn't as solid of bite as dogging into the inner wood. The extra bark and wood gives a cantilever effect trying to force turn the log by removing that slab you reduce the weight/mass thus reducing the cantilever effect on the log. This is why it makes it a more stable way to cut.

[@Bassmaster1256]

Did you actually cut them 6x6? Or 5 1/2 x 5 1/2?

[@falllineridge]

I set the depth gauge on the mill to 6, which actually gave me 5 7/8.

[@David-fv7zg]

Do you have a video of you sharpening your blades? I couldn’t find one specifically.

[@brucewelty7684]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJnPdaOletN3nrc I, obviously, am not him. But I think this is what you might be after.

[@David-fv7zg]

@@brucewelty7684 Thank you!

[@falllineridge]

Thanks Bruce!

[@mannypickard479]

Why don’t you cut two logs at the same time save you a lot of work

[@leeskithree]

you work way too hard but thats a good thing, good video but I don't know if I would have taken that job, them logs were small. I think it is to much work for the reward unless it was a friend

[@Leofred2000]

You have a lot of air in those tires? Looks kinda harsh to ride

[@falllineridge]

It's how they came from the dealer...it's a little stiff for sure.

[@Brian4449]

Is it Pitch Pine?

[@falllineridge]

Southern yellow. Pitchy when green. These logs had dried some, and were small, so they weren't so bad.

[@canalolenhadorvaldir]

LIKE👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍

[@compangpopochanel9852]

💪💪💪💪💪

[@Firehawk8585]

Good to see you're wearing a face mask! Inhaling all that dust can't be good for your lungs.

[@falllineridge]

I figured it was time.